“I know how we could raise money! Let’s issue stamps that aren’t really postage, but people would still pay for them and stick them to letters!” In 1907, a little tuberculosis sanitarium in Delaware was desperate enough to buy that argument (or words to that effect) in hopes of generating $300 to stay open. Organizers wound up raising 10 times that, and Christmas seals became a holiday tradition. No time to mail out cards this year? The American Lung Association has you covered–with “e-seals.”
Number of people who die from TB each year worldwide: 2 million.
Percentage decline in U.S. tuberculosis cases from 1954 to 1985: 74.
Percentage increase in U.S. asthma cases between 1980 and 1994: 75.
Estimated number of breaths the average person takes per day: 20,000.
Year the U.S. stopped including cigarettes in military rations: 1975.
