FROM THE REGISTER — CRITICALLY LOW
REPORTED IN 2025: 9 BIRTHS — THE LINE IS 5
Missing for two decades, then reported again this year. The record holds 42,878 of them, 1,383 in 1924 alone. In 2025 there were 9. The reporting line is five; below it, the record prints nothing at all. It spent 21 straight years below the line (2004–2024) before this year's return.
| First reported | 1885 |
|---|---|
| Last reported | 2025 — 9 births |
| Peak | 1924 — 1,383 births |
| Total recorded, 1885–2025 | 42,878 |
| Years above the line | 115 of a possible 141 |
| Longest absence | 21 years (2004–2024) |
| Returned | 2025 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national names file (1880–2025). Names below 5 occurrences in a year are not reported.
Somewhere, a grandmother is unsurprised.
A collection of THE MUSEUM OF HOPEFUL MACHINES