Summary
Bruce Stambaugh shares his picks for the most overlooked news items of 2011.
Bruce Stambaugh writes about nature, weather, hobbies and people, often using personal experiences. Much to their dismay, he also writes about his family. He uses humor and pathos when he cant think of anything else to include.
For Dec. 26, 2011
This year proved just as crazy as any other. Nose for newsy person that I am, I kept track of some of the zanier happenings of 2011that for whatever reasons didnt quite make the headlines.
Some of the stories involved weather. Others were human driven. Here is just a sampling of the years mayhem.
Jan. 12 – Of the 50 United States, Florida was the only one without measurable snow on the ground.
Jan. 28 – A woman in Kent, England returned a dog she had adopted from the local rescue kennel because it clashed with her curtains.
Feb. 27 – Frank Buckles, the sole remaining U.S. World War I veteran, died at age 110 at his home in Charles Town, W. Va.
March 13 – Police in Ashland, Ohio ticketed the driver of an Amish buggy for drag racing another buggy on the way to church.
March 25 – A report on global health said that worldwide 4.6 billion people had cell phones while 4.3 billion people had access to a toilet.
April 11 – Scientists in England determined that April 11, 1954 was the most boring day in the 20th century.
May 17 – Watermelons in China exploded on the vines because farmers there apparently added growth chemicals too late in the season.
May 21 – U.S. Census figures showed that the Hispanic population had surpassed the Amish population in Lancaster County, Pa.
June 4 – Bobby Bradley, age nine, became the youngest trained pilot to fly a hot air balloon solo when he launched at Albuquerque, New Mexico and landed a half hour later.
June 17 – A deer fawn apparently dropped by an eagle onto a high voltage line caused a power outage in East Missoula, Montana.
July 28 – The U.S. Census showed that the countrys rural population totaled just 16 percent of the national population, the lowest rate in history.
August 2 – In trying to get to the Mercury Insurance Open in Carlsbad, Calif., pro tennis player Bojana Jovanovski flew from Washington, D.C. to Carlsbad, New Mexico.
August 18 – The small Pacific resort island of Aitutaki, part of the Cook Islands, had its first bank robbery ever, with the thieves making off with $166,000.
September 24 – A total of 18,000 people attended the annual RoadKill Cook-off and Autumn Harvest Festival held in Marlinton, W. Va.
October 16 – Fauja Singh, 100, completed the Toronto Marathon, becoming the oldest person on record to finish a run of 26 miles 385 yards.
October 28 – A 60-year old New Mexico woman went straight to jail after allegedly stabbing her boyfriend over a game of Monopoly.
October 31 – Inside Insurance Magazine rated West Virginia as the state where drivers are most likely to hit a deer.
November 30 – An 80-year old Chicago man donated an old wool suite to Goodwill, only to remember too late that he had hid his life savings of $13,000 in one of the pockets.
December 4 – A chain-reaction crash on an expressway in Japan resulted in 14 luxury automobiles, including eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benzes and a Lamborghini, being destroyed or heavily damaged.
December 7 – Pantone Inc., announced that Tangerine Tango would be the 2012 color of the year.
Lets hope 2012 is a better year for you, me, and for all who grace Gods good earth, even if we have to wear some shade of orange.
To read more The Rural View, visit Bruce Stambaugh at www.holmescountyjournal.com.
