US surveillance balloon breaks free near Texas border and travels to Dallas area before crashing
DALLAS (AP) -- A large balloon used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for surveillance along the Texas border broke free and traveled about 600 miles (966 kilometers) to the north before crashing as high winds swept through the state. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that on Monday afternoon the aerostat system broke free from its tether during a "severe wind event" on South Padre Island and contact was lost. The agency said it was located the next day in Hunt County, about 30 miles east of Dallas.
Meet the world's oldest female barber. A 108-year-old Japanese woman is overjoyed at the recognition
TOKYO (AP) -- A 108-year-old Japanese woman has been named the world's oldest female barber by the Guinness World Records this week. Shitsui Hakoishi says the formal recognition brought her much joy -- other than her satisfied customers, that is. The 108-year-old was presented with an official certificate from the international franchise on Wednesday. She says her career has spanned nine decades and that she owes it all to her customers. Hakoishi told a televised news conference at a gymnasium in her hometown of Nakagawa in the Tochigi prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, that she's "overwhelmed and filled with joy."
This wild ancient version of soccer has rules like 'no murder' and is still being played today
ASHBOURNE, England (AP) -- It's described as one of the earliest forms of soccer with one ancient rule telling players not to murder each other. Every year thousands of people descend on a small town in the English countryside to watch a two-day game of mass street football that, to the casual observer, could be mistaken for a riot. This is Royal Shrovetide, a centuries-old ball game played in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. It looks nothing like the world's most popular sport. Played between two teams of hundreds of players, the aim is to "goal" at either end of a three-mile sector that could take the match through rivers, hedgerows, high streets and just about anything except churchyards, cemeteries and places of worship.
Pokémon-shaped Cheeto, 'Cheetozard,' sells at auction for $87,840
NEW YORK (AP) -- A Cheeto shaped like the beloved Pokémon Charizard has sold at auction for a total cost of $87,840. The Goldin auction house listed the snack as sold on Sunday. The auction's description calls it a "3-inch long Flamin' Hot Cheeto" that is "affixed to a customized Pokémon card and encapsulated in a clear card storage box." The Cheeto was discovered and preserved sometime between 2018-2022. There were 60 bids on the Cheeto. The winning bid was $72,000 plus a buyer's premium.
One moment, calm waters. The next, a 900-pound dolphin landed on their boat
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A dolphin weighing more than 900 pounds appeared to fall out of the sky before landing in a small fishing boat off the coast of New Zealand, shocking the three men on board. The 11-foot bottlenose dolphin leaped into the boat at a fishing spot in the country's far north on Friday. Dean Harrison, the vessel's owner, and his companions were unable to return the dolphin to the sea and instead kept it wet with a hose while they drove it to shore. There, conservation workers helped to put the dolphin safely back in the ocean.
World's oldest llama enjoys comforting chronically ill children in North Carolina
A bucktoothed llama that spends his days comforting chronically ill children at a North Carolina camp founded by NASCAR royalty has been crowned the world's oldest llama in captivity. The Guinness World Records announced last week that at 27 years and 251 days, the selfie- and snuggle-loving llama called Whitetop has dethroned Dalai Llama. Whitetop was donated to the Victory Junction camp in 2006, just two years after race car driver Kyle Petty and his family founded the camp in honor of Petty's son, who was killed in a racing crash. Whitetop has become known for his relaxed, sweet and empathetic personality.
Crowds cheer as runners with frying pans race to mark annual Pancake Day
LONDON (AP) -- Racers dressed as a skyscraper, beekeeper and a chest of drawers were among dozens of runners zipping around a central London square with a frying pan in hand to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, or "Pancake Day." Hundreds of people packed into Guildhall Yard, cheering as participants in the annual Inter-Livery Pancake Race ran around the square while tossing pancakes in their frying pans. It was one of many pancake races across the U.K. to mark the day before the start of Lent, the Christian period of repentance and sacrifice before Easter.
Timber over Tinder: Bridegroom's Oak in a German forest has connected lovers for over a century
EUTIN, Germany (AP) -- It's timber over Tinder in a forest in northern Germany where the Bridegroom's Oak has connected lovers for more than a century. The Bridegroom's Oak has a famous knothole that's been used as a mailbox since 1892. It even has its own postal code in the Dodau Forest, some 250 kilometers north of Berlin. Mail carriers from the German postal service act as Cupid, delivering 50 to 60 letters to the knothole each month. Visitors to the tree can leaf through the missives and choose whether to become postal paramours with any of the letter-writers.
Florida Man Games return for Round 2 as teams vie to be the world's worst superhero
ELKTON, Fla. (AP) -- The Florida Man Games are back for Round 2, as teams from around the state gather to prove they have what it takes to join the ranks of the world's worst superhero. Following last year's inaugural Florida Man Games in downtown St. Augustine, organizers have moved Saturday's event a few miles away to the St. Johns County Fairgrounds, where they expected to have room for more spectators and tailgating. Poking fun at the state's reputation for bizarre stories, last year's teams competed in Florida-themed events like the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course and Beer Belly Sumo Wrestling. New events added this year include Hurricane Party Prep: Grocery Aisle Brawl and Human Beer Pong.
Cold-water swimmers in the Czech Republic set a new world record for the largest polar bear dip
PRAGUE (AP) -- Czech cold-water swimmers have set a new world record for the largest polar bear dip. A total of 2,461 took part in the attempt in the Most lake in northwest Czech Republic. The previous record was 1,799, set in Poland in 2015. For the record to be recognized, the participants have to wear bathing suits, be at least waist-deep in water and stay there all together for at least one minute. The temperature of the water during the record attempt was 3.5 degrees Celsius (38.2 degrees Fahrenheit), well below the required 10 degrees Celsius.