Thank you for smoking: Sales of cigarettes rose last year, for the first time in 20 years

10/28/21 8:00PM

Manufacturers sold almost 204 billion cigarettes in the United States last year, a 0.4% increase on 2019, marking the first year that cigarette sales have grown in almost 20 years. That works out to roughly 620 cigarettes per person.

‍Kickin' the habit

‍America has been — slowly — kicking the smoking habit ever since the early 80s. In 1981 cigarette sales peaked at 636 billion, meaning that sales are down more than two-thirds since then.

That longer term trend is probably going to continue. Considering how extreme last year was on so many levels, it's not hard to come up with theories why 2020 might have seen more people reaching for a cigarette, as nicotine can offer a quick hit of dopamine.

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Tom Jones7/10/26

The most watched soccer match in US history got less than a third of the views the Super Bowl did

Between a top-spot finish in the group stage, a sweeping performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and the president’s controversial intervention, Monday evening’s USMNT game against Belgium had, to put it lightly, shaped up into a box-office clash.

And though the US players’ performance on the pitch might not have lived up to the high drama off it, American soccer fans certainly showed up. According to early estimates, the 4-1 defeat against Belgium was the most watched soccer telecast in US history, hauling some 40 million viewers on average across the coverage on Fox and Telemundo.

That may be a record tally in the US for the sport that much of the world calls some variant of “football” — besting the 36.2 million who tuned in to watch the team’s previous knock-out match — but it’s still peanuts in comparison to the sport that shares the same name in the States.

Tom Jones

burning question

6/24/26

Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same

That perception gap on the issue is among the highest in the world, per a new Gallup poll.

Youth Climate Strikes Break Out Across The U.S.

Reddit’s advertising business is getting bigger. It’s already booming.

The platform will plow more money into its ad offerings as it cements itself as a “trove of human intelligence.”

Tom Jones6/22/26

Tom Jones

plane pain

6/22/26

45% of Americans say they’re not taking a summer vacation this year, mostly due to costs

Flight comparison site Skyscanner is recommending some cheaper alternatives closer to home.

Bored annoyed man looking funny and angry during his summer staycations

Tom Jones

6/17/26

Despite slight declines, Japanese tourism figures are still hovering around record highs

Tourism: Still big in Japan.

Aerial view of Tokyo cityscape with Fuji mountain in Japan.

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