Thursday, August 20, 2026 8:02 AM ET
42 minutes ago
In 1912, a Rhode Island woman began recording every day's bird sightings on Block Island; she continued for more than 50 years and left behind one of the island's longest wildlife records42 minutes ago
In 1969, a 25-year-old postponed Harvard to organise the first Earth Day; working with just $190,000, his team mobilised 20 million Americans1 hour ago
US - Aug 20, 2026 - In 1855, an Ohio man built an eight-sided house with pizza-slice rooms; nearly 150 years later, residents moved the entire structure to save it from demolition - The Gregg-Crites Octagon House, a remarkable eight-sided farmhouse dating back to 1855, was relocated half a mile to avoid demolition. This significant effort safeguarded the historic building, which draws inspiration from a courthouse featuring rooms that spread from a central staircase. Although it faced years of neglect and vandalism, restoration projects are now in progress to revive this piece of history.2 hours ago
In 1902, a three-year-old girl arrived on Georgia's Cumberland Island; she remained closely tied to it for decades and later opposed large-scale development2 hours ago
In 1905, doctors told a Seattle shipbuilder he had only months to live; he sold his business for $3.5 million, moved to an island, gave nearly 2,700 acres away and lived another 38 years2 hours ago
Meet Rayhan Papar, the 18-year-old Texas student who trained a da Vinci surgical robot to remove tumors; it succeeded in 3 of 4 gel-model tests3 hours ago
In 1915, Alice Gray left Chicago for the Indiana Dunes; she spent nearly a decade living in makeshift shelters and advocating for their preservation3 hours ago
Between six lanes of Manhattan traffic, Broadway's medians are being replanted with native species to create a five-mile corridor for birds and bees3 hours ago
In 2018, researchers tested wild-looking dogs on a Texas island: Their DNA preserved genes from the red wolf, declared extinct in the wild 38 years earlier2 hours ago
In 1958, Pan Am helped introduce bass to Guatemala's Lake Atitlán for sport fishing; by the late 1980s, the lake's endemic grebe was no longer found3 hours ago
In the 1970s, Marty Bluewater bought a small piece of a Washington island planned for 800 homes; decades later, the entire 400-acre island is a wildlife refuge and he is its only resident4 hours ago
US Air Force major held again days after arrest over Trump impeachment call4 hours ago
In 1928, a traveller couldn't pay his restaurant bill and handed over a secret barbecue sauce recipe; nearly 100 years later the recipe is still locked in a bank vault4 hours ago
Florida police officer arrested after using Flock surveillance cameras 717 times to track estranged wife5 hours ago
In the 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin and his wife Paula bought a barren piece of land in Hawaii; planting one sapling at a time, they transformed the wasteland into a 19-acre forest with more than 3,000 palms6 hours ago
In 1997, Florida released Australian insects to fight an invasive tree. Nearly three decades later, its invaded range has fallen by about 75%7 hours ago
Granite, grass and a helipad: Trump shows off his White House construction projects7 hours ago
US heatwave: Miami hits 100°F record as Oklahoma sizzles at 112°F7 hours ago
75,000 still without power in northwest Indiana, outages may last until Aug 258 hours ago
In 1942, a US soldier wrote 300 love letters to his wife; 80 years later the mysterious box appeared at a USO office8 hours ago
Pennsylvania crash: One killed in 'violent' collision between Cessna 150 and police helicopter7 hours ago
US debt tops $40 trillion - $20 trillion since Trump first took office9 hours ago
In 1950, US former president Eisenhower bought a 189-acre Gettysburg farm for retirement. 17 years later, he gave the property to the nation9 hours ago
'Fundamentally differed': US military newspaper publisher quits amid Pentagon row over editorial freedom9 hours ago
Mistaken for intruders: Reporters, military personnel held at gunpoint at US Space Force base9 hours ago
Meet Delaney Peterson, the Florida student who spent three years turning recycled glass into artificial reefs designed to give oysters a new home9 hours ago
Trump announces 'most crushing' economic operation against Iran, warns countries aiding Tehran9 hours ago
Meet Alex Webster, the Florida teenager who is giving away mangroves as 'pets' to people to protect disappearing coastal forests11 hours ago
After Great Northern Paper Company shut down in 2008, Maine's Millinocket lost more than jobs; locals now look to tourism, small businesses and new industry for revival12 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott got $1,000 from her roommate to stay in college. Years later, she donated $26 billion to charity6 hours ago
Meet Audrey Zheng, the 17-year-old Pennsylvania student who developed a pancreatic cancer test; it correctly identified 87% of patients and 87.5% without the disease14 hours ago
In the 1980s, Burmese pythons invaded Florida's Everglades, and decades later raccoons fell 99.3%, opossums 98.9% and bobcats 87.5%15 hours ago
A Mexican couple bought a failed coconut farm 30 years ago; the 346-acre wasteland is now a wildlife haven for turtles, dolphins and flamingos17 hours ago
A Missouri engineer bought remote Ozarks land in 1970 and slowly built a reinforced-concrete home into the hillside; more than 50 years later, his son is restoring it room by room18 hours ago
From Taco Tuesday to Fitting Friday: Trump puts Canada tariffs on ice for 72 hours18 hours ago
"80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on": Barack Obama's remarks revive debate over ageing leadership and power19 hours ago
Meet Natalie Muro, the 18-year-old Colorado student who used wind-driven waves and an invasive plant to fight toxic algal blooms in a real reservoir19 hours ago
1958, the US secretly detonated 3 nuclear devices 100–500 km above the South Atlantic; they created artificial auroras and radiation belts that lasted weeks19 hours ago
Pentagon weighs reducing Gulf troop presence as Iran war cost hits $37.5 bn : Report20 hours ago
In 1966, a 71-year-old woman donated nearly 100 acres of her Virginia farm and money for an amphitheatre; the land became America's only national park dedicated to the performing arts20 hours ago
In 1988, a California couple began restoring their 136-acre family farm; decades later, it has become a thriving habitat for birds, quail and even cougars20 hours ago
In the 1970s, one New Mexico architect began building homes from discarded tyres and cans; his Earthship idea is now being adapted for extreme weather20 hours ago
Trump's Harp strings: The aide who strums the President's ego20 hours ago
A forgotten American photographer captured one of the earliest clear images of a total solar eclipse 175 years ago; the photograph changed eclipse science21 hours ago
In 1924, an 11-year-old girl fell in love with a wild Georgia island; 54 years later, she gave up $8 million to protect it from developers21 hours ago
In 2015, a storm flooded and destroyed a Virginia wildlife refuge beach parking lot; now officials are moving it 2.5 miles north so dunes and saltmarsh can reclaim the old site22 hours ago
Black locust was planted in Maine to stabilise soil; today, the fast-growing tree is widespread and severely invasive, altering habitats and soil chemistry22 hours ago
At 14, Sheri Lynch received a small grey hippo as a birthday gift. 40 years later, her collection had grown into a world-record collection of 1,086 items22 hours ago
Quote of the day by John Cena: "A man's character is not judged after he celebrates a victory, but by..." - a powerful lesson about failure and responsibility23 hours ago
US charges 17 Iranians over hacking campaign targeting 144 universities, firms23 hours ago
As US farmers reject multimillion-dollar AI data-centre offers, a Missouri farmer is doing the opposite and inviting developers to buy his land1 day ago
In 1992, Congress backed a plan to restore Florida's Kissimmee River after decades of flood control. 28 years later, wetlands and wildlife were returning1 day ago
'We'll bomb the s*** out of them': Why Trump is again threatening Oman amid Iran talks1 day ago
In 1926, Pittsburgh left a fruit merchant with a roughly six-foot-wide lot, and he responded by constructing a three-story commercial building1 day ago
A New York pizzeria owner saw a woman eating from his rubbish bin, then he put up a handwritten note offering free pizza to anyone who was hungry1 day ago
In 1830, a Virginia brickmaker reportedly built a house in an alley to stop wagons from scraping his wall, creating a home just 7.5 feet wide1 day ago
Meet Gary Haase, the US collector whose Pokémon card collection is estimated to be worth $10 million1 day ago