Character in How to Be a Real Man

Only Character: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Character stories and video. All of Be a Man →

The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

For eighteen months, kids on fast horses beat the clock across 1,900 miles of open country. The company lost a fortune doing it. The ride was worth it.

GuideLifeCal Brennan23 Sept 20265 min

Say the hard thing while it's still small

The conversation you're dreading takes about four minutes. Putting it off for six weeks is what actually costs you.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

Guide100 ThingsMarcus Vale23 Sept 20266 min

100 Things Every Man Should Do Before He Turns Forty

Some of these take twenty minutes. One takes a decade. None of them require a bucket list, a sports car, or a midlife crisis.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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History7 min read

Every Rodeo Event Was Somebody's Job First

Rodeo started as ranch hands settling an argument. It became the one sport where every event began as a day's work.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideLifeCal Brennan23 Sept 20265 min

Reply in two days, write four sentences, arrive on time

Small manners carry more weight than grand gestures. How to handle RSVPs, thank-you notes and showing up without turning into a fussy scold.

Guide100 ThingsSam Ortiz23 Sept 20266 min

100 Things Every Kid Should Do Before Twelve

The window shuts at thirteen, when everything a kid tries starts getting graded by his friends. So start Saturday.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideBooksNina Castellan23 Sept 20265 min

Books for Teenage Girls With Heroines Worth Copying

Ten novels and one memoir with girls at the center who are brave, stubborn, and good — plus what's in each one you should know about first.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

StoryHistoryDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

The Men Who Built Your Ordinary Tuesday

Edison sold a system, not a bulb. Ford sold a price, not a car. Both changed how Americans live, and both left a record worth reading whole.

Guide100 ThingsCal Brennan23 Sept 20267 min

100 Things Every Father of a Daughter Should Know

The ponytail is the first test. Ninety-nine more follow, from the .22 rifle to the wedding toast you'll try not to cry through.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideHumorMarcus Vale23 Sept 20266 min

How to Be Funny at Work Without Torching Your Credibility

The same joke can make you the sharpest person in the room or the one nobody trusts with a budget. The difference is almost never the joke.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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StoryHistoryMarcus Vale23 Sept 20266 min

The Ten-Dollar Runaway and Other Presidents Who Had Nothing

A pawned watch, a canal-boat mule driver, and a tailor's apprentice with a bounty on his head. The log cabin story is a campaign prop, except when it isn't.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?