Good News Wednesday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Jul 9
- 4 min read
Mid-week collection of upbeat news stories from around the world.
Blockbuster Event
The Bayeux Tapestry is set to return to England for the first time in 900 years. A loan deal for the depiction of the 1066 Norman Conquest of England is expected to be announced during Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK. The landmark agreement will see the tapestry temporarily swapped for the Anglo-Saxon treasures of the Sutton Hoo ship burial, including a warrior’s helmet, sources told The Telegraph. An exchange of Norman and Anglo-Saxon artefacts is set to be officially announced at the British Museum today. The British Museum is understood to be the intended recipient of the tapestry, which at 224ft long can be safely displayed by only a few institutions. Any exhibition based around the tapestry is likely to be a blockbuster event and one of the largest in British history.
Sutton Hoo Helmet May Be From Denmark, Not Sweden: This is all thanks to a small piece of metal covered in engravings found by a metal detectorist whilst scanning a field on the Danish island of Tåsinge two years ago - and it would significantly alter our understanding of the power dynamics 1,500 years ago in Northern Europe.
Happy Surprise
Worshippers attending Mass on the island of Capri on Sunday were treated to a surprise live performance by Andrea Bocelli, the legendary Italian tenor. The 66-year-old, who was holidaying on the island with his wife, appeared unannounced during an evening service at the Church of Santo Stefano, Capri’s oldest place of worship. Bocelli stepped into the former cathedral and sang Schubert’s Ave Maria, stunning the few dozen people in attendance, including Don Pasquale Irolla, the parish priest. With more than 90 million records sold worldwide, including the multi-platinum Romanza and the best-selling classical album Sacred Arias, he continues to move audiences - whether they’ve paid for a concert ticket or just happened to pop into church. One of those in the church recorded it on their phone.
Help For Asthma
New research has found that drinking camel milk can reduce the severity of asthma caused by house dust mites, a major trigger. While the research is still in the early stages, it opens the door to using camel milk in combination with existing therapies. Camel milk may hold real potential as a supplementary treatment for allergic asthma, especially due to its anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties. The findings support traditional claims and earlier small human trials suggesting camel milk may be beneficial for asthmatics.
First New Asthma Attack Treatment in 50 Years: The research team at King's College London said the drug was a "game-changer" that could "revolutionise" care.
Scary Giant Romans
A Roman legionary’s shoe has been discovered near Hadrian’s Wall by resident archaeologists. The hefty leather shoe measures a whopping 12.8 inches from toe to heel and is believed to have been worn by a giant Roman soldier. Archaeologists dug up a total of 32 shoes from a so-called ‘ankle-breaker’ trench at the Magna Roman Fort and eight of the shoes were more than 11.8 inches in length - the equivalent of a US size 14 or a UK size 13, leaving the archaeologists scratching their heads. Maybe huge soldiers were intentionally stationed there to scare the bejusus out of their foes north of the wall?
Rescue Watch
Finding good cell reception isn’t the problem it once was. Still, there are areas where it can be hard to get bars, like in the wilderness or out at sea. Luckily the O-Boy is here to provide some peace of mind. The device is a wristwatch that doubles as a rescue device. With it, you can send an SOS via satellite to make sure you can reach out for help no matter how hard you are from the nearest cell tower. You can pre-order the watch now through its KickStarter page for either $295 or $350. The campaign has already met its funding goal so you can expect to receive yours later this year. Straying off the beaten path just got a little safer.
‘Magic Mushrooms’
New Zealand has approved use of ‘magic mushrooms’ to treat depression. Found in over 180 species of fungi these mushrooms have a long history of use in Indigenous spiritual and healing rituals in parts of Central and South America. Studies have found that 80 percent of patients who were given psilocybin experienced a drop in anxiety and depression that lasted for six months or more. David Seymour, New Zealand’s associate minister of health, said the new policy is a “real breakthrough.”
Record Breaker
Chongqing - the world's largest city - and has emerged as China's most futuristic metropolis over the last few years. Boasting ultra-modern skyscrapers and the world's largest monorail network, the city is also home to dazzling, record-breaking drone shows. Recently, a light show featuring 11,787 individual drones broke the Guinness World Record for the Largest aerial image formed by multirotors/drones.
“The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball - the further I am rolled the more I gain.” Susan B. Anthony
On This Day
9 July 1762: Catherine the Great overthrew Peter III and began her reign as empress of Russia, leading her country into full participation in the political and cultural life of Europe and extending Russian territory.
Today's Articles
Why we Have Hair on Our Heads: “There are naked mammals, there are furry mammals, but we’re the only weirdos that have a naked body and fur on our heads.”
Significant Milestone: Breakthrough for tidal turbines - the world’s largest untapped renewable energy resource.
Positivity Adjustment: Smiling when you don’t feel like it is a powerful way to change your psychological outlook on the world, says scientific research.
Summertime: Everyone in the northern hemisphere is getting into the swing of summer, so here's a dozen uplifting quotations about the joys of summertime.
Mood Boosting Video
Researchers discover that a ‘copy’ of Magna Carta owned by Harvard is in fact an extraordinarily rare original from 1300.
