“A rudimentary model of Stephenson’s Rocket that was made by a father for his son after seeing it chug past their home has emerged as the oldest toy train in the world. The simple wooden toy was hand-crafted out of scraps of wood by the loving dad who whittled them into the shape of the legendary steam locomotive. Made from sight in the late 1820s or early 1830s, the model is almost as old as the first real locomotives. On the Antiques Roadshow to be broadcast this Sunday, expert Paul Atterbury described it as ‘extraordinary.’ He said: ‘It’s incredibly crude and it’s made of re-used components. ‘It’s old bits and pieces knocked together to please a child, and it looks like a locomotive of the 1820-1830 period.” w/ photos

“Johnny C. Parks died two days before his first birthday more than a century ago. His grave slipped from sight, along with the rest of the tiny town of Bluffton, when Lake Buchanan was filled 55 years later. Now, the cracked marble tombstone – engraved with the date October 15, 1882, which is normally covered by 20 to 30 feet of water – has been eerily exposed as a year-long drought shrinks one of Texas’ largest lakes, north-west of Austin. Across the state, receding lakes have revealed a prehistoric skull, ancient tools, fossils and a small cemetery that appears to contain the graves of freed slaves. Some of the discoveries have attracted interest from local historians and looters alike. More than two dozen thieves have been arrested at one site. Pat Mercado-Allinger, the Texas Historical Commission’s archeological division director, said: ‘In an odd way, this drought has provided an opportunity to view and document, where appropriate, some of these finds and understand what they consist of.” w/ photos

“This looks like a job you could really get your teeth into. Staff at a salon Down Under have given a particularly scaly customer a ‘bikini wax’ and full body exfoliation. In a bizarre bid to show off their skills to potential new customers, they plucked and pedicured a crocodile. And just in case you’re wondering whether reptiles have hair, there’s some on the waxing strip to ‘prove’ it. The saltwater beast was borrowed from a crocodile research center in Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory, especially for the stunt. And when it left, it was like a new lady – ready for the rough and tumble of a crocodile mating season.” w/ photos

“These moggies were left feeling a little furtive after their eccentric owner got them to model her bizarre range of cat hats. The barmy bonnets were designed by businesswoman Carolyn Cooling of Houston, Texas, for her business Pampered Whiskers. Carolyn, who insists that wearing hats is ‘natural’ for cats, recruited the help of Dodger the tabby and Hoot the longhair as models, but they didn’t seem too impressed with the results.” w/ photos

“For most mortals, merely balancing on a board skimming its way back to shore is a task that requires hours practice to master. But these guys have taken the skill to a whole new level. These boarders from Kommetjie, in Cape Town, South Africa, are taking part in a surf competition with a difference, where the the prizes go out for best dressed, most outrageous craft, and most entertaining performance.” w/ photos

“Instead of listening to the sermon and praying silently, the congregation inside the All Saints Church, in Stockholm were throwing their hands in the air, busting dance moves and singing to the lyrics of music, during the second ever techno Mass organized by the Swedish church. Special lighting installations, the techno sounds and raving crowd made the place look more like a dance club than a place of worship, but priests of the Lutheran church say this was just a successful attempt of making religion and attending church interesting for young people.” w/ photos

“Despite his partner being slow, awkward and cumbersome, their performances have impressed and delighted legions of fans. But this is not Anton du Beke and Anne Widdecombe on Strictly Come Dancing, it is a somewhat bizarre dance performance based around an experimental French choreographer’s interaction with a five-ton digger. Dancer Dominique Boivin’s unique performance sees him balance on and hang from the giant excavator, which moves its huge digging arm around him in time to classical music. Mr Boivin’s latest dirty dancing performance came at a contemporary dance event in Chennai, India, where he unveiled his one-of-a-kind show in front of a large audience.” w/ photos

“It is certainly not a path for the faint-hearted. On one side a sheer rock face, on the other a 4,000ft drop – and all to separate the brave traveler from a deadly plunge is a 3ft-wide, 2.5in thick walkway. And if that is not enough to bring terror into the pit of your stomach, the path running alongside a Chinese mountainside is made out of glass, allowing a crystal-clear view of where one false step can take you. So it was perhaps understandable that this woman tackled the walkway by sticking as close to the cliff as possible, feeling her way along with tentative steps. The skywalk is situated 4,700ft above sea level on the side of the Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China.” w/ photos

“This is the moment a stunning red pillar of light topping several hundred feet appears to shoot down from space. The eerie sight could be seen for miles around and left motorists gawking at the unusual spectacle. It was spotted by Rick Stankiewicz as he traveled along the motorway near Hearst, Canada, following a fishing trip. Mr Stankiewicz, 55, an amateur photographer since the age of 12, said: ‘It was both eerie and beautiful to see it. ‘At first glance my immediate reaction was that it must be a close encounter of the third kind – it was that convincing. ‘The deep colors and clouds just added to the foreboding appearance of the pillar. ‘I remember mumbling to myself “beam me up, Scotty” when I spotted it.” w/ photos

“At 11.11.11 on 11.11.11 the time and date will be a perfect same-numbered palindrome, reading the same backwards as forwards – an event which can only happen on one day every 100 years. But for Betsy and Katie Overman, 11.11.11 is an even more special day – their 11th birthday. The twins, from Madison, Wisconsin, have already received their present from an aunt – a bag containing 11 bags, each containing 11 little presents. ‘If we go to school, we’ll stay for 11 minutes,’ Betsy told the Wisconsin State Journal. ‘Or they may count down on the school clock to 11 minutes after 11,’ Katie suggested. The twins, born 17 minutes apart on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2000, have been deemed the ‘child messiah’ by The Corduroy Appreciation Club, which recognizes 11.11.11 as the date that most closely resembles the material.” w/ photos