ZAQS.ORG

US - Aug 15, 2026 - In 1925, a California farmer bent trees into strange shapes for his daughter: some are still alive nearly 100 years later - In 1925, Axel Erlandson embarked on a groundbreaking journey of shaping trees into extraordinary living sculptures using innovative bending and grafting techniques. His remarkable creations, known as the 'Circus Trees,' captivated audiences and were eventually relocated to Gilroy Gardens to ensure their preservation. To this day, many of Erlandson's nearly century-old trees continue to flourish, showcasing the artistry of nature.

2 minutes ago

In the 1970s, a Manhattan church agreed to sell only if it kept its corner, so the 915-foot Citicorp Tower was raised on four giant stilts

2 minutes ago

US - Aug 15, 2026 - In the 1970s, New York's Villard Houses were threatened by a 51-story hotel; the landmark mansions survived as its entrance and public spaces - In the 1970s, six iconic Gilded Age mansions in Manhattan battled against the looming threat of demolition due to a proposed 51-storey hotel. Preservationists rallied to protect the Villard Houses complex, emphasizing the importance of its historic interiors and overall structure. The outcome was a blend of past and present, with a modern skyscraper gracefully standing behind these 19th-century homes, which now welcome guests to an avant-garde hotel experience.

2 hours ago

In 1973, a Wisconsin teenager moved to Alaska; 12 years later, she drove into a storm her rivals avoided and became the first woman to win the Iditarod

2 hours ago

Kentucky woman faces charges after vandalising World War II memorial in Washington DC

1 hour ago

In 1872, the Lac La Belle sank in a Lake Michigan storm, but its wreck stayed hidden until a 60-year search finally paid off

2 hours ago

A small Texas reactor reached criticality in under a year, aiming to produce medical isotopes that US hospitals now import

2 hours ago

A Connecticut cemetery leased unused land for 7,000 solar panels, but the ground beneath them could become habitat for bees and pollinators

3 hours ago

Meet Vera Wang, the Hawaii high school senior who built a coconut-based ocean filter as a sophomore; two years later, she found fungi in coconut husks that can biodegrade plastic and sunscreen

3 hours ago

Minnesota teen Evan Morris built a low-cost system that detected seizure-like activity in worms and triggered ultrasound; recurrence fell 70.1% in his model

3 hours ago

US Pacific Northwest leaders join India's 80th Independence Day celebrations in Seattle

3 hours ago

Trump claims 'young, beautiful girls' thank him for making Washington safer

4 hours ago

US Army temporarily halts Apache training missions after two soldiers killed in Texas crash

8 hours ago

Michigan shooting: 5 killed, 1 critically injured, suspected gunman found dead after manhunt

9 hours ago

Two American jets with same flight number avoid mid-air disaster

9 hours ago

'Pretty soon': Trump vows to claim Hormuz as US territory; Iran hits back

12 hours ago

A Cape Cod couple moved into their newly built dream home in March 2025; one month later Massachusetts said it would seize it for a new bridge

13 hours ago

Frederick clears way for Sanjay Govil's Washington Freedom cricket stadium

14 hours ago

'I shot him': Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to killing United Healthcare CEO, sentencing on Dec 18

17 hours ago

An unthinkable crime shatters an Indian family in US— and raises questions about AI

18 hours ago

An entrepreneur spent $1.4 million buying a 300-acre California ghost town, then moved in and began rebuilding it as a business

19 hours ago

In 1974, Vietnam veteran Kenneth Deardorff moved to Alaska looking for work; 14 years later, he became the last person in US history to receive a homestead title

20 hours ago

In 1870, a former slave and Union soldier staked a homestead in Nebraska; drought and grasshoppers cost him the claim, but he eventually owned more than 2,000 acres

20 hours ago

California has added more than 50,000 tons of gravel to a river below Keswick Dam since 2022 to help endangered salmon lay eggs

20 hours ago

In 1968, a California landowner demanded $100 an acre for land inside Pinnacles that officials valued at $17; a year later the Park Service paid more than $46 an acre and bought the parcel for $7,400

20 hours ago

In 1964, a Utah businessman built a gas station beside Capitol Reef; after years of conflict over his quarry, the government took his property for $400,000 and razed the lodge and station

21 hours ago

Home Depot billionaire Bernie Marcus' foundation donates $28.7 million to stem cell research that could repair hearts damaged by heart attacks

22 hours ago

Quote of the day by Martin Luther King Jr: 'There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies'

23 hours ago

Massachusetts residents sue data centre over 27 diesel generators and 16 cooling towers near homes, raising fears of pollution and noise

23 hours ago

Washington planted 507 Norway maples to honour WWI soldiers in 1920, but the trees later spread into Rock Creek Park

23 hours ago

AI biotech company Cellular Intelligence names Arjun Raj its chief scientific officer

1 day ago

A multi-state surrogacy dispute escalated after McKenna West gave birth in Texas to a baby with a severe heart defect; the intended parents now have custody while the legal fight continues

1 day ago

Quote of the day by MacKenzie Scott: "People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in..." - what her words teach us about recognition and change

1 day ago

In 2024, Colorado stepped up restoration for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse; two years later, a new project is expanding habitat protection

1 day ago

Indian-origin man rejected for H-1B visa three times compiled 700 pages of evidence and spent $13,000 to secure another way to stay in US

1 day ago

In 2021, an Ohio family set out to restore 60 acres of abandoned mine land; five years later, native trees are bringing it back to life

1 day ago

Iowa man faces 124 charges after allegedly capturing Alabama's critically endangered turtle found only in the state

1 day ago

North Carolina woman fell from 14,500 feet after both parachutes failed, crashed onto a fire-ant mound and survived more than 200 stings

1 day ago

Quote of the day by Paul Walker: "If you play with people who are better than you, then..." - a lesson on growth, humility and choosing challenge over comfort

1 day ago

Before becoming a billionaire investor, Bill Ackman's journey began with a $14,000 Harvard sales job and a book linked to Warren Buffett

1 day ago

Colorado mom gets her son 'arrested' by police after he refuses to take a first-day-of-school photo, with officer handcuffing him in hilarious prank

1 day ago

In 2012, conservationists began working to remove an obsolete Massachusetts dam; 14 years later, demolition started to reconnect 7 miles of stream and restore 6 acres of wetland

1 day ago

How Iranian missile threat sparked a secret operation to move Trump out of Turkey as Air Force One flew as a decoy

1 day ago

Sniper, knife, missile threats: Israel warned US of alleged Iran plot to assassinate Donald Trump

1 day ago

In 1970, a Missouri family fought the government over nearly 600 acres wanted for a national park; an initial $73,000 offer became a $214,000 court payout

1 day ago

Quote of the day by CT Fletcher: "Everything is impossible, until someone crazy enough comes along and..." - a lesson in persistence and unconventional thinking

1 day ago

In 1962, New Jersey took a family's seaside property through eminent domain for a new park; they challenged the price and were awarded $350,000

1 day ago

Mohuya Khan, 27, made about $130,000 from nine income streams in 2025 while living in Queens; after taxes and expenses, she took home about $70,000

1 day ago

Quote of the day by Dale Carnegie: "When we have accepted the worst, we have nothing more to lose. And that automatically means..." - a lesson in facing fear and uncertainty

1 day ago

She spent 10 months restoring a 160-year-old house; now Lauren Iraeta is reconnecting former families with pieces of their history

1 day ago

In June 2026, Washington began restoring 270 acres across two river islands; the project will reconnect the South Fork Skagit estuary to natural tides and hundreds more acres for endangered Chinook salmon

1 day ago

Trump admin creates task force to crack down on birth tourism, revokes over 600 visas

1 day ago

North America's longest cable-stayed bridge is now open with a massive 853-metre crossing linking US and Canada

1 day ago

Meet Scarlett Tiani, the Connecticut student whose dog-safety invention reached US Nationals and earned a national award plus patent-application support

1 day ago

In 1964, Elizabeth Hird and her husband bought Connecticut's Outer Island; in 1995 she donated it in his memory so it could remain protected for wildlife, research and education

1 day ago

A 112-acre New Jersey restoration project is planting about 50,000 native trees and shrubs, creating vernal pools and rebuilding Raritan River floodplain habitat

1 day ago

Michigan's historic Ford House is replacing concrete shoreline with natural habitat; the $7 million project will restore 1 mile of shore and 17.5 acres of aquatic and wetland habitat

1 day ago

US sex trafficking prosecutions drop 22% amid Trump immigration crackdown: Report

1 day ago