5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun

Caloroga Shark Media / Happiness Good News Lab

Every day the news feels heavy. 5 Good News Stories is your daily antidote — five short, uplifting stories about human kindness, scientific breakthroughs, unexpected heroes, and moments that remind you the world isn't as broken as the headlines suggest. Hosted by John McDermott, each episode is under 10 minutes and designed to start your morning right or reset your afternoon. If you're looking for a positive news podcast, a feel-good daily listen, or just five minutes of happiness — this is your show. New episode every day. Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Episodes614

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April 2 · 4 min
Police disguised as Lunar New Year lion dancers capture art thief
Johnny Mac presents five good news stories: In Scotland, hikers rescued four dogs after they fell through snow near a cliff, and a rope-lowered rescuer recovered Aggie, a five-year-old spaniel, from a hole after a cold night at 3,000 feet. In...
March 31 · 4 min
What makes dogs happy?
Nikon outfitted Grizzler the sheepdog with a camera that snapped photos when his heart rate rose, producing Instagram images of what excites him, from other dogs and food to wildlife and random objects. Scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of...
March 29 · 4 min
One-Armed Hole-in-One, Solo Atlantic Row, Underwater ‘De-Aging,’ Dog Waste Hustle, and Scrabble Tips
Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Patrick, who lost an arm in a work accident and learned golf after years of recovery, made a 120-yard hole-in-one with a seven iron at Over Stone Park, saying golf saved his life. Taryn became the first woman...
March 28 · 3 min
Mets to hold Bobby Valentine Fake Mustache Night
Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a Finnish couple won the 2026 wife-carrying race on a 380-meter course and earned a barrel of local ale, with racers carrying a partner over hills and obstacles amid water-spraying spectators and a 50-kilogram...
March 27 · 3 min
Robot solved Rubik's Cubes
Johnny Mac eports that the Two Brothers set a Guinness World Record with a robot solving a 4x4x4 Rubik’s cube in 45.3 seconds using four robotic arms and two cameras with shutters for fairness, beating a 2014 mark of 1:18 after multiple improving...
March 26 · 4 min
Turkeys Terrorize Town
Johnny Mac presents five good news stories: a Mississippi man gets back the class ring he lost on a beach in 1982 after a treasure hunter found it with a metal detector, still in excellent condition; Richard sets a Guinness attempt by folding 250...
March 24 · 4 min
Ghostbusters Firehouse Honored, Fish-Inspired Microplastic Filter, and a Package-Stealing Dog
Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: the Smithsonian names the Ghostbusters New York City firehouse (Hook and Ladder 8) among 250 places to visit as America approaches its 250th anniversary, with the full list at smithsonianmag.com; German...
March 22 · 5 min
A cow escaped on to the high school tennis courts
Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: urban explorers Mitch and Jake find a remote Scottish bungalow packed with dusty teddy bears and dolls, allegedly hoarded by a widow, after a long search and trek; Alan at the Trumpet Inn offers a 5% cash...
March 19 · 5 min
150-year-old bottle of beer tastes pretty ok
Johnny Mac presents five stories: Tom’s Eiffel Tower proposal to Taylor is nearly ruined when a woman with a selfie stick blocks their hidden phone, but the stranger’s own video captures the couple hugging, kissing and showing the ring. In London,...
March 17 · 5 min
Teddy Bear Toss Record
Johnny Mac delivers five good news stories: Hershey Bears fans continued a 25-year “teddy bear toss” tradition, throwing 81,796 stuffed animals onto the ice after the team’s first goal (after setting a 102,343 world record last season) to benefit...
March 15 · 4 min
Double amputee climbs highest mountain on all 7 continents
Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: In Texas, Sean enlisted an entire preschool class to surprise his fiancée Zoey with a bridal shower; the couple had attended the school at age four and reconnected at a 2021 summer camp. New research from...
March 12 · 4 min
Police Sergeant faked working from home
Nicola ignored her husband Martin’s advice to stop entering prize drawings and won a £4.5 million, mortgage-free, fully furnished five-bedroom Lake District home with a private lake plus $315,000 cash, giving the couple financial security and options...
March 10 · 4 min
The Museum Of Personal Failure
Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Vancouver opened a pop-up Museum of Personal Failure at Kingsgate Mall, created by Evan after a breakup, featuring donated objects with written explanations such as a wall of rejection letters, failed...
March 8 · 4 min
A Rock mysteriously moved 1700 miles on its own
Host Johnny Mack presents five good news stories: a small climbing rock called “Portable the Rock” disappeared from Squamish, British Columbia and was later spotted 1,700 miles away at the Iron Man bouldering area in Bishop, California, with plans to...
March 5 · 4 min
Coyote Swims to Alcatraz
Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a coyote is filmed swimming ashore at Alcatraz Island, with park rangers alerted and an amateur naturalist saying it could survive briefly on the island; a decades-missing class ring found buried on a New...
March 3 · 4 min
Cows use tools now
Johnny Mac presents five stories: Austrian researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna document a Swiss Brown cow named Veronica deliberately using sticks and a long-handled brush to scratch herself, meeting the scientific definition...
March 1 · 5 min
Dolly Parton the Donkey
Johnny Mac shares five uplifting news stories. First, a woman's cats discover a mouse, leading to an elaborate but failed capture attempt. Second, a finger prick test may soon simplify Alzheimer's diagnoses. Third, researchers identify bacteria as a...
February 26 · 4 min
TSA stops Turtles In Bra Smugglers
In France, a man donates his field to create an orchard and community garden. In Poland, an emu is safely returned home after a forest adventure caused by fireworks. At the Rio Zoo, animals get popsicles to beat the summer heat. In New Zealand, a...
February 24 · 4 min
Kegs of Beer close highway
Johnny Mac shares five intriguing and positive news stories. A Tennessee candy shop deals with a bear that repeatedly breaks in, while volunteers in Wales discover hundreds of old shoes, possibly from a 19th-century shipwreck. AI-powered robotic...
February 22 · 3 min
Police Officer Turns Into Frog
Johnny Mac showcases five quirky and uplifting news stories: a police officer mistakenly reported as a frog due to AI errors, a herd of sheep causing chaos in a German supermarket, a Belarusian daredevil breaking a sky surfing record over Mount...

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun

Support the show

Police disguised as Lunar New Year lion dancers capture art thief

What makes dogs happy?

One-Armed Hole-in-One, Solo Atlantic Row, Underwater ‘De-Aging,’ Dog Waste Hustle, and Scrabble Tips

Mets to hold Bobby Valentine Fake Mustache Night

Robot solved Rubik's Cubes

Turkeys Terrorize Town

Ghostbusters Firehouse Honored, Fish-Inspired Microplastic Filter, and a Package-Stealing Dog

A cow escaped on to the high school tennis courts

150-year-old bottle of beer tastes pretty ok

Teddy Bear Toss Record

Double amputee climbs highest mountain on all 7 continents

Police Sergeant faked working from home

The Museum Of Personal Failure

A Rock mysteriously moved 1700 miles on its own

Coyote Swims to Alcatraz

Cows use tools now

Dolly Parton the Donkey

TSA stops Turtles In Bra Smugglers

Kegs of Beer close highway

Police Officer Turns Into Frog