This Great Dane is the world’s tallest dog

An Iowa family’s Great Dane is the world’s tallest living dog at 3 feet and 2 inches. Guinness World Records said the Des Moines, Iowa, canine, named Kevin, was officially measured at 3 feet and 2 inches from his feet to his withers — the point at the base of his neck, over his shoulders.

Kevin is the first holder of the title since the previous record-holder, a fellow Great Dane named Zeus, died last year. Zeus was measured at 3 feet, 5.18 inches tall.

Kevin was named after the protagonist of the first two Home Alone movies, but he lacks his namesake’s courage — it took extra time to measure him because he was afraid of the measuring tape.

High school class holds its 80th annual reunion

The Salem High School Class of 1944 alumni gathered at the Salem eatery that has hosted most of their reunions for the past several years.

The class members in attendance were Bill Juza, Doris Ritchey Powers, Trudie Meier Gavette, Gayle Crozier Priem, Gladys Dalke Welty and Iris Wall. The reunion opened with the group memorialising five classmates who died in the past year, before moving on to introductions of family members and the reading of a poem written by Gavette.

The class was recognised by Guinness World Records last year as the longest-running class reunion, but lost the title when Guinness learned of the members of a 1938 kindergarten class from Alameda, Calif., who held their 83rd reunion in 2023.

Thrift store find is a 2,000-year-old Mayan vase

Anna Lee Dozier, of Washington, bought an unusual vase from a thrift store in Clinton, and it turned out to be a Mayan artifact from AD 200-800!

Dozier realised its true identity earlier this year on a work trip to Mexico when she noticed some items on display at the Museum of Anthropology resembling the vase she purchased for $3.99.

She spoke with a museum official, who recommended she contact the Mexican embassy when she returned home. Dozier shared photos and the dimensions of the vase with the embassy, and the item was identified as a Mayan artifact dating from AD 200-800. Dozier returned the vase to Mexican Ambassador in a ceremony held at the Cultural Institute of Mexico and the vase will have a new home at a Mexican museum.

World’s tallest rideable bicycle

Nicolas Barrioz and David Peyrou, a pair of friends from France, took about five years to realise their dream of building the world’s tallest rideable bicycle, which measures 25 feet, 5 inches high.

They came up with the idea in a casual chat, and they soon found themselves creating designs and sourcing materials. The duo said the bike took about two years to build. “It is not possible to tell you the blood sweat and tears,” Barrioz told Guinness World Records.

The finished bike was officially certified as the tallest in the world, beating the previous record by 1 foot, 2 inches.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 13th, 2024