IRISH TIMES ODDITIES:Culled from the archives of The Irish Times
BEAVER LIVED WITH BULLET IN SKULL
A Canadian beaver which died in Dublin Zoo last week was found, in a postmortem examination, to have had a small bullet, probably from a .22, embedded in its skull. The animal did not die from any cause associated with the bullet, but from another cause disclosed in the examination.
Since it would not have been possible for the animal to have been shot at while in its den in Dublin Zoo, it is presumed that while it was in its wild state in Canada, before being taken to Calgary Zoo, from whence it came, it must have been hit by a Canadian hunter and survived to make an aeroplane journey to Dublin Zoo.
January 4th, 1960
ATTACKING EAGLE BEATEN OFF
While a boy of 10 years was on his way to school today in the village of Glandage Drome, France, he was attacked by a large eagle. The child defended itself first with a knife and then with a stick, with which he gave the bird such a blow on the head that it gave up the fight and flew off. The boy was warmly congratulated by his master on arriving at school.
November 27th, 1928
GRUNTING PIG AS CHEQUE
A farmer's cheque written on the flank of a grunting pig and presented yesterday at Blantyre Bank, Blantyre, Nyasaland [now Malawi], in payment of income tax was accepted by the bank. The cheque was for £12, and was signed by Maj P Moxon, who sent it to the income tax department on Saturday. It was taken to the bank yesterday in a crate. The cashier stuck a 2d stamp on the pig and stamped it "paid". The pig is now confined on the first floor of the bank waiting to be passed through the books. But, as it cannot be filed with other paid vouchers, the bank has asked the major for special instructions.
January 31st, 1956
ICE-CREAM CHIMES BANNED
Derry Corporation is to ban chimes from ice-cream vans between 9am and 7pm following complaints from young mothers in housing estates. The council originally decided on a ban from 8pm to 8am, but afterwards changed this to prohibit chimes between noon and 9pm in order to guard against risks to schoolchildren running across streets when they heard the chimes. The Ministry of Home Affairs has now said that it will confirm a by-law prohibiting the chimes if the corporation changes the hours to 9am to 7pm, and the corporation has agreed to this.
September 23rd, 1964
NO SANTA IN EAST GERMANY
"No, there is no Santa Claus." That's the stand taken by Today's Woman, the official magazine of the East German Communist womens' organisation, which has told East German mothers "to break the news to their children that there is no Santa Claus, because otherwise they will think Santa is unjust". It is also hinted that it considered Santa to be a capitalist.
The magazine said that, in capitalist countries, Santa brought only a scooter to good poor boys, while bad rich boys got motorcycles: good poor girls got knitted gloves and bad rich girls fur coats.
December 23rd, 1960