The story behind
the number.

Short deep dives into where a statistic comes from — an interactive chart, an archive image, a modern map. No number invented.

Everyone points at China. The atmosphere keeps a running total — and it tells a different story.

In 1950 the largest city on Earth was New York. It hasn't held the title for a single year since.

At its peak the world held over 60,000 nuclear warheads. Where they went is its own story.

The story behindthe number.