Did you know that by French law, baguettes are required to consist of only four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast? If the answer is yes, bien joué! If it’s no, consider bookmarking our parent company Britannica’s free daily trivia game to learn all sorts of interesting tidbits about the world. Called Tightrope (you’ll see why), the timed game is a great way to gamify your learning — play here.
— the Nice News team
Featured Story
“Emotional Sobriety” Can Help You Maintain Peace Amid Life’s Ups and Downs
Alina Naumova/iStock
It feels good to belly laugh, it’s healthy to cry, and it can be helpful to get angry. Experiencing our emotions deeply (particularly a wide range of them) is a beautiful part of life — but when we stay stuck in our feelings, they can start to run the show, influencing our actions and behaviors in ways that don’t serve us. So how do we know where to draw the line?
That’s where emotional sobriety comes in. Conceptualized by Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, the practice was originally meant to go hand in hand with physical sobriety, or abstaining from using addictive substances. But while it was created with addicts in mind, the notions behind it — learning to regulate your emotions and turning inward for your self-esteem — aren’t limited to those in recovery.
To learn more about emotional sobriety, we sought the insights of Gail Saltz, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College. Click below for her advice on adopting the practice into your own day-to-day routine.
If you’ve been curious about solar but don’t want the upfront cost, this is your way to escape rising electric costs. A solar lease is about as simple as it gets: A company puts panels on your roof, and you pay a flat monthly rate for the electricity they generate (often less than you’re paying your utility right now).
If something breaks, the company fixes it. No surprises, no maintenance calls, no big purchase decision. EnergySage connects you with trusted local installers offering $0-down solar — compare your options for free today.
Inside the International Plan to Save One of the World’s Rarest Birds From Extinction
Chester Zoo
The Javan green magpie, with its vibrant lime-hued feathers and distinctive call, is a striking sight. Yet, scientists who scoured 12 mountains on the Indonesian island of Java failed to spot a single one. With less than 250 of the birds believed to exist worldwide, the species is on the brink of extinction, so conservationists have hatched an emergency action plan to hopefully boost its population.
“This is a bird that most people have never heard of, and that’s part of the problem. The Javan green magpie is running out of time — and running out of places to hide,” Andrew Owen, head of birds at England’s Chester Zoo and co-author of the plan, said in a press release.
In late 2025, bird specialists from Chester Zoo were among 48 international experts who traveled to Java to develop the scheme, which will be implemented over the next decade. Action steps include tackling bird trapping, habitat loss, and the illegal online songbird trade as well as bolstering an ongoing conservation breeding program. The plan also spotlights the bird’s cultural significance in Indonesia.
While continued breeding is vital to the critically endangered species’ survival, Owens acknowledged that it can’t be the sole solution. “Thisnew action plan is about giving the species a future in the wild,” he said. “That’s what drives us.”
Sports
Why Do Baseball Players Put Black Marks Under Their Eyes?
Maddie Malhotra—Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
This article was written by Adam Annaccone, a clinical associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Arlington, for The Conversation.
Bottom of the ninth. Two outs. Bases loaded. The winning run is standing on third base. The pitcher winds up and throws. The batter swings and sends a high fly ball into the air. The center fielder races back, looks up at the sky, and then says the sentence no baseball fan wants to hear: “I lost it in the sun.”
For baseball players, seeing the ball clearly can be the difference between making a game-winning catch and watching the winning run score. That is one reason many athletes put black marks under their eyes before a game.
Baseball, football, and other outdoor athletes apply black stripes under their eyes because they hope it might reduce the glare from the sun or bright stadium lights. But the use of eye black comes down to tradition as much as it does science. Learn more.
Humanity
When an Atlanta Middle School Prioritized Kindness, Discipline Referrals Halved
Perkins&Will
At Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Atlanta, teachers begin their lessons by asking students a question that has nothing to do with yesterday’s math homework or reading material. “Every class, every day, our teachers start with connection before content,” Principal Kimberly Sewell told CBS News Atlanta. She added: “For 30 seconds, we ask students something simple, like their favorite pizza topping or what makes them happy.”
The casual opening question is part of a broader approach adopted by the school two years ago to bring more positivity and kindness into the classroom. Discipline referrals have since dropped by about 50% and attendance has improved, according to Sewell, who added: “It’s very, very important that [students] know that we see them and that we are so happy that they are coming to school today.”
Good news spreads fast, as the middle school was recently among 32 schools nationwide that received a Kindness Designation from the nonprofit Teach Kindness. Get a peek at the initiative in action.
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
17 iconic concerts — like Nirvana in 1989 and Amy Winehouse in 2004 — remembered by writers who witnessed them
“The joy of autism”: An essay on the many ways that being autistic is a lot of fun
Many kids are picky eaters — so because 23-year-old Zillah Scriven can only stomach 10 foods (things like potatoes, rice, and peanut butter), she often feels rather childish herself. It doesn’t help that she’s 5 feet tall and lives with her safety-obsessed mother, who may be fueling her daughter’s anxious tendencies. But when Zillah forms an unlikely friendship with an agoraphobic neighbor, she begins to work out how to live the life she really wants. Written by psychologist Julie T. Kinn, who adeptly portrays Zillah’s avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, Picky is a novel about understanding who we’ve been and who we can be.
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books about growing up on the American frontier in the late 19th century are receiving the television treatment — again. More than 40 years after the hit series starring Melissa Gilbert went off the air, Netflix is bringing viewers back to that Kansas prairie log cabin where Ingalls spent much of her childhood (by way of TV magic, that is: the wholesome new show was filmed primarily in Canada). All eight episodes, based on the third Little House book, dropped Thursday, and the series has already been renewed for a second season.
This Week in History
The First FIFA World Cup Takes Place
July 13, 1930
STF—AFP/Getty Images
From Cape Verde’s historic debut run to Scotland’s return — and win — after 28 years, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been an exhilarating one. But how does it compare to the inaugural soccer tournament, which took place nearly a century ago?
At the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in July 1930, only 13 nations participated, compared to 48 this year. The competition was created to highlight a sport whose athletes could previously only play internationally at the Olympics. And even back then, Argentina was among the most impressive teams: They were runner-up, with the host country triumphantly taking first place (a national holiday was declared in Uruguay the day after to celebrate). It would be another 61 years until the Women’s World Cup was established. Watch footage from the 1930 final.
Serious Skincare: Discover the Power of Retinol
Serious Skincare’s A Defiance three-piece regimen kit will help you unlock the power of retinol for your skin. The serum is a lightweight retinol concentrate that floods the skin with retinol and encourages renewed, healthy looking skin. It’s designed to be used with the face cream, a daily beauty treatment formulated with retinol and retinyl palmitate. Rounding out the trio are the Vitamin A Retinol Pads, which help turn over dead skin cells to unveil the appearance of a younger-looking, vibrant complexion.
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