ANCIENT BREWS TO GHOSTLY WINNERS! UNLOCK HISTORY'S STRANGEST SECRETS
What Our C
History is more than just a chronicle of battles and treaties; it's a rich tapestry woven with odd and almost unbelievable events that
can mystify us now. A dive into the quirky corners of the past can reveal historical anomalies, including ancient beverages and victories from beyond the grave. Besides entertaining us, our history shows our ancestors as
multifaceted, creative, and peculiar as we are today.
The First Beer In ancient Sumeria, people were not just trailblazers in writing and architecture but also avid brewers. Archaeologists
unearthed a 5,000-year-old Sumerian tablet depicting individuals consuming a beer-like substance through reed straws from a shared bowl. This ancient concoction, possibly the earliest known beer recipe, underscores the longstanding human passion for alcohol and communal gatherings. Racing to the Grave One of the most astonishing stories in sports history involves jockey Frank Hayes. In a 1923 horse race at Belmont Park, New York, Hayes achieved victory from beyond the grave. Suffering a fatal heart attack mid-race, he miraculously remained in the saddle, and his horse, Sweet Kiss, crossed the finish line in first place. This extraordinary event remains the sole known instance in sports where a participant posthumously claimed the gold medal.
NEW YEAR SEES OAHU
Properties stay on the market a bit longer but continue to move into escrow in under 30 days. Single-family home sales rose 22.7%, while condo sales ticked up 6.2% compared to this time last year. Month-to-month, the new year started much like 2023 ended — with minimal upticks in sales of single-family homes at 1.1% and condos at 7.4%. Median sales prices in January 2024 closely resembled year-end figures in late 2023. Single-family home prices reached $1,021,016, up 2.5% month-to-month but down 2.8% from the year-end median of $1,050,000. In January, the median condo price was $502,500, a 1.5% dip month-over-month and a 1.2% drop from the year-end median of $508,500. Year-over-year, single-family home prices grew by 5.3%, while condo prices saw a modest 1.5% increase.
A Smoking Monkey Looking to the East, North Korea's Pyongyang Zoo featured another oddity in 2016: Azalea, a smoking chimpanzee. Trained to ignite and puff on cigarettes, this chimpanzee was a peculiar draw for visitors. In sparking controversy over animal rights, Azalea illustrates the bizarre and often questionable ways humans have historically interacted with animals. These stories demonstrate that the annals of history are not just repositories of conventional wisdom and significant events but also a collection of the bizarre, the unusual, and the extraordinary. These peculiar tales help us gain a more nuanced and colorful understanding of our collective past, shedding light on the complexity and eccentricity of our history. 2
Both markets experienced an uptick in new listings. Single- family home listings grew 6.3% year-over-year, with 285 new properties for sale. Sellers added 581 new condo listings to the market, an 11.1% year-over-year increase. By January's end, active inventory levels for single-family homes rose 10.2%, and condos increased 12.7% year-over-year. However, compared to January 2020, just before the pandemic, active inventory levels remained down 25%. "New listings mean new opportunities for buyers at all price points," said Fran Gendrano, president of the Honolulu Board of REALTORS. "However, Oahu's housing market still faces the persistent challenge of low inventory, which keeps our housing prices elevated despite cautious market activity."
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