Must Reads

• ​The story of how Minnesota became the only U.S. state to have an official photograph
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• We all know the famous poster, but do you know the real man who inspired Uncle Sam?

Culture

America’s Time Capsule Will Be Ceremoniously Buried Today, and Remain Shut Until 2276

Coins, letters, poems, a whale bone, and sand from a national park. These prized possessions (and many more) will be ceremoniously buried today within the America250 time capsule at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. The next time they’ll be seen is in 2276, when the U.S. celebrates its 500th birthday, aka the quincentennial.
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The 900-pound stainless steel capsule — which includes contributions from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., the five U.S. territories, and the three branches of the federal government — aims to preserve a snapshot of the country on its 250th anniversary as a gift to future Americans, from current ones.
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To ensure the messages are in tip-top shape come 2276, scientists with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and preservation experts with the Library of Congress teamed up to meticulously engineer the airtight container to withstand centuries underground. Unlike traditional time capsules, the vessel is shaped like a cylinder to avoid square edges that often crack and break, and it will be buried beneath a metal bell jar cover to keep moisture out.
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So while the project has been quite the logistical puzzle, it’s also been a source of optimism. Project manager Tom Medema told the Associated Press: “There’s great hope in what this capsule represents and the messages that are put in it. Something about this capsule has been truly uplifting for everyone who’s been involved in it.” Read the capsule team’s letter to the future.​

Together With MERIT

A New Volumizing Mascara That Actually Lifts

For years, volumizing mascaras have followed the same formula: a big brush equals big volume. It’s what we’ve been led to believe delivers fuller lashes, but the truth is, it doesn’t — and Merit’s new volumizing mascara proves that.
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With Clean Volume, Merit didn’t want to make another version of the same thing. So instead of going bigger, it went more precise. A smaller, more defined brush reaches every lash from root to tip, paired with a buildable tubing formula with all-day hold and zero clumping. The result isn’t heavy, overdone lashes. It’s clean, defined, and lifted.

Environment

More Than a Founding Father: Benjamin Franklin Was a Climate Scientist Ahead of His Time

Today is an especially apt occasion to talk about the contributions of Benjamin Franklin. More than 200 years after his death, the inventor, author, and founding father is still making headlines and influencing research on one of the modern world’s most pressing issues: climate change.
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Long before climate change was even a commonly used term, Benjamin Franklin was laying the groundwork for future climatologists. He was among the first to start taking notes on weather observations and created a slew of weather instruments, some of which continue to be used to this day.
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That includes the lightning rod, a tool found atop skyscrapers to intercept direct lightning strikes and prevent fires. Susannah Carroll, the Franklin Institute’s director of collections, recently told CBS News that the first lightning rod (a fragment of which is on display at the Philadelphia museum) is “probably the most monumental, arguably, invention of Benjamin Franklin.”
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Carroll added that she believes if Franklin were alive in the 21st century, the effects of climate change would likely pique his interest as a researcher. “He was trying to solve a problem for humanity,” she said. “He was trying to make the world a better place.”

Humanity

The Survival Food That Was Also a Path to Freedom for Black Women in Early Philadelphia

This article was written by Carolyn Zola, a lecturer in the department of history at California State University, East Bay, for The Conversation.
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​Americans typically commemorate the nation’s birthday with hot dogs and hamburgers. Instead, I think we should mark the 250th anniversary of the United States with a hearty bowl of pepper pot stew.
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In the 18th and 19th centuries, pepper pot stew was a popular street food. A dish of Afro-Caribbean origin, it was typically made with tripe and other cheap cuts of meat mixed with vegetables, hot peppers, and other spices. Enslaved Africans likely brought the dish to Philadelphia from the Caribbean in the 18th century, when the two regions were tightly connected through trade.
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As a historian of women and labor in the early republic, I have learned how important impoverished and ordinary individuals were to the country’s founding. Cooking and preparing food, spinning and weaving cloth, washing and mending clothes, and caring for the sick were just some of the kinds of labor that supported the fledgling nation. Much of this work was carried out by marginalized women who are often overlooked in national commemorations.
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One such woman I’ve researched represents both the possibilities and sharp limitations of freedom in that era. She was a pepper pot seller in Philadelphia known to us only as Dina. Learn her story and check out a recipe for pepper pot stew.

In Other News

1. What are the country’s greatest achievements? NBC News asked, and everyday Americans answered (read more)
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2. If you’re planning on grilling, visiting a pool, or using sparklers today, read up on some safety tips (read more)
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3. Scotland’s connection to the U.S. goes way beyond the World Cup — and a special tartan is celebrating that (read more)
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4. Wind it back 50 years: See photos from America’s 1976 bicentennial celebration (read more)
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5. The bison is the national mammal, and the story of its return is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and history (read more)

Inspiring Story

Tangible gratitude for veterans

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Self-described kindness influencer Samuel Weidenhofer has spearheaded a nationwide gratitude campaign for veterans that goes far beyond the oft-repeated words “Thank you for your service.” Called For Your Service, the initiative is on a mission to help 50 vets in 50 states achieve financial stability. As of this week, more than 70,000 individual donations have raised $2.7 million for former service members — meet some of them.

Photo of the Day

El Sereno, California — the oldest surviving community in Los Angeles — combined its annual Independence Day parade with a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66, which passes just north of the historic neighborhood.
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​Watch a CBS correspondent’s recent journey down America’s Main Street in honor of both the roadway’s birthday and the country’s.

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Odds & Ends

🎶 The songs that define America, according to some Americans
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🍦 Cup or cone? Your answer has an environmental impact
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🎨 50 paint colors for the 50 U.S. states
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🇺🇲 Some festive recipe inspo for your barbecue

Quote of the Day

“America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

– HARRY S. TRUMAN