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TIL only 2% of Ford buyers took the $27 seat belt option, in 1956. And in the 80's, less than 15% of Americans said they used seat belts and a Gallup poll showed that 65% of Americans opposed mandatory belt laws. Now "more than 90% buckle up regularly".

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gMXo4 TIL the Thanksgiving Turkey presented to the U.S. President each year was originally intended to be slaughtered for the White House Thanksgiving dinner-- It was George H.W. Bush that established the currently ongoing tradition of presenting the turkey with a Presidential Pardon, sparing its life.
M7Xra TIL that the US Government spends billions of dollars to keep the Mississippi River from changing course and destroying New Orleans
MQ1A TIL an Illnois aquarium had a fish named Bubba which became popular with cancer patients as it was the first fish to undergo chemo
5Bbk TIL that Jericho Israel has been continuously inhabited since 9400 BCE and is thought to be one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world.
awglb TIL Switzerland has no landfills. 50% of the municipal waste is recycled, 50% is incinerated to produce electricity