202,586 people (including over 13,000 from China) paid to apply (yes they paid just for the privilege of applying... soak on that for a minute) to be the first Martians, via the Mars One program.
Application fees varied by country, ranging from $25 (USD equivalent) to well over $100 per person.
That's approximately $5-10M raised from people willing to die on Mars. Four people will be selected.
This may be the greatest scam ever.