Our Most-Read Stories of 2024

Good morning, curious minds!

Today is the last day of the year, and news is scarce, so we're swapping headlines for a brief look back—and yes, we're already dreaming about 2025. If you missed our previous Editor's Letter, consider this the sequel: same mission of gratitude, fewer paragraphs.

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Dear readers,

Thank you for another fantastic trip around the sun. Not just for reading but for clicking, sharing, giving feedback, and unwavering curiosity. No matter when you join, it's always appreciated. You turned a small idea into a vibrant community—here's a snapshot of what we accomplished (just imagine confetti falling as you read):

• My writing has over 50,000 words.

• We sent over 60,000 emails.

• Our emails were opened more than 48,000 times.

• Our newsletters got over 124,000 impressions.

• ... clicked on 4,200 links.

• The Core has grown to over 5.4K subscribers.

I'm raising a mug of something warm to each of you as we celebrate the year's most-read pieces (and some editor’s favorites). We've got 2025. Let's fill it with big ideas, big leaps, and more stories worth telling.

Happy New Year’s Eve, and cheers to our next chapter together!

Fatih
Editor-in-Chief

Our Most-Read Stories of 2024

1. The Year in Reading: Incredible Books You Need Right Now

2. Heartwarmers of 2024: Best Feel-Good Stories to Melt Your Seasonal Stress

3. When Legends Fall: Behind the Market’s Smile

4. You’ll Never Guess What Biden Signed on Christmas Eve

5. The Secret Reading Lists of the World’s Most Influential People

6. New Wave, Same Cringe: Norovirus Strikes Again

7. 2024’s Best Content Was Content We Already Loved

8. AI’s Power Hunger Could Warp Your Appliances

9. Good News for a Change: U.S. Life Expectancy Makes a Surprise Comeback

10. New American Dream: A New Blueprint for American Hopes

Editors' Picks

1. Reading Is the New Rolex: Your New High-Status Accessory

2. Why Home Services Are the New Frontier of Wealth?

3. Diploma Without Reading

4. The Untold Story of Saudi Princesses

5. The Real Reason People Didn’t Smile in Old Photos

6. The Rise of AI Companions and the Fall of Dating Apps

7. The Time Regulation Institute: The Fight for Permanent Daylight Saving Time

8. Fragile Freedoms: Global Democracy Hits the Warning Lights

9. Why Women Swipe Left on AI?

10. The Great Middle-Class Mystery

💡 Core Wisdom

📸 Lens to Life

The best original photographs from the Observer.

🧮 Core Count: 890,000,000,000

This year's estimated total value of all items returned to retailers in the United States.

🗓️ Flashback:

1703 - Japan's Genroku earthquake, near Edo (modern-day Tokyo), kills thousands and triggers a tsunami that kills thousands more.

1744 - English astronomer James Bradley announces the discovery of Earth's nutation, or wobble.

1775 - The American Continental Army led by Richard Montgomery defeated British forces at the Battle of Quebec, killing Montgomery and injuring Benedict Arnold during the American Revolutionary War.

1958 - Fulgencio Batista informs his cabinet that he is fleeing Cuba.

I'm glad we could get together here. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Fatih Taskiran