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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Era
- 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.)
- Agriculture (10000 - 3000 B.C.E.)
- Prehistory (250000 - 10000 B.C.E.)
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2019 C.E. June 28
Malaysia will decriminalize drug possession for personal use
A representative from the Malaysian government said that decriminalization is a step toward a rational drug policy that puts science and public health before punishment and incarceration.
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2019 C.E. June 27
U.K. businesses commit to remove eight problem plastics by 2020
The Pact, originally launched in 2018, represents 127 members, accounting for 85% of plastic packaging in U.K. supermarkets including Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Sainsbury's and Tesco.
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2019 C.E. June 27
Child poverty in the United States falls to record low
The child poverty rate in the United States has fallen to a record low of 16% in 2016. In 1967, it was 28%.
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2019 C.E. June 26
Sydney declares state of emergency over climate crisis
The decision makes Sydney the first major city in Australia to declare a climate emergency, but nearly the 660th to do so worldwide.
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2019 C.E. June 26
Kazakhstan writes off debts of more than 3 million citizens
More than 3 million Kazakhs in the energy-rich country of 18 million will get help to escape debts averaging 300,000 tenge ($790).
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2019 C.E. June 25
Maine and Vermont ban plastic bags
Governors in Vermont and Maine signed bills on the same day that will ban plastic bags in their states in 2020.
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2019 C.E. June 25
Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage
The highest court in Ecuador has ruled in favor of the legalization of same-sex unions, in a major victory for the LGBTQ community.
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2019 C.E. June 24
Zero carbon electricity overtakes fossil fuels for first time in the U.K.
Britain is set to achieve a historic milestone this year, with more electricity generated from zero carbon sources than fossil fuels.
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2019 C.E. June 24
Estée Lauder signs onto pledge to end cosmetic animal testing
The Estée Lauder Companies will team with the Humane Society International in efforts to end cosmetic animal testing across the globe.
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2019 C.E. June 19
Pride flag flies over California Capitol for the first time
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that the rainbow flag would be flown over the California State Capitol through July 1 in recognition of LGBTQ Pride Month.
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2019 C.E. August 12
Beijing breathes cleanest air on record
Beijing reported the lowest level of air pollutants in the first half this year since the city started recording related data 35 years ago.
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2019 C.E. August 12
Simone Biles becomes the first gymnast to land a double-double dismount
The 22-year-old just became the first gymnast to ever attempt and land a double-twisting, double somersault dismount off the balance beam.
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2019 C.E. August 9
Fiji announces climate action plan aiming at net-zero emissions by 2050
The act will include tighter restrictions on the use of plastics, a framework for Fiji to reduce its emissions to net-zero by 2050, the introduction of a carbon credits scheme, and more.
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2019 C.E. August 9
Researchers develop method to convert heat into light that could significantly boost solar efficiency
Recycling the thermal energy from solar cells using carbon nanotube technology could increase the efficiency from 22% to 80% according to the researchers.
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2019 C.E. August 8
Europe coal generation collapsed by 19% in first six months of 2019
"2019 may mark the beginning of the end for coal power in Europe," said Dave Jones, an Electricity Analyst at Sandbag.
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2019 C.E. August 8
Luxembourg to be first European country to legalize cannabis
Luxembourg has called on its EU neighbors to relax their drug laws as its health minister confirmed plans to become the first European country to legalize cannabis production and consumption.
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2019 C.E. August 7
Denver City Council kills contracts with private prison giants
Taking an extraordinary stand against the nation's two largest private prison companies, GEO Group and CoreCivic, Denver City Council voted not to renew contracts with them worth a cumulative $10.6 million.
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2019 C.E. August 7
Israeli scientists develop novel nano-vaccine for melanoma
Tel Aviv University researchers have developed a melanoma vaccine that prevents the development of melanoma and treats primary tumors and metastases in mouse models.
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2019 C.E. August 6
Body donations surge in Japan amid changing views of death
Some 296,000 people had offered to donate their bodies to universities as of March 31, 2018, compared with about 68,000 in 1985, with the figure increasing by 8,000 annually in recent years.
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2019 C.E. August 6
Victoria’s Secret hires Valentina Sampaio, its first openly transgender model
Victoria's Secret has hired Valentina Sampaio as its first transgender model, her agent said on Tuesday, as the struggling lingerie brand seeks to modernize its image.