Monumental monolith: Mumbai, India, may have lots of tall buildings and apartments, but within one of its suburbs is a natural wonder called Gilbert Hill. Looking like a gigantic monolith, this hill stands 60 metres high and is thought to be 66 million years old. It formed from lava that erupted eons ago. Developers have erected buildings close to the base of this geographic marvel, but in the 1950s, the government banned quarrying its black basalt. On top of Gilbert Hill stand two Hindu temples, open to visitors. From this vantage point, the view of Mumbai is striking. Locals say that Gilbert Hill is a hidden treasure amidst the urban environment.
Dressing room drama: Giavanna Diesso was doing something very ordinary trying on clothes in the dressing room of a store in New York City. However, the situation turned scary when her little brother closed the door of the room, which was actually an old bank vault, and locked the teen inside. Her mom panicked when she was unable to open the door. The fire department was called, and a crew immediately started drilling a hole in the vault. Eventually, they made an opening large enough for Giavanna to get through. A locksmith had to be called to open the old lock, which had been disabled but then inexplicably locked that day.
Skin diving: Japan has a centuries-old method of collecting things from the bottom of the sea. Women who are called ama, meaning sea women, dive down to collect such resources as shellfish, seaweed, and pearls. In the old days, ama, who can hold their breath for a minute or more and have trained themselves to withstand the cold water, would wear traditional garments called fundoshi and a bandana to cover their hair. Some of today's ama divers wear wetsuits, but they don't use air tanks. In the 1950s, there were over 17,000 ama who made their living diving for resources, but today there are only about 2,000 in the business. Some are able to continue their work until they are elderly.
Four-year break: A French newspaper called La Bougie du Sapeur was published on February 29, 2020, and it won't hit the newsstands again until that same date in 2024. That's because it appears only on the leap day of each leap year. So far, 11 issues of this satirical periodical have been published; the first one was in 1980. In English, the broadsheet's name is The Sapper's Candle, referring to a late 19th-century cartoon character who was born on February 29. Jean d'Indy, the current editor, enjoys amusing readers by doing things like promising crossword answers in the next edition!