OGN Thursday

Editor OGN Daily
Oct 16, 2025
3 min read

A tasty smorgasbord of upbeat news stories from around the world.

A pair of John Lennon's tinted Windsor glasses — Lennon's glasses could fetch $400,000 | Propstore

Lennon's Specs

To mark what would have been John Lennon’s 85th birthday, Propstore is auctioning off a handful of rare artifacts with ties to the late, great Liverpudlian musician. The auction standout is a pair of Lennon’s iconic tinted Windsor glasses. The former Beatle wore the prescription spectacles in question throughout his “Lost Weekend” era - an 18-month period from 1973 to ‘74 during which he separated from Yoko Ono and began dating his assistant May Pang. According to Propstore, Lennon was last seen in the specs on 12 March 1974, when he and his close friend Harry Nilsson disrupted a Smothers Brothers show at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles. The pair - who were both heavily intoxicated, the auction house says - wound up in a scuffle in which Lennon lost his glasses.

Four fossa pups at England’s Chester Zoo — Credit: Chester Zoo

Conservation Win

Four fossa pups have been born at England’s Chester Zoo, the first of their kind in the UK and one of only three litters born in European zoos this year. Fossas are sleek, cat-like mammals with excellent night vision, and the largest natural predator in Madagascar. Fewer than 2,500 currently remain in the wild, but successes like this should help change that.

Trait of Great Managers

We all know many of the things that make a great manager. Vision, empathy and intelligence, to name a few. But a new study from the University of Chicago suggests that a particular attribute should be at the top of the list: the ability to figure out people’s strengths - and steer them to the jobs that suit them best. The Wall Street Journal reports that researchers looked at a large multinational firm, covering 200,000 workers and 30,000 managers in 100 countries, and spanning over 10 years. What set top managers apart from their peers, more than any other factor, was their knack for reallocating people into just the right roles - or helping people make those moves themselves. The job shifting was important for everybody. The employees ended up being more productive and earning higher pay in their new roles - and the positive effects for both company and employees lasted for years after the switch.

New Amalfi Route

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is saying ciao to one of Italy’s most spectacular coastal enclaves. The legendary luxury train, operated by Belmond and not part of the Accor-managed Orient Express brand, will journey to the Amalfi Coast for the first time early next year. The 2026 season also includes new three-day Italian itineraries culminating in Venice and Florence. All trips allow travelers to explore Europe’s most romantic cities from the comfort of a carriage and stay in some of Belmond’s finest hotels.

Major Progress

Fires remain a danger in America’s cities, but thanks to decades of safety improvements per-capita civilian fire deaths have dropped by about two-thirds since 1980, total fires by half, and injuries by more than half. Smoke alarms, sprinklers, safer furnishings, and “fire-safe” cigarettes have each helped drive the decline, says Vox. Slow, steady regulation - it’s not sexy, but it saves lives.

Vaccine Campaign

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has launched its largest-ever public health campaign, aiming to immunise around 106 million children against measles, rubella and polio by early 2026. The nationwide drive for the first time combines vaccines and other child health services under one programme, introducing the WHO’s newest measles-rubella vaccine, deploying mobile teams to reach remote areas, and strengthening systems for data, logistics and payment integrity.

“Whatever you do, always give 100 percent. Unless you’re donating blood.” Bill Murray

On This Day

16 October 1847: English novelist Charlotte Brontë (under the pseudonym Currer Bell) published Jane Eyre, which became a classic noted for giving new truthfulness to the Victorian novel.