AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Aaron Rodgers disputes Shailene Woodley's breakup narrative, says she ended the engagement
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went public with his version of his 2022 split from actress Shailene Woodley, claiming she left him, not the other way around, and disputing her account that he wrecked her life. Rodgers, 42, made the claims on the "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward" podcast, directly addressing Woodley's prior interviews […] The post Aaron Rodgers disputes Shailene Woodley's breakup narrative, says she ended the engagement appeared first on American Almanac .
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went public with his version of his 2022 split from actress Shailene Woodley, claiming she left him, not the other way around, and disputing her account that he wrecked her life. Rodgers, 42, made the claims on the "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward" podcast, directly addressing Woodley's prior interviews in which the 34-year-old Emmy Award nominee described experiencing severe depression and "complete soul detachment" following what she called a traumatic event in early 2022. Woodley never named Rodgers in those interviews, but the timeline and context left little ambiguity about whom she meant. Rodgers did not leave the ambiguity intact. He named Woodley, addressed her on-air, and laid out…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - New AI girlfriend platform lets lonely men design fake companions — and therapists say it will make things worse
A Europe-based startup called SxxxAI launched a paid platform this week that lets men build customized AI girlfriends from scratch, and mental health professionals warn it will deepen the male loneliness crisis it claims to address. The site, which went live Wednesday, offers male users aged 18 and older the ability to design artificial women, […] The post New AI girlfriend platform lets lonely men design fake companions — and therapists say it will make things worse appeared first on American Almanac .
A Europe-based startup called SxxxAI launched a paid platform this week that lets men build customized AI girlfriends from scratch, and mental health professionals warn it will deepen the male loneliness crisis it claims to address. The site, which went live Wednesday, offers male users aged 18 and older the ability to design artificial women, chat with them daily, and unlock custom images and videos through a tiered subscription model. Plans range from $1 a month for up to 10 AI companions and 300 credits to a $99-a-month "elite" tier that allows up to 50 AI "girlfriends" and 3,000 credits. A free tier lets users build a basic AI character at no cost. Roughly 100 pre-made AI women are also available for users who skip the design process.…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Royals fans rally to stuff giant inflatable hot dog into bun, win free franks for the whole stadium
Kansas City Royals fans pulled off a stadium-wide stunt Saturday at Kauffman Stadium, bouncing a giant inflatable hot dog into a giant inflatable bun within 35 seconds, and earning every fan in attendance a free hot dog. The promotion, dubbed the "Home Bun Race," dropped oversized inflatables into separate sections of the crowd and gave […] The post Royals fans rally to stuff giant inflatable hot dog into bun, win free franks for the whole stadium appeared first on American Almanac .
Kansas City Royals fans pulled off a stadium-wide stunt Saturday at Kauffman Stadium, bouncing a giant inflatable hot dog into a giant inflatable bun within 35 seconds, and earning every fan in attendance a free hot dog. The promotion, dubbed the "Home Bun Race," dropped oversized inflatables into separate sections of the crowd and gave fans just over half a minute to pass the hot dog through the stands and land it inside the bun. They beat the clock, and the stadium erupted. MLB's official account on X posted a clip of the moment with a three-word caption: "HOT DOG ASSEMBLY COMPLETE." The video, first covered by UPI , showed thousands of fans working in unison, swatting the inflatable wiener overhead like a beach ball with a mission. …Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Nova Scotia man solved 211 Rubik's cubes on a pogo stick — and Guinness put him in the book
A 21-year-old from a small Canadian town shattered a Guinness World Record by solving 211 Rubik's cubes while bouncing on a pogo stick, more than tripling the previous mark, and now he's landed a spot in the Guinness World Records 2027 edition. Saul Hafting of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, was just 16 when he took […] The post Nova Scotia man solved 211 Rubik's cubes on a pogo stick — and Guinness put him in the book appeared first on American Almanac .
A 21-year-old from a small Canadian town shattered a Guinness World Record by solving 211 Rubik's cubes while bouncing on a pogo stick, more than tripling the previous mark, and now he's landed a spot in the Guinness World Records 2027 edition. Saul Hafting of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, was just 16 when he took on the record for most rotating puzzle cubes solved while on a pogo stick. The old record stood at 65. Hafting blew past it, solving 211 cubes during his 2021 attempt, a margin so wide it is hard to imagine anyone catching up soon. UPI reported that Guinness approved the record in 2022, awarding Hafting a certificate and a listing on the organization's website. But the book feature, the part Hafting calls a "longtime goal",…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Jack Newsome) - A marmot turned up in a San Francisco backyard after apparently drinking radiator fluid
A wildlife rescue in San Francisco is trying to figure out how a marmot, a mountain-dwelling rodent about the size of a house cat, ended up sick in a city backyard, and the leading theory involves antifreeze and a long car ride. Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue recovered the animal earlier this week from a backyard […] The post A marmot turned up in a San Francisco backyard after apparently drinking radiator fluid appeared first on American Almanac .
A wildlife rescue in San Francisco is trying to figure out how a marmot, a mountain-dwelling rodent about the size of a house cat, ended up sick in a city backyard, and the leading theory involves antifreeze and a long car ride. Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue recovered the animal earlier this week from a backyard in the Mission District, one of San Francisco's oldest neighborhoods. Marmots live at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada, not in urban backyards. The rescue's founder, Lila Travis, told KQED the animal had likely crawled under a car somewhere in the mountains and hitched an involuntary ride to the city. How it got there, and where exactly it came from, remains an open question. Travis and her team are now asking the public…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Jack Newsome) - Pittsburgh animal control officers spend hours freeing coyote wedged between alley walls
Pittsburgh Animal Care and Control officers recently pulled off an unusual rescue on Atwood Street, spending hours extracting a coyote trapped between two walls in a narrow alley, a reminder that urban wildlife encounters are more common than most city residents expect. The coyote had wandered into an alleyway in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood and became […] The post Pittsburgh animal control officers spend hours freeing coyote wedged between alley walls appeared first on American Almanac .
Pittsburgh Animal Care and Control officers recently pulled off an unusual rescue on Atwood Street, spending hours extracting a coyote trapped between two walls in a narrow alley, a reminder that urban wildlife encounters are more common than most city residents expect. The coyote had wandered into an alleyway in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood and became stuck, unable to free itself from the tight gap between two buildings. Officers responded to the scene and worked for hours to safely get the animal under control and pull it out, UPI reported . Once freed, the coyote was transported to a wooded area outside the city and released. Pittsburgh Public Safety shared the story on its Facebook page , noting that officers had acted quickly…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Harry Styles pauses MSG residency to mark 25th anniversary of September 11
Harry Styles led a moment of reflection at Madison Square Garden on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, asking concertgoers to put their phones away and honor New York City's resilience, days after catching flak over controversial ticket artwork. The 32-year-old British pop star stopped his eighth show of a 30-night MSG residency […] The post Harry Styles pauses MSG residency to mark 25th anniversary of September 11 appeared first on American Almanac .
Harry Styles led a moment of reflection at Madison Square Garden on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, asking concertgoers to put their phones away and honor New York City's resilience, days after catching flak over controversial ticket artwork. The 32-year-old British pop star stopped his eighth show of a 30-night MSG residency on Friday night to address the weight of the date. Styles told the crowd he wanted them to think about "the events that not only shaped this city but shaped the century that we live in." He then invited his bandmate Yaffra to perform a piano rendition of Bill Evans' "Peace Piece" while the audience sat in silence with their eyes closed. The tribute came two days after Styles drew criticism over a…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - K-pop group Pentagon marks 10th anniversary with new single "Coward"
South Korean boy band Pentagon dropped its first new music in nearly three years on Friday, releasing a single and music video called "Coward" to celebrate a decade together. The track arrives roughly three years after the group's 2023 single "With Universe," which had been Pentagon's most recent release. UPI reported the new song and […] The post K-pop group Pentagon marks 10th anniversary with new single "Coward" appeared first on American Almanac .
South Korean boy band Pentagon dropped its first new music in nearly three years on Friday, releasing a single and music video called "Coward" to celebrate a decade together. The track arrives roughly three years after the group's 2023 single "With Universe," which had been Pentagon's most recent release. UPI reported the new song and its accompanying video landed Friday, timed to the K-pop act's 10th anniversary. The music video features the group performing in an empty subway station before shifting to a brighter outdoor setting on a sunny day. Pentagon debuted in the mid-2010s and built a following across Asia and among K-pop fans worldwide, making the anniversary milestone a significant marker for the group and its fanbase. Few…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Trump and Vance close first-ever GOP midterm convention with voting pledge and 2028 preview
President Trump and Vice President Vance used the final night of the Republican Party's unprecedented midterm convention in Dallas to deliver a blunt message to their base, vote in November or lose everything the administration has built. Trump closed the two-night event at American Airlines Center on Thursday evening by leading thousands of supporters through […] The post Trump and Vance close first-ever GOP midterm convention with voting pledge and 2028 preview appeared first on American Almanac .
President Trump and Vice President Vance used the final night of the Republican Party's unprecedented midterm convention in Dallas to deliver a blunt message to their base, vote in November or lose everything the administration has built. Trump closed the two-night event at American Airlines Center on Thursday evening by leading thousands of supporters through a spoken pledge to cast ballots on November 3rd. He framed the midterms not as a routine off-year exercise but as a personal test of loyalty, asking the crowd to treat his name as if it were printed on the ballot. Fox News reported that Trump told the arena, "You've got to do this for me. You've got to pretend I'm on the ticket." The warning that followed was even more direct.…Open