Feel Good Friday

“Inflation, the curse of our pocketbooks and the Federal Reserve, has hit almost every good in the U.S. But the price of a beloved toy has managed to hover around $1 — for more than 50 years.” Why Hot Wheels are one of the most inflation-proof toys in American history.

+ “In 1948, Phillip Sollomi debuted an Italian vinaigrette at his Kansas City fried chicken restaurant, the Wishbone. An immediate hit, the salad dressing formed the foundation for an empire … Decades after Sollomi left the company, his family has returned to the city to reclaim their legacy.” A Kansas City family created Wish-Bone Italian Dressing. It became an American obsession. I chugged this stuff as a kid.

+ SciAm: 9 Science Stories That Restore Our Faith in Humanity.

+ MacKenzie Scott reveals details of her $14bn in donations to 1,600 non-profits.

+ U.S. Postal Service honors the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis with a stamp. Cool, but where is the Tubman Twenty?

+ In honor of Taylor Hawkins, Billie Eilish and Dave Grohl sing Hero.

+ “During its run, the Phantom of the Opera created an estimated 6,500 jobs — including those for 400 actors. That’s more jobs than any show in U.S. theatrical history.
Today, 20 employees are still working at ‘Phantom’ after more than three decades.”

+ And for your weekend viewing pleasure, Mbappé vs. Messi Is The World Cup Final Soccer Fans Deserve. (I’m such a soccer newbie that before this week, I though Mbappé was a song by Hanson.)