Episodes

Aug. 18, 2026

A Bear Takes A Peach At A Military Base, and guess what it left

A black bear wandered into the Exchange mall at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, ate a peach, was caught on security cameras pooping, and was safely escorted back to the woods with no injuries. In Australia, a city gathered over 600 trombone players to perform “76 Trombones” in an attempt to break the Guinness record of 368 set in Washington, DC in 2012. In India, 15-year-old Parth created an AI app, Project Sadak, to report potholes via GPS-tagged photos, leading to 11 repairs. Rishi ...
Aug. 16, 2026

Please do not bring any grenades

Johnny Mac: OPP Grenade Warning, 600+ Trombone Record, Outback Barber, Oldest Water Skier, Denmark Santa Congress Ontario Provincial Police remind the public not to transport found explosives after someone brought an unexploded WWII grenade into Ottawa police, advising people to leave such items in place and call police for disposal. In Australia, Ipswich City Big Band organized a Guinness World Record attempt with more than 600 trombone players performing “76 Trombones,” awaiting certification....
Aug. 15, 2026

Teen and Mom Tracked a Scammer to His Restaurant

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: 19-year-old Blake in England was scammed selling his MacBook on eBay but, after police were unhelpful, he and his mom went to the delivery address (a restaurant) and got the laptop returned, though he advises others not to do the same. In downtown San Jose, the long-unsolved “San Jose Semaphore” puzzle atop Adobe’s headquarters was decoded by Brian as pixel color values that form a rose from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus; Adobe teased a new puzzle with...
Aug. 13, 2026

Cheeky License Plate SQZ A55 - PLUS Pitbull fans set record

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a 76-year-old Florida woman received the license plate “SQZ A55,” initially demanded a replacement, then decided to keep it after family and friends encouraged her; a Colombian theme park set a Guinness World Record with the world’s largest ceramic piggy bank, which accepts coin donations for local animal shelters and includes an interior exhibit and observation deck; 30 beluga whales from Ontario’s closed Marine Land are being relocated after permits we...
Aug. 11, 2026

Two Bears Stole a Set of Golf Clubs

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: International Skinny Dip Day, officially recognized by the American Association for Nude Recreation, has raised over $60,000 for the Fistula Foundation since 2019, funding surgery for about 96 women, with 571 participants at Blind Creek Nude Beach in Fort Pierce, Florida. In Rhode Island, Centerville Bank gave employees $100 gas gift cards, and many chose to donate them to Meals on Wheels to help cover fuel costs for its 26-car fleet. A 230-foot renewabl...
Aug. 9, 2026

Pole Dancer floods apartment

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: A Myrtle Beach restaurant buyer found $12,000 in $100 bills hidden in a cabinet left by the previous owner, contacted a local TV station to help locate the owner, and returned the money. Paris is expanding an underground cooling network that pumps cool water from the Seine through about 120 kilometers of pipes to chill thousands of buildings, with plans to triple the system by 2042. In Washington, the Erickson family sold their 94-acre Vine Maple Farms p...
Aug. 8, 2026

How to become your dog's favorite person

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: vet Dr. James Greenwood says dogs can have a favorite person based on personality and energy match, with clues in body language like a full-body wag, “helicopter tail,” excited greetings, and choosing to sit close; daily walks help build the bond. In Canada, former fisherman Sean founded the Clean Harbours Initiative in 2018 after seeing seafloor debris, including ghost gear, and a major cleanup removed about 15,000 pounds of trash from Bay Roberts Harbo...
Aug. 6, 2026

The Vending Machine That Sells Original Artwork

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Kansas City’s 120-year-old Rock Island Bridge over the Kansas River has reopened as a $20 million destination with restaurants, event space, walking paths, and panoramic views, after engineers found its steel structure largely intact. In Kent, England, two garden ornaments thought to be concrete were identified as rare 18th-century Italian marble busts from Florence (1720–1730) depicting Apollo and Diana. Paris’s Musée d’Orsay opened a permanent gallery ...
Aug. 4, 2026

Renew your vows on the Water Slide

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: John and Keisha renewed their vows atop a 60-foot water slide at Land of Natura Water Park while attempting Guinness records, including six slide trips in wedding attire, as part of a 30-day cross-country vow-renewal tour. Engineers at the University of Texas at Austin created a prototype jacket that pulls moisture from the air to produce about three-quarters to one and a half pints of drinkable water daily, with potential uses for outdoor and emergency ...
Aug. 2, 2026

A Man Fell Into a Toilet Ditch. He Wants His Sunglasses Back.

The script presents five upbeat news items: Spoodles, a parakeet aged 32 years and 86 days, is recognized as the world’s oldest living parakeet, having been with her owner Amanda since 1997 and still saying “Pretty bird.” In Las Vegas, Domino’s employee Richard from Virginia wins World’s Fastest Pizza Maker by assembling three large pizzas to company standards in 31.22 seconds, earning $5,000, a trophy, and a belt. In Queensland, Australia, rescuer Stuart removes a carpet python from a bedroom a...
Aug. 1, 2026

The Celebrity Seal Is Disrupting Traffic Again

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: In Tasmania, Neil the Seal, a five-year-old 2,200-pound southern elephant seal, returns for his annual molting visit, causing minor damage and prompting officials to urge people to keep a safe distance. In North Carolina, dozens of apples (and some oranges) drift ashore, likely from a cargo ship; volunteers collect them to protect wild horses from choking or digestive harm. In England, a National Archives volunteer finds a rare 1776 Exeter printing of th...
July 30, 2026

The Fox That Only Eats Hot Dogs

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: In Australia, strangers lifted a car to rescue Tyler, a motorcyclist pinned after a crash, leading to hospitalization for broken ribs and a punctured lung, and he later reunited with and thanked the rescuers on TV. A son, Shane, surprised his father Daniel with a restored white 1969 Mustang Mach 1 for Father’s Day, honoring sacrifices made raising six children. Eleven-year-old Andres was named Disneyland’s honorary one-billionth guest and received a cere...
July 28, 2026

Giraffes are better at math than you think. How good did you think they were?

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a Spain and Germany study testing four Barcelona Zoo giraffes suggests they can track additions of carrots and choose the larger amount about 68% of the time, though they struggled when carrots were removed. Scientists in China developed a solar-powered desalination system using engineered nanomaterials that produced over five gallons of drinking water daily during a year-long test while also providing irrigation water for crops like corn, beans, and bok...
July 26, 2026

Space Balls On A Beach PLUS Bear Breaks Into Occupied Hotel Room

A bear let itself into a hotel toom. Space balls wash up on the beach. A bull brings a cricket match to a halt. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/5-good-news-stories-happiness-and-fun--5747537/support. 5 Good News Stories is a daily podcast with five positive, uplifting news stories to brighten your day. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network John also hosts Daily Comedy New...
July 25, 2026

A Purple Seal - why is it purple?

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: French police recovered a stolen Pablo Picasso portrait worth about 12 million euros during a drug-dealer investigation near Paris; four suspects were arrested in thefts tied to a Paris storage warehouse, and the authenticated artwork will be returned to its owner. Duke University researchers restored retinal function in mice by injecting lab-grown human retinal blood vessel cells made from induced pluripotent stem cells. Gardener Graham set Guinness rec...
July 23, 2026

Sea Squirts Squash Cancer PLUS a woman's suitcase vibrates at the airport

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a Columbia University study of 11,000 office workers finds the best way to counter sitting is a five-minute walk every hour, boosting mood, alertness, and productivity; University of South Florida researchers report toxins tied to Antarctic sea squirts show early promise against melanoma, killing cancer in mice without harming them, though producing enough compound remains a challenge; Montana volunteers called the “Montana Bar Fairies” leave $5 coffee g...
July 21, 2026

Should items from The Titanic be auctioned off?

RMS Titanic Incorporated, which holds salvage rights, is seeking to auction over 100 recovered Titanic artifacts, sparking debate between funding expeditions/exhibitions and preserving the wreck as a memorial; England research from Queen Mary University of London reports young women vaccinated for HPV at 12–13 have close to zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before 30, with an estimated 200 lives saved since 2008 and zero deaths among ages 20–24 from 2020–2024; conservationists in Queenslan...
July 19, 2026

Earth May Escape the Red Giant Sun and 900 Set a Dim Sum Record

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a new study suggests Earth might avoid being swallowed when the sun becomes a red giant because mass loss could weaken solar gravity and tidal effects may be weaker than once believed, potentially letting Earth drift outward (though Mercury and Venus would not). In Portland, Sunshine Division opened a free food market in Slabtown that lets families choose items like a grocery store and aims to serve up to 100,000 households, with about 80% of food donate...
July 18, 2026

TSA Approved Ranch for World Cup Tourists

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: the TSA reminds World Cup travelers that ranch dressing over 3.4 ounces must go in checked luggage, while Kraft offers TSA-compliant travel kits of individual ranch packets. In Ireland, a cat named Billy became a World Cup predictor by choosing between flags and correctly picking 19 non-draw match winners, though distractions like a fly disrupted one attempt. Skateboarder Chad crossed the U.S. from Venice Beach, California to Jacksonville, Florida in 39 ...
July 16, 2026

Harry Styles helps runner PLUS If you see a loose giraffe in Texas it's probably the one we're looking for

Harry Styles Supports UK Runner’s 850-Mile Tribute, Plus Four More Good News Stories Host Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Loz ran about 850 miles across the UK in under 17 days (about 50 km daily) to honor his parents, raising a goal of £8,000 for four charities tied to cancer, heart disease, children’s healthcare, and mental health; after Loz posted daily updates inviting Harry Styles to run, Styles’ team invited him to a Wembley show and donated £2,000. Also in the UK, Iceland Foods ...
July 14, 2026

Bears get snow day in San Diego

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: the San Diego Zoo gave rescued grizzly bear brothers Scout and Montana a snow day with industrial snowblowers, highlighting the need to secure food and trash in bear country; Scotland’s Dalrymple family sold Bass Rock—home to major seabird colonies and described by David Attenborough as a top wildlife wonder—to conservationists so groups like the RSPB can better protect it; ETH Zurich researchers restored movement in mice with severed spinal cords using ...
July 12, 2026

Can AI detect breast cancer early?

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Swedish researchers analyzing nearly 89,000 mammograms from over 31,000 patients found that three commercial AI mammography systems could spot subtle breast-cancer warning signs and elevated risk scores up to six years before diagnosis, while cancer-free patients generally scored low. In Germany, archaeologists uncovered an exceptionally rare Celtic princely tomb during solar project preparations, with heavy gold jewelry, weapons, amber/bronze/glass bead...
July 11, 2026

Orange cat interrupts Romeo and Juliet

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Steve, a paralyzed miniature Australian shepherd in Denver whose wheelchair was stolen from a porch, received a donated new 2026 model from Walkin' Pets after the plea on Instagram drew over 150,000 views. In the UK, early clinical trials at University College London Hospitals found CAR-T therapy can reset the immune system and put severe lupus into remission, with patient Katie describing dramatic improvement after 30 years of disease. In California, 24...
July 9, 2026

Fake butts and other items left behind in Ubers

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Uber’s 10th Annual Lost and Found Index lists common forgotten items like phones and wallets alongside oddities such as dentures, breast milk, an ankle monitor, live fish, butterflies, a fake butt, and even two trees; New York City tops the most forgetful cities, Sundays are worst, and July 17 is the most forgetful date. In Sydney, a concertgoer named Sterling stepped in to sight-read and improvise as pianist during a La La Land score performance after t...