The World’s Most Expensive Purse Sold For $10 Million

It’s not a stretch to say that no purse in the world carries as much cultural significance as the Hermès Birkin — at least for fashionistas. Owning a Birkin is widely regarded as a status symbol among the wealthiest women in the world. Who can forget the episode of Sex and the City, when a fashion salesman quipped to Samantha, “It’s not a bag, it’s a Birkin!”? Now, the very first Birkin has sold at an auction for approximately 10 times the amount Sotheby's estimated it would fetch. The purse in question is the original prototype of the Hermès Birkin, created for and named after actress Jane Birkin (pictured) in 1985. With quirks, including the style icon’s initials and a non-removable shoulder strap, it’s a bonafide piece of fashion history and, according to Sotheby’s, Birkin’s prototype bag has seven unique features that were never replicated on later models. So, how did Sotheby's get their estimate so wrong? Apparently, in a frenzied moment of great fortune for the lucky seller, the hammer fell after a bidding war reportedly involving newlywed Amazon bride Lauren Sánchez. However, Jeff Bezos can keep his credit card in his wallet as the successful bidder was a private collector from Japan.

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Man in Italy Trained His Dog to Illegally Dump Trash

An unidentified man in Sicily, Italy, trained his dog to dump bags of trash by the roadside in an attempt to evade surveillance cameras. Illegal dumping is a persistent problem in Italy, carrying significant environmental and economic costs. In response, city officials had surveillance cameras installed and began monitoring to curb the problem. Under Italian law, illegal dumping of trash carries fines ranging from €1,500 ($1,764) to €18,000 ($21,172), with the possibility of criminal charges. One of the surveillance cameras in the city of Catania captured a small dog trotting along Via Pulacara with a bag of trash in its mouth, before dropping it neatly at the roadside. Authorities said the scene left little room for doubt that the animal had been trained to spare its owner from being filmed in the act of illegally dumping trash. The man was finally identified and fined. The dog, of course, faced no charges.

 

 

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Recycling Plant Employees Find $100,000 Hidden Inside a 1980S TV

Employees at a Canadian recycling center learned the true meaning of the old adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” after finding $100,000 while dismantling an old television. General Manager Rick Deschamps was holding his usual morning meeting at Global Electronic Processing, when an employee came running up with a security cash box. She proceeded to tell him that she had found the box contained bundles of $50 bills. Together with the paperwork dating back to 1985, were bundles of cash amounting to $100,000. Deschamps said the recycling center handles anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 television sets a month, but this is the first time one was filled with cash. He quickly secured the box and contacted the company's head office, which then called police. After clearing the money of any criminal links, police were able to trace the bills using the documents in the box to a 68-year-old man in Ontario. It turns out he had inherited the money from his parents, put it away for a rainy day, and forgot about it. He eventually gave the TV to a family friend, who had no idea of the treasure behind the screen. The friend wound up taking the TV to the recycling center, not knowing he was giving away a treasure.

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Car Phobias Leave Gen Z Afraid to Drive

It’s something many people do on a daily basis without thinking twice about it, but a new survey has revealed how driving is leaving many Gen Zers absolutely petrified. Changing a flat tire is their biggest fear, while parallel parking, hill starts, and merging onto the highway were also found to terrify hundreds of young drivers. The findings come as no surprise to many Gen Zers, who regularly post on social media about their driving phobias. In fact, their fear of parallel parking is so acute that 45% of Gen Z say they would rather drive farther away and walk for 10 minutes than to even attempt the task. Other basic tasks that frightens Gen Zers include putting air in the tires, checking the oil level, and even using a car wash. More than 1 in 10 said they missed a dream job because they were too scared to drive, while 10% have turned down a promotion that would have required more time on the road. Experts point to the fact that turning down promotions and missing interviews because of a driving phobia is more of a broader societal issue than a driving issue. Confidence comes with experience, but if drivers are avoiding the road, they’re never going to bridge that gap. Driving is one of the most common phobias in the U.S., with surveys indicating that roughly 66% of Americans experience some sort of anxiety behind the wheel. 

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