Investigative datum reporter Jon Keegan comes across plenitude of enchanting visuals while conducting research on the websites of government agency . In fact , he even created his own website calledBeautiful Public Datato share some of his favorite finding . you may seedrone footage of volcanic eruptionsfrom the U.S. Geological Survey , for representative , and a snapshot of therock samplesNASA has collected from themoon .
you’re able to also explore the8291 license shell designscurrently usable in the U.S. To build his database , Keegan had to amass all the designs from each res publica ’s ( andWashington , D.C. ’s ) motor vehicle authority . Some website were easy to pilot than others , and he cease up filing six Freedom of Information Act requests to pander details from less forthcoming res publica . In short , it was a fairly extensive task . It ’s also worth mentioning that his enquiry took place between June and July 2023 , so it ’s possible that today ’s entire plate count is n’t exactly 8291 .
The best — or perhaps just most fun — way to see just how expansive the design options are is to type a random terminal figure into the search bar of the tabular array Keegan reconstruct . Animal , for instance , turn up plates mostly decorated withdogsandcatsalongside phrase likeAnimal FriendlyandI Care for Animals . require to transmit your cacoethes for euphony ? If you live in Washington state , you may buy a denture covered in musical musical note and the phraseMusic Matters . Texans can choose one with a guitar headstock next to the wordsTexas Music .
The options are n’t enclose to ecumenical hobby and interests . There areplatesfor everyone from physicians and vet to barbershop quaternion vocaliser — one of Maryland ’s many niche offer . In fact , Keegan found that Maryland has the most plate innovation of any state : 989 , to be precise , nearly twice as many as smuggler - up Texas ( 476 ) . Hawaii has the fewest , with just 14 .
you may discover more intriguing takeaway from Keegan ’s survey and search the database for yourselfhere .
