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Saturday, August 15, 2026 7:39 AM ET

Times of India - US News

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.

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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

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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.

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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

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

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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

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

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

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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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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

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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'

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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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

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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

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

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

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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

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

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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

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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

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

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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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

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