Good News in History, March 10
Happy Birthday to Hollywood star Jon Hamm who turns 55 today. He rocketed to fame playing the 60s advertising executive Don Draper in the TV hit Mad Men, for which he won two Golden Globes and an Emmy, after 15 nominations. He also had a recurring role on NBC’s 30 Rock and is reportedly reuniting […]
Good News in History, March 9
Precisely one-quarter millennium ago, the Scottish economist Adam Smith published An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, one of the first great treatises in economics, called “the most important substantive proposition in all of economics,” by George Stigler. Most commonly referred to as simply The Wealth of Nations, this shortening diminishes […]
Good News in History, March 6
Happy Birthday to musician and singer-songwriter David Gilmour, who turns 80 years old. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he is best known for his work as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was estimated that by 2012 the group had sold over 250 million records […]
Good News in History, March 5
56 years ago today, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty went into effect after ratification by 43 nations agreeing to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The goal was also to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to advance disarmament in general. It took three years for the treaty to be negotiated by […]
Good News in History, March 2
48 years ago today, Vladimir Remek became the first person not of Soviet or American citizenry to enter space, when we wore the patch of his native Czechoslovakia up to the Salyut 6 space station onboard the Soyuz 28 mission. He is considered today the first astronaut of the European Union, some 30 years before […]
Ultra-Rare Pokemon Card That Cost $2 Sells for $40,000 at Auction, as Prices Soar
An ultra-rare Pokémon card that cost $2 in 1999 just sold for a whopping $40,000 at auction. The 1st edition Shadowless Base Set Charizard card is known as the “holy grail” to collectors and enthusiasts, according to Hansons Auctioneers. The “mint condition” card went under the hammer as part of the UK’s largest ever sale […]
Rare Fossils in Amber Raise Questions About Secret Lives of Cretaceous Insects
Insects play a critical role in ecosystems but, because they are so rarely preserved as fossils, it’s hard to study their roles from habitats millions of years old. But fossilized tree resin can occasionally preserve an insect within its amber, freezing a moment in time. Most rare of all is when the moment in amber […]
Forget Yankee Candle, This Company has Hired Disabled Americans for 20 Years to Produce Superior Scents
We may need to allow our ‘flame’ for Yankee Candles to burn out, now that we’ve learned about this New Jersey small business that gives back to their community in life-changing ways. For over 20 years, the family-owned candle company has provided meaningful employment for adults with special needs, hiring them to place the wicks […]
Good News in History, March 1
245 years ago today, the Articles of Confederation were officially adopted by the Continental Congress after ratification by all 13 states as the supreme law of the land in post-Revolutionary America. Calling into existence the most limited and constrained form of government ever achieved by modern man, affording it only those powers the former colonies […]
Good News in History, February 26
94 years ago today, Johnny Cash was born. The American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and author was widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs […]