Arts & Culture
Here we cover the latest and most uplifting exhibitions, creative movements, and imaginative design to keep you inspired throughout your day.
The Revolution That Started it All: 1776
In today’s special edition of The Optimist Daily, we are celebrating revolutions! That’s because of the 4th of July, the day the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain. Right? Well, not so fast. While it’s widely believed that July 4, 1776, was the day America Read More...
This photographer is trying to restore some calm amidst the climate crisis
For many years, world-renowned photographer Chris Jordan was focused on the “underbelly of mass consumption”, capturing iconic, yet disturbing photos of birds dying from eating plastic. But recently Jordan has started to change his approach. If people are bombarded with messages about Read More...
This is how the world’s coldest city celebrates Summer
If you think your home city gets cold, think again. In Yahutsk, the regional capital of Russia’s Republic of Sakha, the winter lows can drop to a bone-chilling -70°F, making it the coldest city in the world. But while the winter temperatures can be brutal, the summers can be quite pleasant, with Read More...
Game designers have created a simulator that let’s you live the life of a bee
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a bee? Well if you are curious, there’s a new simulation game that gives you an inside look at the real lives and struggles of the American wild bee. Both educational and entertaining, Bee Simulator allows you to fly around our colorful world Read More...
Pink Floyd frontman’s guitar auction nets $21 million for climate action group
As if former Pink Floyd frontman David Gilmour wasn’t already enough of a legend, the guitarist has just donated $21 million to a climate action group after selling 126 of his guitars in a record-breaking auction in New York. One of those guitars included the iconic black Fender Stratocaster Read More...
Radiohead gave money to Extinction Rebellion instead of paying ransom to hacker
The indie-band Radiohead got an unexpected message recently from a hacker who claimed he had stolen 18 hours' worth of unreleased music that the band recorded during the late ‘90s. The hacker demanded the band fork over $150,000, or he would release the music. Instead of bowing to the hacker's Read More...
You have to see these portraits of farm animals that were allowed to grow old
When you see a really old dog, it can make you feel all fuzzy inside. But have you ever seen an elderly farm animal? Chances are you haven’t, which makes sense considering many farm animals don’t get the chance to live for more than a year. Their "purpose" – in the dystopian thing that is Read More...
How one Australian band is getting musicians to invest in solar farms
When the Australian band Cloud Control was about to go on two-week tour after releasing its third album in 2017, the band’s keyboard player Heidi Lenffer asked climate scientists to find out how much emissions they would produce. The result? Around 28 tonnes of emissions—roughly equivalent Read More...
You have to watch these 8 environmental documentaries this summer
Instead of watching another Hollywood blockbuster for your next movie night, use the time to put on an environmental documentary. Why? Because there’s nothing like a quality documentary to get the activist within you jumping out of your seat to make a difference in our world. If you need some Read More...
You have to see the brilliant symmetry of a bald eagle flying over a pond
You can be a wildlife photographer you’re entire life, and you probably won’t capture a photo as amazing as the one amateur photographer Steve Brio recently did. Sitting by a pond in Ontario, Canada, Mr. Biro spotted a bald eagle flying about. Or rather, the bald eagle spotted Read More...