We regularly share trending baby names, but just like middle children, middle names tend to get left out of the conversation. No longer: Nameberry recently released its list of middle name trends for 2025. The site noted that while middle names "were once an afterthought," many parents now use the monikers as opportunities to be creative. "Parents are willing to be a little — sometimes a lot — braver with their children's middle names than first names," wrote Nameberry's Sophie Kihm. See what made the list.
Must Reads
A first look at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas, opening today
Safety Nets Are Saving Lives at the Golden Gate Bridge, Study Finds
Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge has been a sight to behold for nearly a century. But the iconic structure got an update in 2023 that made it even more exceptional: safety nets to help prevent suicides — and they already seem to be working. In a recently published study, researchers estimated that before the net installation, about 30 confirmed suicides were recorded at the site each year. After stainless-steel netting was completed on both sides of the bridge, that number went down to eight, marking a 73% reduction in deaths. The researchers noted that although the safety infrastructure is still relatively new, the results provide "early but clear evidence that the safety nets are associated with an immediate and substantial reduction in suicides." They added such nets could be applied to other "high-risk places around the world where people die by jumping from heights." Despite the nets' profound impact, they're surprisingly subtle. As Giovanni Borges, an attorney from Miami who was visiting the landmark, told The San Francisco Standard last year: "I wouldn't have noticed, and I've been sitting here for two hours looking at the bridge. I think if you have even a chance of saving one person's life, it's worth it."
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The Little-Known Story of the Woman Behind the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Museum
Let's now go a few thousand miles east to the Brooklyn Bridge, which opened on May 24, 1883, and became one of the most famous symbols of New York City. You may know about its historic use of steel cables, or about the P.T. Barnum stunt that soothed residents' fears regarding its safety, but the bridge's place in women's history is much less known. Meet Emily Warren Roebling, the woman who took over the Brooklyn Bridge's construction from 1872 to 1883 after her husband, the chief engineer of the project, fell sick. "At the time, [it] was unheard of, that a woman would be responsible for all of the on-site engineers for such an ambitious building project," her great-great-grandson Kriss Roebling recently told CBS News. "This was hands down the most ambitious and extreme building project of modern times." After she oversaw the bridge to its completion, Roebling was the first to drive across the engineering marvel with a rooster, a sign of victory that marked a barrier-breaking moment for female engineers, paving the way for more women to pursue careers in STEM. For decades, there was no official mention of Roebling at the site. But now her name is featured in two places: a monument at the base of the bridge and Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, a public green space unveiled in 2021 that's been referred to as Brooklyn Bridge Park's finishing touch. "The Brooklyn Bridge would not have been completed without Emily Warren Roebling, and Brooklyn Bridge Park was not completed until we finished the plaza that now bears her name," Eric Landau, the park's president, previously told Spectrum News.
Science
Is That a Hat? A Wound? No, It's an Octopus Riding on a Shark
Wednesday Davis/University of Auckland
Children's book authors, file this one under story ideas. Scientists recently released footage of an octopus hitching a ride on a shark's back in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf — a sight so strange that researchers had to do a few double takes. "A large metallic grey dorsal fin signaled a big shark, a short-fin mako. But wait, what was that orange patch on its head? A buoy? An injury?" University of Auckland researcher and professor Rochelle Constantine said in a statement, recounting the 2023 expedition. "We launched the drone, put the GoPro in the water, and saw something unforgettable: an octopus perched atop the shark's head, clinging on with its tentacles." Adorableness aside, the "sharktopus" sighting is also incredibly rare given that most octopuses tend to stay along the ocean floor. Constantine added that the ride could have been quite the whirlwind for the tentacled creature, as mako sharks can reach moving speeds of around 30 miles per hour. Although the researchers don't know how the pair got together or where they ended up going, the professor said mysteries are part of the fun: "One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you might see next in the sea." Watch the footage.
In Other News
"Something to cheer for." Figure skating's world championships begin today in Boston (read more)
Volunteers are planting trees in an English town to honor those who died during the COVID-19 pandemic (read more)
Two genetically distinct bison herds have become one at Yellowstone National Park (read more)
New York's composting rules are set to get stricter starting April 1 — get the dirt (read more)
Inspo for baseball card collectors: Paul Skenes' rookie card fetched $1.11 million at auction (read more)
Inspiring Story
Altadena strong
Altadena, California, may have been in the headlines this year for the wildfires it endured, but the community is about so much more — including being a longtime "haven" for Black families. Watch this 45-minute documentary about how neighbors are joining forces to preserve the neighborhood's Black history and rebuild, stronger than ever.
Photo of the Day
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
New Yorkers who glanced up at the skyline on Saturday night might have noticed something was amiss: The usually illuminated spire of the Empire State Building went dark between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. for "Earth Hour," an annual event organized by the World Wildlife Fund that symbolizes "a broader commitment toward nature and our planet." This year, 118 countries and territories collectively dedicated nearly 3 million lights-out hours to the movement.
Italic's Cashmere Transcends Seasons and Trends
Italic's products are crafted with care, designed to endure, and shown-off with confidence — and the Sadie Cashmere Crew Cardigan from the new Spring/Summer Collection is a perfect example of that. The ultra-soft, 100% pure cashmere sweater transcends seasons and trends, an elevated classic that will become an everyday go-to in your closet. Thanks to its six-year anniversary celebration, Italic is now offering 25% off the Sadie Cardigan (as well as everything else sitewide!).
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