Good Morning 🌞

🎆 Happy Fourth of July!

As the skies get ready to sparkle and grills begin to sizzle, today isn’t just about fireworks or flags. It’s about gathering with the people we call ours — remembering that, long before parades and barbecues, this day was born from hope, courage, and a belief in something better.

Wherever you celebrate — under city lights, by a quiet lake, or in your own backyard — here’s to shared laughter, simple joys, and the freedom to dream bigger each year.

Health Science

Younger Skin by Vitamin C

A coalition of Japanese researchers has made a breakthrough discovery: vitamin C doesn’t just support general skin health—it can actually help regenerate skin cells and reverse age-related thinning. As we age, our skin becomes thinner and more fragile due to slower cell production. But research using a 3D human skin model found that vitamin C thickens the epidermal layer by activating genes tied to cell growth through DNA demethylation. This means vitamin C may help prevent thinning and maintain stronger, healthier skin as we get older.

The epidermis, the skin’s outermost layer, is our first defense against pathogens—and the most prone to thinning with age. Around 90% of epidermal cells are keratinocytes, which originate in deeper layers and move upward to form the skin’s protective barrier. Dr. Akihito Ishigami, Vice President of the Division of Biology and Medical Sciences at Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, led the research and confirmed that vitamin C “seems to influence the structure and function of epidermis, especially by controlling the growth of epidermal cells.” In their lab-grown skin models, researchers found that vitamin C thickened the inner epidermal layer over 7 to 14 days by promoting keratinocyte division, without affecting the outer dead-cell layer.

Vitamin C promotes skin cell regeneration through a process called DNA demethylation—removing methyl groups that suppress gene activity, thus reactivating growth-related genes. DNA methylation is closely linked to aging and is even used to assess biological age. However, maintaining optimal levels of vitamin C is more complex than simply eating citrus. Studies show that vitamin C in U.S. produce has declined by as much as 30% over the past 70 years, and nutrient density in fruits like oranges and lemons is not what it once was. Of the nine known forms of vitamin C, most foods only provide one or two, and current dietary guidelines—90 mg for men, 120 mg for breastfeeding women—only aim to prevent deficiency. Achieving regenerative effects like those seen in this study may require higher or more targeted intake. Cooking methods also reduce absorption, though peppers remain among the top sources of vitamin C per calorie.

Good News

‘Did You Save my Life?’

From Ottawa comes a remarkable story of survival, gratitude, and the power of being in the right place at the right time. On May 20th, Tommy Chan went out for a five-kilometer run—but he doesn’t remember it. In fact, he remembers nothing from several days before or after. What he knows comes from his doctors: he suffered a cardiac arrest shortly after finishing his run and was revived thanks to CPR and a defibrillator.

Chan pieced together what happened through data from his smartwatch and Strava app, which showed him finishing his run near Bronson and Carling at 7:50 p.m. Just after that, his heart rate data stopped. Paramedics later confirmed they received a call about a man in cardiac arrest at that same spot around 9 p.m. He had been successfully revived—but not before a stranger stepped in to give him CPR, leaving him with deep bruising and a broken rib as lasting proof of their efforts.

That stranger was Tawnya Shimizu, a nurse who had been walking with her daughter when they spotted the commotion. “I could hear the 9-1-1 operator giving directions on CPR and counting out the timing,” she told CBC News Ottawa. “So my daughter was immediately like, ‘Mommy, you’re a nurse. You need to help!’” Shimizu jumped in and started CPR until first responders arrived. After the ambulance left, she was left wondering what became of the man she helped. Weeks later, Chan posted online with the title, “Did you save my life?”—and word soon reached Shimizu. The two connected and are now planning to meet. “The biggest thank you,” Chan told CBC. “I don’t know what else to say. Like, I can’t believe you were at the right place at the right time. So I don’t know how I can never repay you.”

History

Happy 4th of July! 🎆 

Every year, as fireworks burst across summer skies and grills fire up in backyards, we gather to celebrate the Fourth of July. But what exactly happened on this date—and why has it remained so enduring, generation after generation? To understand, we travel back to July of 1776, when Philadelphia sweltered under heat and history. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Britain. But it was two days later, on July 4th, that Congress formally adopted the final wording of the Declaration of Independence—the version sent out across the colonies and dated for posterity. Though John Adams believed July 2nd would be the date Americans honored, it was the printed July 4th document that history embraced.

In those early years, Independence Day celebrations were modest but meaningful: public readings of the Declaration in town squares, church bells ringing across rooftops, bonfires lighting the night, and shared meals with toasts and parades led by local militias. Even in 1777, as the Revolutionary War raged on, Philadelphia hosted the first anniversary celebration with fireworks and cannon fire. Over the decades, parades, patriotic speeches, and community gatherings became the norm. In 1870, Congress officially declared Independence Day a federal holiday—though it would take years more to become a paid one.

Today, July 4th is more than a historical milestone—it’s a cherished summer tradition. It blends remembrance with joy: picnics under shady trees, baseball games, concerts, and dazzling fireworks. But at its core, it still honors something quietly powerful: the courage and hope embodied in a single declaration. So wherever you are this Independence Day—whether surrounded by family or enjoying a moment of solitude—may it remind you of the unity, vision, and shared story that began on that summer day in 1776.

🧐 ✨ A Few Lesser-Known July 4th Facts

🎆 America’s first fireworks show:
Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in 1777 with fireworks, bonfires, and bells—even as the war continued.

🧨 Colonial “salutes”:
Some early festivities involved packing gunpowder into anvils and firing them skyward. Yes, it was as dangerous as it sounds.

🍻 Toasting the colonies:
It was common to raise exactly 13 toasts—one for each of the original colonies.

📜 Public readings:
Generations of townspeople gathered on July 4th to hear the Declaration read aloud—a tradition still observed in historic cities today.

🎂 A remarkable coincidence:
Founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826—exactly 50 years after the Declaration was adopted.

Mind Stretchers

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Yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

I have hands but cannot hold, A face that never grows old. I mark each moment, night and noon, Yet chase a race I’ll never win. What am I? — a clock! Lyn Rigsbee got this first! 🌞 

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected]or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.