Germany begins to enforce new social media hate speech law
Last year, Germany passed a sweeping anti-hate speech law requiring websites to promptly investigate reports of posts illegal under German law and delete them.
Today (2017 C.E. - 2025 C.E.)
This archive spans one of the most eventful periods in recent history, from 2017 through 2025. Browse more than 4,100 articles documenting scientific breakthroughs, policy wins, social progress, and human ingenuity from the present era. Each story highlights what people and communities around the world are building, solving, and achieving right now.
Thousands in the U.S. were saved between 1990 and 2012 as air pollution declined
Between 1990 and 2012, particulate matter and organic aerosols significantly declined in the United States, saving thousands of lives.
Florida’s minimum wage increases in 2018
The minimum wage increased in the Sunshine State by 15 cents to $8.25.
Indian Government launches the world’s first floating solar power program
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), which is administered by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India (MNRE) has invited expressions of interest to build 10,000 MW of floating solar PV over the next three years.
Transgender individuals may now openly join the U.S. military
Starting today, transgender individuals may openly join the U.S. military, this despite stiff opposition from President Trump.
U.K. scientists claim they found a drug that significantly reverses memory loss
A team at Lancaster University in the U.K. has discovered that a drug designed to treat type 2 diabetes may hold the key to fighting the memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease.
China institutes unprecedented ban on the import of plastic waste
China’s “National Sword” policy banned the import of most plastics and other materials headed for that nation’s recycling processors, which had handled nearly half of the world’s recyclable waste. The move was an effort to halt a deluge of soiled and contaminated materials that was overwhelming Chinese processing facilities and causing environmental havoc. Within one year, China’s plastics imports plummeted by 99%, leading to a major global shift in where and how materials are being processed and incentivizing less wasteful behavior around the world.
Massachusetts passes Question 3, banning small cages for farm animals
Question 3, the Massachusetts ballot question that would have banned the sale of foods derived from animals raised in cruel conditions, has passed handily, setting new rules on the size of cages in which farmers can raise chickens, cows, and pigs.
Montgomery County Council in Maryland unanimously approves $15 minimum-wage
Montgomery, which is the largest and one of the most affluent jurisdictions in Maryland, is the first in the state to require a $15 minimum wage, and the second jurisdiction in the Washington region, after the District of Columbia.
Nevada passes measure to expand background checks for gun sales
The Yes vote on Question 1, which would require in-person background checks for all guns sold among friends, online and at gun shows, was approved by a 50.45 percent to 49.55 percent margin.