A grower in Rhode Island weighed in a pumpkin at 3,156 pounds this month, which would be a new world record. It beat the old record by nearly 300 pounds. That margin alone weighs about as much as a refrigerator.

A motorist was hauled into court for “suspicious actions.” The judge asked the officer to explain. “He kept to the speed limit,” said the officer. “And he sounded his horn at every corner and stayed on the right side of the road.”

— from More Toasts, 1922. Got one worse than that? Hit reply.

Surprise party. The llama is not surprised.

Seen something funnier? Reply with a picture you took — a dog in a hat, a sign gone wrong, whatever made you laugh this week.

October 30, 1974: Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Kinshasa, in central Africa. The country was called Zaire then. Today it is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bell rang at about 4 a.m. local time, so American viewers could watch at 10 p.m. Eastern. About 60,000 fans came anyway. Ali knocked Foreman out in the eighth round and won back the heavyweight title. Each fighter was promised $5 million.

Also today: 1938, the night before Halloween, CBS Radio aired a play about Martians landing. Some listeners thought the bulletins in it were real news and called the police. Later studies found the panic was much smaller than newspapers said.

In 1975, a California ad writer sold pet rocks in a box with air holes. What did each rock cost?

A) 49 cents
B) 99 cents
C) $3.95
D) $9.95

Answer’s at the very bottom. Try it first. 👀

Pacific bluefin tuna are the giants behind fine sushi. Adults reach nearly 10 feet and 990 pounds, close to a grand piano. By 2010, the breeding fish had fallen to about 2% of what the ocean would hold with no fishing.

Then the count turned around. By 2022, breeding fish were back to 23.2% of that unfished level. The goal was 20% by 2034, so the fish passed it a decade early. This month a wildlife report from WWF named the bluefin as a bright spot.

NOAA scientists call it a fish that multiplies quickly when given the chance. Lower catch limits and better monitoring of catches across the Pacific gave it that chance. The recovery took more than a decade, and the work goes on.

Keep smiling,
The Distraction Desk

C — $3.95. More than a million Pet Rocks sold in a few months. Each box also held a manual on feeding and house training.

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