Hiker suffers blackout from lightning stike, and more

Hiker suffers blackout from lightning stike

Hiking at the summit of Longs Peak near Boulder, Colo., last week, Brandon Baker was caught in a thunderstorm, took cover under a boulder, and blacked out. It was only the next morning, when he was roused by a rescue team, that he noticed the wound on the back of his head and burn marks on his feet and elbows—telltale signs of a lightning strike that easily could have killed him. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. “I would go right back up there tomorrow if my legs didn’t feel bad,” he said. “It’s amazing once you get up there.”

Lost Federal Art Project murals discovered in Rhode Island

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Workers renovating the University of Rhode Island’s Edwards Hall have discovered six stunning, long-lost Depression-era murals by the late artist Gino Conti. The paintings had been covered up by drywall during a remodeling in the 1960s. “I thought they were gone,” said URI history professor Ronald Onorato. “It really was like an archaeological find. I was thrilled.” The murals, funded by the Federal Art Project, part of FDR’s Works Progress Administration program, have been removed for restoration and eventually will go on display at the university.

Action Comics No. 1 to the rescue

Superman has saved the day again, this time in real life. An unidentified family facing foreclosure on their home was going through some old boxes when a family member came across a copy of Action Comics No. 1—considered the holy grail of comics because it marked Superman’s first appearance. The comic book is expected to fetch about $250,000 at auction. Auctioneers reportedly spoke with the bank, which has agreed to allow the family to remain in their home until they receive the money from the auction to catch up on their house payments.