Astronomical autumn officially begins tomorrow, and as much as we love buying pumpkin spice lattes and shopping for cozy decor, there's another fun way to celebrate the season that doesn't involve doling out dough: leaf peeping. Every contiguous U.S. state (yes, even California and Florida) will get its chance to show off those vibrant red, orange, and yellow hues in the next few months — but to catch a glimpse, you'll need to know exactly which dates and locations to scope. Luckily, with weekly, county-specific updates that consider factors like temperature forecasts and user-submitted photos, this interactive foliage map is here to help. — the Nice News team
Featured Story
Want to Be Happier? An Expert Reveals the "Special Sauce" for Gratitude and Contentment
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Imagine you're embarking on an early autumn trail walk: Do you notice the gloomy sky and mud stuck to your socks, or the warmth of your jacket and simple joy of being outdoors? Those observations can all arise from the very same experience, but focusing on the latter two instead of the former can have a massive impact on our state of mind. "When you make a commitment to yourself to take a few minutes each day to focus on what you're grateful for, you rewire the neural connections in your brain to look for positive things everywhere," Lorraine Miller, a certified health coach and host of the podcast The Gratitude to Bliss Show, tells Nice News. In honor of World Gratitude Day today, click below to explore how being grateful can make you a more content person and learn some tips for feeling more gratitude — including what Miller calls the "special sauce" for achieving an impactful practice.
Chuck Norris Swears This Is the Key to Healthy Aging
Yes, Chuck Norris is best known for his acting and martial arts chops, but he also has some advice when it comes to graceful aging. At 85, he has more energy than most people his age, and even those decades younger. He found his key to healthy aging — and it was by going against some of the most popular advice out there. Curious about Norris' approach? He shares his entire method in this 15-minute video explaining the three "internal enemies" wrecking our health as we age and the simple ways we can combat them using foods and herbs you probably already have at home. Click below to access the video and try the method.
New "Beautiful Ballad" Version of a Whitney Houston Hit Features Her Original Vocals
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It's a song that's sent countless wedding guests to the dance floor, a pop treasure if we've ever heard one: Whitney Houston's 1987 single "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." Though the legendary singer died in 2012, her legacy is living on through a harmonious new duet of the beltable tune that features her original vocals. The project was sparked in 2024, when English recording artist Calum Scott opened for Ed Sheeran and performed a ballad version of the song that weaved in Robyn's "Dancing On My Own." After hearing the moving remix, music publisher Primary Wave, which owns the copyrights to many of Houston's hits, floated the idea for an official balladic reinterpretation of the pop anthem. And on Sept. 11, Scott released a slowed-down duet that makes use of the late musician's original vocal stems (the isolated audio files of her singing). "You can hear it on the song, I didn't oversing, I didn't do anything new, I didn't do any ad-libbing," Scott told the Associated Press. "I felt like I gently walked alongside Whitney — if I can even say I walked alongside. I mean, I'm in absolute awe of her." Take a listen and learn more about how the tune came to be.
Tech
NASA's Quiet Supersonic Aircraft, Which Could Cross the Pond in Under 4 Hours, Preps for Takeoff
Lockheed Martin/NASA / SWNS
If flying the seven hours from New York to London has you reciting "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday" (TikTok's recent viral soundtrack to videos of disappointing vacation moments), we have some good news: That travel time may soon get cut in half. X-59, NASA's quiet supersonic research aircraft, is gearing up for its first takeoff, the agency announced Sept. 12. Nicknamed "Son of Concorde" — after the world's only successful supersonic passenger plane that first flew in the '60s — it could fly from London to New York in around three hours and 44 minutes. The aircraft is currently undergoing final safety tests at the U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. "Its team is mapping every step, from taxi and takeoff to cruising and landing — and their decision-making is guided by safety," NASA said in a news release. Son of Concorde is projected to fly at Mach 1.5, or approximately 990 mph, and could reach a maximum cruising speed of Mach 2.04, or 1,354 mph, which is more than twice the speed of sound. It's designed to generate a quiet thump rather than a loud sonic boom as it flies, a noise problem that has made such planes unsuitable for soaring over populated areas. See more pics.
Humanity
"You Need to Be Bored": The Case for Letting Yourself Do Nothing
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What do you do when you're bored — when the work's done and the home is clean, or you're waiting in an elevator/line/restaurant/crosswalk? For many of us, the answer is the same: We reach for our phones. But Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks has a different idea, and it's to just let yourself be bored. "You need to be bored. You will have less meaning and you will be more depressed if you never are bored," Brooks said in a Harvard Business Review video that racked up millions of views in two weeks. But like so many things, embracing boredom is easier said than done: Brooks cited a study in which the majority of participants preferred to zap themselves with a painful electric shock rather than sit in silence with nothing to do. Whether or not you think you'd choose the shock, we can all probably agree that listlessness can be uncomfortable — and that discomfort is essential for finding meaning in our lives, Brooks argued. He explained that moments of boredom serve an important purpose by activating the brain's "default mode network." This network promotes creativity and self-reflection, so that we can grapple with deeper questions about purpose.Constant digital distractions often shut down those trains of thought, which can (spoiler alert) make us more anxious and less satisfied as a result. Inspired to be bored? Get Brooks' pro tips for embracing more boredom in your life.
We could all use a good laugh, and that's exactly what you'll get in the latest release from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe author Fannie Flagg. In this collection of fictional short stories, she dives into the lives of folks across the U.S. who're implementing creative solutions to various predicaments — like Velma in Kansas, who's trying to bridge generational gaps with her family, and Helen in New York, who's coping with her husband leaving her. With "great understanding of the human heart," Flagg sheds light on the inspiring, imaginative, and sometimes hilarious ways people overcome life's challenges.
This illuminating docudrama brings viewers right into the heart of 2018's devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California. It focuses on the heroic story of school bus driver Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey), who saved 22 children who were waiting for their parents to pick them up from school. Along with the students' teacher, Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera), McKay fights to get the kids to safety amid the blaze in what RogerEbert.com declares a "white-knuckle riveting" film packed with "powerfully immersive [action]." It's playing now in select theaters and will begin streaming Oct. 3 on Apple TV+.
This Week in History
The Original 9 Tennis Pros Sign $1 Contracts
September 23, 1970
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Fifty-five years ago, the Jack Kramer Open floated the idea of paying male tennis players more than eight times as much as female competitors — so World Tennis magazine founder Gladys Heldman organized the women-only Virginia Slims Invitational in response. The nine women who joined, including Billie Jean King and Peaches Bartkowicz, faced threats from the United States Lawn Tennis Association that they could lose their national rankings and eligibility to compete at Grand Slams by participating.
But they were unwavering, signing $1 weeklong contracts to play in the tournament that ultimately led to the creation of the Women's Tennis Association, which was founded by King. "This is a real moment of truth for us because we may or may not make it, but I knew we were doing the right thing for the future generations and that's really what we cared about," she said in a 2020 WTA panel that commemorated the famous moment the group held up their $1 bills. Watch as the Original 9 look back on their accomplishment, five decades later.
Brad's Deals: Amazon Prime Perks You Might Not Know About
Free shipping and exclusive shows and movies are reason enough for most of us to join Amazon Prime. But if these popular perks don't cut it, maybe some of the lesser-known incentives will convince you to sign up. The experts at Brad's Deals uncovered some hidden Prime perks that many members don't know they have access to.
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