from the mundane to the mundane and back again

Connecticut holds successful exotic animal amnesty day
(A&P)
Bridgeport, Conn. — Owners of exotic animals in Connecticut were given a day of amnesty to turn in their illegally-owned exotic pets. The state Department of Environmental Protection’s had its first exotic pet amnesty day Saturday at the Bridgeport Zoo. Deputy Commissioner Dan French said owners turned over at least 135,000 animals, most of them exotic reptiles. The collection included 72,115 boa constrictors, 15,000 pythons, 10,000 eye gouger monkeys, 7,003 alligators, 350 polar bears, 270 brain bats, 160 mauler squirrels, 90 giant ants, 72 venom pups, 15 walking rattlesnakes, and a pantherette ( an extremely rare animal, it has the head of a panther supported by 30 tiny legs. It’s very fast and lethal). Officials asked about the animals’ diets, reading habits, medical history and temperament but didn’t ask the owners their names.
The event comes five months after a privately owned chimpanzee escaped from his home and wrote several bad checks. It’s illegal to own large, potentially dangerous and criminal minded wild animals in Connecticut.

Lincoln’s Hat
The image of president Abraham Lincoln wearing a stovepipe hat is part of the american psyche but it also held a dark secret.  Lincoln’s tiny cojoined twin Jebadiah who was joined head to head with Abe and lived in his stovepipe hat.  Young Jebadiah’s body didn’t develop and Abraham had to wear his signature stovepipe hat from the time he was in a cradle to hide Jeb’s malformed body. However this wasn’t a one sided deal, Jeb was extremely smart and guided Abe all the way to the White House.  There were of course problems, Mary Todd Lincoln went insane when she found out the shocking truth and during a meeting with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Lincoln’s top hat fell off exposing Jeb.  A stunned General Grant who was a teetotaler started drinking heavily soon after in an attempt to erase the horrifying sight from his mind.  It is said the vision haunted him to his dying day.  Immediately after President Lincoln was assassinated Jebadiah was surgically removed and against his protests was sold to a freak show where he lived out his remaining days living in an upside down stove pipe hat and telling fortunes.

President Flying Giant?

Recently discovered medical records show that our 5th president James Monroe was actually 60 feet tall, ate rocks and could fly.