Number Of The Year What numbers tell 2013's story? NPR asked reporters and producers to pick a number that crystallizes an idea or trend that was important this year. Their answers ranged from zero to a trillion.
Special Series
Number Of The Year
NPR presents the numbers that crystallize an idea or trend that was important in 2013.
Monica Calhoun (left), Melissa De Sousa and Nia Long star in The Best Man Holiday, one of this year's eleven top-grossing films starring black actors and by black directors. Michael Gibson/Universal Pictures hide caption
Because of a bitter labor dispute, the Minnesota Orchestra has not played a single performance in its concert hall this year. The orchestra's music director, Osmo Vanska (pictured here), resigned in October. Greg Helgeson/Minnesota Orchestra hide caption
The wildfire in Yarnell, Ariz., last June destroyed homes and killed 19 firefighters. Experts say expansion into wildfire-prone areas has created new challenges for firefighters. Andy Tobin/AP hide caption
Women walk along on the street in Kabul, Afghanistan, last week. The country faces many changes next year, including a presidential election and the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces. There are also concerns that advances made by women over the past decade could be in jeopardy. Rahmat Gul/AP hide caption
A Bangladeshi worker participates in a protest outside a garment factory in Dhaka. A.M. Ahad/AP hide caption
(Clockwise, from left)Yuanzai; Mei Huan; Happy Leopard; Mei Lun; Xing Bao; Bao Bao. (Clockwise, from left) Xinhua/Landov; Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta; Animal Press/Barcroft Media/Landov; Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta; EPA/Sergio Barrenechea/Landov; Abby Wood/UPI/Landov hide caption
The President And A Majority of Americans Want A Minimum Wage Hike
Jonathan Henderson of the Gulf Restoration Network holds a jar of tar balls. Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announces that the city will demolish Turner Field after Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves leave for a new stadium in the suburbs in 2017. Reed says it was a hard decision but he thinks the city will be better for it. David Goldman/AP hide caption
Oregon is still using paper applications to enroll people in coverage under the Affordable Care Act. iStockphoto hide caption
Children carry the body of a friend who was killed by shelling during heavy fighting between the Free Syrian Army and the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus earlier this year. Momahed Dimashkia/Reuters/Landov hide caption
This summer, movie studios were up to their necks in big-budget blockbusters, including Disney's The Lone Ranger, which ended up a huge bomb. Peter Mountain/Walt Disney Pictures hide caption
Superlow inflation means workers often don't see big raises and consumers may delay buying, thinking prices will drop some more. Kevork Djansezian/Reuters/Landov hide caption
Partiers celebrate marijuana legalization in Washington state at a pot party in Seattle earlier this month. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption
On Tuesday, Federal Reserve policymakers begin a two-day meeting where many analysts expect they will announce a reduction in the central bank's $85 billion monthly stimulus. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption
A crowd forms a line around the block from the office of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles on the first day of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images hide caption