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Here's a list of people who have been famous for no good reason: Vanna White, Paris Hilton, the "Survivor" castaways, Robert Woo.

Don't recognize that last one? You must not be paying attention to the news this week. Woo, an Atlanta lawyer born in 1967, was the 200 millionth American – at least according to Life magazine, which somewhat haphazardly gave him the honor. Now that we're hitting 300 million, more or less, Woo has been all over the place, including appearances on CBS' "Evening News" and "Sunday Morning."

When it anointed Woo, Life didn't have any way of knowing if he was really number 200 million. As this Slate "Explainer" points out, calculating population milestones is guesswork. But Life magazine's editor wanted a baby who "would symbolize this point in the nation's growth." Media outlets always want to put a human face on statistical milestones, and Woo served that purpose.

This time around, we're seeing a bit more restraint.

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