This Day in Pop Culture for February 17

1995: Random Acts of Kindness Becomes a Thing

You’ve heard of “random acts of kindness” where people do simple things for others, usually strangers, as a way of being kind. The official day began on this day in 1995 and is now a full week celebration. “It’s simply an opportunity to leave the world better than we found it and inspire others to do the same,” says The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK). “We believe in the power of kindness to improve the way people see and experience the world, and provide a digital platform and free resources to empower individuals, communities, and schools to take action.” (Image: Lisa Fotios/Pexels).

1972: The Beetle Becomes World’s Best-Selling Car

Herbie would be so proud. On this day on in 1972 the 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle came off the assembly line and broke a world record held for more than forty years by the Ford Motor Company’s iconic Model T, which was in production from 1908 and 1927. The Beetle made its way to the U.S. shores in the 1950s. In 1968, Disney released The Love Bug into theaters with great success. Many sequels followed. In July of 2003, the last original Beetle rolled off the line in Mexico. (Image: Wikimedia)