CATEGORIES

The Boy In the Septic Tank
Reader's Digest US

The Boy In the Septic Tank

MADISON WILLIAMS was studying in her bedroom in Dublin, Ohio, in August 2016 when the door burst open. It was her mother, Leigh Williams, with a horrific and incredible story: “A little boy fell into a septic tank, and no one can reach him.” Then she made this request of her 13-year-old daughter: “Can you help?”

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2 mins  |
February 2018
Say Yes to The Ruined Dress
Reader's Digest US

Say Yes to The Ruined Dress

Coming to appreciate that nothing in life is permanent, except maybe that ink stain

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3 mins  |
February 2018
13 Things Mall Cops Won't Tell You
Reader's Digest US

13 Things Mall Cops Won't Tell You

Who Knew?

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3 mins  |
February 2018
Sowing Hope
Reader's Digest US

Sowing Hope

A church community looks to feed itself with the help of an old foe: the land

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2 mins  |
June 2018
The Hunger App
Reader's Digest US

The Hunger App

ON HER FIRST DAY tutoring students from low-income families at an after-school program in New York City, Alyssa Kapasi noticed how many kids were lining up for free sandwiches and fruit in the cafeteria.

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1 min  |
June 2018
Reader's Digest US

The Case Of The Wedding Couple Out For Revenge

When they didn’t get their album right away, they trashed the photographer—all over the Internet

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2 mins  |
June 2018
News From The World Of Medicine
Reader's Digest US

News From The World Of Medicine

News From The World Of Medicine

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3 mins  |
June 2018
Reader's Digest US

Gadzooks! The Surprising Sources Of Great Sayings

WHEN EXACTLY do “the cows come home”? Who was the first person to “steal someone’s thunder”? English is full of colorful expressions that have lost the connection to their delightful origins. That said, when you learn the checkered past of some of these phrases, you might think twice about using them.

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2 mins  |
June 2018
The Great Forgetting
Reader's Digest US

The Great Forgetting

Our first three years are a blur, and we don’t recall much before the age of seven. It turns out those early memories aren’t merely tucked away.

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5 mins  |
February 2017
Scientists Share 50 Food Facts Live Longer ((And Lose Weight Too)
Reader's Digest US

Scientists Share 50 Food Facts Live Longer ((And Lose Weight Too)

Scientists Share 50 Food Facts Live Longer ((And Lose Weight Too)

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10 mins  |
February 2017
Letting In Some Light
Reader's Digest US

Letting In Some Light

He warms the holidays for families too filled with grief to celebrate on their own.

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3 mins  |
December 2017/January 2018
A War Dogs Comes Home
Reader's Digest US

A War Dogs Comes Home

On the front lines in Afghanistan, Dyngo was a hero. But retirement for the canine veteran would not come easily.

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10 mins  |
September 2019
Sign The Friendly Skies
Reader's Digest US

Sign The Friendly Skies

CLARA DALY was seated on an Alaska Airlines flight en route from Boston to Los Angeles when a flight attendant asked an urgent question over the loudspeaker: “Does anyone on board know American Sign Language?”

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1 min  |
April 2019
'Breathe For Her'
Reader's Digest US

'Breathe For Her'

He was the last person who should have run into a burning building—he has lung disease. But that didn’t stop him.

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3 mins  |
April 2019
Unsolved!
Reader's Digest US

Unsolved!

These seven baffling mysteries have obsessed detectives, scholars, and explorers for years. Are the answers out there?

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10+ mins  |
April 2019
The True Feeling Of Success
Reader's Digest US

The True Feeling Of Success

A man reexamines his life and discovers some unappreciated moments of joy.

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4 mins  |
April 2019
Fighting Trauma The Military Way
Reader's Digest US

Fighting Trauma The Military Way

Don’t let distress sideline you. Turn it into a strength instead.

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3 mins  |
June 2019
Forgiveness Is Job One
Reader's Digest US

Forgiveness Is Job One

The boss had every reason to turn his back. Instead, he befriended a troubled man—and hired him.

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3 mins  |
June 2019
Your Amazing Body!
Reader's Digest US

Your Amazing Body!

Your fingerprints can predict some health issues. Looking at the sun can make you sneeze. You grow a new skeleton every ten years. Science hasn’t uncovered every mystery, but what it has discovered will blow your mind.

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10+ mins  |
June 2019
Reader's Digest US

Avocados A

The plant kingdom contains a staggering array of fruits, nearly every one trading in the same old thing: sweetness.

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4 mins  |
February 2019
Detroit's Proud Tiger
Reader's Digest US

Detroit's Proud Tiger

He fought to save his city, and a movement followed him

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3 mins  |
February 2019
The North Carolina State Fair Watermelon Weigh-Off
Reader's Digest US

The North Carolina State Fair Watermelon Weigh-Off

CHRIS KENT, age 56, Sevierville, Tennessee

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1 min  |
July - August 2019
His Crosses To Bear
Reader's Digest US

His Crosses To Bear

A carpenter’s memorials have appeared after countless tragedies around the country. This time, the tragedy struck very close to home.

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2 mins  |
July - August 2019
The Life Saver On Dad's Computer Screen
Reader's Digest US

The Life Saver On Dad's Computer Screen

A daughter caring for her aging father finds help—and peace of mind—from a virtual companion named Pony

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7 mins  |
December 2018/January 2019
The Gift Of A Great Neighbor
Reader's Digest US

The Gift Of A Great Neighbor

Passed from one home to the next, a box of ornaments reminds a family of the bonds around them

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2 mins  |
December 2018/January 2019
The Magic Trick That Changed My Life
Reader's Digest US

The Magic Trick That Changed My Life

From The Book Here Is Real Magic

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10 mins  |
December 2018/January 2019
Luck And The Four-Leaf Clover
Reader's Digest US

Luck And The Four-Leaf Clover

One woman’s knack for finding good fortune

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4 mins  |
December 2018/January 2019
You Own Every Bullet
Reader's Digest US

You Own Every Bullet

In the midst of a tense ambush in Iraq, a soldier recalls his father’s valuable lesson

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6 mins  |
December 2018/January 2019
A Five-Year-Old Teaches A Lesson In Grace
Reader's Digest US

A Five-Year-Old Teaches A Lesson In Grace

On the night the author loses patience with her mother and her dementia, a granddaughter’s love unites them all

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4 mins  |
March 2019
Everyday Heroes - Nailed It!
Reader's Digest US

Everyday Heroes - Nailed It!

After a salon turns away a physically challenged woman, a stranger makes a truly beautiful gesture

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2 mins  |
March 2019