As the biggest city in the country, different New York City hospitals are claiming babies born in their respective maternity wards are the the 300 millionth American. The NY Post had a graphic of three babies - all coming in at 7:46AM yesterday. There's baby Emanuel Plata born in Elmhurst Hospital. Then there's baby Zoe Emile Hudson at New York Presbyterian Cornell. And teeny Joana Palaguachi, born in Flushing Hospital. Newsday also offers a fourth baby into the mix: Mystique Alyzha Agueda, born at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn. All hospitals are bragging, but Newsday found out some sobering news: Census Bureau spokesman Stephen Buckner says, "These are not actual counts, which makes it impossible to actually identify a 300 milllionth American." Well, all of these babies are number 300 million in our book.
The census factoid we like is how the estimate is derived. Bucker explained to Newsday that it take into account a new birth every 7 seconds, one death every 13 seconds, and net international migration every 31 seconds - a "new American every 11 seconds."
Already, the population clock says we're at U.S. 300,007,789 - and counting. And NPR had the 200 millionth American on yesterday during an interesting segment about the 300 millionth American yesterday.
Graphic from the NY Post
