7 ghostly before-and-afters from WWII London remind us of the cost of war.

    
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7 ghostly before-and-afters from WWII London remind us of the cost of war.

In September 1940, Germany began a bombing raid on London that lasted 57 consecutive days. The attacks on London, and surrounding areas, would continue until May 1941.

Known as "The Blitz," it was one of London's bloodiest chapters in World War II. Tens of thousands of people died, and about a third of the city was destroyed.

Many of those who survived did so by hiding all night in underground stations and tunnels — listening to the bombs crash overhead and hoping their world wasn't about to come crashing down on them.

Today, of course, London is a bustling metropolis with skyscrapers and five-star restaurants.

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

But the city's wartime history can still be seen if you know where to look.

Photo by Keystone/Getty Images.

In the photo series below by photographer Jim Dyson, images of today's London have been overlaid with pictures of the destruction from WWII in the same locations, marking the passage of time as well as the healing of scars.

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Getty Images.

From a crater in the middle of London's major thoroughfare...

Photo Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Getty Images.

...to a bombed-out bus in Harrington Square shown as a modern-day bus approaches the same station.

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by H. F. Davis/Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

This crater was once directly in front of Buckingham Palace, which was bombed on Sept. 13, 1940.

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

The Surrey Docks were also bombed, creating a massive plume of smoke over the River Thames.

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

On May 11, the world will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Blitz.

Like most reflections on war, this anniversary comes with a mixture of feelings. While the streets have been repaved, the buildings rebuilt, and the buses and cars replaced, some scars remain — a reminder the war wasn't as long ago as it might feel. It was in people's current lifetimes.

Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by H F Davis/Getty Images.

There are still bomb shelter signs visible on London street corners, pointing people to safety. You can even visit the old stations that people used to hide in with their families as they prayed to make it through the night.

Down Street station in Mayfair, which operated as a bomb shelter in 1940. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

Christ Church Greyfriars, a church in London that stands in the shadow of St. Paul's Cathedral, is still a skeleton of its former self. Only a bombed-out wall and recently restored steeple remain.

Photo by Iridescent/Wikimedia Commons.

As time moves on and we get further away from the visual reminders of these moments in time, it's important to occasionally look back and remember where we came from.

Some scars fade and some remain, but they'll always be part of us.

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Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly

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New Amazon badge helps you discover and shop for more sustainable products

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

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Increasingly customers are looking for more conscious shopping options. According to a Nielsen survey in 2018, nearly half (48%) of U.S. consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment.

But while many consumers are interested in spending their money on products that are more sustainable, few actually follow through. An article in the 2019 issue of Harvard Business Review revealed that 65% of consumers said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, but only about 26% actually do so. It's unclear where this intention gap comes from, but thankfully it's getting more convenient to shop sustainably from many of the retailers you already support.

Amazon recently introduced Climate Pledge Friendly, "a new program to help make it easy for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products." When you're browsing Amazon, a Climate Pledge Friendly label will appear on more than 45,000 products to signify they have one or more different sustainability certifications which "help preserve the natural world, reducing the carbon footprint of shipments to customers," according to the online retailer.

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In order to distinguish more sustainable products, the program partnered with a wide range of external certifications, including governmental agencies, non-profits, and independent laboratories, all of which have a focus on preserving the natural world.

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The 1776 Report is rife with 'errors, distortions, and outright lies' say historians

Wikiimages by Pixabay, Dr. Jacqueline Antonovich/Twitter

The 1776 Report isn't just bad, it's historically bad, in every way possible.

When journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones published her Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project for The New York Times, some backlash was inevitable. Instead of telling the story of America's creation through the eyes of the colonial architects of our system of government, Hannah-Jones retold it through the eyes of the enslaved Africans who were forced to help build the nation without reaping the benefits of democracy. Though a couple of historical inaccuracies have had to be clarified and corrected, the 1619 Project is groundbreaking, in that it helps give voice to a history that has long been overlooked and underrepresented in our education system.

The 1776 Report, in turn, is a blaring call to return to the whitewashed curriculums that silence that voice.

In September of last year, President Trump blasted the 1619 Project, which he called "toxic propaganda" and "ideological poison" that "will destroy our country." He subsequently created a commission to tell the story of America's founding the way he wanted it told—in the form of a "patriotic education" with all of the dog whistles that that phrase entails.

Mission accomplished, sort of.

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P&G Good Everyday

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Meet the people infusing their communities with love and support when it’s needed most

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If the past year has taught us nothing else, it's that sending love out into the world through selfless acts of kindness can have a positive ripple effect on people and communities. People all over the United States seemed to have gotten the message — 71% of those surveyed by the World Giving Index helped a stranger in need in 2020. A nonprofit survey found 90% helped others by running errands, calling, texting and sending care packages. Many people needed a boost last year in one way or another and obliging good neighbors heeded the call over and over again — and continue to make a positive impact through their actions in this new year.

Upworthy and P&G Good Everyday wanted to help keep kindness going strong, so they partnered up to create the Lead with Love Fund. The fund awards do-gooders in communities around the country with grants to help them continue on with their unique missions. Hundreds of nominations came pouring in and five winners were selected based on three criteria: the impact of action, uniqueness, and "Upworthy-ness" of their story.

Here's a look at the five winners:

Edith Ornelas, co-creator of Mariposas Collective in Memphis, Tenn.

Edith Ornelas has a deep-rooted connection to the asylum-seeking immigrant families she brings food and supplies to families in Memphis, Tenn. She was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old with her parents and sister. Edith grew up in Chicago, then moved to Memphis in 2016, where she quickly realized how few community programs existed for immigrants. Two years later, she helped create Mariposas Collective, which initially aimed to help families who had just been released from detention centers and were seeking asylum. The collective started out small but has since grown to approximately 400 volunteers.