On August 21, the day of the Total Solar Eclipse, ~1 million people are expected to be in S.C. – 700,000 of those people in the Midlands – making this the biggest event ever in our city. Sure, those numbers seem big, but how do they add up in comparison to other events?

350,000 | Estimated number of S.C. coast evacuees during Hurricane Matthew in 2016

256,000 | Number of S.C. coast evacuees during Hurricane Hugo in 1989

85,199 | Largest crowd ever at Willy B, for the Gamecock Football victory over UGA in 2012

60,000 | Number of people who came to see Pope John Paul II when he visited Cola in 1987

46,000 | Largest protest ever in S.C., to stop the Confederate flag from flying on the State House dome during the first ‘King Day at the Dome’ in 2000

10,000 | Number of viewers who watched the Confederate flag be permanently removed from the State House grounds in 2015

3 min read / The State