ICYMI: Close out 2025 with these great reads from AP

As 2025 wraps up, The Associated Press has curated a list of memorable stories and enjoyable reads published this year that you may have missed in the flurry of news and the busyness of living.

There are storybook endings and heartbreak. Some are stranger than fiction, and others take you behind the scenes. Even if you read them the first time around, the stories on this ''in case you missed it'' list are worth revisiting.

A story for the super sleuths

If you have ever felt that nagging sense of the unknown, you may be able to relate to Robert Friedrichs and his search for Miss Atomic Bomb — the Las Vegas showgirl in a 1957 promotional photograph for nuclear tourism. He couldn't get her out of his head; it was a hole in the historical record. Friedrichs, a historian and a retired scientist who got his start during the Atomic Age, ultimately prevailed — but it took decades.

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

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.

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.

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.