As the curtain falls on 2025, The Associated Press has compiled a selection of noteworthy stories and delightful reads from the past year. These are tales you might have overlooked amid the fast-paced news cycle and the hustle of everyday life.

This list encompasses narratives with fairy-tale conclusions, heartbreaks, and stories that seem stranger than fiction. Some offer a peek behind the curtains of reality. Whether you encountered them earlier or not, these “in case you missed it” stories deserve another glance.

For the detectives at heart, there’s a tale of intrigue:

Remember the Las Vegas showgirl from a 1957 promotional photo for nuclear tourism famously dubbed Miss Atomic Bomb? Robert Friedrichs, a historian and retired scientist with roots in the Atomic Age, was captivated by the enigma surrounding her identity. This unsolved mystery lingered in his mind, representing a gap in historical documentation. After decades of relentless pursuit, Friedrichs finally uncovered her story.

Miss Atomic Bomb: The woman, the mystery, and the man who solved it.

Prepare to be moved by a poignant story from nature:

Khaled Kazziha, an assistant AP news director who has covered Africa since 1998, recounts the realities of raising his children in a part of Nairobi, Kenya, where lions roam free. This year, a lion killed a 14-year-old girl about a kilometer (0.6 mile) from their home. She was the same age as his daughter. Kazziha says what is missing from efforts to address the problem is greater awareness on how to behave around predators.

He lives alongside lions in Nairobi. The human-wildlife collision is dazzling — and dangerous

This one doesn’t take itself too seriously

Go ahead, let down your hair. Or if you are like these Londoners, draw on a goatee and throw on your best bald cap and suit because you too can join in the Pitbull look-alike phenomenon. In this story, the Miami superstar explains what it is like to watch this dress-up trend explode across his fan base.

White shirts. Black ties. Bald caps. Pitbull’s fans party like clones worldwide

A story of a mother’s grit

Giving up is not an option in this story. In Atlanta, an out-of-work film industry veteran, Sechita McNair, relentlessly pursues a better education for her child after an eviction. The story captures McNair as she navigates a seesaw of wins and setbacks. There is no fairy tale ending here, but there is real life — and resilience.

She wanted to keep her son in his school district. It was more challenging than it seemed

Veteran reporter peels back the curtain with this one

What is it like to report on a pope for his entire papacy? AP Vatican correspondent Nicole Winfield takes us inside her complex journalist-public figure relationship with Pope Francis, including their memorably tense exchange aboard the papal plane about the clergy sex abuse scandal in Chile. He later told her that it was a turning point in his understanding of the depths of the abuse scandal. Francis died in April.

Pope Francis bestowed a special nickname on AP’s Vatican reporter for her often-tough questions

The story that was hard to get

Some stories come together easily, and then there is the AP investigation into U.S. Big Tech’s role in China’s digital surveillance state. The story became a reality because AP journalists spoke with more than 100 sources, scoured tens of thousands of documents, and obtained several major leaks of internal and classified material.

Silicon Valley enabled brutal mass detention and surveillance in China, internal documents show

The one about living life with no regrets

If you need a reminder that you are never too old to pursue your dreams, this story is for you. In it, you will meet Tom Cillo, who played in his first-ever college football game this year — at age 58. Go inside this life-changing ride in which Cillo enrolls in Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, survives NCAA Division III football tryouts and — finally — hits the field.

At 58, Tom Cillo is tackling his dream of playing college football

This one is full of intrigue

Yes, there are luxury private jets, a secret meeting at an airport hangar and high-stakes diplomacy. While it may read like a Cold War spy thriller, the events in this story actually happened. It details a scheme that speaks to the United States’ efforts to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

US sought to lure Nicolás Maduro’s pilot into betraying the Venezuelan leader