A lazy retirement was bestowed upon the last circus elephant in Portugal who just became a resident of the country’s first sanctuary dedicated to working pachyderms.

134 years ago today, Dadabhai Naoroji was elected as the first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain. A merchant, scholar, writer, and political leader who served as a founding member of the Indian National Congress, Naoroji is particularly known for formulating the “drain theory,” which argued that economic exploitation under British rule led to the transfer of wealth from India to Britain. His work was influential among early nationalists and reformers, and he remained a key figure in shaping early Indian political thought. READ more about this pioneering freedom-fighter and some of his work as an MP… (1892)

The outline of a ‘lost’ 17th century garden has been revealed at a stately British home following the record heatwave and long drought.

Beneath the parched grass was an ornate garden design being rediscovered after more than 350 years at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.

The elusive vaquita porpoise swims in the wild only in shallow northern waters of Mexico’s Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez)—and it’s one of the rarest and most endangered marine mammals on Earth.

Conservationists were holding their breaths this Spring as the last remaining colony of puffins was in danger of being lost altogether, but relief turned to joy as, not only did the adult puffins return, a baby was born.

Our partner Rob Brezsny, whose latest book is Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

61 years ago today, the 60s folk singer Bob Dylan walked onstage at the Newport Folk Festival, plugged in his Fender Stratocaster and “went electric,” tearing into the song “Maggie’s Farm.”

Although many folkie-loving ticket-holders in the audience booed, nothing would stop the leather-clad Dylan from becoming one of rock’s rebel geniuses. WATCH the moment below… (1965)

Dozens of Beatles fans were left stunned after Paul McCartney pulled up alongside their Fab Four-themed tour bus.

The Beatle-maniacs spotted the musical legend while aboard the Magical Mystery Tour bus that guides tourists around Liverpool, England, where all four lads grew up.

As the AI infrastructure build-out continues to meet headwinds from concerned citizens, three states recently signed laws ending what had been the largely-standard practice of exempting data center operators from paying sales taxes.

A British bee scientist recently explained that setting up ‘hydration stations’ for bees doesn’t work, as the commonly-proffered mixture of sugar in water doesn’t revive tired bees at all.

Bees need our help, says Dr. Richard Comont, the science manager at Bee Conservation Trust, during a time when both sides of the pond are suffering from drought, but there are much more effective ways to keep them alive.

As Karolina Urbanova broke the log of white pine she was standing on in half with her axe, she notched the 2nd world record for women’s speed lumberjack events she set that day.

51 years ago today, Giorgio Armani and Sergio Galeotti founded Giorgio Armani SpA (joint stock company) in Milan, Italy. Armani had no education in design, and instead studied medicine in advance of a two-year stint in the army. He got into fashion simply by working at department stores. By 2001, Armani was acclaimed as the most successful designer of Italian origin, and is credited with pioneering red-carpet fashion. READ more… (1975)