According to History.com, estimated date of the earliest recorded celebration to honor the new year -- in ancient Babylon: 2000 B.C.
Source: History.com.
Percentage of Americans who won't be making a resolution in 2020, according to a survey by Urban Plates: 62
Percentage who say the reason for that is because they are "where they want to be": 16
Of those making resolutions in 2020, percentage of respondents who cited money matters and eating healthier (avoiding fast food and processed food, etc.) as their goals: 51
Percentage of respondents planning a 2020 resolution who report "losing weight" as a goal: 42
Of those who made a 2019 resolution, percentage who did not complete theirs -- with the largest percentage keeping their resolutions no longer than three months: 56
Source: Urban Plates.
Estimated number of people who will gather in Times Square to ring in the new year on Dec. 31, according to the Times Square Alliance: 1 million plus
Number of Waterford Crystal triangles of varying sizes that are attached to the aluminum frame of the Times Square New Year's ball: 2,688
Weight of the confetti that is dropped in Times Square during the New Year's Eve celebration: 1 ton plus
Source: Times Square Visitors Center.
Percentage of American companies that plan to expand creative teams in the first half of 2020, according to the Creative Group: 66
Percentage who said retaining staff is more difficult than a year ago: 66
Source: The Creative Group.
Number of American adults who have admitted to getting at least one unwanted gift over the holidays, according to a study from Finder.com: 154 million
Source: Finder.com.
Percentage of U.S. workers who did not see a salary increase in the last year, according to a Bankrate.com report: 50
Percentage of respondents who received a pay raise: 28
Percentage who got a better-paying job: 12
Source: Bankrate.com.
Percentage of parents with a child age 3 to 13 who planned to stay in this New Year's Eve, according to a poll conducted on behalf of Netflix: 77
Percentage who agree that they like the idea of having a special tradition with their child/children on New Year's Eve: 90
Percentage who believe New Year's Eve is an important time to spend with family: 87
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.
Percentage of Americans who believe in God, according to a poll for The Wall Street Journal: 82
Percentage of respondents who believe God performs miracles: 76
Percentage who said they believe in a heaven: 75
Percentage who said there is a place called hell: 61
Source: Harris Interactive for The Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition.
As wild celebrations, fireworks, local traditions and extravagant spectacles welcome the new year across the United States -- ranks of Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Orlando, Denver and New Orleans on the list of the best U.S. destinations for New Year's Eve to celebrate the countdown to 2020, according to Skyscanner: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Ranks of New York City; Nassau, Bahamas; Edinburgh, Scotland; Las Vegas; and Quebec City on the list of the most popular cities worldwide to spend New Year's Eve: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: Skyscanner.
Idle Thought
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." -- Hippocrates
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)