By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/29/2025 2:17 PM
A California woman's doorbell camera captured a video of a mysterious figure that has some residents speculating about strange visitors from outer space. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/29/2025 1:05 PM
A British scuba diving team came to the assistance of a paddleboarder whose wedding ring fell into the River Great Ouse, near Cardington Lock in Bedford. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/29/2025 11:26 AM
Maintenance workers with a Texas school district had an unusual situation when they found a raccoon with its head stuck in a hole in a dumpster on campus. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/28/2025 4:16 PM
A Washington road became a sticky-sweet mess on Monday when a semi truck overturned and spilled its load of cherries into the Douglas County roadway. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/28/2025 4:09 PM
A California man's lucky lottery streak culminated in his winning $2 million from an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers ticket he bought in Hayward. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/28/2025 2:08 PM
A California woman who loves the sport of golf earned an unusual Guinness World Records title by putting 711 wooden golf tees into her hair at the same time. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/28/2025 1:49 PM
A water monitor lizard that escaped from its owner's home through a window in Massachusetts was spotted a week later across the state border in Connecticut. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/28/2025 12:34 PM
Siren's Curse, the newest thrill ride at Ohio's Cedar Point amusement park, stranded riders temporarily for at least the fourth time since it opened June 28. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/28/2025 11:49 AM
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel responded to Florida's Turnpike in Miami-Dade County to remove an alligator on the shoulder. ... Read full Story
A disgruntled bishop in a dressing gown has interrupted a church concert in London - telling singers to stop their "terrible racket" and "leave his house". ... Read full Story
The company at the centre of a viral video at a Coldplay concert has released a tongue-in-cheek clip on social media - featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as a "temporary spokesperson". ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/25/2025 1:31 PM
Serial Guinness World Record-breaker David Rush unofficially broke a record when he and a friend popped 10 balloons between their bodies in 7.5 seconds. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/25/2025 1:17 PM
A South Carolina woman whose husband forgot to buy lottery tickets made her own trip to the store, where a "bright, shiny and glittery" ticket won her $500,000. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/25/2025 11:32 AM
Two wallabies escaped from their owner's home in a Belgian border town and one of the animals was captured days later after crossing the border into France. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/25/2025 11:10 AM
A tortoise who escaped from her family's home in an English town was found more than two weeks later outside an ice cream parlor nearly 3 miles from home. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/24/2025 1:41 PM
A North Carolina road was temporarily closed in Asheville so crews could clean up the minty-fresh, "slippery" mess of spilled toothpaste mixed with sawdust. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/24/2025 12:20 PM
A New Zealand cat named Leo earned the nickname "Leonardo da Pinchy" after he was shown to be a literal cat burglar with a penchant for stealing underwear. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/24/2025 11:31 AM
Firefighters in Coral Springs, Fla., came to the rescue of a raccoon that lived up to its trash panda nickname by getting its leg stuck in an outdoor trash can. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/23/2025 4:09 PM
A Des Moines, Iowa, man who received a scratch-off lottery ticket as a present from a friend ended up scoring a $100,000 surprise for his 42nd birthday. ... Read full Story
By United Press International, Inc. | | 7/23/2025 12:55 PM
Sheriff's deputies in Florida had a "loony" situation on their hands when a coyote was struck by a vehicle and ended up wedged inside the front bumper. ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2025 is:
palimpsest \PAL-imp-sest\ noun
Palimpsest in its original use refers to writing material (such as a parchment manuscript) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased; the underlying text is said to be “in palimpsest.” Palimpsest in extended use refers to something that has usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.
// Scholars believe the motive for making palimpsests was often economic—reusing parchment was cheaper than preparing a new skin.
// The ancient city is an architectural palimpsest.
“My aim was to trace the course of … the Aqua Marcia, built between 144 and 140 B.C. by Julius Caesar’s ancestor Quintus Marcius Rex. … The original tuff arches carried the Marcia across a steep ravine. Subsequent retaining walls and buttresses have transformed the bridge into a palimpsest of building styles.” — David Laskin, The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Did you know?
Long ago, writing surfaces were so highly valued that they were often used more than once. Palimpsest in its original use referred to an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. (The word is from the Greek palimpsēstos, meaning “scraped again.”) Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn’t completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents recovered from a palimpsest. Nowadays, the word palimpsest can refer not only to such a document but to anything that has multiple layers apparent beneath the surface.