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Before refrigerators became commercially viable, the elites of societies past subscribed to “ice services.” For a long time, frozen water in a hot, humid summer was an exclusive privilege for the ultra-rich.

Even in ancient inscriptions dating as far back as 3,800 B.C., one can find lines like, "We have fallen upon evil times, politics is corrupt and the social fabric is fraying." Many people voice similar thoughts today.

The amount of vegetation growing on the earth has been increasing every year for at least 30 years.

Malthus' fears have not come to pass. Human innovation has brought hunger and poverty to record lows.

Only 1 in 100 people surveyed realized that global poverty has halved in the last 20 years.

The Earth was 379.6% more abundant in 2017 than it was in 1980. Find that hard to believe? Read the HumanProgress’ new study:

In 1820, 94% of the world's population lived in extreme poverty. In 1990, 34.8%, and in 2015, just 9.6%.

“Here is a shocker: The world has made spectacular progress in every single measure of human well-being. Here is a second shocker: Almost no one knows about it.”- Steven Pinker

Capitalism is one the most cooperative of human endeavors. Repeated transactions among trading parties encourage trustworthiness-- a moral side product of capitalism that we do not spend enough time talking about, let alone celebrating.

Louis XIV had incredible wealth and power, but his palace of Versailles didn't have any restrooms. In fact, he lacked access to many things that most ordinary people today can take for granted.