A daily journal of good news.
Neighborhoods organizing themselves, quiet acts of kindness, and the everyday work of civic life done well.
From the Dallas Morning News comes the story of a firefighter who went above and beyond the call of duty, even though he was off duty. Out in the family boat on the 4th of July, Jason Horne rescued 3 drowning children trapped under a pontoon boat on Alvarado Lake, in Midlothian. The paper referenced […] The post Off-duty North Texas Firefighter Saves 3 Children Trapped Under Boat on 4th of July ap
In a significant milestone, the Siraya people of Taiwan have won legal recognition from the government as the island’s 17th officially designated Indigenous group. In late July,…
This fall, we're asking seniors to send us their stories in audio form. Our judges will pick the best ones and air them on NPR.
97-year-old Westel Creager became determined to keep a promise he made years ago. When his great-granddaughter Haiden was going off to college, Westel told her that if she got…
A bargain blossomed into something beautiful. The post Dollar Tree customer buys 957 seed packs for a penny each, returns with fresh veggies for manager appeared first on Upworthy…
108 years ago today, American cartoonist Winsor McCay released the first long-form animation film, the Sinking of the Lusitania, showing what pure conviction looks like. Far from…
With significant roles in the Great Chicago Fire, 1893 World’s Fair and modern-day architecture, the beer’s impact on the Windy City is undeniable
Most people think it's rude, but it keeps people interested. The post Harvard expert shares the small talk trick that makes boring conversations more fun appeared first on…
An enrollment cliff combined with high sticker prices no one is paying has some private colleges rethinking their tuition.
On the first day, marine officers removed 31 cats from the “ghost ship.” In the span of a week, that number doubled.
The otter has made a full recovery and has been reunited with its family in the wild.
This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. A.J. Johnson’s oldest…
This article was originally written by Talker Staff for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to…
The new law limits data gathering and bars some algorithmic recommendations.
Sage LaJoie is used to seeing animals in need along her running route in Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge — but this one was her biggest challenge yet.
It was just what the duck-ter ordered… Tori and her husband, Justin Cannarelli, who own a garden center, volunteered to adopt Louie the Duck after he hatched at a Long Island…
Throughout the process, Jeanice and Jordyn had to navigate a system neither had experienced before, from financial aid and scholarships to making sure ...
Photo: Heather Suggitt / Unsplash (CC0) Many people feel that […]
Friendships are integral to human health and well being, yet researchers know very little about how people make friends. A new study investigated what people prioritize for new…
166 years ago today, Annie Oakley, who became the first American woman ‘superstar,’ was born in a cabin in rural Ohio. To support her five siblings and widowed mother, Phoebe…
For a group of teenagers learning English in Providence, Rhode Island, summer school this year looked a little different. There were vocabulary games and journal entries, but also…
➤ 84 days until the Nov.
70 years ago today, Elvis Presley released his first double-sided mega-hit record. With Don’t Be Cruel on one side and Hound Dog on the other, the singles went to No.1 and No.2 on…
Her uncle lost his wedding band in the lake before she was even born, but this 9-year-old managed to spot what everyone else missed. The post A Minnesota family gave up hope of…
Shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown began, Ashleigh Bell Pedersen was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She came to desperately miss physical touch during…
A ten-year-old plant has finally burst into flower for the first time after a decade of care by professional horticulturists—and the stalk was so tall greenhouse had to remove the…
A new wave of young birders is helping to turn one of Britain’s oldest pastimes into one of its fastest-growing hobbies The post How birdwatching has become an unexpected hit with…
"Marshmallow" and "Ochy" will remember this day for a long time. The post Teacher lets kindergarteners choose their name for a day. Their choices are delightfully unhinged.…
These three groups are using sport and movement to create connection, purpose and community The post Three sports groups using movement to tackle isolation appeared first on…
"How people treat me is not my fault, but I am responsible for what I tolerate." The post 11 people share the ‘harsh truths’ that helped them become far more emotionally mature…
A whitewater rafting group brings people of different political persuasions together to talk and paddle.
As educators in the nation's second-largest district prepare for the new limits on classroom screen time, some teachers say it will be a difficult adjustment.
... financial aid for them. So this Reconnect 21 program helps to solve ... Education michigan reconnectcommunity collegeFederal Fundingscholarships.
On August 6, officers from Tacoma’s Marine Services Unit responded to reports of a “ghost ship” off of Owen Beach in Tacoma, Washington.
Life is an ongoing expedition into the brambled tendrilled wilderness of ourselves, continually stymied by all we mistake for a final destination — success, superhuman strength,…
Prioritizing play offers a variety of benefits for children, from helping them grow their vocabulary to managing their big feelings with fewer behavioral problems. Play also…
You’ve never seen the Midwest quite like this. There are many great rail routes that crisscross the U.S., from the legendary California Zephyr to the Pacific Surfliner, which…
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM There is something that makes adults uneasy about a child playing alone. A kid absorbed in something private at a playground edge, a bedroom…
NPR's Rob Schmitz talks to reporter Maria Godoy about how parents can wade through the noise and opinions to find information to help keep their kids healthy.
Antarctic guides walked away from their dream jobs after tourism’s environmental damage became impossible to ignore. “You’d see massive glacier calvings, and you’d just want to…
Steve Hartman explores the unique bond between a family's duck and dog. "CBS Evening News" delivers the day's most important stories, delivering context and depth to bring greater…
90 years ago today, track and field star Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics—a first for any American athlete. Owens was cheered enthusiastically by…
"If you find a toilet in your dream, don't use it." The post 22 ‘oddly specific’ life hacks that could save you time, money, energy, or sanity appeared first on Upworthy .
Mathematics shows that every electoral system must compromise among proportionality, local representation, and parliament size. Denmark’s 2022 national election came down to a…
In Spokane, pets and livestock have been evacuated from fire-threatened areas along with people. The Spokane Fair and Expo Center is housing dozens of horses, a donkey, and an emu.
Research is impossible without funding, but funding is impossible to secure without research. ... Financial Aid and Scholarships · Bursar (fee payment) ...
Friendships are integral to human health and well being, yet researchers know very little about how people make friends. A new study investigated what people prioritize for new…
450 years ago today, the keystone of Europe’s first modern astronomical observatory—the Uraniborg designed by Tycho Brahe, was laid. It was also the last to be built without a…
At the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx, eight women pay $250 a month for a room of their own — and the stability to pursue a college degree.
Roughly a football field of Louisiana is lost to the sea every hour. Glass Half Full is slowing the erosion down.
Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly celebration of how people just like you are creating positive change, one meaningful step at a time. The Spark is generously supported by…
A man who dresses up every year as Santa Claus to spread Christmas cheer has just delivered a very special present. Though central Virginia is far too hot for Santa’s reindeer to…
A new study is out that looked at various ways to try to tackle poverty in Ethiopia. Turns out, cash helps, but the impact of therapy is less clear.
10 years ago today, Ichiro Suzuki joined the “3,000 Club” of collecting 3,000 hits across an MLB career in style, hitting a triple off the right-field wall of Coors Field against…
A company which learned that Singapore’s recycling rates have “plateaued” around 11% is deploying over 100 refill machines for cleaning products around the city. Reducing the cost…
Surveillance pricing uses personal data such as browsing history or shopping habits to set individualized prices on goods and services.
He paid for the first ones himself. He died in 1982, before most of the world adopted them. His friend's name was never made public. The post Those yellow bumpy tiles exist…
Grady-White Boats market their vessels as the “finest boats ever crafted” which is quite the statement. GNN can’t comment on boat quality, but they certainly don’t make humans…
A new book from Dan Rimada, with photos by Gulce Kilkis, is slated for release in November. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and…
100 years ago today, American Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Called “The Queen of the Waves,” she was an Olympic gold medalist, and…
About 170 Mississippi students who grew up in foster care will receive financial help to stay in college this fall after a private foundation ...
Robert Lindemann is a 32-year-old accountant from Germany. He’s also had a heart transplant, a life-changing experience shared by just a few hundred people each year in his…
This story was originally published by The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Sign up for its newsletters here. Since most homicides in the U.S. are…
About two decades ago, two Chesapeake Bay couples got it in their heads to embark on something a bit outside the box. “My uncle Bob, I think, just called my parents and said,…
Shifting away from rote learning requires more than the right inputs. Meaningful learning can only take place when school systems put the right political, cultural, and behavioral…
Demographers say today’s small children have a brighter future economically than any generation since the surge of Baby Boomers aged into adulthood in the early 1970s.
Dandelion the orange tabby is now on the road to recovery.
"When my diaries are found, people will know who saved my Uzu..." The post A wife erased her own name from Schindler’s List to save her husband. She kept it secret for 50 years.…
The announcement comes ahead of the November referendum that would make rights restoration automatic after release from incarceration.
Four-in-ten Americans say it is extremely or very important for children growing up in the U.S. to learn a language other than English.
TAMPA, Fla. — A new 60-bed emergency shelter dedicated to veterans experiencing homelessness will officially open in Tampa on Tuesday. Tampa Free Press
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM There’s nothing quite like wandering around your garden with scissors in hand, ready to cut fresh herbs to season your meals. The aromatic…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “Block By Block” housing plan is officially becoming a reality.
"I thought it would be interesting if divers could send letters from under the sea." The post A struggling beach town needed tourists, so its postmaster sank a mailbox 30 feet…
A former Louisiana State University (LSU) student, started a community effort after noticing that large amounts of perfectly good food were being thrown away after meals on…
The rookie lifeguard didn’t flinch. A giant wave slammed into the California shore and a 10-year-old boy was instantly swept up. Luckily, a 16-year-old lifeguard ran to help,…
During sea turtle nesting season, TikTok users are encountering baby sea turtles in beaches around the world.
A touring heavy metal band almost met disaster in the middle of nowhere, until a 60-year-old stranger reminded them that there’s still a magical thing called ‘Midwest Nice’. The…
Six years ago, fewer than one in six rural homes in India had a tap water connection. As of mid-July, more than four in five do, and the difference adds up to 124 million…
At a bright blue building on Newhaven Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, admitted patients receive similar treatments to those of any other ailing individual. Sometimes they’re put on…
An Englishman says he lives with the world’s oldest cat—a tortoiseshell born in 1995, making her 31 years-old. The puss named Millie was first owned by Leslie Greenhough’s late…
NPR asked an aspiring scientist in Philadelphia to interview an adult who is living his dream about his career in conservation science.
Dogs are catching waves at the World Dog Surfing Championships in Northern California. Spectators cheer as canines of all sizes compete, judged on wave size, board time and…
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Ellen Doherty of Fred Rogers Productions about "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood's" new YouTube channel.
In Florida, correspondent Martha Teichner goes searching for sand dollars – cousins of sea urchins and sea stars – with naturalist Kristen Williams (a.k.a. The Seashell Mermaid).…
From American Legion halls to church basements, the simplicity of Bingo and its ability to let large groups play at once is why the game raises billions of dollars for charities…
In addition to using clean energy, the ambulance aims to close healthcare gaps in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“I don’t quilt, I don’t crochet, that’s not how I’m going to fit in as I age. This feeds you in a different way.” The post ‘Old Ladies’ are free-diving on Cape Cod. They’ve…
Discover the ultimate 10 places to visit before you die - a breathtaking global journey through the world's most incredible destinations.
A 7-year-old aspiring scientist in Philadelphia interviews an adult who shares his idea of a dream job about his career in conservation science and birding.
An inspiring story of solidarity between pet owners comes from Japan, recently rattled by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. In the wake of the disaster that destroyed homes and claimed…
Recent legislation boosts provider benefits, raises subsidy reimbursement rates, and removes obstacles for childcare providers in Kentucky.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League, which launches today at a neutral host stadium in Springfield, Illinois, is not the first baseball league for women. That would be the…
For the 3rd consecutive year, global hunger as measured by malnourishment among continental populations has fallen. It’s also the first time that the malnourished as a share of…
Every week, Brazilian truck driver Leomar Aparecido Miguel spends days transporting goods across the country. On his days off, however, he swaps the steering wheel for a hammer…
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Youth sports in the United States now cost the average family about $1,016 a year per child, up 46 percent since 2019, according to the Aspen…
240 years ago today, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect by Robert Burns, the National Poet of Scotland, was published in Kilmarnock. It was a hit, and catapulted him to…
From knife-crime prevention to mental health support, grassroots football is being taken seriously as a tool for social change The post How community football is helping youth…
A woman was able to help a partially disabled airport worker retire after she witnessed him hobbling across the tarmac on a flight out of Los Angeles. Heartbroken watching him…
Up until a few years ago, Jodi Whitt’s trips to the Shawnee County jail in Topeka, Kansas, began with an arrest and an anxious wait in a bare intake cell for up to 72 hours. Her…
From Big Sky Country comes a rescue story so cliche that even Hollywood scriptwriters would pass it over. A 14-year-old obsessed with roping cattle rescued a man who’d fallen into…
Volunteers at a Maryland senior living community bring back letter writing in a unique pen pal program.
A guy goes into a bar, and leaves with one less kidney. That’s a joke Mark Scotch tells about his life. It’s only a slight exaggeration: A chance encounter in 2020 did lead to him…
Three-quarters of U.S. adults support in-class school cellphone bans, and for the first time, more now support than oppose all-day bans for middle and high schoolers.
Not everyone has access to a public pool. But a rural school district in California just pulled together funding for a new aquatic center so kids can learn to swim.
A hospital in Trinidad and Tobago was the site of an incredible, 12-day surgical marathon. When the scrubs were finally hung up, 3,000 people had regained vision free of charge…
Baraka Moruri has been passionate about the environment since he was 6. Now 13, the Kenyan climate champion says he has planted more than 7,600 trees with the help of family,…
On this day in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created. The US Congress was spurred to create the federal agency by the Soviet Union’s launch of…
Internet access has increased 20-fold and broadband costs have fallen by 99% on the archipelago of Micronesia thanks to the ending of government monopoly in the sector. Market…
"I pulled her to the side and said, 'I'm homeless, living in my truck, and I need help.'" The post She applied for a job while living in her truck. She left with the job and a…
Homicides fell 18% in the first half of 2026 across a sample of 30 U.S. cities.
A pair of newlywed Arizona firefighters are on the mend after one donated a kidney to save the other. They say they hope it will inspire others to consider organ donation. NBC…
High schools funded and/or managed by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) have achieved the highest average graduation rates yet recorded in its history. 8 high schools saw every…
Lessons from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis on defending our neighbors and democracy
In today's edition: biosphere reserves are helping local communities across Central America make a living from nature whilst increasing forest cover, Kazakhstan sees its saiga…
71-year-old Mike Coffman, the mayor of Aurora, Colorado, has been following a routine for the last few weeks. On every Friday afternoon, he has been going to the Aurora Regional…
With social media communities and naturalist apps, birding is easier to get into than ever. A psychologist explains why it may also be just what the doctor ordered.
The whale watching community played a pivotal role in freeing the humpback from the trap.
From China’s Anhui Province comes a story that reminds us it’s never too late to learn. 71-year-old Liu Defang remembers chatting with her friends while out one day near a bridge…
Before setting out from Los Angeles in a “giant purple van” emblazoned with the words Curiosity Mobile, Scott Shigeoka was feeling unusually pessimistic about the state of the…
A mountain tourist town tries to build year-round community by dedicating a building to to craftspeople, and including affordable housing.
Making a good impression starts with self-realization. The post Two behaviors make people more likable. Just be sure to use them at the right time. appeared first on Upworthy .
Synergy the mini pig provides comfort to people in times of crisis. She also does tricks.
Happy 55th Birthday to the amazing musician and singer Alison Krauss, who has won more Grammys than almost anyone. A teenage prodigy in Decatur, Illinois, she was attracted to…
People judged his pit bull before they even met her, so her dad built the community they both needed ❤️ Aaron built a community for Gigi after watching people avoid her simply…
A man who was paralyzed from the chest down is now regaining hand and arm control thanks to a double neural bypass surgery—by using a computer to connect his brain with the nerves…
Featuring more than 1,800 sites from 181 countries and territories, UNESCO’s tentative list is a treasure trove of lesser-known marvels
A new exhibition in Budapest features 16 facial reconstructions based on skulls excavated from the ancient city of Aquincum. Curators don't know the details of their lives, but…
From Arizona comes the story of a young man helping an elderly woman whose dementia had left her disoriented, wandering about in 103°F heat. 14-year-old Royal Cothrun was riding…
Scottish runner Josh Kerr just put in the fastest mile time in human history, breaking a record that had stood for 27 years after clocking 3:42.66. Set at the recent London…
Gambler 500 participants are “a disorganized group of people who like to drive bad cars, go camping, and pick up trash on public lands,” one person described.
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, ruler of the princely state of Nawanagar, opened his realm to young Poles who had been detained in Soviet labor camps as the children of the…
“Let me not seem to have lived in vain,” the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe whispered on his deathbed, not realizing that the astronomical tables he was leaving behind would become…
From Salt Lake City comes the touching story of a 5-year-old girl saved thanks to a bone marrow transplant from none other than her 2-year-old sister. Emma Meline was diagnosed…
In high school, Susan Greenstein Prescott had a stutter and was embarrassed to speak in front of her class. Then her English teacher told her something that changed how she saw…
The Firebells, Heights, Queens and Hunters—of San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Boston—were inspired by an honorary firefighter, a civil rights activist, a first basewoman…
36 years ago today, Roger Waters performed The Wall in Berlin for 350,000 fans to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall eight months earlier. Staged on a vacant lot between…
"When my father passed, I thought taking care of the house would be the easy part. It clearly wasn't." The post She inherited her late father’s house and a $228,000 water bill for…
Based in Sausalito, California, the organization now touts over 50 farms in its network and says it has worked with more than 100 school districts statewide as its partners. Its…
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM It’s hard to believe it’s almost August; if you’re anything like us, you’re probably wondering where June and July went. It happens every…
The "Hello Girls" worked as telephone operators in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The post America’s first female soldiers served during WWI. Here’s why they were known as ‘Hello…
The successes of the pioneering women’s collectives have inspired the formation of similar initiatives in other villages surrounding the sanctuary.
57 years ago today, men first stepped on the moon during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission; Neil Armstrong first, at 10:56pm EST, because he was closest to the door and Buzz Aldrin second.…
Video footage of a fireman giving oxygen to a pigeon following a fire has gone viral on social media. After attending to a vehicle fire on Wednesday evening, the E29 crew of…
When the village cannot wait, philanthropy must learn from community.
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Forty-eight teams. Sixty-four matches. A final played yesterday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. And a victory for Spain, the country taking…
On May 10, when someone stole the e-bike that this cancer survivor needed to get to her oncology appointments, Officer JP Young of the Kansas City Police Department told her he…
50 years ago today, Sagarmatha National Park was established in Nepal as the country’s first National Park. Enshrining the summit and breadth of the mountain known in the west as…
"I would have gone to get it soon, at some point, and not known that I'd given it away or that my mother had had it." The post Her late mother’s DVD player went to Goodwill.…
They started writing letters to one another in elementary school, and their connection never stopped. The post After 33 years, two old-school pen pals an ocean apart finally got…
"I made it happen through determination, a very tight schedule, and many nights of running on five hours of sleep or less." The post In just 15 days, this Ohio woman crocheted her…
Kerr announced his bid to break the world record months in advance, and pulled off the plan in London on Saturday.
Imagine living in a walkable town with buildings that boast all the charm and character of a village from centuries past, but lack many of the problems — like decay, outdated…
A daughter helped save her father’s vintage Italian shoe shop by posting about a pair of Y2K kitten heels on TikTok—and now it has lines outside the door. For over 30 years Rachid…
There’s an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. That was true for this lonely 4-year-old in North Carolina. What his neighborhood didn’t know, however, was that it…
Firefighters in Pennsylvania came to the rescue of a pony that wandered into a creek and became stuck in the deep mud.
This article was originally written by Ed Chatterton for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to…
Evan Newton is now one of the youngest newspaper owners in the country.
70 years ago today, the MGM musical comedy High Society was released. Starring Bing Crosby and a young Frank Sinatra, it was the first time the pair ever collaborated. It was a…
By day, he’s already a hero. By night, he’s a different kind of hero.
In today's edition: new research from Argentina suggests the country's homicide rate has dropped to the lowest level since records began, new legislation in Italy gives those…
The Briefing ☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today’s email: 🔥 Featured story German regulators said this week…
Volunteers preserve Gaza's historic artifacts and archives despite widespread war damage
"Take Me Home, Country Roads," a song about a longing for home (co-written by a songwriter who had never even been in West Virginia), has been embraced by the Mountain State in a…
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