Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

A Japanese man borrowed some of the luck of the Irish and broke a Guinness World Record by growing a 63-leaf clover.

Yoshiharu Watanabe, 45, started cross-pollinating clovers at his Nasushiobara home in 2012 with an aim toward breaking the world record.

"Since the number of leaves has increased year by year, I have been aiming for the Guinness World Records title ever since," he told Guinness World Records.

Watanabe said he used a combination of letting his clover patches pollinate naturally and hand-pollinating those with the most leaves. He said his methods weren't always successful.

"Sometimes the number of leaves can go down, or sometimes you end up with the normal three-leaf clover," he said. "We know that genetics are involved in a higher number of leaves, yet we don't exactly know how it works."

Watanabe's prize clover has 63 leaves, beating the previous record of 56 leaves, set by fellow Japan resident Shigeo Obara in 2009. He said he was overjoyed to discover his clover had taken the record.

"People say that a four-leaved clover brings you happiness, so it would be great if this 63-leaved clover would bring surprise and pleasure to people," he said.

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The only privately-owned first edition of Mary Shelley's pioneering horror novel Frankenstein was auctioned for a hair-raising sum of $843,750.

The 1818 first edition of Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus, published anonymously in three pink-boarded volumes, was sold by Heritage Auctions alongside other prized tomes from The William A. Strutz Library.

"This was a single-owner sale 60 years in the making, and the results are a true testament to a great collector and a market that recognized the treasures assembled by William Strutz," Francis Wahlgren, Heritage Auctions' international director of Rare Books & Manuscripts, said in a news release.

The copy of Frankenstein is one of only three pink boarded first editions known to still exist, and the only one in private hands. The other two reside in the Pforzheimer and Berg Collections at the New York Public Library.

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A British Columbia chicken earned a Guinness World Record by identifying different numbers, colors and letters.

Gabriola Island veterinarian Emily Carrington said she bought five hyline chickens last year to produce eggs, and she soon started training the hens to identify magnetic letters and numbers.
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"Their job was to only peck the number or letter that I taught them to peck and ignore the other ones. Even if I add a whole bunch of other letters that aren't the letter they are supposed to peck, they will just peck the letter that I trained them to peck," Carrington told the Nanaimo News Bulletin.

Carrington decided to have all of her chickens attempt the Guinness World Records title for the most tricks by a chicken in one minute.

One of the chickens, Lacy, emerged as the clear winner of the flock, correctly identifying 6 letters, numbers and colors in one minute.

The focused nature of the tricks led Guinness World Records to create a new category for Lacy: the most identifications by a chicken in one minute.

Carrington, who chronicles the training of her chickens on her YouTube channel, The Thinking Chicken, said she is glad the category highlights Lacy's intelligence.

Men pass giant beach ball 7,827 times to reclaim world record

A pair of Idaho men spent 1 hour, 8 minutes and 52 seconds passing a giant inflatable ball back and forth a total 7,827 times to reclaim a Guinness World Records title.

David Rush, a serial Guinness World Record-breaker on a mission to hold the most records concurrently, teamed up with Seth Lemmons to recapture the record they originally set with 4,169 passes in 2021.

Rush said he and his partner fought through the pain in their necks, arms and shoulders to pass the giant inflatable ball a total 7,827 times in 1 hour, 8 minutes and 52 seconds, enough to retake the title.

The reclaimed record brings Rush's current total of concurrently-held records to 179. He needs to hold 181 titles concurrently to take the top spot in the world.

Suspected meteor over the Carolinas was a SpaceX rocket

An object in the early morning sky over North and South Carolina was initially suspected to be a meteor, but was later identified as something more terrestrial in origin.

The object, which many witnesses compared to a large comet, was spotted over the Carolinas and parts of Georgia at about 5 a.m. Wednesday and was caught on camera by multiple witnesses.

Some witnesses suspected the object to be a meteor or a UFO, but it was later identified as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The rocket was launched at 4:55 a.m. from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and is carrying 20 Starlink satellites into low earth orbit.

Theodore Roosevelt’s pocket watch was stolen in 1987. It’s finally back at his New York home

The silver pocket watch was a prized possession of Theodore Roosevelt, a keepsake given to him by his sister and her husband in 1898 before he became president that would travel with him around the world and end up at Sagamore Hill — his home on Long Island, New York, and now a national historic site.

But in 1987, it went from museum piece to pilfered prize when someone stole it from an unlocked case at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York, where it was on loan.

It was mystery that endured 36 years until it turned up at a Florida auction house last year and was seized by federal agents. On Thursday, it was returned to public display at Sagamore Hill as the National Park Service and the FBI triumphantly announced it was back home during a ceremony featuring Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt.

“This was feel-good news,” Tweed Roosevelt, 82, said Friday in a phone interview. “For me, it kind of felt like almost as if a piece of TR’s spirit being returned to Sagamore Hill, like a little bit of him was coming back. And so I felt that was really cool.”

Kangaroo captured after half a year on the loose in Germany

A kangaroo that escaped from its owner's property in Germany on New Year's Eve has been captured more than six months later, about 50 miles from home.

The kangaroo, named Skippy, escaped from his owner's property in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district on the night of New Year's Eve and managed to evade capture for months, despite numerous sightings.


Police said Skippy was finally captured late last week by a resident of Lüdersdorf, in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, about 50 miles from his owner's home.

The kangaroo is being temporary housed in his rescuer's horse pen until his owner, Jens Kohlhaus, can bring him home, police said.

Chaser Darragh Ennis' 'elite' level Harry Potter quiz so tough 'no one can get all' correct

Recently, the 43-year-old challenged fans to a Harry Potter quiz, and said it was "so tough" no one would get all five answers correctly. However, it turns out the quiz was too easy for some people, including his own sister - so he's now made an "elite level" quiz - which he says no one will be able to beat.

"My Harry Potter quiz was apparently too easy for the mega nerds, and yes I'm including you in that, sister dearest. So this timke, it's going to start tricky and just get tougher. I don't think anybody's getting all five of these," he explained.

Below you can see all the questions. Give yourself some time to answer, before scrolling further down to see all the answers.

1. Accio is the summoning charm but what is the incantation for its opposite, the banishing charm?

2. What was the first password for Gryffindor Tower used by Harry in the first book?

3. Which Wizard features in the tapestry opposite the room of requirement?

4. What is Ron Weasley's middle name?

5. In what position and what club did Gwenog Jones play Quidditch?

Answers:

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1. The Banishing charm is depulso

2. The First password used is Caput Draconis

3. Barnabus the Barmy teaching trolls ballet is what's on the tapestry opposite the Room of Requirement

4. Ron's middle name is Bilius

5. Gwenog Jones plays a beater for the Holyhead Harpies

While it seems the quiz definitely challenged some of the Harry Potter superfans - others claim they managed to get them all right. "Somehow I got 5/5!! Possibly the fact that I've listened to the audiobooks every night for over 20 years…," claimed one person.

However, someone else said: "4/5 had no idea about the tapestry," and another added: "I only knew the password one. I thought Ron's middle name was Arthur, but it must be one of the others."

How many did you get correctly?

Mysterious monolith discovered in desert near Las Vegas

A mysterious monolith has baffled police officers in Las Vegas after it was spotted glimmering in a remote mountain range near the neon-lit city.

Las Vegas police said members of a volunteer search and rescue unit encountered the mirrored object near Gass Peak in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada.

Officers have no idea where the monolith came from and have said they expect social media users will try to solve the mystery.

Sharing an image of the discovery on the X social media platform, Las Vegas police said: "We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water... but check this out! Over the weekend, (LV Search and Rescue) spotted this mysterious monolith near Gass Peak north of the valley.

The sighting follows a series of instances of mysterious shiny columns popping up around the world since at least 2020.

In November of that year, a roughly 12ft metal monolith similar to the one seen in Las Vegas was discovered deep in the desert in Utah.

It was in an area so remote that officials didn't immediately reveal its location for fear of people getting lost or stranded while trying to find it.

It was followed by sightings in Romania, central California and on the famed Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas.

In March this year, a 10ft monolith appeared on a hillside in southeast Wales.

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205-foot bonfire pyre in Northern Ireland unofficially breaks world record

A Northern Ireland town constructed a bonfire pyre measuring more than 205 feet tall, a possible new Guinness World Record.

The Craigyhill Bonfire Committee in Larne said the bonfire pyre was measured at 205 feet, 6 inches by land survey firm LSS, and at 205 feet and .269 inches by a second firm, Clifford and Gregg.

Either figure would be enough to take the Guinness World Record from a 198-foot, 11-inch bonfire built in 2019 in Austria.

The committee said data from the surveyors is being submitted to the record-keeping organization for official recognition.

The massive bonfire pyre made headlines earlier this week when daredevil Stephen Maginnis parachuted from the top of the structure. The stunt was hailed as the world's first base jump from a bonfire pyre.

The pyre, along with several others throughout the country, was built to be ignited Thursday night to celebrate Eleventh Night. The holiday is the night before the Glorious Twelfth, a traditional celebration marking the victory of Protestants over Catholics at the 1690 Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.

This nearly 10-foot Gatsby sub is made by a South African restaurant with a taste for the supersized

A South African restaurant served up a 3-meter-long (9.8 feet) sandwich recently in the latest offering from an establishment with a taste for the supersized. The giant submarine sandwich produced by Annies Ladies Bar in Cape Town follows a burger it cooked up in 2019 that weighed in at a whopping 124 kilograms (273 pounds).

With no less than 10 layers of fillings, the sandwich tipped the scales at 65.27 kilograms (145 pounds) after it was balanced precariously on a weighing machine using a tray with supports. It took over four hours to prepare at a cost of about $160 for the ingredients, said Joe Redelinghuys, who came up with the plan and runs the restaurant and bar with his wife and owner, Annie.

Those ingredients included: 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of tomatoes. About 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of meat, from three types of sliced sausage to steak to burger patties and chicken fillets. Three layers of french fries weighing a total of around 10 kilograms (22 pounds) to break up the meats. A layer of calamari for those who prefer seafood. And, finally, a generous helping of onion rings on top. All in a sandwich.

The sauces ranged from garlic to cheese, pepper, mushroom and tartare, depending on which layer.

NASA astronaut captures eerie red lights glowing above Earth from space station

A cosmic flash of spooky red light has been spotted by a NASA astronaut floating high in the Earth's atmosphere.

The 'red sprite' was captured by the commander of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission, Matthew Dominick, hanging around over South Africa. But scientists have said there is no need to plan for an alien invasion just yet. The eerie space phenomena is simply the result of a bizarre weather event.

Red sprites happen over thunderstorm clouds, in the area known as the mesosphere. Scientists are fascinated by the celestial shapes which occur due to discharges of lighting between the cloud and the ground.

You don't have to be an astronaut to see a red sprite. They have been photographed from the ground and from planes. But much more research and evidence is needed before their true nature is properly understood.

NASA wants people to get in touch with their our own photos. A spokesperson for the space agency urged followers to share and help scientists study the electric discharges in greater detail.

California city aims to host world's largest water balloon fight

A California town is attempting to gather 10,000 people to break a Guinness World Record for the largest water balloon fight.

Splash Fest, organized by nonprofit Balloons over Bullets in Stockton, kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday, and organizers are hoping to amass at least 10,000 people at the event to throw 209,000 water balloons.

"This record-breaking endeavor not only promises thrilling water-filled battles but also carries a powerful message of promoting unity, non-violence, and the importance of education and community engagement," the Splash Fest website states.

The festival will include other water-themed attractions including giant slip 'n' slides, a dunk tank and water games. There will also be food trucks and live music.

The current Guinness World Record for the largest water balloon fight was set by 8,957 people at the University of Kentucky in 2011.

An Irish man earned his second Guinness World Records title by riding his unicycle the length of Ireland — 308 miles — in 5 days, 5 hours and 23 minutes.

Eamonn Keaveney told Guinness World Records the title for the fastest crossing of Ireland by unicycle appealed to him because it "seemed like a perfect mix of daunting and ridiculous."

Keaveney, who previously earned the record for the world's longest barefoot journey in 2016 and followed it up by climbing 10 mountains barefoot in 10 days, said he had never ridden a unicycle until he started training for the title.

He said he traveled about 12 hours each day of his attempt.

"It was sometimes hard toward the end of the day to force myself up on to the unicycle for those last few miles," he said.

He said a swollen ankle toward the end of his trip made each turn of the pedals feel "like torture."

"As long as you are moving, you are pedaling. Hence my ankle swelling up from overuse," he said.

A California auction house announced a pair of long-lost props from the original Star Trek series have been found after more than 50 years and are headed to auction.

Julien's Auctions, in partnership with Turner Classic Movies, announced the phaser and communicator will be auctioned as part of the co-branded event "Comic-Con Museum Presents: Julien's Auctions & TCM 2024 Spotlight Series."

The props were used by William Shatner on screen in his role as Capt. James T. Kirk.

Don Hillenbrand, a Star Trek prop expert, authenticated the items as the "hero" versions used on screen in multiple episodes of the series.

The props, made in 1966, were thought lost for more than 50 years before turning up in the collection of a recently-deceased man who worked in the Hollywood prop industry for many years. The items are now owned by the man's family and will be auctioned Nov. 9.

Cruise line breaks world record with pizza party aboard multiple boats

Princess Cruises coordinated its fleet of Love Boats to break the Guinness World Record for the largest pizza party at multiple venues.

The cruise line teamed up with Chef Tony Gemignani of Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco to provide pizzas across the Princess fleet for the record attempt on Friday.

A Guinness World Records adjudicator confirmed more than 60,000 slices were served across the cruise line, successfully setting the record for the world's largest pizza party at multiple venues.

The food service team at Princess said the record attempt required 6,512 pounds of dough, 3,417 pounds of flour, 1,393 pounds of pepperoni and 2,323 pounds of cheese.

The record attempt celebrated Gemignani's creation of two Princess-exclusive pizzas inspired by the cruise line's destinations. The new pizzas feature ingredients such as Soppressata sausage, hot honey, agave pesto and fresh goat cheese.

The two new pizzas, as well as three of Gemignani's signature pies, are being rolled out at Alfredo's restaurant onboard the new Sun Princess, and will be available on the rest of Princess' boats later in the summer.

Man named Literally Anybody Else running for president

A Texas man legally changed his name to Literally Anybody Else to apply for a particularly difficult-to-get job: President of the United States.

The 35-year-old military veteran and middle school math teacher, formerly known as Dustin Ebey, said he is running for president to protest the current major-party candidates — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — and show his distaste for a system that his website states "often prioritizes partisan battles over real solutions."

Else is running a write-in campaign in Texas, where did he did not get the required 113,000 signatures to make it onto the ballot, and is expected to appear by name on the Tennessee ballot, where he said he did get the required amount of signatures.

"It's not necessarily about drawing attention to my grievances," Else told KTRK-TV, "but about giving a place for anyone who shares these grievances to come together to a focal point."

Else announced Neal David Sutz, a New York man currently living in Switzerland, will be his running mate.

Ultra-rare orange lobster found at Red Lobster eatery in Colorado

The manager of a Red Lobster restaurant in Colorado said a rare orange lobster that arrived at the eatery will be taking a permanent crustacean vacation to the Denver Aquarium.

The orange lobster was spotted by Jose Romero, a dishwasher at the Pueblo restaurant, and the general manager decided to spare the rare-colored invertebrate from the dinner plate.

"I have been at Red Lobster for 12 years, I always unpack the live lobster shipments, and I have never seen an Orange Lobster! I noticed it right away, how different it was, and I thought, oh my goodness, I'd better get him in the tank and find my managers," Romero told KRDO-TV.

The general manager said lobsters with rare colors, such as orange and blue, are usually sifted out before the shipment arrives at individual restaurants, but this one slipped through the system.

Orange coloration is believed to occur in only one out of every 30 million lobsters. An orange lobster caught off the Maine coast in June 2023 is currently being studied by researchers at the University of New England to determine whether the cause of the peculiar pigment is genetic or a result of environmental factors.

Frozen treats, cold showers and lots of ice; Florida zoo works to protect animals from summer heat

Malayan tigers and Aldabra tortoises are native to hot and humid lands, but that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy a frozen treat on a hot Florida summer day.

Temperatures in South Florida this month have reached the upper 90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) with humidity reaching 70%, combining for “feels like” temperatures regularly exceeding 100 F (38 C).

Staff at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society use a variety of techniques to keep their animals cool. Zookeepers throw large piles of ice into the black bear enclosure for the animals to wallow in, chilling their pool to 74 F (23 C). The otters get ice blocks and frozen fish tossed into their water for playing and eating.

Tigers feast on more ingenious treats: They get frozen cow bones crammed into blocks of ice, along with a side of frozen goat milk. The big cats also like to swim.

Giant tortoises, native to the islands of the Indian Ocean, enjoy cool showers from a hose, which they can feel through their shells.

“Even though all of our animals are acclimatized to the South Florida weather, they look for ways to cool off during the hot days, just like we do,” said Mike Terrell, the zoo’s curator of animal experiences. “All of our animals that we have here at the zoo were specifically chosen because they’re used to warm climates. And so they’re totally happy in a high, high heat, high humidity environment. ”

Watch your garden glow with new genetically modified bioluminescent petunias

Keith Wood, Ph.D. spent most of his career in pharmaceutical research in molecular and chemical biology, using his work with bioluminescence to understand how molecules interacted with diseases. His work started as a graduate student when the team he was on inserted a firefly gene into a tobacco plant.

It was a small plant and couldn't sustain light without the addition of a substrate. It wasn't something a consumer would buy, but it was good for understanding pathways within an organism.

Now, about 40 years after that first plant, Wood and his company in Ketchum, Light Bio, are marketing a garden petunia with a twist: it glows in the dark.

The petunia with bright, white flowers looks like something you'd buy in spring at a garden nursery. But, when the lights are turned out, the petals slowly start lighting up with a greenish, white glow. The plant is always glowing, it's just our eyes that need to adjust to see the light. The newest buds are the brightest and punctuate the glowing flowers.

Ancient predatory worms have scientists rethinking the history of life on Earth

500 million years ago, the world was a very different place. Basically all life lived in the water, which held a lot of animals that looked pretty different from the ones we recognize today.

One of these was a group of predatory worms with throats covered in spines, hooks and teeth to trap their prey. They built tubes around themselves and lived inside of them, waiting for their next victim to crawl by.

Scientists have known for a while that these approximately inch-long terrors lived during the Cambrian period, roughly 500 million years ago. But the end of the Cambrian period was marked by a mass extinction, so Nanglu and other researchers researchers thought that these Selkirkia worms had been left behind like much of the other marine life at the time.

But a paper recently published in the journal Biology Letters by Nanglu and paleobiologist Javier Ortega-Hernández showed examples of a new species of this Selkirkia worm in the fossil record 25 million years after researchers thought they'd vanished from the Earth. Nanglu says this finding may change how scientists understand life in different periods of Earth's ancient history.

"From the biological perspective, maybe some of these boundaries are a little bit more fuzzy than we previously thought," he says.

A physicist who dropped out of post-graduate school to raise her family 75 years ago was awarded an honorary PhD at the age of 98.

Rosemary Fowler was studying at the University of Bristol in 1948 when she discovered the kaon particle, but she left academia before earning her doctorate when she married fellow physicist Peter Fowler in 1949.

Sir Paul Nurse, the chancellor of the University of Bristol, said Fowler "paved the way for critical discoveries that continue to shape the work of today's physicists, and our understanding of the universe."

Fowler was 22 when she discovered a particle that decayed into three pions. This particle was later dubbed the kaon.

"I knew at once that it was new and would be very important. We were seeing things that hadn't been seen before — that's what research in particle physics was. It was very exciting," she said.

Fowler was made an honorary Doctor of Science in a private graduation ceremony near her Cambridge home.

"I'm really pleased for my mother," daughter Mary Fowler said. "As a child I wanted to be a physicist because it seemed to be so exciting. With both parents being physicists, physics and research was a normal topic of conversation across the kitchen table. "

Tortoise on the tracks gets a ride on London commuter train

A commuter train near London was briefly delayed when a tortoise was caught "trespassing" on the tracks, but the animal quickly became a "shellebrity" aboard a train.

Network Rail Wessex wrote on social media that a train headed for Bagshot was delayed at the Ascot station because "there was a trespasser of an unusual nature on the tracks."

The rail operator said the tortoise quickly became a "shellebrity" when he was brought aboard the next train heading into Ascot from Aldershot.

Officials initially made arrangements to take the tortoise to a local veterinarian, but he owner of the animal came forward to be reunited with their pet, named Solomon.

Breaching whale tosses boat over

Brothers Colin and Wyatt Yeager captured footage of a breaching whale flipping over a boat off the coast of Portsmouth, N.H.

Two fishermen were thrown overboard but were not hurt in the incident. The brothers witnessed the scene and rescued the men.

"I was actually shocked by their reaction," Wyatt Yeager told Fox Weather. "They were doing fine. They were smiling. They were like, 'Wow, this is crazy.' They were just happy that they were OK, the whale was OK."

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Australian ultramarathoner sets record for fastest crossing of Malaysia

Australian ultramarathoner Natalie Dau has set a new record for the fastest crossing of Peninsular Malaysia on foot.

Dau covered over 700 kilometers from Kelantan in the north to Johor Bahru in the south in eight days and 46 minutes. This accomplishment adds to her growing list of ultramarathon achievements, which began with her debut race in 2019.

Dau was well-prepared for this challenge, with ten championship titles and races ranging from 50 km to 200 km. Her crossing was part of Project 1,000, a 1,000 km journey from Thailand to Singapore.

To tackle the course, she ran between 85 to 95 km daily, starting as early as 12:35 a.m. to avoid the heat, while managing an infection throughout the attempt.

"The last 20 km of each day were the hardest I've ever experienced," Dau said.

Dau went on this journey to raise money for a global charity that supports girls and women through sports called GRLS.

Gizmo the dog went missing in Las Vegas in 2015. He’s been found alive after 9 years

Judith Monarrez crumpled onto her kitchen floor and wept when the news arrived in an email: Gizmo, her pet dog missing for nine years, had been found alive.

Monarrez was 28 and living with her parents in 2015 when Gizmo, then 2 years old, slipped past a faulty gate in the backyard of their home in Las Vegas.

The decade that followed brought a lot of change. Monarrez, now 37, moved into her own home, earned a master’s degree in English, and began her teaching career in higher education. But throughout the years, Monarrez said, she never stopped trying to find Gizmo.

Now, she was climbing into her car to drive across town to meet Gizmo at an animal hospital. Monarrez was later told that a woman had found the now 11-year-old dog and dropped him off at the vet, where they scanned his microchip, triggering the email notification that sent Monarrez to her knees, crying.

Within hours of receiving that email on July 17, Gizmo was back in his owner’s arms. Monarrez called it “a miracle.”

“Hindsight is 2020,” she said. “I’m so glad I registered his microchip.”

I'm the UK Tetris champion - and here are my top tips for packing your car for a family summer getaway

DanV, the country's reigning champion at Tetris - the computer game that involves neatly stacking shapes - has joined forces with Dacia to 'provide his top tips' to 'successfully pack the boot of your car with minimal stress', using his years of Tetris experience.

His first tip? Organisation.

The champ says: 'Just like in Tetris, recognising patterns and knowing the shapes you might encounter is key - identify and categorise your items by size and type. This way, you’ll know exactly where to place your beachwear, snacks, and other essentials, ensuring everything fits perfectly.'

Second on the list? DanV says: 'Keep everything compact. In Tetris, creating gaps can lead to difficult situations, and packing is no different. Compress flexible items like clothes to minimize the space they occupy. By maximizing every inch of your luggage, you can fit more items into smaller spaces without leaving gaps.'

Finally, just like the Tetris matrix has 'limited space' where 'overloading' means 'game over', so does a car boot.

DanV says: 'Pack light. Avoid packing unnecessary items like heavy jackets. Focus on bringing just the essentials and summer necessities like shorts and sandals to keep your luggage light and manageable.'

DanV's advice comes as nearly a quarter of British holidaymakers admit that they struggle to fit everything into their car, according to a survey of 2,000 adults by Dacia.

One in five Brits say they have even had to leave items behind due to a lack of boot space.

Mysterious fireball over San Diego remains unidentified

A bright fireball that shot across the night sky over southern California was caught on camera, but has yet to be identified.

The security camera at Rebecca Woods' home in San Marcos, near San Diego, recorded the bright light streaking across the sky on the night of July 25.

The American Meteor Society received 34 reports of a fireball shortly after 9:20 p.m, and social media users reported spotting the object around the San Diego area, as well as in New Mexico, across the Mexican border and as far east as Texas.

One New Mexico witness reported seeing the object breaking up.

"Our camera is facing south and the object flew from west to east," Woods told NBC San Diego. "I first thought it might be a Starlink launch because this is the exact trajectory I've seen in previous launches but there was nothing scheduled."

The fireball has yet to be identified, but the most common theories include a meteor or space junk re-entering the atmosphere.

Two-thirds of Australians support banning pet cats from roaming

A growing number of councils are forcing cat owners to keep the felines confined to their homes to protect wildlife — and most Aussies support the policy.

Australians have more pet cats than ever before — more than five million in total. With the growing number, expectations on pet owners are shifting.

Many cat owners are now voluntarily keeping their cats indoors or in secure runs, and local governments mandate it in some areas. But most pet cats in Australia still roam local streets and gardens.

Broader adoption of keeping cats safe at home would have large benefits for cat welfare, human health, local wildlife and even the economy.


More than a third of local councils in Australia now require cats to be contained overnight or 24 hours a day. Most are in the ACT and Victoria.

Given how good cats are at climbing and jumping, containing cats usually requires keeping them indoors or in secure runs.

A chef, bodybuilder and social media star added nine Guinness World Records to his name by chopping vegetables at lightning speed — some of them while blindfolded.

Canadian Wallace Wong, 33, aka the Six Pack Chef on TikTok, brought his total number of Guinness World Records titles to 11 by taking on a series of chopping records.

Wong's new titles are most tomatoes cut in one minute, 14; most tomatoes cut in one minute while blindfolded, 9; most slices of celery sliced in 30 seconds, 128; most slices of celery sliced while blindfolded in 30 seconds, 125; fastest time to slice a bell pepper, 9.43; fastest time to slice a bell pepper blindfolded, 10.78; most slices of garlic sliced in 30 seconds, 117; most slices of garlic sliced while blindfolded in 30 seconds, 127; and most chilies chopped in 30 seconds, 13.

Wong said he was surprised to find that, in some cases, his chopping speed actually increased while blindfolded.

"I take away a sense and everything heightens," he told Guinness World Records.

He ended up combining all of his chopped veggies into a meal he dubbed the "world record vegetable noodle dish."

Wong previously made headlines in 2023 for setting the records for most slices of carrots sliced while blindfolded in 30 seconds, 121, and most slices of cucumbers sliced while blindfolded in 30 seconds, 166.

Iowa man harvests massive 8.33-pound eggplant

A giant vegetable enthusiast from Iowa broke a world record when he harvested an eggplant weighing in at a staggering 8.33 pounds.

Dave Bennett from Davis County had his eggplant examined by Inspector Ivan Hankins of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's Iowa Weights and Measures Bureau.

Hankins confirmed the 8.33-pound eggplant is the largest in the world.

"I've been growing eggplants for probably five years now," Bennett told Radio Iowa. "Two years ago I set the state record at 5.6 pounds."

He said Guinness World Records has been in contact to tell him his application for the record was approved. The previous record of 7.21 pounds was grown in England in 2022.

"Eventually I will have a plaque that says I grew the world's largest eggplant," Bennett said.

Rare prototype 'Star Wars' Boba Fett action figure from 1979 up for auction

An extremely rare prototype 1979 Star Wars Boba Fett action figure described as the "Holy Grail" of collecting is up for auction.

Auction house Goldin said the Kenner 1979 J-Slot (Version 2) Rocket-Firing (Mailer) Prototype Boba Fett, one of only 30 ever produced, is the the highest-graded example of the three known to still exist and is the first to be up for auction.

The toy was made as a prototype in 1979 but never made it to market due to the risk of injury to children from its firing rocket.

A similar Boba Fett figure became the most expensive vintage toy in the world when it was auctioned for $525,000 in June. That figure was one of 70 prototypes made with an "L-slot" firing mechanism.

The Boba Fett being offered from Goldin is the first "J-slot" to ever make it to auction, the auction house said.

"This item is looked at as one of the most important in the hobby," said Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin. "This is the first time a Mailer J-Slot V2/ Missile example has come up for auction, making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own this iconic piece of the Star Wars franchise."

Massive dragonfly swarms descend on Rhode Island beach

Visitors to a Rhode Island beach found their peaceful day interrupted when massive swarms of dragonflies came in from the water.

Mark Stickney, who posted footage of the swarm to Facebook, told WBZ-TV he "started seeing dragonflies everywhere" right after he arrived at 11 a.m.

Visitors said the dragonflies arrived in waves, with the largest swarm making landfall at about 1 p.m.

Dragonfly expert Ginger Brown said the insects normally migrate between the middle of August and mid-September, but they have been known to travel en masse when their bog and swamp habitats dry up.

"It is entirely possible that's what we're seeing now," Brown said. "They can travel long distances with relative ease."

Missouri museum unveils world's longest shoelace

A Missouri museum teamed up with the business located on its second floor to break a world record with a shoelace measuring 2,729 feet long — more than half a mile.

The City Museum, which broke the record for the largest gathering of people with underwear on their heads earlier in the year, said the shoelace record attempt came just days after officials learned they had lost the underwear record to America's Got Talent.

The museum, which is housed in the former Annex of the International Shoe Company building, teamed up with The Shoelace Factory, a business located on the second floor that uses antique machinery to craft artisanal shoelaces.

The 2,729-foot shoelace took about 24 hours to weave using the factory's antique machines. It was then fitted with custom-made aglets — the plastic ends of shoelaces.

The shoelace was laid out across the historic Eads Bridge to be officially measured by a survey team.

The museum's team had to prove the shoelace was created from woven threads and also had to prove it was functional by using it to tie a shoe.

Disneyland honors free admission ticket won by California man in 1985

A ticket for free admission to Disneyland that was given to a California man in 1985 was honored by the park when his daughter attempted to use it 39 years later.

Scott King visited Disneyland during 30th anniversary celebrations on Aug. 28, 1985.

"At the time, they were giving away a lot of prizes. One was a Cadillac Seville. I thought I had won a car," King told KTLA-TV.

The prize turned out to be a Disney Passport ticket for free admission to the park.

"When I got there, they awarded me with a ticket and an 'I am a winner' badge, and I said, 'What about the Cadillac?' and they laughed and said, 'Not today buddy,'" King told KABC-TV.

King said he ended up putting the ticket into a scrapbook, where it remained forgotten for 39 years.

"My daughter decided that she wanted to go to Disneyland with her boyfriend," King said. "She was telling me about how expensive it was now and everything and I said, 'You know, I have a ticket. Let me see if I can grab it.'"

Sabrina King and her boyfriend, Ruben, took the Disney Passport to the park and brought it to a ticket-taker.

"My daughter handed the ticket to admissions, and the man collecting tickets was so animated, saying this was a really rare thing," Scott King said.

A park manager signed off on the 39-year-old Passport and Sabrina King entered the park for free.

Thieving seagull snatches man's wallet in grocery store parking lot

A Massachusetts man is offering a reward for the return of his wallet after it snatched by a thieving seagull outside of a grocery store.

Noah Karberg of Nantucket said he made a trip to the Stop & Shop after a day of fishing on the island.

"I was in a fishing shirt and board shorts, so no pockets," he told NBC Boston.

Karberg said he placed his phone and wallet in the tray on top of his shopping cart, where they remained while he was loading groceries into his truck.

"I take the last couple of bags around to the backseat, come back around to the shopping cart, and there is a gull sitting on the cart, and right in front of me, grabs my wallet, flies off!"

Karberg captured video as the seagull made its way to the roof of a nearby car wash and started going through the wallet's contents.

"It was like a gull with an agenda," he said. "Tossed the cash and went straight for my Amex."

Karberg wrote in a local Facebook group that anyone who finds the wallet can keep any cash that remains inside and he is offering an additional $100 cash reward for the return of his license and cards.

"I have had a lot of people reach out to me, say they were sorry for me, but it was really funny," he said. "It has all been in good fun. The island has a pace in the summer. It can be frantic, people can get burned out, and I think this was a little bit of good fun that everyone had."

Robin Hood tree being restored after vandalism

In England, the famous Robin Hood tree began to come back to life after a barbaric felling. It's been less than a year since vandals cut down Sycamore Gap, a tree that has survived two world wars, seven monarchs and more than 40 prime ministers. “MIR 24” reports this.

National Trust experts were delighted to discover signs of rebirth - with eight young shoots emerging from the remaining stump. They are still very tiny, but each of them has the potential to become part of a new majestic tree.

Experts suggest that these shoots can form a whole group of trees around the old stump. Although the trunk was cut off, the root system and base were resilient enough to give new life.

However, the situation remains challenging and the National Trust plans to take further steps to protect the young growth. They intend to fence off the area around the stump and closely monitor the development of new shoots in the coming years.

Sycamore Gap, located next to the ancient Hadrian's Wall, is considered one of the most recognizable trees in Britain. His popularity skyrocketed after appearing in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”.

Police have already identified and charged the two men responsible for destroying the tree. The damage from their actions is estimated at more than half a million pounds.

David Rush breaks 15 Guinness World Records in one day

Serial record-breaker David Rush visited Guinness World Records headquarters in London and broke 15 records in a single day.

Rush, who is on a quest to hold the most concurrent world records, started his record-breaking marathon by taking 198 bites out of three apples while juggling the fruits for one minute.

Rush next tackled the fastest time to bounce a table tennis ball on two bottle caps ten times using alternate hands, managing the feat in 2.09 seconds.

His other records featuring table tennis balls were the most table tennis balls bounced against a wall with the mouth in 30 seconds, 47; the most hits of a table tennis ball against a wall in one minute, 398; and the most table tennis balls bounced and caught in shaving foam on the head in 30 seconds (individual), 16.

His other records for the day included the most touches of a baseball with alternating sides of the hand in 30 seconds, 125; most behind-the-back basketball passes against a wall in 30 seconds, 38; most juggling catches of a bowling ball and two balls on a balance board in one minute, 243; and most juggling tricks in one minute with three balls, 49.

Rush finished off his marathon with the fastest time to fold and throw a paper aircraft, 5.12 seconds; most chopsticks thrown at a target in one minute, 29; most T-shirts put on in 30 seconds (individual), 20; fastest time to stack 10 toilet paper rolls (one hand), 5.38 seconds; most water moved by the hands in 30 seconds, 5,100 milliliters; and fastest time to drink one liter of lime juice through a straw, 13.99 seconds.

Rush is on a mission to hold the most concurrent Guinness World Records titles, a distinction that currently belongs to Italian Silvio Sabba with 180. He is now in the process of confirming whether he has indeed overtaken Sabba.

Dolce & Gabbana launches dog perfume named after founder's pet

Luxury Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana has released a perfume for dogs named after the co-founder's own pet.

Fefe is alcohol free and the firm says it has been safety-tested and approved by vets.

The €99 (£85) fragrance is described as an "olfactory masterpiece" featuring ylang ylang, musk and "creamy undertones" of sandalwood.

The bottle features a 24-carat gold-plated paw print and is said to be inspired by "the unwavering love for Domenico Dolce's loyal companion, Fefe".

The company's marketing says it offers "a touch of opulence, making every walk a fragrant and fashionable affair".

Domenico Dolce co-founded D&G with Stefano Gabbana in 1985, turning it into one of the world's most famous luxury brands.

Other companies, such as pet grooming firms, also sell dog perfume at a much cheaper price but it's believed to be the first time a big fashion house has released one.

PhD Student Travels Across China For 134 Days Without A Phone, Shares His Experience

According to the South China Morning Post, Yang Hao, a PhD student, left his hometown of Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province, in November, and travelled extensively for six months, covering an impressive 24 provinces and regions. He left his mobile phone and computer at home, opting instead for two internet-free cameras to document his experiences.

''I feel that the mobile phone is like a digital organ for us. We cannot do many things without one. So I wanted to explore what happens if we have no internet access at all. What's the experience like, say, for several months?'' Mr Hao said.

Needless to say, his technology-free journey across China was laden with challenges. Simple tasks became daunting obstacles, like booking a hotel or hailing a taxi. Without a mobile phone, he had to rely on old-school methods, often resulting in frustrating experiences. Many shops didn't have card machines, leaving him scrambling to find ATMs to withdraw cash. But by engaging with fellow travellers and locals, he found creative solutions to his problems.

''Almost everybody who heard I was not using a mobile was shocked. Some asked if I was doing anything bad, some wondered if I was doing a special job, while others thought it was interesting to live with no mobile,'' he said.

However, Mr Hao found a surprising benefit to his phone-free journey. Without the constant ping of notifications and social media, he was able to devote himself to more meaningful pursuits. He spent his time reading books, writing, and reflecting. His journey finally came full circle in April when he returned home, bringing with him a wealth of new experiences and insights.

''I am like an ancient man who has time-travelled to the modern day. All those troubles and joys made me excited. It was a great life experience,” Mr Hao said.

This digital detox was no coincidence, as his research focuses on the profound impact of digitalisation on human lives. He is now planning to publish a book compiling the articles he penned during his journey, offering a written chronicle of his adventures. He is also working on a documentary, based on the films he shot while on the road.

Bear wanders into California teacher's classroom

A teacher at a California school was preparing for the upcoming start of the school year when her classroom was visited by an intellectually curious black bear.

Elaine Salmon, a teacher at Peak to Peak Mountain Charter School in Pine Mountain Club, said she left her classroom to make some copies in the office and returned to find a black bear occupying the room.

Salmon closed the bear inside the room, trapping her cellphone in the classroom.

"I went back to the office to call my husband, Ian," Salmon told KERO-TV. "My first thought was, is it gonna do any damage? I have a brand new floor and I already have my decorations up."

Salmon's husband arrived and held the door open, allowing the bear to escape.

The teacher said the only damage was to an earthquake kit.

"We usually have an earthquake kit where they have snacks just in case of an emergency and he went through that," Salmon said.

School officials said they are now planning to replace the door handles with more bear-resistant opening mechanisms.

Man hooks up 444 video game consoles to a single TV

A dedicated gamer from Saudi Arabia earned a Guinness World Record by hooking up 444 video game consoles to a single TV.

Ibrahim Al-Nasser of Riyadh told Guinness World Records he uses an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of which switch boxes and converters he needs to turn on to play each console.

He said the set-up has 444 consoles, more than 30 RCA switchers, more than 12 HDMI switchers and various other modes of connection.

"After a while, I noticed that I had a big stack of gaming consoles that I couldn't play," Al-Nasser said. "The TV ports are limited, and if I wanted to play, I could either unplug the existing console or I could keep everything and add more switchers and more converters."

"By adding more switchers, the idea came to my mind to connect all of the gaming consoles I have to the TV then contact Guinness World Records because this project is unique."

He said the set-up requires careful cable management.

"A very important thing, if you notice here, the cables are almost hidden," he said. "I used all the tools available in the market in order to organize the cables. Also to have a set up that's not only to play, it's like a museum and that's why this set up and this record took so much time from me."

The consoles include a Magnavox Odyssey, an Xbox 360, a Nintendo Switch, a Wii U and even some extremely rare consoles like the Super A'Can.

"For me, the best gaming console of all time, No. 1 always, forever, Sega Genesis," he said.

Texas woman's tongue is the world's widest at 3.11 inches

A Texas woman was awarded a Guinness World Records title for the surprising contents of her mouth — a 3.11-inch-wide tongue.

Brittany Lacayo told the record-keeping organization she decided to apply for the title after learning about the former record-holder, Emily Schlenker, whose tongue measured 2.89 inches wide.

Lacayo's tongue is exactly as wide as the average length of an adult woman's tongue: 3.11 inches.

Her tongue is actually one in wider than it is long when measured from the epiglottis, the flap of cartilage located behind the tongue.

"It is neat and kind of funny," Lacayo told Guinness World Records.

The male version of the record belongs to American Brian Thompson, whose tongue measures 3.49 inches wide.

Daredevil skis off 18,753-foot cliff to break Guinness World Record

A British daredevil broke a Guinness World Record by skiing off a 18,753-foot cliff and parachuting to the ground.

Joshua Bregmen, 34, earned the title of the world's highest altitude ski-BASE jump when he completed the stunt on Mera Peak in the Himalayas.

Bregmen said he and his team spent two weeks preparing for the record by scouting the jump spot and clearing debris to ensure a smooth ski.

"The dream was to do several nice S-turns and ski eloquently off the cliff, but in reality, all we had was just a humble rock-filled runway at an exit height of nearly 6,000 meters," he told Guinness World Records. "I did some nice, heavy breathing before the jump through exhaustion and lack of oxygen, but this just added to the exhilaration, especially with Everest in the backdrop."

Bregman's record attempt was aimed at raising money for charity and increasing awareness of human trafficking in Nepal.

Origins of black ring in the sky over Virginia a mystery

Several Virginia residents captured video when a mysterious black ring was seen floating in the sky over the Williamsburg area.

Multiple witnesses in the Hampton Roads region reported seeing the black ring in the sky shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday, and multiple people captured photos and videos of the unusual phenomenon.

The ring vanished within a few minutes.

Seemingly similar blacks rings have been spotted in other locations in the past, with fires and explosions being cited as the likely cause.

The James City County Fire Department said it was unaware of any reports of incidents that could have caused the ring at the time of the sightings.

Ricky Mathews, a meteorologist for WAVY-TV, said the cause was likely pyrotechnics or similar incident of concentrated fire causing a smoke ring to rise. Fellow meteorologist Steve Fundaro hypothesized it might have resulted from an industrial process.

Hurricane Debby leads to discovery of WWII-era message in a bottle

A Florida woman cleaning up debris washed ashore by Hurricane Debby made an unexpected discovery — a message in a bottle dating back to World War II.

Suzanne Flament-Smith, 46, of Tampa, said she was picking up trash on Bayshore Boulevard in Safety Harbor when the bottle caught her eye.

"There was sand in it, but you could clearly see the writing," she told People. "You could see the beautiful penmanship, The letter was almost rolled outside, so you could see the writing. It stood out."

Flament-Smith opened the bottle and discovered the letter was accompanied by sand, a coffee stick, a bullet casing and a miniature cannonball.

"We opened the letter and you could see it was really faded. So some of it you can make out and you could see the letterhead on it," she said.

The letter, dated March 4, 1945, has a letterhead marked "United States Navy, Amphibious Training Base in Little Creek, Virginia."

"Dear Lee, Received your letter yesterday, was glad to hear from you," the letter opens.

Flament-Smith said much of the letter is too faded to read, but the writer, who may have been named Chris or Jim, details starting at "radio school" and promises to write again the next day.

Museum exhibit explores mysterious 'Kentucky Meat Shower' of 1876

A Kentucky museum's new exhibit is dedicated to one of Bath County's most mysterious historical events: the so-called Kentucky Meat Shower.

The Bath County History Museum exhibit details the March 1876 event, which is said to have occurred when Olympia Springs resident Rebecca Crouch was outside with her grandson and chunks of red meat rained down from the sky.

A preserved piece of what is believed to be the meat that fell from sky was preserved at Transylvania University in Lexington, and the school returned the jar of flesh to Bath County to serve as the centerpiece of the museum exhibit.

DNA tests on the preserved meat have been inconclusive, leading to multiple different theories about the cause of the meaty rain.

"One includes, there's a weather pattern where winds will pick up small fish and frogs, and I think it's called an up-spout, and then they lay them down in another place," Kurt Gohde, a professor at Transylvania University, told WLKY-TV. "For me, the vulture vomit theory is the only one that feels possible."

Screen-matched 'Indiana Jones' fedora sells for $630,000

The famous fedora sported by Harrison Ford in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom fetched the swashbuckling sum of $630,000 at auction.

Memorabilia company Propstore said the heroic hat was among the more than 450 items up for bids in its US Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction.

"This fedora was made specifically for the second installment of the Indiana Jones series and matches film shots, production stills and behind-the-scenes footage of Ford in the village set on location in Sri Lanka, in the mine cart chase shot at Elstree Studios, and in the river sequence shot in the U.S.," the auction listing states.

The hat was part of the personal collection of Dean Ferrandini, a stunt performer who also wore the hat while doubling for Ford in the film.

Nationwide shares most unusual pet insurance claims of the year

Insurance company Nationwide announced the finalists for this year's Hambone Award, which celebrates the most unusual pet insurance claims of the year.

The Hambone Award, named in honor of a dog who ate an entire holiday ham while stuck in a refrigerator, aims "to shed light on the everyday and sometimes bizarre incidents that can befall our beloved pets."

This year's finalists include Archie, a New Jersey dog who injured his paws when he broke through a vintage plate glass door while trying to alert his family of the mail carrier's arrival, and Bear, a Pennsylvania corgi who bit into a bottle of nail adhesive and effectively glued his mouth shut.

A New Jersey parrot named Clover also made the list after a growth spurt caused toenails on her feet to hook together.

A Florida dog named Irma suffered from gastrointestinal issues that turned out to have been the result of eating metal wire pieces believed to be from a barbecue brush, and a Virginia dog named Gordon swallowed two large rocks from her owner's garden.

Rounding out the finalists is Lambeau, a North Carolina dog who ate more than 250 jigsaw puzzle pieces.

All of the pets nominated for the award have made full recoveries. Members of the public can vote for the favorite of the finalists through Thursday, with the winner set to be announced Aug. 27.

"Every year, the Hambone Award celebrates the recoveries of our pet nominees, made possible by the dedication of their pet parents and the expertise of their veterinary healthcare teams," Jules Benson, vice president of pet health and chief veterinary officer for Nationwide, said in a news release. "We applaud both and continue to focus on supporting them as they provide pets with the care they need."

Man builds 54-level house of cards in 8 hours

A card-stacking expert broke a Guinness World Record by creating a 54-level house of cards in just 8 hours.

Bryan Berg, a trained architect who started breaking card stacking records in 1992, needed a ladder to complete his card tower, which he topped with his Honor Magic V3 phone for good measure.

Guinness World Records Adjudicator Thomas Bradford confirmed Berg, who did not use glue or any other form of extra support for his attempt, broke the record for the tallest house of cards in 8 hours.

Berg also holds the overall record for the tallest playing card structure, 25 feet and 9 inches, which has stood since 2007.

A rarely seen deep sea fish is found in California, and scientists want to know why

A rarely seen deep sea fish resembling a serpent was found floating dead on the ocean surface off the San Diego coast and was brought ashore for study, marine experts said.

The silvery, 12-foot-long (3.6-meter) oarfish was found last weekend by a group of snorkelers and kayakers in La Jolla Cove, north of downtown San Diego, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said in a statement.

It’s only the 20th time an oarfish is known to have washed up in California since 1901, according to institution fish expert Ben Frable.

Scripps noted that oarfish have a mythical reputation as predictors of natural disasters or earthquakes, although no correlation has been proven.

Oarfish can grow longer than 20 feet (6 meters) and normally live in a deep part of the ocean called the mesopelagic zone, where light cannot reach, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Swimmers brought the La Jolla Cove oarfish to shore atop a paddleboard. It was then transferred to the bed of a pickup truck.

Scientists from NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Scripps planned a necropsy on Friday to try to determine the cause of death.

Three bison escape from Connecticut farm, four bison return

The owner of a Connecticut farm said three bison that escaped earlier this week came back on their own — with a fourth bison in tow.

Amanda Maresca, whose family owns 3B Ranch in North Branford, said three bison escaped by knocking over a section of wire fence on Sunday, and all three animals returned to the farm on their own Tuesday night.

Maresca said the returning bovines were accompanied by a newborn baby bison.

"What we've been kind of saying was that the bison went on maternity leave," she told CT Insider.

The Guilford Police Department hailed the return of the missing bison in a Facebook post.

"These fluffernators had a few eventful days out, meeting and greeting the locals, learning about the rules of the road (everyone knows buffalo have the right of way at every intersection now), and finally they decided that it was time to take a nap in the comforts of their own pasture," police wrote.

Maresca said she is hoping to involve the public in choosing a name for the bison baby.

Swansea postcard dating back 121 years finally arrives

When staff at a building society in Swansea received their mail on Friday, they were surprised by what they discovered.

In among their usual savings and mortgage-related deliveries was a postcard dating back more than 120 years.

The message on the card reads: "Dear L. I could not, it was not possible to get the pair of these. I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home. I have got now about 10/- [shillings] as pocket money not including the train fare so I am doing alright. Remember me to Miss Gilbert and John. With love to all from Ewart."

Among those who have contacted the building society is a relative, believed to be the great niece of Miss Lydia Davies, the postcard's intended recipient.

"We haven't got to the bottom of how it ended up back in the circulation of the Royal Mail and how it came to us with a stamp that is the best part of 125 years old, it's got Kind Edward [VII] on it," Mr Darby added.
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"So we're still intrigued by how it's gone back into the system. We guessed it may be someone was doing a house clearance, guessed it was maybe still a house and thought the owner may like it as a keepsake.

"It's come back into our ownership and we want to make sure it gets to the right place, be it the local archive, or if possible Lydia's surviving family."

A black and white image of the artist Edwin Henry Landseer's painting The Challenge, the postcard is believed to have been sent by a man called Ewart, with the postmark of Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

The postmark is marked AU23 03, which would likely relate to the date 23 August 1903.

A family historian who replied to the building society after it posted the picture on Facebook said they had found a 14-year-old Lydia at 11 Cradock Street in the census of 1901.

World's oldest living man celebrates 112th birthday

The world's oldest living man is celebrating his 112th birthday Monday at the care home where he lives in England.

John Alfred Tinniswood was born Aug. 26, 1912, just over four months after the sinking of the Titanic and six months after Arizona became a U.S. state.

Tinniswood was dubbed the world's oldest living man by Guinness World Records earlier this year and is now celebrating his 112th birthday at his care home in Southport.

"It didn't affect me in any way really, to be honest with you," Tinniswood told Guinness World Records of attaining the title. "Personally, it doesn't mean a thing."

He was similarly nonchalant about turning 112.

"In all honesty, no different. I don't feel that age, I don't get excited over it. That's probably why I've reached it. I just take it in my stride like anything else," he said.

Tinniswood said he doesn't really know the secret to his longevity.

"I can't think of any special secrets I have. I was quite active as a youngster; I did a lot of walking. But to me, I'm no different. No different at all," he said.

Cognac from 1696 confirmed as the oldest in existence

The Guinness World Records team has certified a Cognac produced by Jules Robin and Company in 1696 as the oldest in existence.

The Cognac has been preserved in a remarkable bottle made of cut lead crystal glass, with the name of the producer and the vintage engraved into the mount.

This bottle features an accompanying green stone base with gilded letters, an engraved glass and a stopper.

They are all housed in a glass dome, which has helped the ensemble stay in mint condition over the past 328 years.

In 1696, Louis XIV was at the height of his power in France, having ended the Nine Years’ War by signing the Treaty of Turin.

King William III was still on the throne in England after seeing off an assassination attempt from Jacobite conspirators.

French and English forces were battling it out for supremacy in North America, while troops from the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire were clashing near Andros.

The Cognac industry was maturing by that point. The popular spirit can trace its roots back to the 16th century, when Dutch traders would visit the southwest of France to buy wine and other goods.

Unfortunately, the wine struggled to stay fresh on the long voyage back to the Netherlands, so French producers began double distilling wine, which led to the creation of Cognac.

Distillation techniques had improved by the end of the 17th century, and brandy from the Cognac region was recognised as superior to eaux-de-vie produced elsewhere.

This is the only known bottle from the 1600s still in existence. The producer gave it to Edmond Jaulin, one of the co-founders of the Jules Robin brand, and it eventually found its way into a private collection in France during the 1950s.

The bottle was rediscovered in 2018, and it was acquired by its current owner for an undisclosed sum. It was thought to be the oldest Cognac in existence, and that status has now been confirmed by Guinness World Records.

The Guinness World Record was previously held by a Cognac from Gautier, which was distilled in 1762, so this bottle has broken the record by 66 years.

That bottle fetched almost $150,000 at auction in 2020, by which point it was referred to as ‘the oldest Cognac vintage ever sold at auction’.

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Boy smashes 3,500-year-old jar, museum invites him back

A curious 4-year-old boy accidentally smashed a 3,500-year-old jar while his family was touring a museum in Israel.

The boy, who was not identified, was near the entrance of the Hecht Museum in Haifa Friday when the family came across a crockery that dates back to the Bronze Age, roughly from 2200 and 1500 BC.

The boy's father, identified by only his first name Alex, said his son "pulled the jar slightly" because he was "curious about what was inside." The tug was enough to send the jar falling, crashing into pieces on the museum floor.

"[I was] in shock," Alex told BBC News, saying his first thought was, "It wasn't my child that did it."

The museum said the artifact was not encased in glass or additional protection because of its belief that people should enjoy his historical items without obstructions.

"There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police," the museum said, according to NBC News.

"In this case, however, this was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum."

The museum said the jar, which was designed to carry such goods as olive oil and wine, appeared to have been made in the Canaan region and predated King Solomon and King David.

Despite the damage, the museum said they believed the jar could be restored and returned to be displayed once again. To show there are no hard feelings, the museum invited the child and family back for an organized tour.

Soaked kitten rescued from Ohio car wash

Employees rescued a soaked kitten found lost inside an Ohio car wash, and the feline has now been dubbed Turbo Rinse.

The Fayette Regional Humane Society said on social media that Kierra Mills, team lead at Ultimate Shine Car Wash in Washington Court House, found the kitten in the turbo-blaster area of the wash during a routine inspection.

"I heard a kitten meowing and followed the sound until I found him. He looked terrified, soaking wet and shaking, so I brought him inside our main office and began drying him off as quickly as I could," Mills said.

Workers theorized the orange-and-white tabby may have been tucked up underneath a vehicle that came in for a wash.

"When the car entered the wash, the powerful turbo blasters likely flushed the kitten out from its hiding spot and into the path of the high-pressure water jets," the post said.

The kitten, now dubbed Turbo Rinse, was taken to the Fayette Regional Humane Society, where he was found to be uninjured.

"This could have ended very differently if not for the attentiveness of the car wash staff," said Brad Adams, chief humane agent at the FRHS. "It's a reminder to always check under your vehicle, especially if you have cats or kittens on your property."

Turbo will be made available for adoption once he has been vaccinated, neutered and microchipped.

"We're happy to be a part of the community and grateful for the work of the humane society," Ultimate Shine Car Wash Site Manager Jessica Bellomy said.

Red pepper spill on California highway turns into 'bee-mergency'

A red pepper spill on a California highway turned into a "bee-mergency" situation after a signpost struck by the truck carrying the produce was found to contain a massive hive.

The California Highway Patrol's Santa Maria responded alongside the Santa Maria Fire Department when a semi truck pulling a flatbed trailer overturned on Highway 101 Wednesday morning and spilled its load of red peppers across lanes of traffic.

Crews working to remove the wreckage and clean up the crushed red peppers discovered a sign pole that had been struck and damaged by the truck contained thousands of bees whose hive was now exposed to the elements.

Robert Dias from Swarm Catchers was summoned to the scene and used a special vacuum to safely gather the bees for relocation.

"Talk about a sweet rescue," the CHP wrote on social media. "Thanks for making sure things didn't get too sticky out there, Robert!"

No injuries were reported from the crash or the ensuing bee rescue.

Viking Age stone figurine unearthed in Iceland — but no one can agree on which animal it is

The small, four-legged figurine is carved out of stone, but it's unclear which animal it depicts.

Archaeologists in Iceland have discovered what may be a rare Viking Age toy carved out of stone, but it's anyone's guess as to which animal it depicts.

The figurine, which experts dated to between A.D. 940 and 1000, was found at the Fjörður excavation site in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland. It's a small, four-legged animal with a chipped ear carved from local stone.

Most of the team thought the animal was a pig, Ragnheiður Traustadóttir, director of the Antikva archaeological team that unearthed the toy, told Live Science. This isn't far-fetched, since Vikings used domesticated pigs for meat. Two team members, however, interpreted it as a bear, and while bears are not native to Iceland, at least 600 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have been reported on the island since human settlement began to today. But when pictures of the figurine were posted on Facebook on Aug. 13, many Facebook users became convinced that it represented an Icelandic dog.

"Children are not so visible in the Viking Age, so this is an amazing find," Traustadóttir said. The director sees a pig and is skeptical about the Icelandic dog interpretation, as she says the face doesn't match the animal. "I owned an Icelandic dog for 14 years," Traustadóttir said. "I'm not sure."

The Fjörður excavation, named after the historical Fjörður farm, began in 2020 ahead of the planned construction of avalanche protection walls in Seyðisfjörður and was supposed to last only two years. But the excavation revealed so much that Traustadóttir is now in her fifth summer there.

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New Seamount and Previously Unknown Species Discovered in High Priority Area for International Marine Protection

VALPARAISO, Chile – A team of oceanographers led by Schmidt Ocean Institute have discovered and mapped a new seamount on the Nazca Ridge in international waters, 900 miles off the coast of Chile. The Nazca Ridge, an underwater mountain chain, along with the adjoining Salas y Gómez Ridge, is one of several global locations under consideration for designation as a high seas marine protected area.

The seamount discovery is one of many from a 28-day expedition to the international waters of the Nazca Ridge led by Schmidt Ocean Institute in partnership with Ocean Census and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center at the University of New Hampshire.

The newly discovered underwater mountain is over 1.9 miles (3109 meters) tall and supports a thriving deep-sea ecosystem. In addition to mapping the seamount, the team conducted an exploratory dive with an underwater robot on one of the mountain’s ridges, finding sponge gardens and ancient corals.

The team mapped and explored nine additional unprotected features on this Southeast Pacific underwater mountain range. One of the mountains harbors a pristine coral garden consisting of deep-sea corals that provide shelter for an array of organisms such as rockfish, brittle stars, and king crabs. With an area of approximately 800 square meters, this coral garden is about the size of three tennis courts.

Beyond mapping seamounts to high resolution and conducting ROV surveys, the team captured the first camera footage of a live Promachoteuthis squid, a genus that is so rare that only three species have been described based on only a few collected specimens, several of which are from the late 1800s. Until now, the squid genus has only been characterized from dead samples found in nets. They also documented a Casper octopus, the first time this species has been seen in the Southern Pacific. Two rare Bathyphysa siphonophores, commonly known as flying spaghetti monsters, were also seen during the expedition.

Airlines Are Covering Jets With Fake Shark Skin To Cut Emissions

While automakers are happy to switch their lineups to hybrid and electric power to cut global emissions, it’s much harder for airlines to slash their carbon footprints. Electric planes may be in the works and sustainable fuels are being trialed, but three European airlines are testing a new way to cut their fuel use: fake shark skin fitted to their planes.

German carrier Lufthansa and its subsidiaries have been evaluating a new material on the exterior of its planes to help cut carbon emissions from air travel. The trial saw it fit 17 aircraft with a material that mimics the rough surface of shark skin, catchily named AeroSHARK. The coating reduces drag on the planes meaning that they can fly more efficiently, reports Futurism.

So far, the material has been fitted to Lufthansa and Swiss Airlines planes, which have logged more than 100,000 flight hours. Over that time, they have cut more than 6,000 tons of fuel and cut more than 19,000 tons of carbon emissions from their flights.

Indian student builds world’s smallest vacuum cleaner using a pen

23-year-old student Tapala Nadamuni (India) has hoovered up a Guinness World Records title by creating the world’s smallest vacuum cleaner.

Measuring just 0.65 cm (0.25 in) – less than the width of an average pinkie fingernail – it is 0.2 cm smaller than the previous record set in 2022.

The vacuum is measured by the shortest axis of its body, meaning the handle and power cord dimensions are excluded from the final measurement.

Tapala, who formerly held this record in 2020 with a 1.76-cm vacuum, has spent the past two years trying to win it back, including two rejected attempts.

He revealed that he “came with a completely new design” this time around, preparing over 50 schematic diagrams to ensure his creation met the required standards.

His vacuum is made mostly from a refillable ballpoint pen, with the addition of some small bits of plastic and metal.

Inside the vacuum is a tiny rotating fan powered by a four-volt vibration motor, creating suction.

When connected to a power source, the vacuum makes a whirring sound and is able to suck up dust particles, which can be emptied out afterwards.

Lost cat turns up 2,000 miles from home after nearly 3 years

A cat who went missing from his family's Texas home nearly three years ago was reunited with his owners after turning up in Massachusetts.

The Dakin Humane Society said on social media that "a skinny stray cat" was recently brought in by a member of the public and "staff members were left in disbelief" when his microchip identified him as Shoto, a pet reported missing in Texas in January 2022.

Shoto's owner, Karla, said she was initially suspicious when a Massachusetts area code came up on her phone, but she decided to answer it and was shocked to learn Shoto had been found 2,000 miles from home.

"No one except for Shoto will ever know how he got to Massachusetts, what he experienced, or who he met along the way. That adventure will forever remain his secret," the post said.

Karla made the 26-hour drive to Dakin to be reunited with Shoto and bring her beloved pet home.

"We were honored to have reunited this family after such a long time apart, thanks to the amazing power of a microchip," the shelter said.

The largest string cheese ball breaks the world record, weighing 636 kilograms

Guinness World Records revealed a video showing the creation of a giant string cheese ball, made from over 10,000 litres of milk, weighing 636.2 kilograms.
Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca and Municipio Reyes Etla, hailing from Mexico have set the Guinness World Record for making the largest string cheese ball weighing 636.2 kilograms.

Guinness World Records (GWR) recently shared a video of the steps that were involved in making this string cheese ball. The participants used more than 10,000 litres of milk to make this from scratch. Numerous strings of cheese were used and wrapped around each other, together until a giant cheese ball was made. It was produced on July 19, 2024, and the video shared by GWR showcases the tireless efforts of the participants that went into crafting this cheese ball.

This record surpassed the previous record of the cheese ball made by 80 workers in Pijijiapan, Chiapas, last year. The earlier record holder was made with 6,000 litres of milk and weighed approximately 558 kilograms.

Sumatran tiger cub born at San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced the birth of a baby Sumatran tiger cub at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The alliance said first-time mother Jillian gave birth to a cub Aug. 23 in the park's Tull Family Tiger Trail habitat.

Care specialists said Jillian quickly bonded with the newborn and has been displaying the expected maternal behaviors.

"We are thrilled at the birth of this very special tiger cub at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park," said Lisa Peterson, senior vice president and executive director of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. "This birth adds Jillian's incredibly important genes into the pool of the population, furthering the genetic diversity and health of the Sumatran tiger species."

Sumatran tigers are considered critically endangered, with only 400-600 of the big cats believed to live in the wild.

Officials said the mother and cub will remain in their den for the next few weeks while specialists continue to monitor the duo and their milestones.