👋 Welcome back to Smileworthy, where we round up all the good things happening out there that are not receiving the attention they deserve!

This week: an Indian artist turned 800 slums into open-air classrooms – reaching over a million children who'd never set foot in a school. Now she's won the world's biggest teaching prize. Plus: a pig who ate the homework (with security footage to prove it), 5,500 golden retrievers flooding one Colorado town, llamas making a citizen's arrest, a Super Bowl wedding, and a stranger who swam 40 feet to rescue a pregnant woman – hours before she gave birth on her birthday.

Let's dive in.

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up here!

Feel good stories from Happilynews.com guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Every kid has tried the "dog ate my homework" excuse. Taylee Tinsley never expected to use it – and definitely not with a pig.

Taylee, 14, from Phoenix, Arizona, walked into her kitchen to find hours of schoolwork shredded across the floor. She let out a tiny scream. Her parents, Jacey and Marcus, had discovered the carnage moments earlier and were already staring in disbelief at what can only be described as "confetti homework."

And then, right on cue, the culprit trotted in.

Polly Pocket – the family's two-year-old mini pig – entered the room looking pleased with herself. No shame or remorse. Just one happy pig.

The family decided to check the security footage and what they saw was somehow worse – and funnier.

"It shows Polly and our daughter snuggling on the couch, all sweet and innocent," Jacey told Happilynews.com. "But while they're cuddling, Polly is just staring at the backpack. Not casually – fully locked in."

You can almost see the gears turning in her mind.

"She watches it for a while, just waiting. The second our daughter gets up and walks to her room, Polly waits until she's completely out of sight, then hops up and makes her move."

The footage confirmed what the family had long suspected: Polly Pocket is the chaos agent of the household. While the other two pigs – Penelope and Daisy – are generally well-behaved, Polly operates on a different frequency entirely.

"Polly has a reputation in our house," Jacey said. "She's our mischievous one. She's always one step ahead of us, constantly figuring things out."

The damage was so extensive – some papers were completely missing, others chewed beyond recognition – that Jacey had no choice but to email Taylee's teachers and principal with an explanation she never thought she'd have to write.

Some teachers said it was the first time they'd ever heard of a pig eating homework (naturally, we’d imagine). Others simply replied with laughter.

"It's frustrating in the moment," Jacey admitted. "But seeing how strategic she was about it made it impossible not to laugh. It wasn't random chaos. It was a very determined pig with a mission."

The Tinsley family documents life with their mini pigs on social media (@thetinsleyherd), where Polly Pocket has now cemented her status as both villain and folk hero. Because while dogs may eat homework out of impulse, pigs – apparently – plan it.

Watch Polly in action here:

It’s not all doom and gloom out there. Here’s some positive news items from publications around the world.

📍Florida, USA
She was rescued from a sinking car. Hours later, she gave birth – on her birthday
Shedly Appolon, 29, lost control of her car on I-95 and plunged into a pond. Good Samaritan Logan Hayes swam 40 feet to pull her to safety. Hours later, doctors performed an emergency C-section – and baby Ivory arrived seven weeks early, sharing her mom's birthday. "Now that we share a birthday, our bond is tighter than ever," Appolon said. (Read more 👉 WPBF)

📍India
Teacher who turned slum walls into 800 learning centres wins $1 million Global Prize
Rouble Nagi transforms neglected walls into large-scale interactive murals that teach literacy, maths, science, and hygiene. Through her foundation, she's helped bring over one million children into formal education and cut dropout rates by more than 50%. She plans to use the prize money to build a free vocational training institute. (Read more 👉 AP News)

📍California, USA
These incarcerated men trained guide dogs in prison. Their success inspired 11 more programs nationwide
At California's San Quentin, incarcerated men raise puppies for a year, teaching them 20 skills before the dogs are paired with people who need them. Dogs trained in the program have a 10% higher success rate at becoming service dogs than their counterparts. Since the program launched in 2023, 11 more correctional facilities have followed suit. (Read more 👉 Good Good Good)

📍UK
Crime-fighting llamas corner suspected thief in field until police arrive
A man fleeing police in Derbyshire, England, climbed into a field – and was greeted by eight llamas ready to stop him. The territorial animals surrounded him, blocked his escape, and began their warning cry (described as sounding "like old men laughing"). The man was reportedly "petrified, literally to the point of tears" before police arrived to arrest him. (Read more 👉 ITV News)

📍USA
Couple invited Bad Bunny to their wedding. He invited them to get married during his Super Bowl halftime show instead
A couple who'd originally asked the global superstar to attend their wedding got an unexpected counteroffer: say "I do" on stage at Super Bowl LX. In front of millions of viewers, they exchanged vows mid-performance, surrounded by backup dancers, then celebrated with a slice from a towering three-tier cake. The show closed with a message: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love." (Read more 👉 SunnySkyz)

📍California, USA
Mail carrier honored as hero after fighting house fire during his shift
Glendale carrier Victor Castaneda spotted smoke rising from a rooftop while delivering mail. He grabbed a neighbor's garden hose and battled the blaze until firefighters arrived. The homeowner, Anita Siraki, called the post office to thank him: "Victor didn't just deliver our mail. He delivered safety, courage, and humanity." (Read more 👉 CBS News)

📍Canada
Toronto river once so polluted it caught fire is now teeming with fish
The Don River was declared biologically dead in 1969. After CAD$1 billion in restoration – including re-bending the canal back to its natural course and creating new wetlands – ecologists have confirmed Atlantic salmon, largemouth bass, and northern pike are all thriving. The river that once caught fire is now fishable for the first time in living memory. (Read more 👉 Good News Network)

A unique, sometimes quirky, but always eye-catching photo feature each week.

What happens when 5,500 golden retrievers descend on a town called Golden? Exactly what you'd hope.

On February 7, the annual "Goldens in Golden" event transformed downtown Golden, Colorado, into what can only be described as a river of wagging tails and soft ears. This year's gathering shattered records – an estimated 16,000 humans and 5,500 dogs packed Washington Avenue beneath the iconic "Welcome to Golden" arch, up from 10,000 people and 3,500 dogs last year.

Attendees travelled from 44 states and as far as Australia, Japan, and Argentina. Dogs showed up in bandanas, tutus, mermaid fins, and mini cowgirl hats. Leashes tangled. Tufts of golden fur rolled down the sidewalk like tiny tumbleweeds.

Started in 2019 to celebrate International Golden Retriever Day, the event has become something of a global pilgrimage for dog lovers – and possibly the happiest traffic jam on Earth.

Good news doesn’t just live in your inbox. Our merch lets you carry it into school runs, coffee shops and lazy Sundays. When you shop, you’re backing the team that finds and tells the stories.

Subscribers enjoy 15% off with SMILE15. 👇

Consider this your permission slip to pucker up this Valentine’s Day. Scientists have found that kissing triggers a cocktail of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin – your brain's feel-good squad. It also lowers cortisol (stress), reduces blood pressure, and may even ease headaches and cramps by boosting blood flow. Frequent kissers even show better cholesterol levels. And get this: a single kiss engages up to 34 facial muscles and can burn up to 26 calories per minute.

— Stephen Hawking

A Thai couple set the world record for the longest continuous kiss, which lasted for 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds. Naturally, they set it on Valentine’s Day in 2013. The loved up couple also set the previous record in 2011.

1909: The NAACP was founded, becoming one of the most influential civil-rights organizations in the United States

1929: Vatican City, the world’s smallest country, becomes an enclave of Rome

1964: The Beatles made their first appearence on The Ed Sullivan Show, a pop-culture “before and after” moment that helped kick off the British Invasion in the U.S.

1990: Nelson Mandela is released after 27 years of imprisonment in South Africa

1996: IBM chess-playing computer Deep Blue becomes the first computer to win a game of chess against a reigning human chess champion, Garry Kasparov

2005: YouTube is founded in San Mateo, California, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim

Can you figure out what well known saying this is:

lla ta devol evah ot reven naht tsol dna devol evah ot retteb sit’

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter

A dad who has always gifted his daughter a rose on her birthday took his tradition one step further by adding positive "truths" to help support her during her cancer fight.

*Studies show that watching heartwarming videos can boost your mood. So sit back and start your weekend positively - doctors orders!

🧠 Brain Teaser Answer

'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

This is a quote by Alfred Tennyson, and the kicker is - it’s written backwards.