History offers some encouragement for a world facing down a killer disease – plus all the week’s reasons to be hopeful

This week’s Upside comes to you from the past. I’ve been buried in the Guardian archive all week, looking for treasures from yesteryear. My rather facile thought was that if there is not much encouragement in the news at the moment, perhaps we can find some in the “olds”.

The victory over fascism, the civil rights movement, the stunning rise in prosperity, longevity, health, the long struggle for women’s rights … Perhaps it’s only when you take the long view that you can see progress in all its varied forms.

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