Dad advice is a rarefied thing — whether it’s changing a tire or getting back up after a (literal or metaphorical) fall, some lessons are particularly impactful when they come from a father figure. If reading this is making you think of a nugget of wisdom you’ve received from a dad in your life, we want to hear about it. Click here to tell us the best fatherly advice you’ve gotten.
World’s Largest Operating Steam Locomotive Begins First-Ever East Coast Journey
Union Pacific
All aboard! The world’s largest operating steam locomotive kicked off the eastern leg of a rare coast-to-coast journey Monday in honor of America’s 250th birthday, marking its first-ever tour to the East Coast. Departing from Cheyenne, Wyoming, Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 is set to make more than 50 whistle-stops in 10 states over the next two months, as well as host eight major public display events and a July Fourth celebration in Philadelphia. Built in Schenectady, New York, and delivered to the Union Pacific Railroad in 1941, the 133-foot-long, 1.2 million-pound locomotive is the only operational Big Boy out of 25 that were constructed for transporting military equipment during World War II. Though 4014 was retired in 1961, Union Pacific reacquired it from a museum in 2013 and spent six years restoring it. “A steam locomotive is an amazing machine from a bygone era,” Ed Dickens, Union Pacific’s senior manager of steam operations, told USA Today. “You don’t have to be a rail fan for it to capture your imagination.” The western leg of the tour began in April in Sacramento, California, and by the time 4014 concludes its northeast journey and returns to Cheyenne on July 29, Union Pacific officials project over 1 million people will have seen it. “When [people] come, they’re going to hear that whistle, and chances are they’re going to hear that whistle long before they see it,” Dickens said. “You’ll feel the ground rumbling, feel the heat ... emanating off this giant machine. This locomotive, it does not disappoint.” See all of 4014’s eastward stops.
Together With Coveron
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Sewage Is the Unlikely Star of a Plan to Heat and Cool Denver’s Biggest Buildings
Ultima_Gaina—iStock/Getty Images Plus
Sewage isn’t anyone’s favorite morning convo starter — but when it’s being used to further a city’s goal of becoming 100% carbon-free, it warrants our attention. That’s the aim in Denver, where officials are piloting a thermal energy network that will heat and cool some of the Colorado capital’s biggest buildings through a mix of water, the Earth’s heat, and, yep, sewage. Denver’s dense downtown has largely been powered by “the world’s oldest continuously operating commercial steam system,” per NPR, which requires burning fossil fuel. That system has become inefficient as it’s aged, and customers’ steam bills have doubled in the past 10 years. The new method involves underground pipes filled with water that will circulate energy derived in part from wastewater — asflushing toilets, taking showers, and doing dishes all generate loads of thermal energy. “We think we are standing in what can be the future of energy in Denver, which is both pollution-free and affordable,” Mayor Mike Johnston told the outlet from inside one of the 11 buildings in the pilot program. If all goes well, Denver hopes to serve as an example for other major cities. Curious about how exactly the method works? Get into the nitty-gritty (sorry, couldn’t resist).
Humanity
Basket by Basket, Gullah Geechee Women Are Preserving American History
On the southeastern U.S. coast, many Gullah Geechee women methodically weave sweetgrass baskets — a tradition passed from generation to generation since the 1700s. “I learned sitting at my mother’s side, watching her hands,” Lynette D. Youson, a fifth generation weaver outside of Charleston, South Carolina, told Smithsonian magazine. “She learned from her mother, and her mother before that. That’s how it continues — you watch, you do, and then you teach.” Today’s weavers are preserving not only the technique but also the stories of all the people who made the baskets before them. Scholars estimate that hundreds of thousands of people across the southeastern coastal corridor identify as Gullah Geechee, descendants of Africans enslaved on rice, indigo, and cotton plantations. Back then, the baskets were used for practical purposes like cultivating rice, winnowing grain, and carrying harvests. “The traditions and knowledge carried by enslaved Africans and the living cultural practices of Gullah Geechee communities today are not separate,” said Victoria Smalls, the former executive director of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. “They are a continuous story of survival, adaptation, and memory.” These days, the baskets are admired as works of art and reminders of those who came before. “I’m teaching all of them — boys and girls,” Youson said, referring to her children and grandchildren. “They need to know where they come from. If they don’t learn it, it stops with me.” Learn more about the Gullah Geechee community’s “living heritage.”
In Other News
New images of Marswere captured by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft during its closest approach to the red planet (read more)
A common asthma and allergies drug may improve the treatment of aggressive cancers, a study says (read more)
An East Coast metropolis is putting its name in the ring to host the Winter Olympics in the 2040s (read more)
For the first time, anastronaut from Hong Kong was launched into space — meet the mother and police officer (read more)
“Incredibly rare”:This golf ball-sizedoctopus was spotted on camera near the Galápagos Islands (read more)
Inspiring Story
Danger is his middle name
At just 7 years old, Joey Danger Evermore became the youngest person to summit California’s El Capitan, the 3,000-foot-tall rock formation in Yosemite National Park. The kiddo from Colorado began the five-day journey last week as a 6-year-old and celebrated his 7th birthday mid-ascent, snagging the record from his older brother (who completed the same feat at age 8 in 2022), according to a rep for his family. See the young adventurer during the climb.
Photo of the Day
Dan Kitwood—Getty Images News/Getty Images
Like a ballet in the sky, flocks of fulmar and northern gannet are making their way to Bempton Cliffs on the coast of Yorkshire, England, for breeding season. Every spring, hundreds of thousands of seabirds settle in at “seabird city” to nest and delight birders with stunning scenes (like the one above, which was produced by combining multiple exposures).
Cash App: Here’s to Your Teen’s Next Big Step
Growing up comes with plenty of firsts. With a Cash App Card, teens have a safe way to practice saving, managing money, and spending — all with their own debit card, and you as their guide.
