Last night, humanity greeted--by some calculations--its 7 billionth inhabitant, and one of the babies that the United Nations chose to represent the milestone was in Manila, Philippines. Her name is Danica May Camacho, and she was greeted with flashing cameras, speeches and a "a gift certificate for free shoes," the Associated Press reported. The news service points out that there were similar celebrations greeting the arrival of babies in Uttar Pradesh, India and elsewhere. The U.N. officials on hand in Manila greeted the seven billionth person with a small cake, The Guardian reported, and her family also received a scholarship grant for her education. "She looks so lovely ... I can't believe she is the world's seven billionth," said her mother, Camille Dalura, to the newspaper. The next time such big, symbolic population milestones should be expected, according to the current U.N. estimates via the AP, are in 2025 (8 billion people) and in 2083 (when humanity reaches the 10 billion figure).

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ehayden at nationaljournal dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Erik Hayden