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'Ghostbusters' might be a reboot, but it's breaking all the rules.

This movie can't come soon enough.

The first trailer for the new "Ghostbusters" reboot is out. It did not disappoint.

In fact, people are more excited than ever. And of course they are.

It. Looks. Awesome.


GIFs via "Ghostbusters."

There are a few reasons why we should all be so completely on board with this movie. Here are just four of them:

1. It's a mainstream comedy starring four women. Yes, that's still a big f***ing deal.

Women may make up half the population, but Hollywood still hasn't gotten the hint.

Women snagged a measly 22% of main character roles in the top 100 domestic films of 2015, a recent study out of San Diego State University's Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film revealed. And although that's an improvement from 2014, let's get real: It's still pathetic.

That's what makes this photo, tweeted out by Melissa McCarthy last August, so badass.


Not only does the new "Ghostbusters" star four leading ladies — McCarthy is in (hilariously) good company alongside Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon — but women took on a wide variety of roles during production too, like script supervisor, writer, and special effects artists. Heck, the new trailer doesn't even feature a speaking role for a guy (and I'm totally OK with that).

While there are plenty of women working behind the scenes in Hollywood, you don't see so many women in such a variety of roles as often as you should.

"We need more leading roles for women, and they don’t have to be 'strong female characters,' because I hate that term," Paul Feig, "Ghostbusters" director, told The Wrap about gender inequity in Hollywood.

"People don’t mean it in in a derogatory way — they just mean 'good' — but people have weaknesses and vulnerability and insecurity. They don’t have to be superhuman, but if they’re not completely human and relatable, then that’s not a good role either."

2. And speaking of the cast, the comedians pretty much have hearts of gold, too.

They're funny. They're box-office royalty. And they're also really wonderful human beings.

Photo courtesy of Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, used with permission.

When the cast was filming in Boston last summer, they noticed signs in the windows of nearby Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, asking "Who ya gonna call?"

So they took a break from filming and made a trip over.

"The cast did an amazing job making the visit fun," Julie Jette, the hospital's director of media relations and publications, told Upworthy last August, noting the cast tailored the experience to each child depending on their age and how they were feeling that day.

"We had several patients and parents come to us afterwards to say what a difference the visit made to them."

3. The casting for "Ghostbusters" isn't just a win for feminism either; it's a win for diversity in many forms.

The film has really raised the bar on inclusive casting. McKinnon is the first openly lesbian cast member on "Saturday Night Live," and Jones, who joined the sketch show's cast in 2014, was one of the very few black female comedians to break that barrier since the show's inception.

Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images.

And let's not forget McCarthy, who has become a champion for body positivity and diversity through her new clothing line.

"Women come in all sizes," she told Refinery 29. "70% of women in the United States are a size 14 or above, and that’s technically 'plus-size,' so you’re taking your biggest category of people and telling them, 'You’re not really worthy.'"

4. Arguably most importantly? "Ghostbusters" looks funny as hell.

When McCarthy gets possessed? Hilarious. Or when the crew relies on a hearse to get them from point A to B? I'm dead (pun intended).

OK, I'll shut up and let the trailer do the talking. Check it out:

"Ghostbusters" is set to release July 2016. Don't miss it.

partnerships

5 ways people are going "all in" this week

From the silliest to the most sentimental, there are so many ways people are going “all in” on the internet this week. Here are our five favorites.

True

There's something truly special about watching someone go "all in." This could mean throwing an elaborately themed birthday party for a Chihuahua (see below) or something a little simpler, like surprising someone with a long-anticipated birthday present. Whatever it is, going "all in" means total commitment—no holding back, no second-guessing, just passion and full-throttle enthusiasm. It means being fully present in the moment and creating something truly special as a result.

In this roundup, we’ve scoured the internet for the best examples of people going all in—those moments where passion, creativity, and total commitment take center stage. Some are silly, some are sentimental, but all of them are a reminder that giving 100% is the only way to truly leave a mark on this world. Buckle up—these folks didn’t just show up, they went all in.

1. The guy who learned Mandarin to propose

@yinrun_hello He secretly learned Chinese to Propose 😭😭😭 #fiance #proposal #engagement #love ♬ pluto projector - ☆

Talk about commitment. Getting married is the ultimate example of being "all in," but this guy takes it to a whole other level. Shared to social media by content creator Yinrun Huang, the emotional video captures a marriage proposal that's completely in Mandarin from a non-native speaker. That's right—this guy learned a whole language (and executed it pretty well) to win his girlfriend's hand in marriage. Not only are the words beautiful, his dedication is, too.

2. Kid-approved snacks that help local communities  

It’s scientifically proven that kids are brutally honest, unfiltered, and don’t hold back—which is why our friends at All In couldn’t resist sitting down with this group and getting their honest opinion. Are these snack bars really that good?

The Bite Size Board has spoken—and they’re all in. Not only are these snack bars delicious, they’re also an easy way to help people in need: Every time you buy a bar, 2% goes to a community to help them get fresh food.

Want to try these Board-approved treats? Snag a free box by signing up with your phone number on Aisle. Then grab two boxes of All In bars at Sprouts, snap a picture of your receipt, and text it through Aisle. They’ll Venmo or PayPal you back for the cost of one box. Easy and delicious.

3. This Chihuahua’s extravagant birthday bash

@phoebeparsons__ Tell me you’re a DINK family without telling me #chihuahua #dink #mexican ♬ EVERLASTING LOVE - GROWS

Do you love your dog? Would you throw a birthday party for them? How about a full-out celebration in a Mexican restaurant that includes banners, party hats, and the entire restaurant serenading him? Yeah, we thought not. These pet owners are absolutely "all in" on this dog's birthday, and we love to see it. Not only is this celebration extravagant and clearly well thought-out, people in the comments section are jokingly pointing out that taking a Chihuahua to a Mexican restaurant is a nod to the dog's cultural heritage. If that was intentional, this might be the best dog birthday party we've ever seen.

4. Truly unhinged (and maybe true?) Taylor Swift theories

@grindcitymedia did taylor swift drop super bowl hints? 😲 #swifties #nfl #taylorswift ♬ original sound - grindcitymedia

OK, whether you love Taylor Swift or not, you have to admit that her fans (known as “Swifties”) have an incredible commitment to the fandom (and an eye for detail). Case in point: Last week on her boyfriend’s podcast, Taylor announced the upcoming release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The news was responsible for breaking the internet, and also for spurring a ton of fan theories about the future album and her future performances. In case you didn’t know, Swift is famous for dropping “Easter eggs” that hint at things she’ll be doing in the future, such as when she kept flashing peace signs and dropping the number 2 in her instagram posts in the weeks leading up to her double album “The Tortured Poets Department” in April 2024. This time, Swifties have taken to social media to discuss potential Easter eggs that were hidden throughout her podcast appearance. The latest theory? Her constant references to sourdough bread were actually Easter eggs hinting at a 2027 Super Bowl Halftime performance. Only time will tell if that's accurate, but the enthusiasm, the attention to detail, and the hours of research that must have gone into all these fan theories is truly something to behold.

5. This dirt bike birthday surprise 

@dmndboys_

This is why I look forward to fatherhood 🔥

♬ original sound - dmndboys_

These parents didn't give their kid a birthday present—they gave him the best birthday present of all time. Not only did the setup require a lot of thought and planning, but check out this kid's reaction. You can tell this was something he'd been wanting for a long time. Going "all out" and getting such a great response in return—it's something amazing to see.


Snag your free (!!) snack bars here while this deal lasts.

A Wollemi pine and one of its cones.

As the old adage goes, money doesn’t grow on trees. However, what if you had a tree that was so rare that people would spend good money for its seeds? Then you could honestly say that you have a money tree growing in your yard. Such is the case for a retired couple in England, Pamela and Alistair Thompson, both 75, who in 2010 paid £70 ($98) for a 46cm-tall Wollemi pine sapling that a friend bought on the Shopping Channel. It’s believed that it was the first ever endangered tree species to be protected by making it available to the general public.

What is the Wollemi pine?

The Wollemi pine is valuable because it appears in the fossil record as far back as 200 million years ago and was thought to have gone extinct about 70 to 90 million years back. However, in 1994, a bushwalker in Australia came across a Wollemi pine in a secluded gorge. Biologically, it was a discovery as significant as coming across a living dinosaur in a hidden part of Australia in the ‘90s.

Wollemi is an Australian Aboriginal word that means "watch out—look around you."

wollemi pine, endangered trees, australian trees, seattle, washington, rare trees A Wollemi pine in Seattle, Washington. via Brewbooks/Wikimedia Commons


The tree may have made its way to Eurpoe, but the wild trees are under threat from wildfires and climate change. It’s believed that only about 90 exist in the wild today. In 2006, it made its European debut when Sir David Attenborough planted one at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. “How exciting we should discover this rare survivor from such an ancient past,” Attenborough said.

After 15 years of special care, the Thompson’s tree began to bear fruit for the first time in August 2025. “This year has been so ­unusually dry, it happened earlier,” she said, according to The Times. The couple now plans to package the valuable seeds from the tree and give the money to the National Garden Scheme. The National Garden Scheme is a government program where people open their gardens up to the general public, and the money that is generated is donated to the Queen’s Nursing Institute.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

How much does a Wollemi pine cost?

“I saw a small tree for sale for more than £1,000 ($1352), which shows how rare they are. We’re planning to package the seeds five or six at a time and sell the bundles online for £5 ($6.76). We’ve seen some retailers sell them for much more, but we want to make them accessible for people, as well as raise money for charity. We don’t yet know how many will be healthy and produce trees. Only time will tell.”

"We have around five large cones, which have produced about a hundred or so large seeds each. It would be lovely to see just how many seeds we can produce, but I have been very surprised by the numbers so far this year,” she said, according to Unilad. So, if you do the math, 100 seed packs at $6.76 each would go for $676. Not bad for just collecting seeds.

But they could make a lot more money off the seeds if they chose to do so. It’s believed that one seed can go for as much as £10 ($13.52). If they sold all 500 seeds produced by the five cones, they'd make $6,760.

This tree could net them thousands of dollars a year in perpetuity. “It really does prove that money can grow on trees,” Mr. Thompson said, according to The Times.

wollemi pine, endangered trees wollemi pine cone, australia trees, money tree, dinosaur tree A female Wollemi pine cone.via Adrian198cm/Wikimedia Commons

Preserving the Wollemi pine for the future

In 2023, over 170 young Wollemi pines grown by the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, in Australia, were shipped to be planted in 28 botanic gardens with climates that could support the pines, across the UK and Europe. One Wollemi was sent to Atlanta, Georgia, in the U.S.

“Discovering the lost Wollemi pines in the wild was a truly astounding moment for international tree conservation, and to be a leading partner nearly thirty years later in launching this important new metacollection on UK soil is an exciting moment for Forestry England,” Mike Seddon, Forestry England Chief Executive, said in a press release. “As we care for the Wollemi pines we plant today, we’ll be able to study the way they grow, learning with the other botanic gardens how they flourish outside Australia. The climate crisis means that across all continents, many trees like Wollemi pines are facing urgent threats to their survival. We know that 34 per cent of conifers are now endangered, and our ongoing work to research, propagate, and save tree species is more vital than ever.”

Culture

These are the 10 very best books of 2025 so far, according to voracious readers

"It's the perfect balance between lovely prose and addictive plot."

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman.

Look, I get it. Your reading list is longer than a CVS receipt at the moment. And the idea of adding 10 fresh, new titles? That makes you want to hide under a weighted blanket until you can figure out how to make your Kindle do the reading for you. But trust the Internet on this one—these aren't just any books.

We're talking about 10 literary earthquakes that are shaking up the online world, sourced from Reddit's r/suggestmeabook forum. This list has everything, from poetic climate fiction to historical romance. These are the kind of stories that make you text your friends at 2 a.m. saying, "You have to read this right now."


best, books, 2025, charlotte mcconaghy Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.Credit: Amazon

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Picture this: you're stranded on a remote island near Antarctica, tasked with protecting the world's last seed bank while sea levels rise around you. That's the captivating premise of Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore, a novel that reads like climate fiction meets psychological thriller.

McConaghy, an Australian author who has already proven her mastery of environmental storytelling with Migrations and Once There Were Wolves, brings readers to Shearwater Island, where Dominic Salt and his three children remain—the final inhabitants of what was once a thriving research station. When a mysterious woman named Rowan washes ashore during a fierce storm, the family's fragile existence becomes even more precarious.

Wild Dark Horse has been heralded as "Amazon's Best Book of the Year So Far for 2025," and represents McConaghy at her most ambitious. This novel asks: What impossible choices would you make to protect those you love while the world itself is disappearing?

On Reddit, one user wrote about Wild Dark Horse, "LOVED this one! The way she made the landscape come to life!"

Another hailed McConaghy, writing, "Her books all hit a perfect balance between lovely prose and addictive plot."


best, book, 2025, alison goodman The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman.Credit: Amazon

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman

If you think the Regency era was all tea parties and beautiful gowns, Australian author Alison Goodman has a wakeup call for you. The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin is the second installment in her Ill-Mannered Ladies series. It transforms two supposedly "useless old maids" into the most formidable amateur detectives you've ever encountered.

Lady Augusta "Gus" Colebrook and her twin sister Julia are 42 years old and invisible to Regency society—the perfect, undetectable cover for two women fighting injustice. When Lord Evan, an escaped convict who has captured Gus' heart, needs help clearing his name of murder, the twin sisters dive headfirst into a world of Georgian gentlemen's clubs, spies, and ruthless bounty hunters.

With a PhD focused on Regency-era research and multiple award-winning fantasies under her belt, Goodman brings impressive credentials to this work of feminist historical fiction. The Wall Street Journal praised her Ill-Mannered Ladies series as "delightful company," and it's easy to see why. By subverting the typical "spinster" narrative, rather than pitying them, Goodman celebrates their freedom and intelligence.


best, book, 2025, john green Everything is Tuberculosis by John GreenCredit: Amazon

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Leave it to John Green to take the world's deadliest infectious disease and craft a profoundly human story that will fundamentally change how you view global health inequities. Everything is Tuberculosis marks Green's return to nonfiction—and it's one of his most essential works yet.

The book centers on Henry Reider, a spirited 17-year-old Green met in Sierra Leone. Reider suffers from drug-resistant tuberculosis. Through his story, Green explores how tuberculosis has become "a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it".


- YouTube www.youtube.com

Green's unique position as both a bestselling YA author (The Fault in Our Stars) and global health advocate gives him an extraordinary point of view. His YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers , and his work with Partners in Health have raised over $30 million for maternal mortality efforts in Sierra Leone. When he spoke at the United Nations in 2023 about tuberculosis eradication, it wasn't just celebrity advocacy—it was informed passion backed by years of research. As Green puts it, the real tragedy isn't the bacteria themselves, but that "the cure exists where the disease does not, and the disease exists where the cure does not".


best, book, 2025, stephen graham jones The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham JonesCredit: Amazon

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones crafted what many are calling his masterpiece—a chilling historical novel confronting one of America's most brutal chapters—all while reimagining the classic vampire myth through Indigenous eyes.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter tells the story of Good Stab, a Blackfeet man who turns into a vampire seeking justice following the 1870 Marias Massacre, where the U.S. cavalry slaughtered 217 women, children, and elderly Blackfeet people. The novel unfolds through diary entries and transcribed confessions, creating an epistolary structure that feels both intimate and haunting.

Jones, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe and professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, brings profound, authentic gravitas to this narrative. NPR called it "gorgeous prose" with a "complex, engaging, and multilayered" plot. The novel doesn't just use vampirism as horror. It transforms vampirism into a metaphor for survival, resistance, and the ways violence echoes through generations.



best, book, 2025, omar el akkad One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against It by Omar El AkkadCredit: Amazon

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against It by Omar El Akkad

Occasionally, a single tweet can capture the moral crisis of a generation. Omar El Akkad's viral tweet about the bombing of Gaza has been viewed over 10 million times.

"One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." – El Akkard on Twitter/X

Now, that tweet has turned into a memoir about Western complicity and moral awakening. Born in Egypt and raised in Qatar, El Akkard brings unparalleled credentials to this literary reckoning. As a journalist for The Globe and Mail, he's covered some of the most significant events of the war on terror.

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This represents what El Akkard calls his "heartsick breakup letter with the West". The book explores "what it means to live in the heart of an empire that doesn't consider you fully human" and chronicles "the deep fracture that has occurred for Black, brown, Indigenous Americans" who had "clung to a thread of faith in Western ideals".


best, book, 2025, taylor jenkins reid Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReidCredit: Amazon

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Reid Jenkin's Atmosphere takes readers to 1980s NASA, where Joan Goodwin discovers that space travel might be possible for women scientists. But this is about more than just rockets—it's a tale about love, ambition, and finding your place in the universe, literally and figuratively.

Reid, whose previous novels include The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & the Six, spent months in Houston researching this specific space program. Reviewers are calling it "both vast and intimate—like looking up at the sky and somehow finding yourself in it," which is precisely the kind of beautiful, devastating description that makes you add a book to your cart immediately.

"LOVED this on audiobook," wrote a Reddit user. "I think the narration made the science and technical stuff more accessible and interesting."


best, book, 2025, V.E. Schwab Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. SchwabCredit: Amazon

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

V.E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil uses vampirism to explore the stories of three women across different centuries—Maria in 1530s Spain, Charlotte in Georgian England, and Alice in contemporary times—who turn to the undead to escape patriarchal oppression.

Schwab, who has 25+ books under her belt, is "at her most raw, her most autobiographical and maybe her most damning". It's vampire fiction for people who thought they were over their vampire fiction phase.


best, book, 2025, nikki erlich The Poppy Fields by Nikki ErlichCredit: Amazon

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlich

What if you could sleep away your grief? That's the haunting question at the heart of Nikki Erlick's sophomore novel, The Poppy Fields, which follows four strangers on a journey to a controversial treatment center in the California desert.

What makes Erlick's work so powerful is her ability to tackle profound questions about healing and human resilience. As one reviewer noted, the book "explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person". The central question at the heart of this novel—how far are we willing to go to be healed?—resonates deeply in a world where mental health struggles are more visible than ever before.


best, book, 2025, chuck wendig The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck WendigCredit: Amazon

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig, the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents, returns with The Staircase in the Woods, a horror novel that transforms childhood friendship into something far more sinister.

The premise is deceptively simple: five high school friends are bound by a mysterious oath. During a camping trip, they discover a strange staircase leading to nowhere—when one friend climbs up and never returns, their lives are shattered. Twenty years later, the stairs reappear, and the remaining friends must confront what really happened all those years ago.

Vulture named it one of their Best Books of the Year (So Far), and it's easy to see why—Wendig has created a horror story that's more interested in the monsters we carry within us than the ones lurking in dark corners.


best, book, 2025, colum mccann Twist by Colum McCannCredit: Amazon

Twist by Colum McCann

Irish literary master Colum McCann returns with Twist, a stunning novel that plunges us deep beneath the ocean's surface to explore the fragile cables that connect our digital world—and the equally fragile bonds that connect us to each other.

The story follows Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist who joins a cable-laying ship to write about submarine communications cables. What begins as a straightforward assignment becomes something much more complex as Fennell encounters Conway, an enigmatic operations manager whose mysterious past drives the narrative into unexpected territory.

Why these books matter

These aren't just ten great books—they represent literature's response to our current moment with urgency, empathy, and unflinching honesty. In a time when the world can feel overwhelming, these authors offer something precious: proof that stories can still surprise, challenge, and ultimately change us.

So yes, add these ten essential books to your accumulating reading list! And really prioritize them—the conversations they spark today will be the ones that matter most tomorrow.

A young girl with her hand over her mouth.

Few things are more uncomfortable than sitting like a deer in the headlights while someone pushes you into an incredibly awkward conversation. Whether it’s a TMI (too much information) conversation or they want to talk about politics or religion, it’s hard to tell someone that a subject is off-limits.

However, in a viral Instagram post, Charisse Sims makes an essential point about these awkward situations: it will be uncomfortable whether you tell them to change the subject or if you have to sit through the conversation. So, it’s better to take the option that’s less hurtful to you. Sims is a mother of six and the host of the Parenting for the Culture podcast. She is also an awarded Educator by PBS and PBS Kids and founder of The Sims Library of Poetry.

How do you leave uncomfortable conversations?

She shared the advice while talking to her nine-year-old daughter, who she could tell felt very awkward about a recent conversation. “Immediately, when she started having that conversation, I could see on your face that you felt uncomfortable,” Sims told her daughter in an Instagram Reel. “When you have that feeling, your response to them should be, ‘I feel uncomfortable in this conversation. Let's talk about something else.”

Sims then asked her daughter to repeat the phrase a few times to burn it into her brain for when she needed it. Her daughter then admitted that telling someone to change the conversation would be difficult. Most people probably agree that telling people you’d like to change the subject is uncomfortable.

However, Sims makes a great point: you will be uncomfortable both ways, so choose the one that best suits you.

“Which one is a longer discomfort, taking 10 seconds to say, ‘I feel uncomfortable in this conversation. Can we talk about something else?” Sims asked. “Or, sitting in a 20- to 30-minute conversation that you feel uncomfortable in?”

stop, woman, woman says stop, talk to hand, hand out, stop hand, conversation, awkward A woman holding her hand out saying "stop." via Canva/Photos

“It is uncomfortable telling people stop. It is uncomfortable being like, ‘I don't really like what you're doing,’ because you're worried you're going to hurt their feelings, and you want them to like you,” Sims continued. “But it's also uncomfortable to sit there and be uncomfortable for a long time. So choose your discomfort, and choose the one that's going to help you, not hurt you.”

Candace Smith, an etiquette expert, says it’s also helpful if you have another topic on deck that the person may be interested in to make the transition smoother for both parties. “When you think it’s time to let the other person know you will change the subject, be positive, and smile. Keep your eye contact warm and direct,” she says, before giving an example: “I’m going to change our subject here. Let’s talk about something cool like the Marvel movie!”

shhh, shush, finger over mouth, girl saying quiet, end of conversation, finger over mouth A young girl making a "quiet" motion. via Canva/Photos

Sims' advice is important because it’s something that all of us, adults included, could use next time they are forced into an uncomfortable situation. Her advice is a great tool for making sound decisions when we feel awkward and unable to think on our feet. “I wish when I was growing up, I was taught more how to navigate tricky situations rather than just being told to stay out of them,” Sims wrote in her post. “As simple as that is, It’s not always that easy. Our children need more support and actual practice navigating these awkward situations.”

This article originally appeared in April.

A Game Boy, New Kids on the Block shirt, and a Nokia phone.

It’s said that one of the most effective ways to learn is through experience, by actively engaging with the material and applying it to real-world situations. That’s a little hard when you’re teaching history, but Malinda Nichols, an Alabama sixth-grade social studies teacher, found a way to bring the ‘90s to life, with a bit of help from her students’ Millennial parents.

“As our decades progress here in social studies class, we have reached, of course, the very best decade, the 1990s. So, I have invited parents of my students, who are all Millennials, to bring in nostalgic items from their childhood,” she said.

@hipsterhistorywithmrsn

Our 6th grade classroom turned into a pop culture time machine this week. Parents surprised students by bringing in “historical artifacts” from their own childhoods—growing up in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s—as we studied the decade of dial-up, denim, and discmans. We laughed. They gasped. We explained what a floppy disk was. This generation of parents didn’t just live history—we were the bridge from analog to digital, from mixtapes to MP3s, from landlines to livestreams. And maybe we’re only just realizing what a radical shift that was. To our kids, it’s ancient tech. To us, it’s memory lane. To historians… it’s officially history. #90sKids #GenX #MillennialParents #FromAnalogToDigital #RetroInTheClassroom #MiddleSchoolMagic #SocialStudiesClass #HistoryCameToLife #Edutok #TeachersOfInstagram #ThrowbackVibes #TBTEveryDay

Social studies teacher creates a museum dedicated to Millennials

Nichols' Museum of the Millennium allowed students to have a hands-on experience of what life in the ‘90s was like, by being able to touch and examine ancient artifacts, including flip phones, landlines, teen heartthrob magazines, New Kids on the Black memerobilia, Cabbage Patch Dolls, a full range of Nintendo systems, Gymnastics Barbie, Disney VHS tapes, and disposable cameras. The teacher even created a shirt for the occasion that reads: "Respect Your Elder Millennials" featuring a Game Boy, cassette tapes, a Nokia phone, and an in-line skate.

Parents were also on hand, acting as docents to teach the students how to do oh-so ‘90s skills like play a tape on a VHS machine or blow into a Nintendo cartridge to bring it back to life. The next day, the students conducted artifact analysis on the items they experienced at the museum, and created their own AOL usernames. Because in 1996, if you didn't have an AOL name, you probably didn't exist.

While many Millennials and Gen Xers who enjoyed ‘90s childhoods may feel like they’re not old enough to be historic, this social studies teacher who focuses on modern U.S. history begs to differ. "We raised Tamagotchi pets and felt the thrill of seeing Home Alone in a packed theater. We watched the Twin Towers fall in real time. We saw the rise of Blockbuster, the birth of YouTube, and the shift from landlines to cellphones. We were the ones who said goodbye to analog and hello to the digital age," Nichols told Newsweek. "That's pretty historic."

@hipsterhistorywithmrsn

Welcome to Part 2 of the Museum of the Millennial: curated by parents, gasped at by 6th graders. 🎧📼📟 This pop-up classroom exhibit TRULY had it all:
✨ Rotary phones (thought they figured it out but then they tried to “press the middle button to make it go through.” What a learning moment.) ✨ VHS tapes (Be Kind, Please….do what?) ✨ Folded hearthrob posters (Gen Alpha, meet #JTT and #DevonSawa) ✨ Beanie Babies (“My mom has purple princess one! Is it worth anything?!”) Not sure they were ready for ancient artifacts of the previous century, but when their parents SURPRISED them and showed up TO EXPLAIN IT ALL (like Clarissa), welllll, it wasn’t just a throwback…it was living tangible history. And it was hands down one of the very best days in my classroom EVER. 
If you love seeing classrooms bring history to life in creative and hilarious ways — follow for more reels like this! Let’s make history weird, fun, and unforgettable together. 🙌 
👀 Want to bring this lesson to your own classroom? This is in my TpT store for free! The download even includes directions on creating the perfect AOL Screen Name and Away Message! 
#MillennialMuseum #PopCultureInTheClassroom #ReverseShowAndTell #AncientTech #MillennialParents #RetroRewind #MiddleSchoolMoments #HistoryIsCool #TeachersOfInstagram #Edutok #ClassroomReels #ThrowbackTeaching #90sKidsUnite #TeacherContentCreator #HistoryClassroom #HistoryTeacher

Are the 1990s now considered historic?

The viral TikTok video took many Millennials on a nostalgic trip down ‘90s memory lane, but it also felt like a bit of a shock to see the things they played with as children depicted as artifacts from a bygone era. "I love this but also hate that my childhood is a history class lesson already," one commenter wrote. “I love hate this,” another added. “Ah yes, the best way to feel old. Your childhood being taught in history class,” a commenter lamented.

Many couldn’t help but notice that Nichols bears a strong resemblance to one of the most memorable tweens of the ‘90s, Kimmy Gibbler on Full House. “I was confused. I thought you were Kimmy Gibbler then I thought you were Sabrina the Teenage Witch then I realized you're neither lol,” a commenter wrote.

It may be hard for some Millennials and younger Gen Xers to reconcile the fact that their childhoods are now historic, much like the time they were growing up and saw their parents’ train sets and vintage Barbie dolls. However, they may not have known it then, but their childhood experiences are now something worth passing on to future generations, which is a testament to their value.

“This collection in here has easily got to be worth tens of dollars. But the value. The nostalgic value is truly priceless,” Nichols finishes her video.

Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia, Photo credit: Canva

For someone whose catchphrase is "You can't see me!" he sure knows how to make others feel seen.

So many of our favorite celebrity moments are when “stars” treat everyday people with the same honor, respect, and admiration the world often bestows upon them. When they break through any preconceived hierarchical structure caused by fame and simply exist with their fellow humans.

In July 2025, Peacemaker star John Cena shared this kind of moment while on the red carpet for the premiere of Amazon Prime’s Heads of State.

john cena, john cena interview, peacemaker, peacemaker season 2, celebrity news, heads of state, amazon prime A snippet from the notorious Peacemaker intro. media4.giphy.com

Tushar Joshi, a journalist who had traveled in from India, asked Cena who he would like to have an interview with, and what he might ask this person. Rather than naming some arbitrary icon, Cena simply makes the interviewer the interviewee. And it ended up being a truly wholesome exchange.

“So if we get to swap places, and I get to ask you a question,” Cena begins, "you flew in when?” He then quips, “That’s not my question.”

Joshi then reveals he flew about ten hours, from Bombay, to Abu Dhabi, to London, where the premiere was being held.

Then Cena says, “You flew all this way to be in the heat, to be behind the camera, and drive a journalistic interview…why do you do what you do?”

To Joshi’s credit, he didn’t miss a beat in delivering a pretty awesome answer, one that Cena couldn't help but smile at.

“Because I absolutely love the movies, it’s in my blood. And I can’t think of anything else than doing this. This moment that I’m sharing with you right now is exactly why I think I was born, and why I’m here. Absolutely love my job.

Grinning ear to ear, Cena replies, "That's one hell of an answer. I dig your passion. And I think that's who I would ask and why I would ask it. Thanks for making me think that way. I appreciate you.”

In Joshi’s caption, he would later share that it was a moment he was totally “unprepared for” but one that really gave him a dose of confidence.

"What came out of my mouth as he was rushed out on the carpet was also an eye opener for me,” he wrote. “So when you have those moments of doubt and you wonder, if what you do is worth it, it helps to get a perspective from someone else. And if that someone else is John Cena, then that moment becomes one the most memorable moments of your life..”

Perhaps this display of kindness should come as no surprise, considering that Cena has made notable positive impact through his charitable work, particularly with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he famously set the world record for most wishes granted (650), as well as being an outspoken ally for the LGBTQ+ community and veterans. Then again, it’s one thing to do charitable acts, and another to be able to simply make another human feel seen, which is what viewers really commended him for after watching this video.

“Bro pulled out the uno reverse and the result was UNREAL 👏👏👏”

“It doesn’t matter to me how much money someone has or how famous they are. It’s how they treat people and respect them that matters to me. John Cena is a class act and he has a great heart. This was a beautiful, touching exchange by the both of them. He made the journalist feel seen and that he matters.”

“So nice to see someone who’s ‘made it’ act like a human being. Rare but commendable.”

“John saw the moment, and rose to the moment's occasion, creating a moment between the two that was mutually shared in kindness and uplifting positivity. This, this is what it means to be superhuman. ❤️”

This is the kind of celebrity news that we should be inundated with, don't you think?