Hello there, oh glorious you!

It's officially the last day of our Black Friday week, which means you still have a chance to give someone the gift of learning for Christmas at a special price 😉 

(Or, you know, get yourself a nerdy treat this time.)

In any case, it's the weekend and time to read something interesting! Please enjoy today's spread of behavioural science, hope in humanity, and the best piece of data tracking you've seen all year!

Big love, 

Chris & the 42courses team x 

• Nerd Alert! This special episode of the Happiness Lab podcast is all about the joy of being an obsessive fan. Whether it's Star Wars, The Spice Girls, or Benedict Cumberbatch, here's how your adoration can make YOU happy. 
   
• Why you should take your toddler to a rocket launch: At least, this is what Tim Urban, author of the Wait But Why blog did, when Space X launched and, for the the first time, landed Starship this year.
   
• Why restaurant owners hate Rory Sutherland: A Youtube short from Rory's Nudgestock talk on signalling that you're open. If you like it, watch this one, and this one too!
   
• How much betrayal can you tolerate? For Dan Ariely, the surprising answer is: a little bit. In this video he explains why he thinks this attitude is better for society.
   
• This company has been watching you, and you love it! That's right, the 2024 Spotify Wrapped is HERE! Even if you're a hater, you can appreciate what a magnificent marketing campaign it is.

• 1273 - Thomas Aquinas, thought to have had a mystical experience in Naples, refuses to continue his work, saying, "I cannot, because all that I have written seems like straw to me." ✍️
   
• 1534 - Quito, Ecuador, is founded by Spanish colonists on the ruins of an Inca city. 🇪🇨
   
• 1631 - Johannes Kepler becomes the first to predict the transit of Venus, though no one observes it as it occurs after sunset in Europe. 🌞
   
• 1873 - The first international football game in the United States is played, with Yale defeating Eton (England) 2–1 in New Haven, Connecticut. ⚽
   
• 1877 - Thomas Edison astonishes attendees at the offices of Scientific American by turning the crank on his cylinder phonograph and playing the recording, "Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?" 🎶
   
• 1897 - London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs. 🚕
   
• 1956 - Nelson Mandela and 156 others are arrested for their political activities in South Africa. ✊
   
• 2006 - NASA reveals photographs taken by the Mars Global Surveyor that suggest the presence of liquid water on Mars. 🚀
   
• 2023 - Taylor Swift is named Time's Person of the Year 🎤