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Solving the mystery of lightning, the real-life “Happy Gilmore,” and a growing tourism trend
00:09:18
Today’s episode dives into the science of lightning and what’s happening up in the clouds before electricity strikes. You’ll also hear about the real-life hockey player who inspired Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore,” the growing literary tourism trend, and an unlikely friendship between a cheetah cub and a pup. This episode was hosted and produced by Case Kenny. Research and writing by Natalie Stone, Ally Mauch, Rebekah Brandes, and Stephanie Friedman. Music by Ryan Peitzke. For more good news, tune in to Nice News Today on Mondays and Fridays and subscribe to the daily Nice News newsletter at NiceNews.com.
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Case Kenney
Good morning. Welcome to Nice news today, your 10 minute roundup of the week's most positive news. It is August 4th, and today I'm diving into a study that claims to have solved the mystery of where lightning comes from. I'll also tell you about the real life hockey player who inspired Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore, the growing literary tourism trend, and an unlikely friendship between a cheetah cub and a puppet. I'm your host, Case Kenney. Let's uncover some good together in much of the U.S. summertime brings afternoon thunderstorms galore. But have you ever stopped to wonder what's going on in the clouds when lightning strikes during a storm? Scientists have been looking into this mystery for a while, at least a few hundred years, and a new study has a solid theory as to how the electric current forms and then travels from cloud to ground. A team of electrical engineers at Penn State found that the electric fields in thunderclouds accelerate electrons, which then collide with different molecules. That produces x rays and a bunch of other electrons and photons, creating what they say is the perfect storm for a lightning bolt to be born. If all that went over your head, here's a helpful analogy the lead author shared with the Independent Think of it like a pinball machine. The storm clouds are hosting these strong electric fields, which makes the pinball, the electrons in this scenario move faster and faster as it crashes into obstacles, I.e. molecules like nitrogen and oxygen. All of that movement and energy then leads to the ultimate lightning strike. The more you know, you may not have heard of Kyle McDonough, but you've probably heard of Happy Gilmore, the titular golf playing character in Adam Sandler's 1996 comedy flick. With the film's sequel having just come out on Netflix, this is the perfect time to tell you about how those two names are related. First, we have to go back to the 70s, when Sandler was just five years old and his family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire. He soon met a kid his same age named Kyle McDonough, and the two became fast friends. According to a recent article in the Atlantic, McDonough was a hockey star. He went on to play center for the University of Vermont and then became one of the best players in Norway's top professional league. As a kid, though, he excelled in all sports, and Sandler recalled one particular day when they went to a driving range with Sandler's Dad, Stan, and McDonough was surprisingly good at golf on his very first try. Stan remarked at the time that McDonough's hockey prowess helped him with golf and that stuck with Sandler. Years and years later. The actor was trying to come up with a movie idea and remembered that day on the range. He thought, quote, what about a hockey player in the golf world? And the rest is comedy history. Are there any electric car owners listening in? It should soon become much easier to charge your vehicle in America. The US is set to add 16,700 public fast charging ports by the end of the year, making 2025 a quote, record year of fast charging deployment. A chief analyst at a charging data company told the website inside EV. If that pace continues, the country will have 100,000 of these ports by 2027. But that's not all. EV charging stations are also becoming more standardized, which will help free up more plugs and speed up charging times. Companies like Mercedes Benz and Walmart are leading the charge, no pun int this arena, adding high power stations with a minimum of 10 stalls each all around the US charging stations are also expected to increase in quality as many will come equipped with WI fi and bathrooms, as well as coffee and snack selections. So you can still get the American rest stop experience while also knowing your ride is reducing emissions Spain already had one of the most generous paid parental leave policies in Europe, and it just got even better. The government recently announced that both mothers and fathers will soon get an extra week off work after having a baby, bringing the country's total parental leave allowance to 17 weeks. Spain also just approved an extra two weeks of paid leave for parents, which they can take up until their child turns 8. While some other countries like Ireland and Bulgaria offer longer maternity leaves, Spain and Finland are the only ones in the European Union that provide equal, fully paid leave to both parents, According to Reuters. Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz recently said, quote, spain is moving towards feminism and equality and there will be no turning back. 4 out of 10 men in our country now take parental leave, and that is a feminist achievement. We all know dogs are man's best friend, but one puppy living down under is a cheetah's best friend. And in February, a cheetah named Rosie was born at an Australian zoo after her mom went into premature birth and needed an emergency C section. Because the cheetah mom was unable to produce milk, she had to be separated from her cub, which needed intensive care. Here's the good part. At around two months old, Rosie was introduced to a puppy named Ziggy, who was the same age, and they became best friends. A cheetah keeper at the zoo told new scientists they matched each other's size, energy level and preferences, play and have a sibling like relationship that allows Rosie to learn socializing behaviors. I was surprised to learn that this isn't the first dog cheetah duo. The animals were originally paired together over 30 years ago at the San Diego Zoo, and Rosie's mother actually spent her younger years with her own puppy companion. Now I know you're all listening to an audio only podcast, but I highly recommend Googling Rosie and Ziggy to see the pics and videos of them hanging together. Have you ever wanted to explore castles like the ones in the Bridgerton series? Or perhaps Journey Through America using Jack Kerouac's on the Road as your guide? If you're itching to live out the pages of your favorite book, you'll love literary tourism, a trend in which travelers choose their vacation spots based on locations they read about. Literary tourism brought in nearly $2.4 million last year, according to Future Market Insights, and it's projected to reach 3.3 million by 2034. Its recent rise in popularity can be partially credited to BookTok, a TikTok community that's attracting younger readers now. Creative trips inspired by novels Think literary festivals, book club reading retreats and hotel book collaborations are also on the rise. Carl Walsh, a senior vice president at Visit Britain, told Thrillist, they target travelers, quote, seeking more personal and meaningful experiences. Walsh said that books create powerful emotional connections to a place, and when travelers visit one of these locations, it adds an extra layer to the story. You can find literary experiences around the country all year long. For example, a festival celebrating the Twilight series is taking place in Washington State next month. So if this type of vacation piques your interest, take a look at the bookish events coming up in your area. And here's another for bibliophiles, today's inspiring human is dan Pelzer, a U.S. marine Corps veteran who died July 1 at the age of 92. But I won't be talking about his military service today. Pelzer has made headlines following his passing because of his reading list. He kept a handwritten list of every book he's read since 1962, and the total he came to a jaw dropping 3,599. For context, that equates to about 57 books a year. His daughter Marcy Pelzer told CBC Radio that reading was how Pelzer passed the time. She said, quote, he always had a book open a book in his hand and it stimulated great conversations with all kinds of people. To honor the Ohioan, the Columbus Metropolitan Library created a searchable database of Pelzer's list titled what Dan Read, so be sure to check that out. And that's it for today's episode. If you loved these stories, please consider giving us a follow on Apple, Spotify and YouTube Music and sharing this episode with a friend. If you want more good news, visit nicenews.com to sign up for our free daily newsletter. Until next time, keep spreading your light and remember, there's more than enough good out there to go around. Have a great day. It.