Tien Kung Ultra took home the gold medal on April 19 in the Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon in Beijing, CNN reported. Ultra and more than 20 other robots ran alongside (but in a separate lane from) their 12,000 human competitors, supported by navigators, operators and engineers. It crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 41 minutes, after three battery changes and one fall. The human winner finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes. Almost every robot in the race suffered falls or overheating issues, and one spun in two circles after leaving the starting line, hit a wall and dragged its human operators down with it. Another’s head repeatedly fell off.
Police report
On April 18, the police in Bozeman, Mont., held a press conference to share that 13 of its officers, including two sergeants, had been involved in a bingo game with different kinds of arrests on the card, KBZK-TV reported. The game took place over 12 days in mid-January, with custom bingo cards with squares reading “Over .30 BAC DUI,” “3+ Vehicle Accident” and “Naked.” Police Chief Jim Veltkamp said the game was shut down and an investigation was done to make sure there were no wrongful arrests or officers acting outside their normal duties. He added that participating supervisors were disciplined.
Underwater discovery
On April 19, NOAA Ocean Exploration sent a remote-control camera inside the wreckage of the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier that was sunk about 1,000 miles from Honolulu during World War II, the Miami Herald reported. Along with the expected finds, the researchers discovered a “1940-’41 Ford Super Deluxe ‘Woody’ in black,” with flared fenders, what’s left of a rag top and chrome trim. Warships normally don’t carry cars, and Ocean Exploration officials theorized that it belonged to the ship’s captain. The wreckage, about 3 miles deep, was first discovered in 1998.
Missing in action
A 20-year-old Indian man identified only as Rahul disappeared nine days before his wedding, The Economic Times reported, taking with him cash and jewelry and, most insultingly, the bride-to-be’s mother. On April 9, Rahul said he was going shopping for wedding clothes, but he later called his father to say, “I’m leaving. Don’t try to look for me.” Around the same time, his future mother-in-law also went missing without leaving a message. The bride-to-be said her fiancé and her mother “used to talk on the phone a lot over the past three to four months. All we want is that the money and jewelry should be returned to us.” Police said they are investigating.
Specialty garb
The latest fashion involves $150-plus “nap dresses” one could use for ... napping. In an April 10 report, CNN called the style “one of the latest iterations of the house dress” and said it is “comfy enough to nap in, but the ruffled shoulders, elasticized smocking and tiered midi skirt are elevated and sophisticated enough to wear to fancy drinks.”
A bird-brained vandal
A Rockport, Mass., neighborhood is reeling from a wave of vandalism that has claimed at least 25 car mirrors in recent weeks, People.com reported on April 24. When resident Janelle Favaloro caught the culprit in the act, she posted on Facebook: “There has been a vandal breaking car mirrors. He is described as 18”-24” tall, wearing black and white, with a red hat.” If that sounds a bit flighty, it’s because the guilty party is a pileated woodpecker. Experts believe the felonious fowl is mistaking its own reflection for a rival, and residents have taken to covering their car mirrors in the hope of preventing the bird’s attacks.
Send your weird news items with subject line Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
