New York Times prints correction on Solomon Northup's name...161 years later
People doing research on Solomon Northup, the slave whose tragic true story was told in the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave, found fodder in the archives of the New York Times. The problem? The paper of record routinely botched his name (Northrop...er, Northrup...er...) Now, all of 161 years later, the Grey Lady has come clean by printing a correction. Hey, better late than never, right? In other recent "whoops!" news, The Guardian has issued a correction over its misidentification of Bradley Cooper as (say what?) Bradley Manning in that record-busting Academy Awards photo. Hey guys, we all make mstkes.
Grand Rapids strikes law against "willful annoyance"
For decades, if you were an obnoxious tool in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you were officially violating city code, which mandated no one could be "willfully annoying." Now, rather tragically, the city commission has decided to strike this law, on the grounds that annoyance is highly subjective. Except for those people who pretty much everyone can agree are annoying (you know who we're talking about!).
Crazy Man Sues McDonald's For $1.5 Million Over...Napkins
If you've ever been stuck with ketchup splatter and insufficient napkins during a trip to McDonald's, you'll understand the pain of a man who is suing the fast-food company for providing him just one measly little napkin. His asking price? A hefty $1.5 million, which as it turns out can buy a lot of napkins. More crazy lawsuit stories here!
Another Crazy Man Brings Tiger Into Bar
A man brings a tiger into a bar... No, this is not the beginning of a joke. It happened. An allegedly drunk man actually brought a 45-pound tiger cub into an Illinois bar, which promptly freaked everyone out and got him (though not the tiger) arrested. Now, the guy is trying to tell everyone to just calm down, OK? Umm yeah, it's a tiger dude. That's not going to happen. (For good measure, brush up on this charming tale of an alligator brought into a bar, too. Oh, people...)
Image: Wikimedia Commons
