Money bag: What would you do if you were very poor and you found a big bag full of money? Some people might be tempted to take the money and spend it on themselves, but not a couple in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The man and woman are so poor that they are homeless and live under city bridges, but they are also very honest. They turned in a garbage bag that they found on the sidewalk containing 20,000 reals (nearly $9,000 US) and alerted a security guard, who in turn, called police. It is thought that the money came from a theft at a Japanese restaurant and that the thieves got scared and dumped the loot.
To the rescue: A baby from the town of Madison, Tennessee (US), can sleep through anything, even rising flood waters and a dramatic rescue. The baby, her parents and a four-year-old brother were forced into the attic because the water was quickly rising inside their home. The mother, Rebecca Marlin, only had time to grab a few of their belongings on the way up. Once in the attic, they popped the vents and hung a towel out to alert rescue crews who arrived promptly. They carried the baby out in a car seat through waist-high water. Although the family lost most of their possessions, they were happy that everyone was safe, including their precious infant, who slept soundly throughout the ordeal.
Flyboys: If a person doesn’t get around to learning how to fly a jet, the next best thing is to build a realistic flight simulator in a bedroom of your house. Apparently, that is the belief of Laurent Aigon of Lacanau, France. Laurent, with the help of airplane enthusiast Jean-Paul Dupuy, has scraped together the parts and pieces to create one of the most realistic Boeing 737 cockpits ever made. It works so well that aircraft maintenance organizations have asked to utilize the men’s expertise. Laurent grew up close to an airport, where he’d watch the action on the runway and dream about flying. Now, he can “fly” in his own house.
Coin collection: A very elderly man from St. Louis, Missouri (US) was quite a collector over his lifetime. Eric P. Newman’s passion was rare American coins and he was the owner of 1,800 pieces when he decided to sell them at a New York City auction. The retired St. Louis lawyer raised $23 million from the sale, which translates into quite a profit, considering he had paid only about $7,500 since starting the collection back in the 1930s. One of the many intriguing pieces was a 1795 silver dollar that sold for just over $910,000. Funds raised went to support numismatics, the study or collection of currency, coins and often medals.