Why Dutch people put pancakes on their heads today

Dutch people will be putting pancakes on their heads today, said Sky News. Each year, on 29 November, Netherlands residents put pancakes on their heads and say: "We wish you a happy and blessed Saint Pancake (Sint Pannekoek)!" The tradition began in 1986, thanks to a cartoon by the artist Jan Kruis, in which a father comes home in the evening to find his family wearing pancakes on their heads.

Spider eggs toe story 'implausible'

A man's story that a wolf spider laid eggs in his toe while he was on holiday has been questioned by experts. Colin Blake was marking his 35th wedding anniversary in France when his toe turned purple overnight. The ship's doctor told him that the swelling had been caused by a wolf spider but an arachnologist has said wolf spiders were incapable of laying their eggs inside humans. The British Arachnological Society also called the story "implausible", noted the BBC.

Two-hour waste search for lost ring

Sanitation workers in the US dug through 20 tons of waste to locate a resident's lost wedding ring, reported UPI. Windham General Services received a call from a town selectman, who put him in touch with a resident whose wedding ring had accidentally been put out with the rubbish. A spokesman said his colleagues had to dig through 12 feet of rubbish bags for two hours to reach the right bag.

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