EBay’s first full-time employee left the company after its IPO and built a $5.9 billion fortune; he has now donated about $1.2 billion into social-change projects

EBay's first full-time employee left the company after its IPO and built a $5.9 billion fortune; he has now donated about $1.2 billion into social-change projects

Jeffrey Scholl. Image Credit: Scoll World Forum Jeff Skoll, eBay‘s first full-time employee and president, played a crucial role in building the company before leaving after its 1998 public offering. He helped turn an online auction business into one of the defining technology companies of the internet boom, then chose a different path from the … Read more

3 California hikers trusted AI to plan Mount Shasta climb; 8-hour trek became a 16-hour ordeal that left them injured, stranded overnight and ultimately rescued

3 California hikers trusted AI to plan Mount Shasta climb; 8-hour trek became a 16-hour ordeal that left them injured, stranded overnight and ultimately rescued

Hikers and rescuers make their way down Mount Shasta after the group became stranded during their descent. / Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Three novice hikers from Roseville, California, were rescued from Mount Shasta after an attempted summit climb that they had planned with substantial help from Google’s Gemini AI turned into a dangerous overnight ordeal. … Read more

Laurene Powell Jobs left Wall Street and moved to Florence for eight months, then built a multibillion-dollar empire funding education, climate and social change

Laurene Powell Jobs left Wall Street and moved to Florence for eight months, then built a multibillion-dollar empire funding education, climate and social change

Laurene Powell Jobs took an unconventional route from Wall Street to becoming one of the most influential philanthropists and investors in the United States. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985, she spent a year at Merrill Lynch and two years at Goldman Sachs before leaving finance and moving to Florence, Italy, where … Read more

A London apartment burned down in 2024 and left more than 80 people homeless; two years later, one owner says she is still paying the mortgage on a home that no longer exists

A London apartment burned down in 2024 and left more than 80 people homeless; two years later, one owner says she is still paying the mortgage on a home that no longer exists

“We’re still just stuck waiting for other people to make decisions about our future,” leaseholder Sarah Williams says [BBC] Former residents of a London apartment block destroyed in a major fire are still paying monthly mortgages on homes that were reduced to rubble two years ago. The fire at the seven-storey Spectrum Building on Freshwater … Read more

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers left pigs on a Georgia island as future food; centuries of feast and famine produced hogs that rapidly store fat and are now used to study obesity and metabolic disease

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers left pigs on a Georgia island as future food; centuries of feast and famine produced hogs that rapidly store fat and are now used to study obesity and metabolic disease

Ossabaw Island Hogs (Representational Image Generated using AI tool) Centuries ago, Spanish explorers sailing along the coast of what is now the United States brought pigs with them as a practical food supply. Some escaped, while others were deliberately released so future expeditions would find animals waiting when they returned. On Ossabaw Islanda barrier island … Read more

In 1944, 29 reindeer were left on a remote island in Alaska, decades later, they had eaten themselves into extinction

In 1944, 29 reindeer were left on a remote island in Alaska, decades later, they had eaten themselves into extinction

What happened to the reindeer on St. Matthew Island is a classic story of wildlife boom and bust. In 1944, the US Coast Guard corralled 29 Nunivak Island reindeer on a barge and floated the animals north to the island, more than 200 miles away to one of the most remote places in Alaska. While … Read more

In 1916, a Texas woman left six acres of riverbank for the public; her governor son later added 250 acres and the tiny gift helped create Texas’ first state park

In 1916, a Texas woman left six acres of riverbank for the public; her governor son later added 250 acres and the tiny gift helped create Texas' first state park

Mother Neff State Park (Image Credit: Wikipedia) In 1916, a small piece of land along Texas’ Leon River became the starting point for what would eventually become the state’s first state park. Isabella Neff, known locally as Mother Neff, had long welcomed neighbours and community groups to the riverbank for picnics, gatherings, fishing and other … Read more

In 2020, a catastrophic Michigan dam disaster left Smallwood Lake drawn down; six years and a $50.2 million rebuild later, water is finally returning to 721 waterfront properties

In 2020, a catastrophic Michigan dam disaster left Smallwood Lake drawn down; six years and a $50.2 million rebuild later, water is finally returning to 721 waterfront properties

Lake status as of July 21 Six years after a catastrophic dam disaster left Smallwood Lake drawn down in Michigan, water is finally returning to the lake. The refill began on August 4, following the completion of a $50.2 million rebuild of Smallwood Dam, and is expected to take eight to 10 weeks, depending on … Read more

Forecasters warn another tropical system could be brewing southeast of Hawaii after Lala left 2 dead

Forecasters warn another tropical system could be brewing southeast of Hawaii after Lala left 2 dead

As people in Hawaii work to remove massive amounts of debris and fix damaged infrastructure in the wake of Lalaforecasters on Wednesday warned of the likelihood for another tropical depression forming southeast of the islands. Forecasters warn another tropical system could be brewing southeast of Hawaii after Lala left 2 dead The death toll from … Read more