Miscellaneous
A brief history of Groundhog Day
In honor of Groundhog Day 2023, The Optimist Daily shares some background knowledge on this centuries-old American tradition. The first Groundhog Day Groundhog Day was commemorated for the first time on February 2, 1887, at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, thanks to a "rodent Read More...
How to help the Uvalde shooting victims and their families
Just under a week ago, yet another horrific mass shooting took place in the US. At Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, an 18-year-old gunman opened fire, killing at least 19 children and two adults, along with wounding many others. It may be difficult to know how to help at a time of such Read More...
Keep your white sneakers clean with these tips and tricks
No wardrobe is complete without a basic white sneaker, but keeping them clean and pristine is a bit of a challenge. Don’t give in to dirt and stains, though! These tips will help you restore old white shoes so that you don’t have to buy new ones. Make a DIY shoe cleaning solution If you’d Read More...
Coping with climate anxiety through connection
“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” — Martin Luther King Jr. Constant news updates are inescapable. Wildfires Read More...
Despite bad weather, Italian cherry claims world record
Italy’s streak of bad weather this year has been horrible for Italian cherry farmers, but much to everyone’s surprise, that hasn’t prevented Alberto and Giuseppe Rosso, cherry farmers from Pecetto Torinese, from earning themselves a Guinness World Record for growing the world’s largest Read More...
Every last pet found a home this holiday season at the Minneapolis animal shelter
Holidays are a popular time for “clear the shelter” events for local animal shelters. Recently, a Minneapolis animal shelter was overjoyed when over 300 residents showed up and waited in line in 30 degree weather to adopt every last one of the shelter’s pets. Dozens of cats, dogs, and Read More...
Why more cities are replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Chances are you went to work or school yesterday like any other Monday. In past years that wouldn't have been the case, but fewer and fewer states and cities are celebrating Columbus Day nowadays. And in many cities, Columbus Day is being replaced with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Columbus Day, Read More...
Youth crime rates are at their lowest level in 60 years
The United States’ youth crime rates are dropping at an astounding rate. Youth arrests dropped for the 13th year in a row, hitting their lowest level in 60 years. This trend shows an optimistic future for the criminal landscape of the next generation, as these teenagers head into adulthood. The Read More...
Elephants at a Berlin zoo are enjoying unsold Christmas trees as festive snacks
A zoo in Berlin is treating its elephants with festive snacks in the form of Christmas trees which are left unsold during the holiday season. The zoo doesn’t accept trees from the public, which could contain chemicals or leftover decorations, but it takes only fresh, undesired trees from selected Read More...
First no-kill eggs hit supermarket shelves in Berlin
Scientists discovered a way to determine the sex of chicks before they hatch, which may prevent the slaughtering of an estimated 4-6 billion male chicks each year. The process can tell a chick’s gender nine days before an egg has been fertilized, and has the potential to put a stop to the Read More...