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- The Know Daily - Friday 31 October 2025
The Know Daily - Friday 31 October 2025
Annabel Preston
October 31, 2025
Read in 5m 32s ∙ Listening to Ray Parker Jr. ∙
Hello hello,
Happy Halloween 👻 I’ll admit it – I’m not a huge Halloween person. I don’t love the jump scares and fake cobwebs aren’t really my vibe. But give me dogs dressed as pumpkins and a round of midnight margaritas (iykyk) and I’m all in.
PSA: we still have our merch on sale for 40% off with code SWEATERWEATHER40 – get ‘em whilst they’re hot!
This week, we’re looking back at where it all began: the real origins of Halloween, long before pumpkins and plastic spiders got involved. But first, let’s get into our usual round-up of headlines and culture picks for the week ❣️
Happy Friyay!
Annabel
Editor
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UK NEWS
📜 MPs have rejected Nigel Farage’s proposal for the UK to begin withdrawing from the European Court of Human Rights.
🏡 The Renters’ Rights Bill became law after receiving Royal Assent, impacting 11 million tenants across the UK.
🤧 Flu season has arrived 5 weeks early as health officials urge all eligible people to come forward for vaccination.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
🏛️ Americans oppose US President Donald Trump’s plan to replace the White House’s East Wing with a $300 million ballroom by a 2-to-1 ratio.
🦀 Over 100 million red crabs are making their annual trek across Australia’s Christmas Island.
⛪️ Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica has become the world’s tallest church after a part of its central tower was lifted into place.
CULTURE
📖 A newly discovered Dr. Seuss manuscript featuring the Cat in the Hat will be published next year.
👩🎨 Looking at original works of art in galleries can help relieve stress, according to a new study.
✍️ 2025’s Word of the Year has been chosen. We’ll give you one clue – it’s not popular amongst teachers.
WORK & INNOVATION
🎄 Seasonal job searches have increased 29% compared to 2034, according to Indeed.
💳 PayPal is teaming up with OpenAI so users can buy goods directly through an instant checkout system on ChatGPT.
👩💼 More than 100 business and charity leaders have called on ministers to lead England’s transition to a four-day work week.
UPLIFTING STUFF
🥼 A simple breath test has been announced to help detect pancreatic cancer early and improve survival rates.
🍄 Scientists have successfully built a working computer memory out of shiitake mushrooms, offering a low-cost alternative for silicon-based chips.
🪿 Austria is turning its power lines into giant animal sculptures – the team have decided the stork is our fave!
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🗞 Read: You’ve probably seen this piece all over the internet already but I promise it’s worth the hype! Chante Joseph wrote an article for Vogue this week asking the question: is having a boyfriend embarrassing now? A fab insight into how we are shifting culturally at a time when romanticising the single life is on the up and “my partner in crime ❤️” Instagram posts are taking a backseat.
🎧 Listen: I got into listening to In Our Time when I was doing my history A-Levels but I have recently rediscovered it and literally cannot stop listening! If you’re a bit of a history nerd like me, I couldn’t recommend it more – no notes whatsoever!
📺 Watch: If you’re not already watching The Traitors during the very week of Halloween then what are you doing? The celebs have actually been iconic. Sticking with the spooky vibe – Down Cemetery Road. Set in Oxford? Starring Emma Thompson? Sold! As for movie options for this evening… it’s got to be Hocus Pocus.
💗 Do: Attention booktok! Remember to sign up for Audible – they’re currently offering 3 months for £0.99 🤯
🧑🍳 Cook: The snack board trend has brought girl dinner to a whole new level… you can even make a Halloween inspired one and host a Hocus Pocus viewing party.
 | How many days did it take a British duo to row across the Pacific Ocean non-stop? |
Spooky season has arrived 🎃 The pumpkins are out, the air feels a little crisper, and suddenly everyone’s debating the best Halloween film. But beneath the costumes and candy, Halloween has a surprisingly long and fascinating history.
Way before trick-or-treating and pumpkin patches, there was Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of harvest and the start of winter. It was a time to celebrate the year’s final crops, light bonfires, and honour loved ones who had passed – when the boundary between worlds was said to blur just a little. People would wear simple disguises to keep wandering spirits at bay (the earliest version of a Halloween costume, really).
Centuries later, Christian traditions like All Saints’ Day blended with these older customs, and All Hallows’ Eve slowly became Halloween. When Irish and Scottish communities brought those traditions to America in the 1800s, the holiday evolved again – including one very practical update. In Europe, people carved lanterns from turnips to ward off ghosts, but when they arrived in the US, they discovered pumpkins – larger, softer and much easier to carve. The jack-o’-lantern as we know it was born.
Now, it’s one of autumn’s best rituals – a chance to get creative, gather with friends, and lean into that playful, slightly eerie magic that comes with this time of year. After a bit of historically inspired costume inspo? Perhaps a harvest goddess, or even a modern twist on a classic witch (Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic… need I say more 🤷♀️).
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