Mid-week collection of positive news nuggets to perk up the day.
Happy Villagers
In 1941, Lee Joong-keun was born into a poor family in little village in South Korea. He founded a property company in 1972 (which eventually became the Booyoung Group) and is now a billionaire. And he's just gifted $70,000 to every one of the 260 households in his home village as he wanted to express his "thanks to the support of villagers". The Booyoung Group said in a statement: "The chairman didn't intend for this to be publicly disclosed. His sole purpose was to express gratitude to those who have preserved his hometown throughout the years."
Pothole Problem?
A large pothole in the middle of a road was ignored by the city of Hopewell, Virginia, for over a year. A resident finally figured out how to get it fixed. After a year of complaints but no results, Joshua Anderson planted a small tree in the hole. He snapped a few photos before he left for work and posted the pictures to Facebook. When he got home from work, the tree had been removed by city workers. So, he planted another tree. But this time he put some lights on it. After photos and videos began to go viral on social media, the city sent a crew to fix the pothole.
Swiss Dolphins
Paleontologists recently made an extraordinary discovery in landlocked Switzerland: two new species of dolphin dating back to 20 million years ago. Located in the heart of Europe, Switzerland is entirely landlocked. Millions of years ago, however, the area used to be part of an island landscape with the surrounding water brimming with marine life. As part of the study, paleontologists from Zurich University analyzed around 300 fossils of whales and dolphins that were found in Switzerland from that period. They eventually discovered two entirely new dolphin species from prehistoric times, and published their findings in PeerJ.
Tectonic Tracer Map: Amazing interactive map allows you to find out how far your hometown has shifted from where it is now, at any point over the last 750 million years. Explore...
Accidental Discovery
The history of science is marked by accidental discoveries - think penicillin, LSD, Viagra, and even radioactivity - and today we can add another to that illustrious list. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst revealed news about the development of a device that can extract electricity from humid air: A student forgot to plug in an experiment, but it continued to produce a small amount of power regardless. After this 'wow' moment, the team are endeavouring to scale up their discovery. The benefits are clear: Unlike solar or wind, hygroelectric generators could work day and night, indoors and out, and in many places.
Web Design Evolution
If you're interested on how some of the world's major websites have evolved over the last 25 years, take a look at a timeline of how some of the most important websites have gradually transformed on Timeline of Web Design Evolution. It's like diving into history.
Only Steam and Water
French transport multinational Alstom debuted the world's first hydrogen fuel-cell passenger train back in 2016, which went into service in Germany last year. Now the Coradia iLint is rolling down the track in North America for the first time. It's part of a three-month demonstration project in Canada, and recently started transporting a hundred passengers at a time on a 56-mile in Quebec. The only emissions from system will be steam and condensed water, and the train should offer a quieter experience for passengers and for folks living near the railway line.
“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the Earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” Robin Wall Kimmerer
On this Day
5 July 1975: Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors in four sets of tennis at the 89th Wimbledon Championships.
Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things, but did you know he invented a musical instrument that drove people insane? Yes, really...
Mood Booster
Fun Brain Teaser: Move just one matchstick to make these equations correct.