The Friday, August 7, 2026 Edition
Trump Signs Birthright Order, Iran Bars US Ships, and Blood Falls' Crimson Secret
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Sports, Entertainment & Culture
Science & Technology
79 feet
The estimated length of a prehistoric Megalodon shark, based on fossil vertebrae thought destroyed in 1989 and rediscovered sitting unnoticed on a museum shelf. That's roughly four times the length of a modern great white and strengthens evidence the species could exceed 24 meters.
Source: Science Daily
This weekend: Spider-Man: Brand New Day enters its second weekend in theaters after becoming the fastest film to reach $500 million domestically. Sunday's box office estimates will show whether the record pace holds.
Sunday, Aug. 9: Sunday marks the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, capping a week of remembrance ceremonies that began in Hiroshima.
Aug. 12-13: The Perseid meteor shower reaches its annual peak Wednesday and Thursday nights, one of the year's most-watched skywatching events.
- 1782George Washington creates the Badge of Military Merit, forerunner of the Purple Heart
- 1947Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki raft reaches Polynesia after 101 days crossing the Pacific
- 1959Explorer 6 transmits the first satellite photograph of Earth from orbit
- 1974Philippe Petit walks a tightrope between the World Trade Center's Twin Towers
The Pentagon Found a New Way to Undercount U.S. Casualties in Iran
How the Pentagon devised a new way to undercount American casualties from the war in Iran.
The Intercept · Nick Turse
Cyberattacks Expose Deeper Vulnerabilities in U.S. Water Systems
Why a wave of cyberattacks is exposing deeper vulnerabilities in US drinking water systems.
Axios · Rebecca Falconer
Colombia on the Brink: ELN Guerrilla Group Prepares for Return to War
How Colombia's ELN guerrilla group is preparing for a return to war, told through an interactive report from the brink.
The Guardian · Thomas Graham
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