A global round up of positive news stories to ensure it's a sunny day. Happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers!
Rebellious Coin
In 1652, British settlers in America defied their royal overlords by setting up a mint in Boston. The colonists began producing coins, a decision that symbolized New England’s “growing sense of identity as separate from the mother country and its determination to regulate its own economy without British interference,” according to the Massachusetts Historical Society. Now, one of those rare, rebellious coins has sold for a record-setting $2.52 million. The silver threepence was made in Boston just a few weeks after the colonial mint opened in 1652 - and more than a century before the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence from Britain. One side of the coin bears a simple “NE” stamp to signify New England. The other side denotes its value in Roman numerals.
Lewes: The quaint English town where one of America's Founding Fathers, and the world's first international revolutionaries, sparked a spirit of rebellion that still continues today.
Sibling Success
Pictured centre is Sophia Park, the prodigious young law student who just became the youngest person to pass the California state bar exam at 17 years and 8 months of age. The shocker is that the young man standing to her left is her brother - Peter was also once the youngest person to pass the California bar exam at 17 years and 11 months of age. Sophia and Peter have a younger sibling Sarah who is also attending law school, and you can be sure there will be another of these reports if the inevitable happens and Sarah passes the bar. No pressure though.
Buy Nothing Day
It's an annual event observed the day after American Thanksgiving. It simply encourages people to refrain from shopping for 24 hours. It is organized by the non-profit organization Adbusters, and the first Buy Nothing Day was held in Canada in 1992. The founder, Ted Dave, wanted to create a day where people could come together and celebrate the things they already have instead of buying new things. Buy Nothing Day has since grown into an international event, with participants in over 50 countries. The day is a chance for people to think about the impact of their consumption on the environment, their communities, and their own well-being.
Maya Predecessors
Long before the ancient Maya built temples, their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s Yucatán peninsula. Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old network of earthen canals in what’s now Belize. The canal networks were built as early as 4,000 years ago by semi-nomadic people in the Yucatán coastal plain. According to the study, the canals were used for about 1,000 years or longer, including during the “formative” period when the Maya began to settle in permanent farming villages and a distinctive culture started to emerge. These ancient channels for catching fish may have played a role in helping later Maya pyramids rise above the Yucatán rainforest. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
First and Largest
The world’s first and largest offshore solar farm is now online in China. Located off the eastern coast, the first solar units in the world’s largest offshore solar farm have now officially been connected to the grid. Once fully complete and online, the solar farm is expected to generate enough energy to power around 2.67 million homes, reports Electrek. Better yet, it’s forecast to save around 503,000 tons of coal and cut carbon emissions by 1.34 million tons annually. Notably, the solar farm is dual-purpose and includes fish farming to integrate renewable energy with aquaculture.
See You Later
In August, astronomers discovered a small asteroid that was getting drawn in by Earth’s gravitational pull, and dubbed the object a “mini moon.” Now, after a couple of months of following an orbit similar to our planet’s, the mini moon has been tugged away by the sun’s gravity. But it’s not a goodbye - it’s a see you later. The asteroid, formally named 2024 PT5, peeled away from Earth this week, but scientists expect it to make another lap around us in 2055, after completing its orbit of the sun. It’s not actually a moon because it was never fully captured by Earth’s gravity, but this temporary “companion” might be related to our real moon. “Given the similarity between asteroid 2024 PT5’s motion and that of our planet’s, scientists at NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies suspect that the object could be a large chunk of rock ejected from the moon’s surface after an asteroid impact long ago,” Josh Handal, a program analyst for NASA’s planetary defense coordination office, explained in a briefing last month.
“Nothing is as powerful as gentleness.” Anita Roddick
On This Day
28 November 1919: Lady Astor became the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons.
Today's Articles
Important Progress: Georgia's solar panel circular supply chain facility opening in 2025, becoming the first in America.
Thanksgiving Quotes: A dozen thoughtful, inspirational quotes to toast gratitude and gathering. For everybody - it doesn’t matter where you’re from.
Serendipity: Thanks to a text mishap back in 2016, two strangers (originally) are about to spend their ninth Thanksgiving together.
Mood Boosting Video
Hilarious Moment: Baby elephant interrupts a Kenyan reporter as he tries to tell a serious story about wildlife conservation.