WWI soldiers' messages in a bottle found on Australian beach more than 100 years later
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Messages in a bottle written by two World War I soldiers have been discovered on Australia's coast. The Brown family found the bottle on Oct. 9 at Wharton Beach in Western Australia. Inside were letters from Australian soldiers Malcolm Neville and William Harley, dated Aug. 15, 1916. Their troop ship had left port three days earlier for Europe. Neville was killed a year later, while Harley survived the war. The letters were in good condition, allowing the Browns to contact the soldiers' relatives. Harley’s granddaughter and Neville’s great nephew expressed amazement at the discovery.
A San Francisco dog wags its tail and kisses rescuers after it's plucked from the side of a cliff
Rescuers have saved a pet dog that fell off an oceanside bluff in San Francisco and spent more than 20 minutes clinging to a narrow ledge. Officials say the dog was playing with another pooch on Tuesday at Fort Funston, which is a coastal park with steep bluffs. Firefighters say the dog slipped on some vegetation, lost its traction and fell over the cliff. One rescuer rappelled down, attached a harness to the dog and held it as they were pulled back up top together. Rescuers then reunited the dog with its owner.
Studying the wrong ancient Roman ruler gets Australian high school seniors out of a history exam
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Teachers at nine high schools in northeastern Australia discovered days before an ancient history exam that they had mistakenly taught their students about the wrong Roman ruler — Augustus Caesar instead of his predecessor, Julius Caesar. The students in Queensland ended up being exempt from the statewide exam on Wednesday while Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said he would investigate the mix-up, describing the experience for the students as “extremely traumatic.” Since the error in the curriculum was discovered on Monday, schools applied — and were granted — an exemption from the exam for their students. Students said there was “no way” they could “learn a semester’s work in a couple of days.”
Picasso portrait of muse Dora Maar in vivid hat, long hidden from view, sells for 32 million euros
PARIS (AP) — A long-hidden Picasso portrait of muse Dora Maar has sold for 32 million euros at an auction in Paris. The vividly hued portrait had remained out of view for more than eight decades in a family collection. Auctioneer Christophe Lucien called Friday's sale to a buyer in the room “an enormous success." Painted in July 1943, “Bust of a Woman with a Flowered Hat (Dora Maar)” depicts Maar in a brightly colored floral hat. She had been the artist’s muse for about seven years, and the relationship was coming to a painful close. The work was purchased in 1944 and had not been on the market since.
This seat taken? Thieves busted for stealing over 1,000 restaurant chairs in Spain
MADRID (AP) — Spanish police have arrested seven people suspected of stealing over 1,100 chairs from outdoor seating areas at restaurants and bars. The thefts occurred in Madrid and a nearby municipality over two months. The group, consisting of six men and a woman, targeted 18 establishments in August and September. Police estimate the stolen property is worth around $69,000. The suspects face charges of theft and belonging to a criminal organization. They allegedly resold the chairs in Spain, Morocco and Romania. In Spain, outdoor furniture is often left outside overnight, usually stacked and chained.
An elephant family smashed pumpkins at the Oregon Zoo. But this baby just wanted to play ball
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — During an annual fall event where giant elephants smash massive pumpkins, a baby elephant was too small to crush the largest gourds, which weigh around 1,000 pounds. Baby elephants like Tula-Tu are a few hundred pounds lighter. Instead zookeepers gave her a small pumpkin which she dribbled like a soccer ball. The event, called the “Squishing of the Squash,” took place on October 16. It’s a tradition that started decades ago when a farmer donated a giant pumpkin. Asian elephants like Tula-Tu are considered highly endangered, but there have been successful conservation milestones in recent years.
Giant, floating pumpkin races draw large crowds to annual event in Oregon
TUALATIN, Ore. (AP) — Giant, floating pumpkin races have drawn large crowds to the Oregon city of Tualatin. The Portland suburb has hosted the event since 2004. In Sunday's event, giant pumpkins that originally weighed roughly 1,000 pounds were carved out, allowing them to float. People dressed in costumes then sat in the hollowed-out pumpkins and used kayak paddles to race around a small human-made lake. Gary Kristensen won the first race of the day in a 936-pound pumpkin that he grew himself. Earlier this year, Kristensen earned a Guinness World Record for longest journey by pumpkin boat after paddling over 58 miles on the Columbia River.
Madrid's annual 'Transhumance' festival of sheep and goats draws huge crowds
MADRID (AP) — Madrid's streets have been filled with sheep and goats in an annual festival celebrating rural heritage. The Transhumance Festival recreates the tradition of moving livestock to new grazing grounds. On Sunday, thousands watched as 1,100 Merino sheep and 200 goats paraded through the city. The event highlights the environmental benefits of traditional grazing, which helps reduce wildfires by clearing flammable undergrowth. The festival has been held since 1994, with a symbolic fee paid for the animals' passage. Last year, however, it was canceled due to disease concerns.
Dozens of costumed canines get their chance to trick-or-treating at Howloween event in Michigan
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Dogs dressed up as everything from Elvis Presley to Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine went trick-or-treating in Michigan. It was part of the annual Howloween event organized by a local pet store. The costumed canines made a loop through Lansing’s Old Town arts district, stopping outside restaurants, gift shops and jewelry stores, where owners were waiting to provide treats and a scratch behind the ears. The event is organized each year by Preuss Pets, an Old Town fixture. The number of dogs is capped at 200, and they have to preregister. It is part of an effort to keep the numbers down for safety’s sake.
Ah, rats! Researchers say some other critter likely created Chicago's 'rat hole' sidewalk landmark
Ah, rats! Researchers have debunked the origin of Chicago's so-called “rat hole," concluding some other critter was likely responsible for creating the macabre sidewalk landmark. The rat hole was a full-body impression of a small creature crossing wet cement in the city's Roscoe Village neighborhood 20 to 30 years ago. The imprint closely resembled a rat, hence the namesake. It became a tourist attraction in 2024 after comedian Winslow Dumaine tweeted about its existence. Someone filled it in later that year, but the city preserved the slab. A team of researchers published a study Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters saying they measured the imprint and concluded a squirrel or muskrat — not a rat — likely created it.
