Which were the most destructive fires in history?

Swing states

Where would Canada and Greenland rank if they became US states?

– Canada would be, by far, the largest state. In fact, at 3,855,100 square miles it is marginally larger than the current US (3,796,742 square miles).

– It would also be the largest state by population, with 41.5m inhabitants, putting it ahead of California (39.4m).

– It would have the third largest GDP, at $2.58tn, behind California ($4.08tn) and Texas ($2.69tn).

– Unless Canada also joined, Greenland would become the largest US state, at 836,330 square miles, ahead of Alaska (665,384 square miles).

– It would be the smallest in terms of population, its 56,600 inhabitants less than a tenth of the current least-populous state, Wyoming (587,618).

– In terms of GDP, too, it would come a distant last, on $3.86bn (Vermont currently has the smallest economy, worth $45.4bn).

Ordeal by fire

At least 24 people were killed and 1,300 buildings destroyed in three wildfires in
Los Angeles. Some of history’s most destructive fires:

– 1660, Istanbul: two-thirds of the city destroyed, 40,000 people killed.

– 1666, London: 13,200 homes destroyed and 436 acres burned, 80% of the area of the City of London.

– 1752, Moscow: 18,000 buildings destroyed.

– 1788, New Orleans: 856 buildings out of 1,100 in the city destroyed.

– 1917, Thessaloniki, Greece: 9,500 homes destroyed, 32% of the city’s area.

– 1871, Chicago: 17,000 buildings destroyed, 300 killed and 90,000 people made homeless.

– 1961, Brentwood/Bel Air, LA: 6,090 acres burned, 484 homes destroyed.

March of the machines

Keir Starmer wants Britain to become an ‘AI superpower’. Which countries had the largest AI industries in 2023, as measured by private investment?

US $67.2bn

China  $7.76bn

UK $3.78bn

Germany $1.91bn

Sweden $1.89bn

France $1.69bn

Canada $1.61bn

Israel $1.52bn

South Korea/India $1.39bn

Source: Stanford University