Hey everyone!

2025 is here, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that the future loves to keep us guessing. The world? Full of surprises. Us? Always finding new ways to shock ourselves. Case in point: when we ask people what they want to read versus what they actually spend hours clicking on. Spoiler alert: it’s wildly different.

Before we dive into whatever twists and turns 2025 has in store, here’s a little treat: a look back at the stories that had everyone hooked last year. From the bizarre to the fascinating to the downright opportunistic. Don’t worry—we’ve filtered out the mass shootings, natural disasters, wars, and politics. No bad vibes here 🧘‍♀️

🎁 And because we love to surprise you too, here’s something special to start the year right: use code NYVOLV to access a free month of Volv Premium! Your 2025 glow-up can’t start with a blank brain. Don’t snooze on us—get your smart on with our app Volv.

 🔝 2024’s Biggest Stories
_{The recap you didn’t know you needed to start off the New Year}

1. ‘World War III has already begun,’ warns JPMorgan Chase. This was surprisingly or unsurprisingly the top read article on Volv! And you didn’t just stop there with WW3…

2. Germany preparing for Russia to start World War III. Leaked files and countless reports over the last year have hinted at something big happening soon.

3. Nvidia stock a ‘generational opportunity’. What a year this company has had and can have? 

4. Can Kamala Harris still win? This was 5 days after the election, when Trump had basically won. You all were either hoping for a different result or questioning if the results could still change..

5. OpenAI is making millions, and losing billions. This story about OpenAI being on the cusp of bankruptcy keeps coming up every few months. That's really wild, if you think about it. Everyone's using ChatGPT, but the company, even with $200 Pro subscriptions, is still losing money.
   

6. Chinese lab creates mutant Covid strain with a 100% kill streak. This reflects a kind of post-Covid trauma that has everybody obsessing over the next big pandemic (the latest ‘favorite,’ so to speak, is HMPV) and whether it is going to emerge from a lab in China.
   

7. Not-so-fun fact: Hitler was once TIME’s ‘Man of the Year.’ An eye-opener for people on what TIME magazine really aims to do with its iconic issue every year.
   

8. New ‘exercise pill’ could replace physical benefits of working out. Why put in the hours at the gym when a pill can do the trick?
   

9. Google claims to prove multiple universes exist. And wouldn’t that be great news for all the superhero movies and their dismal box office runs.
   

10. Epstein kept secret sex tapes of several high-profile people. This years-old scandal continues to captivate people. Although Diddy might give Epstein a run for his money after everything’s said and done...

11. ‘If you invade us, you're gay:’ Sweden's bizarre tactic against Russia. This article reflects our current zeitgeist—history is having a moment, defeating genres like politics in sales right now.
    

12. Here’s a haunting fact for when you board your next flight: 300 Boeing planes have a flaw that could cause them to explode in mid-air.
    

13. AstraZeneca admits its coronavirus vaccine can cause rare blood clots… and they wonder why more people are trending anti-vax nowadays, smh.
    

14. Want to join one of the Ivies? Call this guy. He had a 100% success rate in 2021.
    

15. No year is complete without sex or data on how people are doing the deed. Holy f*ck: Grindr Unwrapped reveals the sex position of the year.
    

16. Trump wants Canada to become America's 51st state. This got more interest than his plans to “buy” Greenland and control the Panama Canal.

To stay updated on stories like this in real time, check out the latest stories on the Volv app—we’ve got tons of fun stuff. And a lot more in store this year!

Hope this list helps you draft your 2025 Bingo Cards! We’ll be calling out everything noteworthy through the year at Volv Concierge. If you or your friends haven’t signed up yet, now is a great time to start.

See y’all next week!

Priyanka 

This newsletter was edited by Ishita Sen.