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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2020 C.E. July 16
Greta Thunberg launches open letter demanding world leaders take immediate action on the climate crisis
Greta Thunberg has launched an open letter signed by thousands of activists and celebrities, and hundreds of scientists demanding global leaders take measurable, immediate action to genuinely tackle the climate crisis.
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2020 C.E. July 15
Johnnie Walker whiskey to come in plastic-free paper bottles starting 2021
The new bottle, developed in partnership with venture management company Pilot Lite, will be made from sustainably sourced pulp to meet food-safe standards and will be fully recyclable in standard waste streams.
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2020 C.E. July 15
New $190 million Australian recycling fund will prevent 10 million tons of waste
The new multi-million-dollar fund will assist companies which sort and convert tires, glass, plastic and paper waste into a range of beneficial products. The pledge follows a long list of recent government injections into improving domestic recycling capacities.
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2020 C.E. July 15
Portugal to close its last coal plant in 2021, two years ahead of schedule
Portuguese energy utility EDP has announced the closure of its Sines coal power plant, bringing forward the planned shutdown of coal-fired power plants in the country by two years, from 2023 to 2021.
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2020 C.E. July 14
Unilever will now put carbon footprint labels on all its products
"We believe that transparency about carbon footprint will be an accelerator in the global race to zero emissions, and it is our ambition to communicate the carbon footprint of every product we sell."
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2020 C.E. July 14
Madeline Swegle makes history as US Navy’s 1st Black female fighter pilot
The U.S. Navy celebrated a historic moment this week as it announced Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle was set to become its first Black female tactical fighter pilot. Swegle has earned her wings as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and will receive her "Wings of Gold" in late July.
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2020 C.E. July 14
Valentina Sampaio becomes first openly trans model in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue
The model Valentina Sampaio has made history by becoming the first openly transgender model to be featured in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue. The 23-year-old Brazilian has been selected as a model for the issue that will be released on 21 July.
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2020 C.E. July 13
All-female crew embarks on Black Sea patrol in first for Russian Navy
The voyage marks a symbolic step in Russian women’s quest to play a more active role in the armed forces, an institution dominated by men. The navy still holds barriers to entry for women.
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2020 C.E. July 13
More than 2 million people in India gather to plant 250 million trees
More than 2 million people gathered Sunday at river banks, farmlands and government buildings in northern India while trying to practice social distancing to plant 250 million trees as part of a government plan to tackle climate change.
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2020 C.E. July 13
Washington’s NFL team is retiring the Redskins name
The decision to change 87-year-old team name - considered a slur against Native Americans - comes amid mounting pressure on the franchise from corporate sponsors and the broader nationwide discussion of race.
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2020 C.E. August 14
A million people in the U.K. have quit smoking since the start of the pandemic
More than one million people in the U.K. have given up smoking since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study by the nonprofit Action on Smoking and Health. Almost half (41%) said it was a direct response to heightened health concerns due to COVID-19.
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2020 C.E. August 13
Bogotá embarks on a massive bike-lane building strategy
Mayor Claudia López announced that the city will add a total of 280 kilometers of bike lanes to the existing 550-kilometer network over the next four years. The long-term goal is to have half of all trips made on bikes or other micromobility alternatives such as scooters.
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2020 C.E. August 13
One of India’s largest food-delivery firms offers gamechanging period leave policy
The policy is considered a bold move in tackling an age-old taboo in India, where 71 percent of young women remain unaware of menstruation until their first cycle, according to UNICEF.
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2020 C.E. August 13
Philadelphia to provide free internet for 35,000 low-income families
Philadelphia will provide free internet access for 35,000 low-income families. Some households will be wired for free broadband access via Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and other families will receive service from no-charge wireless hot spots purchased by the city from T-Mobile.
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2020 C.E. August 12
Thousands protest in Poland demanding release of LGBT activist
Several thousand people waving rainbow flags protested on Saturday in the center of Warsaw to demand the release of an LGBT activist accused of hanging rainbow banners over statues and damaging an anti-abortion campaigner’s van.
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2020 C.E. August 12
Dirty diesel vehicles banned from Seoul’s public fleets in 2025
Seoul, South Korea, is taking a step toward vehicle electrification with a new plan to phase out diesel vehicles from its public fleets by 2025, including mass transit fleets.
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2020 C.E. August 12
Placebos prove effective even when people know they’re taking one, according to new study
A team of researchers from Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Dartmouth College is the first to demonstrate that placebos reduce brain markers of emotional distress even when people know they are taking one.
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2020 C.E. August 11
Disney makes history with first LGBTQ+ lead character in The Owl House
The Disney Channel show follows Luz Noceda, a 14-year-old Dominican-American girl who stumbles into an alternate world where she battles witches and demons and other forces of evil.
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2020 C.E. August 11
Croatia’s 1,000 Solar Roofs initiative is creating thousands of jobs
The solar panels will provide reliable green energy across the sunny Mediterranean country. In addition to environmental benefits, it will also generate between 3,000 and 8,000 new jobs per year. In Croatia, 19,310 people claimed unemployment between January and April of this year.
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2020 C.E. August 11
Giant tortoise breeding program in the Galapagos Islands saves species from brink of extinction
In the 1960s, 15 tortoises were all that remained of the entire species. After 55 years of an ambitious breeding program, there are now more than 1,900 tortoises and they will be brought back to their home in the Galapagos Islands.