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Valentino Garavani, the legendary Italian fashion designer known by his first name and often described as "the last emperor" of high fashion, died yesterday at age 93.
He founded his couture house in Rome around 1960 and became one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Valentino defined modern glamour and created his signature "Valentino red," inspired by a red velvet gown he saw at the opera as a teenager in Barcelona. Over nearly five decades, he dressed some of the world's most famous women, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, and Julia Roberts (see some of his iconic gowns). Central to his success was his decadeslong partnership with Giancarlo Giammetti (also a former lover), who helped build Valentino into a global luxury empire.
Valentino sold his company in 1998 but remained active in fashion until retiring in 2008, a period later captured in the documentary "Valentino: The Last Emperor." See his life in pictures here. |
The Indiana Hoosiers won the college football national championship last night, beating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21. The victory brings Bloomington its first title in school history.
The title also caps one of the greatest turnarounds in US sports history. Before the arrival of Coach Curt Cignetti two years ago, Indiana had the worst winning percentage (43%) of any major conference team. They’ve since compiled a 27-2 record, won their first conference title since 1967, and saw quarterback Fernando Mendoza win the school’s first Heisman. Mendoza was named MVP of the game, throwing for 186 yards and one touchdown. The win marks the third in a row claimed by a Big Ten team, following Michigan and Ohio State.
Indiana finished the season 16-0, the first time a college team has hit that mark since Yale in 1894 (whose opponents included the Crescent Athletic Club). See celebration photos here. |
China recorded 7.92 million births last year—its lowest birth rate since official records began in 1949. The drop aligns with global trends, though China remains an outlier with one of the lowest birth rates in the world.
The government recorded a birth rate of 5.63 per 1,000 people in 2025—the fourth consecutive year where deaths outpaced births. (While not a direct comparison, the US birth rate in 2023 was 10.7 per 1,000 people.) The decline comes despite China's efforts to incentivize larger families through housing subsidies and cash rewards for children. The government has also tried to disincentivize contraception, placing a 13% value-added tax on condoms. China is concerned a shrinking workforce will strain the country’s pension system and social services. The government raised the retirement age last year for the first time since the 1950s.
See a graph on historical birth rate trends here. |
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AI is moving fast, and most of us don’t have the bandwidth to track every new model, tool, and headline. If you’ve been looking for a low-effort way to stay current (and actually use AI at work), we’ve got one worth adding to your inbox: Superhuman AI.
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Trial begins over claim that Daily Mail owner Associated Newspapers illegally gathered information, including via phone hacking, for articles about Prince Harry, Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and four other plaintiffs (More) |
> Buffalo Bills fire coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons, will retain General Manager Brandon Beane, who was promoted to president of football operations; news marks 10th head coach change this offseason (More) | Green Day to open Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8) with ceremony celebrating 60 years of Super Bowls (More) |
> "Zootopia 2" becomes highest-grossing animated Hollywood film of all time, earning $1.70B globally and surpassing "Inside Out 2," which earned $1.69B (More) |
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> Researchers develop wearable device using AI and ultra-sensitive sensors to convert speech signals and emotional cues into real-time speech for post-stroke patients (More) |
> Study finds differences in "softness" of Jupiter's and Saturn's interiors may explain why their polar vortices—atmospheric whirlpools that rotate over the polar region—spin differently (More) | The best resources on planetary turbulence (1440 Topics) |
> Austrian cow shows flexible, multipurpose tool use by using a brush to scratch herself, suggesting cattle cognition may have been underestimated (More, w/video) |
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The AI-Powered Hearing Aid Ahead of Its Time |
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> Annual World Economic Forum begins in ski resort town of Davos, Switzerland, hosting government leaders, multinational CEOs, and global financiers; President Donald Trump to lead largest-ever US delegation (More) |
> US Supreme Court to hear oral arguments tomorrow on President Donald Trump's firing attempt of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook (More) |
> Alibaba-backed Chinese startup Moonshot AI reportedly valued at $4.8B, up $500M from funding round last month (More) |
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> President Donald Trump links his push for Greenland to not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in text messages with Norway's leader, says he no longer thinks "purely of peace" when considering efforts to acquire the island (More) |
> Death toll in Spain's high-speed train crash Sunday rises to at least 40 people, with dozens more injured; government launches investigation (More) |
> Gunmen simultaneously attack three churches in northwest Nigeria, kidnap at least 150 worshippers, per government figures (More) |
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> The Secret Life of Trees
Kurzgesagt | Staff. How do trees grow so big while barely rooting into the ground? Beneath our feet, their roots break rocks, harvest nutrients, and link with fungal networks in a secret underground empire. (Watch) |
> Seasoning a Kid
Emergence Magazine | Adam Amir. A father teaches his son the rhythms of the land—seasons, wildlife, and harvests—through hands-on, place-based practices that root him in time and belonging. (Read) |
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Historybook: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin born (1930); Iran hostage crisis ends as 52 Americans are released after 444 days (1981); Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed for first time (1986); Actress Audrey Hepburn dies (1993); Barack Obama becomes first Black president of the US (2009).
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