FROM KING FEATURES WEEKLY SERVICE, 300 W. 57th STREET, 15th FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019 
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STRANGE BUT TRUE #12345_20260629  
FOR RELEASE June 29, 2026
BYLINE: By Lucie Winborne  
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* Time slows down so dramatically near a black hole that if you stood close enough to it, years could pass for the universe while just minutes passed for you.
* After trading $3 billion worth of Pepsi-Cola to the U.S.S.R. in exchange for vodka, submarines and other military hardware, the Pepsi company briefly had the sixth largest military in the world.
* Iceland's parliament, the Icelandic Althingi, first formed in 930 A.D., is the oldest in the world.
* The tradition of carrying the bride across the threshold started in medieval Europe when many people believed that a bride was especially vulnerable to evil spirits through the soles of her feet. To guard her from such attacks, the chivalric groom would carry her into their new home.
* Los Angeles has the world's largest Korean population outside of Korea.
* In J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," dragon blood is revealed to be an effective oven cleaner.
* The Pyramids of Giza are the only Great Wonder of the ancient world still standing.
* During WWII, the Polish army adopted a brown bear named Wojtek into their ranks. The  animal was fond of cigarettes and beer, and even received a promotion from private to corporal.
* A sloth can take up to two weeks to digest a single meal.
* Actress Roseanne Barr once attempted to run for president and got as far as filing with the Federal Election Commission, under the "Green Tea Party Ticket."
* Lightning isn't limited to thunderstorms, but can also occur in volcanic eruptions, wildfires and snowstorms.
* During certain periods in feudal Japan, executions of condemned criminals were used by some samurais to test their new swords.
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Thought for the Day: "It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference." -- Tom Brokaw
(c) 2026 King Features Synd., Inc.
