As the curtain closes on 2025, The Associated Press has compiled a selection of this year’s most captivating stories and delightful reads that might have slipped under your radar amidst the whirlwind of news and daily life.

These stories encompass everything from fairy-tale endings to heart-wrenching narratives. Some are more unbelievable than fiction, while others offer an insider’s perspective. Whether you missed them initially or not, each piece on this “in case you missed it” list is well worth revisiting.

For the investigative minds out there, one story stands out:

Have you ever been haunted by an unsolved mystery? Robert Friedrichs certainly was, as he embarked on an exhaustive quest to uncover the identity of Miss Atomic Bomb—an enigmatic Las Vegas showgirl immortalized in a 1957 photograph promoting nuclear tourism. This puzzle became a gap in the historical tapestry that Friedrichs, a historian and retired scientist from the Atomic Age, was determined to fill. His relentless pursuit spanned decades, but ultimately, he succeeded in solving the mystery.

Explore the tale of Miss Atomic Bomb: the woman shrouded in mystery and the man who unraveled it.

A heartbreaking nature story

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