The swimmer

Published 8:49 pm Monday, September 2, 2013

The longest crawlstroke: Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad on Monday became the first person to swim from Cuba to Key West, Fla., without a shark cage.

Unfortunately for the Seattle Mariners, Nyad did not carry a defecting Cuban cleanup hitter on her back during the 110-mile swim.

Groovy light, man: Fifty years ago today, the first lava lamp went on sale in British stores, after they were invented by a British gent who, perhaps unsurprisingly, was also an adherent of nudism.

The lamps were originally marketed as an “exotic conversation piece.” Today, they’re pitched as “birthday/Christmas present for 14-year-olds who’ve started listening to their parents/grandparents’ record collections.”

Here, what’s-your-name: An English bulldog from Lynnwood has won a Wackiest Pet Name contest sponsored by a pet health insurance company.

When you think about it, Fido is actually a pretty goofy name, too.

— Mark Carlson, Herald staff