The world’s largest database of good news and social change milestones from throughout human history
We are building the world’s largest database of social change milestones, from the first fire to today’s good news. Change is not only possible, it has happened consistently throughout human history. Filter by era, country, topic, actor, source, and more.
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- Tomorrow (2025 C.E. - ???)
- Today (2017 C.E. - 2024 C.E.)
- Post-modernity (1945 - 2016 C.E.)
- Modernity (1500 - 1945 C.E.)
- Post-classical (500 - 1500 C.E.)
- Civilization (3000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.)
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2020 C.E. June 2Gay widower wins historic victory for Social Security benefits in federal court
The U.S. District Court for Arizona said that it was unconstitutional for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to deny benefits to LGBT+ spouses wed for less than nine months as same-sex unions were illegal in some U.S. states until 2015.
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2020 C.E. June 1Spain introduces basic income scheme to tackle poverty
Spain's government has introduced a basic monthly income for struggling families amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure will affect about 2.3 million people in need and guarantees income of maximum $1,100 per family.
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2020 C.E. June 1Tens of thousands around the world protest George Floyd’s death in global display of solidarity
Tens of thousands of protesters have marched in the US for six consecutive nights over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Demonstrators now have gathered in London, Berlin and Auckland, among other cities, in solidarity with the US crowds.
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2020 C.E. May 29World’s largest all-electric airplane takes historic first flight
The all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan 208B successfully completed its first test flight—and it is being hailed as a significant milestone in disrupting the transportation industry and accelerating the electric aviation revolution.
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2020 C.E. May 29Giant media publisher Condé Nast pledges to become carbon-neutral by 2030
The publisher of Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Wired and others will also work with suppliers to transition to more sustainable materials, with a commitment to use 100% sustainably-sourced paper by the end of 2021.
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2020 C.E. May 28155 companies urge governments to enact net zero emissions recovery from COVID-19
A group of 155 companies representing a combined market capitalization of USD 2.4 trillion have signed a statement urging governments to align their COVID-19 economic aid and recovery efforts with the latest climate science.
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2020 C.E. May 28Virginia decriminalizes cannabis
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation on Thursday that decriminalizes marijuana possession, joining a majority of states that have ceased treating the drug as a criminal offense.
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2020 C.E. May 28Oman is building a massive 500 MW bifacial solar farm
Less than a decade ago, a 500 MW solar power plant would have been the largest in the world. Oman's new solar farm stand out in that it uses bifacial colar technology that can collect energy from the front side and the rear side.
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2020 C.E. May 27Twitter begins adding warning labels fact-checking Trump’s false claims
A new label prompting Twitter users to “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” appeared on a series of tweets in which the president baselessly claimed ballots received through mail-in voting methods are “fraudulent.”
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2020 C.E. May 26Lancaster, California to build world’s largest renewable hydrogen plant
The plant will produce three times more hydrogen than any other facility in the world. Construction is set to begin in Q1 2021 and the plant should be operational by the end of 2022.
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2020 C.E. July 3Pakistan to establish 15 new national parks
Under the Protected Area Initiative, a national park will be made in each province. Under the initiative, the coverage of the protected area in the country will be enhanced to 15 per cent of the country’s land area from the current 13 per cent.
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2020 C.E. July 3Japan begins requiring all retailers to charge for plastic bags
All retail outlets across the country are required to charge customers for the use of plastic bags. The new requirement is an attempt by the government to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the country’s rivers, forests, streams and, ultimately, surrounding oceans.
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2020 C.E. July 3Sephora bans all mink fur eyelashes
Sephora just banned all fur eyelashes including mink and will instead produce synthetic and faux fur alternatives. The decision follows pressure from PETA and over 280,000 emails from concerned consumers.
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2020 C.E. July 2City of Sydney now runs on 100% renewable energy
Central Sydney, Australia is now entirely powered by renewable energy. By using locally sourced clean energy from wind and solar farms, the region will now see CO2 emissions reduced by around 20,000 tonnes each year. The move will save an estimated A$500,000 per year over the next decade.
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2020 C.E. July 2Municipal elections in France yield a string of victories for environmentalists
The unprecedented showing for Europe Écologie Les Verts, a once minor political party, means Green mayors will take charge in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg. The party also came out on top in mid-sized cities such as Tours, Besancon, Annecy and Poitiers, while retaining control of Grenoble.
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2020 C.E. July 2Germany bans single-use plastic straws, food containers
Germany is banning the sale of single-use plastic straws, cotton buds and food containers, bringing it in line with a European Union directive intended to reduce the amount of plastic garbage that pollutes the environment.
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2020 C.E. July 1Oklahoma voters approve Medicaid expansion
At least 200,000 Oklahoman adults will be newly eligible for Medicaid, but program enrollment may climb even higher as the state's unemployment rate has surged to nearly 13 percent.
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2020 C.E. July 1Amazon India scraps single-use plastic in packaging across centers
The Indian unit of Amazon has eliminated all single-use plastic in its packaging across fulfillment centers in the country, in line with its target to weed out the packaging material by June.
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2020 C.E. July 1Santiago, Chile to purchase more than 700 electric buses in 2020
Chile just order 150 electric buses from BYD to transport people around its capital city of Santiago. Santiago intends to have its public transportation system fully electric by 2040.
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2020 C.E. June 30Spain permanently closes half of its coal-fired power stations
Seven of the 15 coal plants still working in Spain will cease operations today, after their owners – the electricity companies – decided that it does not make financial sense to adapt them to European regulations. Four more will shut down soon.