Today has been a terrible year.

Released in 1975, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was an animated television special directed by legendary animator Chuck Jones and based on the classic story by Rudyard Kipling. The story follows a brave mongoose who takes on two deadly cobras to protect the family that rescued him. For a generation of kids, it was one of those rare animated films that felt genuinely intense. The stakes were real, the villains were terrifying, and you couldn't help but root for Rikki-Tikki every step of the way. More than 50 years later, it's still remembered as one of the finest animated adaptations ever put on television. Did you watch Rikki-Tikki-Tavi growing up?

This is awful. The last ever Denby Pottery going to the kiln. Why is there not uproar? Where’s the government in this?? We all have Denby in our homes, in family heirlooms, as our history and now it’s closing through lack of support, such a sad sad day. #SaveDenby @denbypottery

You wake up and this is the first thing you see.. what you doing?

«Be kind. Always»

The magic of fireflies ✨ 🎨 Zosara

The first of June, Blessed St Wite's day, Lady of Dorset, and at her holy well on Pooks Lane, not far from the sea, a small crowd is gathering. They are carrying willow baskets of white flowers tied with white velvet ribbons – elder blossom, hoss daisies, dog roses and thunder cracks. Old Fox is there, Wolf and Babcia and Pine Marten. The Little Girl's Father, as the local squire, lays the largest bouquet, the Vicar says a suitable prayer in his very fine Old English, and then Old Fox tells her tale, for according to the old legends it was here she died, on this very spot where the kittiwakes cry, murdered by salt-tarnished Danish swords one bright summer morning long, long ago.

One of the world’s rarest animals, photographed for the first time in over 20 years The critically endangered Ili pika was rediscovered in China in 2014 by conservationist Li Weidong after more than two decades without a documented sighting.

Normal watches ⌚️Tell time but this one reminds me childhood. 🤭😁

The Marvelous spatuletail hummingbird is only found in a small area in the Andes of northern Peru 📹 alvarowildlifephoto / Alvaro Cubero

Today is the feast day of St Melangell, the patron saint of hares. 🐇⛪️ The daughter of an Irish king, she fled to Wales and founded a community of women in Powys. According to legend she was gifted the land after saving a hare from a pack of dogs. 🎨 Jemima Jameson

Rest here, weary traveller 🎨 Lily Seika Jones

Oh this made me cry. In a tough old world, there is still some kindness and love.

In 1983, Cliff Young, a 61-year-old potato farmer, showed up in work boots to compete in Australia’s toughest ultramarathon alongside elite athletes. Unaware that competitors were meant to sleep during the race, he kept running continuously. Against all expectations, he won by a margin of 10 hours. In 1983, Cliff Young, a 61-year-old potato farmer, arrived at the start of the Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon looking entirely out of place. The race, stretching nearly 600 miles across Australia, was typically reserved for elite endurance athletes with specialized training, equipment, and support teams. Cliff turned up in loose overalls and rubber work boots, and most observers assumed he would not even make it through the first day. Yet Cliff had spent much of his life herding sheep on his family farm, often covering long distances on foot for hours at a time. His running style was nothing like the others—short, shuffling, and unorthodox—but it was steady and relentless. Crucially, he was unaware of the standard race strategy, where competitors ran in long shifts and then slept for several hours. Cliff simply kept moving. While the favorites stopped to rest, he continued through the night. As the days passed, it became clear he was not just surviving the race—he was leading it. Spectators began lining the route to watch the slow, determined figure pass mile after mile. After 5 days, 15 hours, and 4 minutes, Cliff Young crossed the finish line in first place, finishing about 10 hours ahead of his nearest competitor and shattering the previous record by nearly two days. When he learned there was prize money, he reportedly gave it away to the other runners, saying they had all worked just as hard. His distinctive running style later became known as the “Young Shuffle.” Initially mocked, it was eventually studied by ultramarathon athletes for its efficient, energy-conserving motion over extreme distances.

Swedish warship Vasa sank to the bottom of the Baltic Sea in 1628. In 1961 it was salvaged and the wood was still strong enough to be able to walk the decks. Today is the world's best-preserved XVII century ship.