We asked some of our favorite journalists, writers, and thinkers: What were the most important events of 2019, and what were the least?

This week, New York City's transit quagmire made it cheaper for Uber riders to take a helicopter than a car.

Graphing 2019's brief, tumultuous news cycles, based on Google search trends.

The giant red star Betelgeuse is the dimmest it's been in nearly a century, which could mean it may go supernova.

"American employers spend an estimated $340 million annually on 'union avoidance' consultants and firms to help them stave off union elections."

US hospitals are decaying and often aren't able to support the latest medical equipment, much less future healthcare innovations.

Despite all the reasons to leave Facebook and its other products, the shortfalls of its alternatives still make it too hard.

Middlemen are using Discord to connect the surface web with black-market goods from the dark web.

Charts depict Everest's recent huge spike in summits—and deaths.

Neuroscientists measured the effect of Christmas imagery on brains, finding some show evidence of cheer, others gloom.

“My husband gave me a DNA test for Christmas. I thanked him and threw it in the trash.” Gift-giving in the surveillance age.

“Fifteen hundred ducks were ordered for just Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, nearly 3,000 egg rolls, crab rangoons, and dumplings made.” Behind the scenes at the enormously popular Christmas service at Princess Garden Chinese restaurant in Kansas City, Mo.

Across US cities, Chinese restaurants are shuttering. One reason is the economic mobility of their owners' children—a good thing.

“That agreement had been approved by our predecessors in office—a move that understandably thrilled Beijing at the time.” Prague’s mayor on why they fly the Tibetan flag over city hall.

A Christmas gift from Nick Cave: a full-length stream of the concert film Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen.

Lovely photos of the night sky and the darkness of our night world, by Kikuji Kawada.

Watch: Night skiing without artificial light.