We're living in an era where Americans have less respect for the news media than ever. Even those inside the industry are questioning its values — as they stare at pink slips and moving boxes. So how to reinvigorate this country's interest in our industry's storied past? By spending $450 on the Newseum, the just-opened Washington D.C. ode to our self-importance. Now officially allowing the public to stream past Ana Marie Cox's blogging slippers and NBC's touch-screen "experience what it's like to be a reporter" exhibit, just how many people are interested enough to show up?

On opening day, 10,854 souls took the bait. That left Newseum CEO Charles Overby "ecstatic." And while that number is likely to taper off on Day Two through Two Hundred, let's pretend it doesn't.

And let's also pretend the museum is open 365 days a year. What would annual attendance be then?

A hefty 3,961,710.

So how does that semi-arbitrary figure measure up to other historical institutions looking to score your entrance fee? A quick list of museums' annual attendance should put things in unreasonable perspective:

Washington DC National Gallery of Art: 6 million
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art: 5.5 million
The Museum of Modern Art: 1.5 million
The Art Institute of Chicago: 1.478 million
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: 1.1 million
Guggenheim Museum (New York): 0.925 million
Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburg): 0.86 million
Torpedo Factory Art Center (Alexandria, Va.): 0.8 million