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Here Are 10 Of Our Top-Performing Stories Of The Year

Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, center, celebrates victory over U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., in the 7th Congressional House Democratic primary, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, in Boston. (Steven Senne/AP)
Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, center, celebrates victory over U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., in the 7th Congressional House Democratic primary, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, in Boston. (Steven Senne/AP)

Headlines in 2018 included heavy-hitting stories like the continued rise of the #MeToo movement, investigations into the Trump administration, the high-stakes midterm elections, Massachusetts' first legal marijuana sales and the persistence of climate change.

But when it came to our top-performing articles of 2018, another theme was also apparent: stories that helped us make sense of the news on a personal level.

Some of these stories centered around how the news shapes everything from how we vote and how we raise our children, to who we develop friendships with and how we see ourselves. Whether you’re reading these top performing posts for the first time or the fifth, here are some of our top stories from 2018.

Only A Game

My Dad's Friendship With Charles Barkley 

Shirley Wang's father, Lin, was on a business trip when he ran into NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. It was the beginning of an unlikely friendship.

(Courtesy Shirley Wang)
(Courtesy Shirley Wang)

Veterans Speak Out Against The Militarization Of Sports 

Displays of patriotism can be seen all over professional sports. But some veterans feel that flyovers, giant flags and camo uniforms are too much.


CommonHealth

A Longtime Sex Therapist's Lessons From The Aziz Ansari Date Tell-All 

We need more mindful dating, says sex therapist Aline Zoldbrod, and more open discussion and self-reflection on the nuts and bolts of today's sexual scene.


How One Parent Pushed Back When A School Encouraged Kids To Wear Patriots Gear 

Kate Mitchell writes that her family made an active decision not to support, promote or even expose their children to football, an industry that values profit over health and safety.


WBUR News

'Holy Grail Of Shipwrecks' Found Near Colombian Coast, Woods Hole Says 

A Spanish galleon sank to the bottom of the Caribbean off the coast of Colombia more than 300 years ago. An underwater autonomous vehicle operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution helped to discover it.

This November 2015 photo released Monday, May 21, 2018, by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution shows ceramic jars and other items from the 300-year-old shipwreck of the Spanish galleon San Jose on the floor of the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Colombia. New details about the discovery were released Monday with permission from the agencies involved in the search, including the Colombian government. Experts believe the ship's treasure is worth billions of dollars today. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via AP)
This 2015 photo shows ceramic jars and other items from the 300-year-old shipwreck of the Spanish galleon San Jose on the floor of the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Colombia. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via AP)

Mass. Election Results:

In the 7th Congressional District, U.S. Rep.-elect Ayanna Pressley — top photo — ousted a longtime incumbent in the Democratic primary, and a contentious ballot question campaign ended with Massachusetts voters saying "no" to nurse staffing ratios.


Cognoscenti

Sure, Kate Middleton Looks Great - But Let's Talk About What Giving Birth Really Does To Women's Bodies

By focusing so much on the duchess's flawless appearance, writes Cloe Axelson, we are distracted from the real trauma that is childbirth.


'Stay Strong,' And Other Useless Drivel We Tell The Grieving

Author Megan Devine discovered our culture's unwillingness to acknowledge grief after her partner died suddenly in 2009.

Austin Burden, 17, cries on the shoulder of a friend after a vigil at the Parkland Baptist Church, for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla. (Gerald Herbert/AP)
Austin Burden, 17, cries on the shoulder of a friend after a vigil at the Parkland Baptist Church, for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

Here & Now

Discovery Of 1st New Blue Pigment In 200 Years Leads To Quest For Elusive Red

To reproduce color for paints, cosmetics or dyes, we need pigment. Finding natural ones or creating them synthetically is as complicated as it is elusive.

YInMn Blue, the first new blue to be discovered in over 200 years. (Courtesy Oregon State University)
YInMn Blue, the first new blue to be discovered in over 200 years. (Courtesy Oregon State University)
Headshot of Meagan McGinnes

Meagan McGinnes Assistant Managing Editor, Newsletters
Meagan is the assistant managing editor of newsletters.

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