Must Reads

• “A nation in motion”: This new exhibition features historic photos of American life throughout the decades
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• Advice for how to see your city from a tourist’s POV​

Culture

Cheers! 19th-Century Cola Recipe Found in Italian Convent

Our love for the taste of Coca-Cola has endured for 140 years — but around the same time that the sweet drink debuted in 1886 at a downtown Atlanta pharmacy, a similar beverage was also being served up at an Italian convent.
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While recently organizing pharmacy archives at the San Marco convent in Florence, a rector discovered a medicinal recipe on yellowed paper for an “elixir vinoso ricostituente,” or restorative wine elixir, made with some oh-so-familiar ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts.
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The newly rediscovered recipe, believed to have been printed in the late 19th century, was concocted by friars and advertised as a tonic to help rejuvenate the body and mind, The Guardian reports. The Rev. Manuel Russo, who spotted the recipe, also found documents indicating it was one of the most popular drinks due to its “fantastic properties that fought against fatigue, and the fatigue that came with aging.”
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Although there are similarities between the two recipes, Russo noted there’s no direct link with Coca-Cola. “I don’t want to attract a lawsuit from Coca-Cola or something like that,” he joked to the outlet, adding: “The only thing I can say is that San Marco’s pharmacy had its own recipe.” (Fun fact: The price for a serving ranged between 2 and 6 Italian lira, the equivalent of a fraction of a cent in today’s currency.) Check out the recipe up close.

Together With Knix

A Bra So Comfortable You Forget You’re Wearing It

A supportive bra that’s so soft and comfortable you don’t even feel like you’re wearing one? Sounds impossible, but Knix has achieved just that with the Revolution V-Neck Bra, now available in the limited-edition blue serpent colorway.
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The Revolution Bra is wireless, but it has built-in 3D-fabric technology that mimics underwire for maximum comfort and support. Available in a wide range of sizes, from an A cup to a G cup, it’s made of Knix’s buttery-soft BeyondSmooth™ fabric that stretches with you, molds to your body with wear, and wicks away moisture. Click below to check out the brand’s other new and limited-edition arrivals.

Environment

Newly Discovered Avocado Diversity in Central America Could Save Your Chips and Guac

Every so often, headlines shout with warnings about how your beloved avocado toast is endangered. That’s because most avocados we get in grocery stores and restaurants are the same variety, Hass, which means they’re all particularly vulnerable to the same threats, like climate change, disease, and changes in precipitation.
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What we need to help these fibrous fruits survive is genetic diversity — and some researchers recently found it in Central America. The team discovered that new varieties of avocados were created 5,000 years ago, when people moving out of South America dispersed avocado seeds along their journeys north. Their local varieties from further south hybridized with the native Central American varieties, creating entirely new ones that differ from what you now find served up with chips at your local Mexican joint.
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“There is a much wider breadth of avocado diversity that science had not yet documented,” team lead Kevin Wann, who co-authored a recent study on the findings, said in a press release. “We could potentially tap into this genetic diversity to conserve commercial avocado plants that are vulnerable to disease.”
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Incredibly, Wann spent four years researching avocados before finally trying one, offered by a Nicaraguan farmer (“And it was delicious,” he said). Check out some avocado recipes in honor of National Avocado Day today.

Humanity

The Youngest Lighthouse Keeper in Britain Is Putting a Fresh Face on an Old Job

For Jeri Cormack, climbing towering spiral staircases and braving howling storms are all in a day’s work. The 28-year-old is the newest and youngest retained lighthouse keeper for the Northern Lighthouse Board, which maintains more than 200 lighthouses across Scotland and the Isle of Man. As such, she’s tasked with looking after three vital maritime landmarks in the north of Scotland: Dunnet Head, built in 1831; Noss Head, built in 1849; and Duncansby Head, built in 1924.
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“It’s fantastic. It’s opened a whole new world,” she told The Scotsman. “Lighthouses are something that most people don't ever get to see inside, so there is an inherent mystery.” See more photos of her on the job.​

Global Good

🇹🇹 In a “surgical marathon,” doctors performed 3,000 free sight-restoring surgeries in Trinidad and Tobago (read more)
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🇿🇲 Leopard populations in Zambia are recovering as more traditional ceremonies utilize synthetic furs (read more)
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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 An ancient Roman mosaic was found in an English field thanks to a metal detectorist (read more)
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🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi will open its own Guggenheim this year, designed by late architect Frank Gehry — see the exterior (read more)
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🇰🇪 1.43 million-year-old Kenyan footprints suggest the extinct hominin “Nutcracker Man” was larger than believed (read more)

Something We Love

PlantYou ​
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​I started following Carleigh Bodrug, the founder of PlantYou, on social media long before I finally tried one of her creative recipes. Now I have her website bookmarked and have made several delicious dishes, including Marry Me Orzo, Buffalo Chickpea Cauliflower Tacos, and Deviled Potatoes — the last of which sent my vegan friends into a tizzy.
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​– Rebekah Brandes, Staff Editor

Inspiring Story

Cheaper by the three dozen

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Throughout their five decades of marriage, Jeane and Paul Briggs have raised 37 children (and counting). The couple, ages 69 and 71, have five biological kids and adopted 32 more over the years — starting with Abraham, who was born in Mexico and is legally blind. And while the Briggs always knew they wanted a family, they didn’t know their home would be quite this full. “There was never any talk of a megafamily. … It was really just a series of events that continued to bring more children in,” said Paul. See photos of their big family.​

Photo of the Day

Meet Maso and Tonga! The black-and-white ruffed lemurs were born in April, but they only just made their public debut at New York’s Central Park Zoo last week. The fraternal twins are a ray of hope for the critically endangered species, known for being “rainforest gardeners” that help spread pollen and seeds throughout their habitats. Visitors can admire the darling duo at the zoo’s Tropic Zone exhibit, where they enjoy jumping on rocks and snacking on their favorite treat: bananas.

America’s Test Kitchen Solves Your “What Should I Make for Dinner?” Conundrum

You know the moment. It’s 5 p.m., the fridge is half-full of odds and ends, and you’re standing there wondering how any of it becomes dinner. That daily scramble is exactly what America’s Test Kitchen quietly solves. Thousands of foolproof recipes and smart techniques help you turn what you already have into something everyone’s glad to sit down to, no last-minute panic required. Start your free two-week trial today, exclusive to Nice News readers.

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Up This Weekend

1. Lollapalooza: The list of 2026 headliners for this Chicago festival is dominated by some of music’s top women — Lorde performed Thursday, and Charli XCX, Olivia Dean, and Tate McRae are yet to come (learn how to tune in from home)
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2. Commonwealth Games: The historic event, which takes place every four years, brings together athletes from current and former British territories for 11 days of friendly competition — and it wraps up Sunday
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3. Black Business Month: Tomorrow, Aug. 1, kicks off the annual observance of Black Business Month, established in 2004 to honor and promote Black-owned businesses of the past and present, per the Southern Poverty Law Center
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The Nice News merch collaboration with Because Weekend is all about celebrating optimism and making every day feel like the weekend. To help us spread that ethos beyond the inbox, shop our collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts here.

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Odds & Ends

❄️ Snow in July?
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🎢 This “top-secret” roller coaster isn’t a secret anymore
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👣 10K steps is a myth: Take a free quiz to find out your optimal step count*
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😂 Marmot lovers got quite cheeky to help the cute critters

*Indicates a Nice News brand partnership or affiliate

Quote of the Day

“Friendship is about being there in the small moments, not just the big ones.”

– S.E. HINTON, THE OUTSIDERS