The Monday, August 10, 2026 Edition
OpenAI Pauses Astra Launch, Ukraine Drones Hit Russia, and 'Odyssey' Tops $1B
4 min read
Science & Technology
$1 billion
The worldwide gross for 'The Odyssey,' which crossed the 10-figure mark this weekend. For scale, the summer's other juggernaut, 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day,' earned $144.5 million domestically in its second weekend alone.
Source: USA Today
Wednesday, Aug. 12: A partial solar eclipse crosses North America on Wednesday — it won't rival 2024's Great American Eclipse, but millions across the U.S. and Canada will see the moon take a bite out of the sun.
Aug. 12-13: The Perseid meteor shower peaks Wednesday night into Thursday, with up to 100 meteors an hour possible under dark Northern Hemisphere skies.
Friday, Aug. 14: 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' enters its third weekend Friday, with box office watchers eyeing whether it can hold after a $144.5 million second frame.
- 1519Ferdinand Magellan's five ships set sail from Seville on the first circumnavigation of the globe
- 1793The Louvre officially opens as a public museum in Paris
- 1821Missouri is admitted to the Union as the 24th state
- 1846Congress charters the Smithsonian Institution with funds from James Smithson's bequest
How the UAE won over Washington
How the United Arab Emirates built its influence campaign and won over Washington. (Read, paywall)
Financial Times$ Subscription
How China became the world's great oil power
How China rose to become the world's great oil power. (Read, paywall)
The Economist$ Subscription
Sasquatch science
How Bigfoot hunters apply surprisingly scientific methods to their search for Sasquatch. (Read)
Aeon · Andrew Bartlett & Jamie Lewis
Get The Morning Brief free, every morning.
Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.