Archive of Human Genius
The world’s largest database of social change milestones, from the first fire to today’s good news.
A Timeline of Human History A Database of Good News An Imagining of our Collective Future
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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2022 C.E.
April 4
The decision aims to strengthen the country's HIV response by reducing the stigma and discrimination that often prevents people from receiving prevention, care, and treatment services.
2022 C.E.
March 31
Washington State's new alert system for missing Indigenous people is the first of its kind in the nation, modeled on the familiar Amber Alert and pushing notifications out through highway billboards, radio, and social media the moment a family reports a loved one missing. The law was championed by State Representative Debra Lekanoff, a member of the Aleut and Tlingit tribes, and inspired in part by the disappearance of Tulalip woman Mary Johnson-Davis in...
2022 C.E.
March 31
Wind and solar are no longer a footnote in the global energy story — they now power more than one in ten units of electricity worldwide, and they're growing fast enough to keep the 1.5-degree climate target within reach. Solar output rose 23% in 2021, while wind grew 14%, continuing a decade-long average growth rate of around 20%. Countries like Vietnam, Australia, and the Netherlands shifted roughly 10% of their electricity away from fossil...
2022 C.E.
March 30
Green bonds from India's government signal that climate ambition is being backed by serious financial architecture, not just political promises. By issuing sovereign debt whose proceeds are legally restricted to clean energy and low-carbon infrastructure, India is giving investors a trusted, low-risk way to fund the country's goal of 500 gigawatts of renewable capacity by 2030. International partners like Germany's KfW development bank are helping build the transmission networks needed to actually deliver that...
2022 C.E.
March 30
The novel evaporation method produces no waste and can be performed without electricity, and does not generate any carbon emissions or produce toxic by-products like brine.
2022 C.E.
March 30
Wind and solar power together generated 10.3% of the world's electricity in 2021, crossing double digits for the first time in history. That's a remarkable leap considering these two sources were barely a blip on the global grid just twenty years ago. Fifty countries now pull more than 10% of their power from wind and sun, with Denmark leading the pack at 52%. Even China, the world's largest electricity market, quietly joined the 10%...
2022 C.E.
March 29
Recyclable wind turbine blades just moved from concept to reality: a French-led consortium has built a 62-meter prototype in Ponferrada, Spain, designed to be fully broken down and reused at the end of its life. The secret is a thermoplastic resin called Elium, which can be chemically separated from its glass fibers so both materials return to the manufacturing stream as good as new. Engineers will now put the blade through structural lifetime testing...
2022 C.E.
March 29
Through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, West Elm, and others will plant one tree for every piece of indoor wood furniture sold.
2022 C.E.
March 29
Washington state's new seagrass sanctuary near Everett marks a meaningful institutional shift — from treating Puget Sound's tidal ecosystems as background scenery to actively protecting them. The 2,300-acre protected zone shelters eelgrass beds that feed migrating salmon, filter water, and store carbon, while also giving scientists a monitored baseline to study what's driving seagrass losses across the region. The state has set a goal of eventually protecting 10,000 acres of Puget Sound tidelands, signaling...
2022 C.E.
March 28
Reconciliation in Canada's largest city just moved from symbolic gesture to structural commitment. Toronto's City Council voted unanimously to adopt a ten-year Reconciliation Action Plan built around 28 concrete actions — developed over three years alongside Elders, Knowledge Carriers, youth, and Indigenous employees across the city. The plan commits to decolonizing city policies, honoring Indigenous self-determination, and making financial reparations. With more than 70,000 Indigenous residents calling Toronto home, the stakes are real and...
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