Today's Good News

Editor OGN Daily
Jun 4
3 min read

Wednesday's global round up of positive news nuggets to brighten the day.

Albert Einstein's business card — Credit: RR Auctions

What's in a Name?

The recent auction prices paid for the business cards of Steve Jobs ($181,183), Elon Musk ($39,238), Charles Darwin ($36,000), Jeff Bezos ($8,659) and Sigmund Freud ($6,250) raise some fascinating questions about the long-term value of all the business cards that have sold before ... and an Albert Einstein business card currently being auctioned by Remarkable Rarities and due to close on 11 June. If Steve Jobs’ card sold for $181,000, then what’s Albert Einstein's worth? OGN will keep you posted once the auction concludes.

Michelle Dockery in a scene from the new Downton Abbey movie — The end of an era

Downton Abbey Returns

In good news for Downton fans, Downton Abbey: The Grande Finale is confirmed for release in September. The cast of the Julian Fellowes scripted film sees almost all the familiar faces returning, including Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville and Michele Dockery. The new movie is the third and final film in the Downton Abbey franchise. Watch the teaser trailer, below.

Nature Prescription

Healthcare staff will start encouraging patients to enjoy nature and the outdoors in a new scheme in central England. More than 40 health organisations have received training and free booklets to share with people they support in the hope of boosting their well-being as part of the scheme from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and health providers. The Nature Prescription project encourages people to connect with the outdoors at a time to suit them. Alexis Johnson, RSPB Nature and Well-being Officer, said she had personally benefited from connecting to nature in challenging moments of her life and was keen to share the benefits with others. The launch in the West Midlands follows successful projects in other parts of the UK since 2022. Speaking of which...

Bluebells completely carpet a forest floor — Credit: Kilian Schonberger

Magical Blue Forest

Springtime is earth’s rebirth, and the explosion of new growth is everywhere. One of the most beautiful springtime forests we’ve seen is this forest in Belgium. Bluebells completely carpet the ground and light up the morning in Hallerbos Forest. Photographer Kilian Schönberger has a beautiful collection of images from this peaceful, lovely place.

Glastonbury 2025

Glastonbury festival has announced its full lineup of over 3,000 performances between 25 and 29 June, adding a number of new artists to the main stages along with timings and a series of tantalising secret sets. The festival, held at Worthy Farm in Somerset, is a five-day event featuring music, arts, and entertainment - and 200,000 people are anticipated toattend this year.

"Amazing" Discovery

A critically endangered possum species thought to be isolated to Victoria has been found a camera-trap in a New South Wales alpine national park. Previously thought to be extinct in the state, a leadbeater’s possum has been found in Kosciuszko national park, at least 250km away from the nearest sighting in Victoria. The leadbeater’s possum, Victoria’s faunal emblem, has big eyes and a bushy tail. It relies on dense, damp areas in old-growth forest and nests in hollows that take more than 150 years to form. Dr Fred Ford said it was “amazing to see that distinctive bushy tail waving among the rows of images on the screen”.

Artificial Blood

For decades, a shrinking population and an aging society in Japan have led to fewer blood donors. This situation is especially dire during disasters or in remote regions, where matching blood types and storing donated blood are logistical nightmares. Recognizing this, researchers at Nara Medical University are developing a safe, effective artificial blood that could be administered to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Clinical trials begin this year, with practical use expected by 2030.

“There’s no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” Alexander Woollcott

On This Day

uncrewed hot-air balloon launching in Paris in 1783

4 June 1783: Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier launched an uncrewed hot-air balloon, the first public demonstration of the discovery that hot air in a large lightweight bag rises.