🏟️ The World Cup trophy goes missing | Bulletin #155

This week: the tale of a fairytale author 🧜‍♀️

June 03, 2026

Albion College 📍 Albion, Michigan, USA 📸 Andrew Tesdahl

Meet Pickles: the dog who saved the World Cup! After the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen in 1966, just months before England hosted the tournament, Pickles sniffed out the missing prize and returned it to the world stage. The four-legged hero quickly became a national celebrity and gained a well-deserved cult following. His message was simple: keep your paws off the Jules Rimet!

DENMARK, WE’RE BACK!

We have a little problem. Last year, we spent 10 days exploring the Land of Everyday Wonder and uncovered far more stories than we had time to share. So we're making up for lost time. AWA HQ is once again raising the Danish flag, bringing you a fantastic flourish of untold stories, unseen photos, and newly uncovered videos. Take a peek below and stay tuned - there's plenty more Denmark still to come. 🇩🇰

THIS WEEK IN AWA AWESOMENESS

💧 Way of the water
🏰 A floating castle?
🧚 The world’s most famous Dane
🎥 A recommendation from Team AWA

June 8th marks World Ocean Day. Sea below for some awesome aquatic stories celebrating what makes up over 70% of Earth’s surface!

Egeskov Castle 📍 Kværndrup, Denmark 📸 Marjorie Becker Photo

THE CASTLE THAT FLOATS ON A FOREST

Egeskov Castle floats on thousands of oak piles driven into a Danish lakebed in 1554- and if the water level drops, the whole thing collapses into the mud. Perhaps the castles own fables, including family drama and a Christmas legend, keeps it afloat.

Hans Christian Andersen’s Childhood Home 📍 Odense, Denmark 📸 Marjorie Becker Photo

TALES OF AN ANXIOUS DREAMER

The same anxious mind that gave the world "The Little Mermaid" and "The Ugly Duckling" hoarded rejection letters, hunted for bad reviews, and prepared nightly for disaster. Yet somehow, this eccentric worrier became so beloved that Denmark paid him a government stipend as a "national treasure…"

THE DAY ICELAND STOOD STILL

On October 24, 1975, 90% of Iceland's women walked off the job and out of their homes, refusing to work, cook, or care for children. 30,000 women rallied in Reykjavík- a city of just 85,000 people. The country came to a standstill, and Iceland today is the only country to have closed over 90% of its gender gap.

The Day Iceland Stood Still tells the true story of the 24 hours that sparked a revolution. Told for the first time by the women themselves, the story is subversive and unexpectedly funny. One activist recalls: "We loved our male chauvinist pigs. We just wanted to change them a little!"

Oh hey there! It looks like you’ve stumbled upon this week’s Secret Link! We’re giving away a classic AWA Postcard Book to one lucky winner, plus an additional 20+ stickers to the runner ups! Happy hunting!