The arrival of June marks 2024′s midway point. Let’s take a walk on memory lane through the wild and wacky year that has been 2024 so far.
Hopefully your 2024 has been crazy only in positive ways, but either way, you’re not alone, according to the following roundup of some of the world’s craziest stories from every month this year. Buckle up for the ride.
We’ll start in January and finish out in May, leaving this June wide open for your own crazy stories.
January
Woman wins world’s ugliest lawn contest
Gotland, Sweden, partnered with actress and environmentalist Shailene Woodley to launch the world’s first contest honoring ugly lawns, according to Gotland.com. The contest supports water conservation and natural environmental conditions over artificially maintained lawns.
Kathleen Murray, a Tasmanian woman who lives in a relatively bare, dry area of Tasmania, credits local wildlife for turning her lawn into its present patchy, dry and weedy state, per The Guardian.
“I used to think the bandicoots were wildlife of mass destruction invading my lawn, but now I see that they’ve actually liberated me from ever having to mow it again,” said Murray. “I’m all for guilt-free weekends, especially since my ex-husband left with the lawnmower back in 2016.”
Elmo becomes an impromptu therapist
Sesame Street’s beloved red puppet has his own social media presence. That’s not the story. The story is that the caring little guy posted a question asking everyone how they’re doing.
The responses that flooded in were nothing short of honest, according to NPR. People sent in concerns about rent, relationships, household problems, mental health issues and more. Elma strived to respond to as many users as possible in a kind, caring fashion.
An X user named Becky commented that respondents were “trauma dumping so hard on elmo the official sesame street account had to tweet out mental health resources.”
President Biden even took notice when he stated that: “Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and above all else, ask for help when we need it.”
February
Reverse museum heist
A museum employee snuck in one of his own paintings to Munich, Germany’s Pinakothek der Moderne Museum. The 51-year-old artist and service technician crept in after museum hours and hung up his two-by-four-foot art piece in the modern art section, according to NPR.
Staff noticed the painting when the museum opened, but chose to leave it up all day before taking it down. While the museum did not report what the painting’s contents were, a spokesperson did announce that the museum “did not receive any positive feedback on the addition from visitors to the gallery.”
The employee was let go but not charged except for property damage that came about when he hung the painting to the wall.
SPAM festival honors the SPAM king
Isleton, California, hosted the 25th annual festival in honor of the canned meat this February.
Hundreds of people gather together for music, merchandise, SPAM tosses and SPAM cooking competitions, which have, in past years, included SPAM cheesecakes, cupcakes, tamales, burritos and ice cream, according to NPR.
Paul Steele was crowned this year’s SPAM king and dressed up as a giant can of SPAM in honor of his station.
March
Waiters speed-walk down the streets of Paris
The Course des Cafés saw over 200 waiters, dressed in classy white shirts, black pants and aprons, carry trays of food and drinks for 1.2 miles over bumpy Parisian streets, according to NPR.
Contestants were judged based on how skillfully and gracefully they maneuvered their trays, how quickly they moved without running and, of course, the final appearance of the food they served.
Samy Lamrous won the men’s section at 13 minutes and 30 seconds and Pauline Van Wymeersch won the women’s section at 14 minutes and 12 seconds.
April
50,000 bees discovered in a toddler’s wall
A 3-year-old claimed to hear “monsters” in her wall, but her parents, of course, dismissed the idea — monsters aren’t real.
But bees are, and when the parents finally called in pest control, they found a giant honeycomb and 50,000 bees living in the toddler’s bedroom wall, per NPR. No one was harmed at all and the bees were safely relocated.
Emotional support alligator goes missing
Wally, a 6-foot-long gator, garnered a positive reputation for his friendly attitude, including his legal certification as an emotional support animal, his visits to nursing homes and time spent visiting with the mayor of Philadelphia, according to NPR.
While Wally was in Georgia, a licensed trapper responded to a nuisance call, picked Wally up and released him in a Georgian swamp. Wally’s owner, who has spent decades working with and and rehabilitating alligators, is still looking for him.
May
Monkey business
Lopburi, Thailand, is being harassed by around 2,500 macaque monkeys who steal and otherwise cause public disturbances.
The town finally decided enough was enough and has started planting cages loaded with delicious rambutan fruit, according to The Associated Press.
The traps have been successful so far. The monkeys will go behind bars until being transported to a monkey-friendly environment far from Lopburi.
Cat receives an honorary doctorate
Vermont State University recently awarded Max the Cat a doctorate of litter-ature for his exceeding friendliness. Max lives with a human family near to campus, but spends his days befriending college students, according to HuffPost.
Merlympics
Every year Switzerland hosts the Mermaid Olympics, where swimmers dressed in mermaid tails showcase their elegance and speed, per NPR.
On the serious side, the event is about environmental activism and water conservation; on the wacky side, it features mermaids of all shapes, sizes and colors dancing and swimming as if fresh out of a fairytale.