Photography
August 14, 2018

90-Year-Old Photographer Continues to Delight the World with Amusing Self Portraits

You’re never too old to discover your passions—just ask Kimiko Nishimoto. At 72 years young, she picked up a camera, and her life hasn’t been the same since. She’s now 90 years old and still delights people across the globe with her quirky self-portrait photography. Her images turn the ordinary world into a much more whimsical place. Nishimoto’s growing portfolio features many light-hearted images of herself in fantastical situations.

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Painting
August 12, 2018

Japanese Artist Masters the Art of Painting Waterfalls in Motion

Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju is known for his captivating, large-scale waterfall paintings. The artist is one of the few remaining masters of nihonga painting, a traditional Japanese style that’s typically painted on washi (Japanese paper) or eginu (silk), using washes of natural pigments. In Senju’s case, the artist paints on Japanese mulberry paper and uses a combination of acrylic and natural paints.

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History
August 9, 2018

How a Volcanic Eruption Preserved the Ancient Roman City of Pompeii

The ancient city of Pompeii, Rome, is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the world. Located just outside of Naples in southern Italy, Pompeii is renowned for its well-preserved Roman ruins—and the disaster that ironically left them intact. Following a cataclysmic volcanic eruption, the entire city was covered by a blanket of volcanic ash. Until the 18th century, the city remained buried by this dust, leaving it untouched—and unseen—for nearly 1,700 years.

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Inspiring
August 9, 2018

Man Spends 40 Years Planting a Tree on Barren Island Every Day, Now It’s a Giant Forest

In 1979, Jadav Payeng—a then-16-year-old resident of Assam, India—made a startling discovery: several dead snakes scattered along the sandy banks of the Brahmaputra River's Majuli Island. Having been displaced by flooding, the creatures were then killed due to the island's lack of shade. This gruesome sight resonated strongly with Payeng, inspiring him to act. “When I saw it, I thought even we humans will have to die this way in the heat,” he told NPR.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.