Ghost Mail Weekender

Happy Sunday Voornaam,

A lot of people have their underwear in knots about politics these days, with many offering guesses about what the next four years will look like with Trump back in office. While we don’t have any guaranteed way of knowing what The Donald’s reappointment will bring, we do know one thing for (almost) certain: the next leader of Russia will have hair.
How do we know this, you ask? The famous Bald-Hairy Law, of course. Actually it’s more of a pattern (pun shamelessly intended) than a law, and it all started when someone noticed that every bald (or obviously balding) head of state in Russia is succeeded by a non-bald (aka “hairy”) one, who is then succeeded by a bald one, and so on ad infinitum. It sounds like a coincidence, but once you consider that this pattern has been unbroken since 1825, two centuries starts to seem a little too long for a casual coincidence.
Having said that, we do have a problem - Putin's hairline may be receding faster than the borders of Russia's neighbouring countries, but he's still roughly 50-50 at this stage. Could this be a sign that he will still be around for a long time, ticking both the bald and hairy boxes simultaneously? Yikes!
As mysterious as Russia is, the oceans are even worse. They dish up conundrums every single year, inspiring endless stories of fantasy and perhaps even truths. The Mary Celeste is a perfect example of how little we understand, with numerous theories as to why this vessel was found at sea in 1872 with ample supplies and no obvious damage, yet not a crew member in sight. One such theory is the involvement of a giant squid! But as Dominique Olivier explains, even squid of more believable proportions are involved in the demise of many vessels at sea. As you get ready to go have fun in the waves this December, read about what happens far deeper into the blue>>>
Read on for stories of a French Iron Man and his ability to get a Citroen 2CV across the Sahara Desert, along with Dominique's Fast Facts themed around Weirdest World Records.
Have a lovely day and enjoy what we've brought you!

The Finance Ghost (follow on X) | Dominique Olivier (connect on LinkedIn)

Of Ghost Ships and Giant Squid

Iron Man, but make it French

TL;DR: In 1993, a Frenchman named Emile Leray escaped certain death in the Sahara Desert by disassembling his broken car, reassembling its pieces into a motorcycle and driving it over 32 kilometres to the nearest village.
Learning a trade instead of earning a degree in tech may not sound like the most glamorous thing, but it might just save your life one day. Just take it from one Emile Leray, who was able to use his handy skills as an electrician to get himself out of a particularly sticky situation.
It all started with the Frenchman’s decision to drive his Citroen 2CV across the Sahara Desert. While this sounds like a daft idea from the outset, Leray had made more than 10 solo trips around Africa by that time, and he felt that he knew the region well. He even put special consideration into his choice of vehicle, as he later explained to a journalist from The Sunday Times: “In Africa they call the Citroen the ‘Steel Camel’ because it goes everywhere – provided you drive it gently. I obviously was too rough because I broke it.”
Emile left the city of Tan Tan, Morocco, and set off on his quest with no apparent issues. Upon reaching a military outpost, he was informed by the Royal Gendermerie that he could not continue further, due to new developments in the conflict between Morocco and Western Sahara, in the area beyond Tilemsem. He was ordered to go back to Tan Tan and asked to take a passenger back with him. The Frenchman refused, citing an insurance clause that wouldn’t allow him to take any passengers. Instead of following orders, he turned his car around and sped away at high speed, to make sure he wasn't followed by the military. His plan was to bypass their post by circling around and returning on the original trail later. After venturing offroad and onto bumpy terrain, he collided with a large rock at high speed and totaled the Citroen.
Now quite literally stranded in the middle of the desert, Emile had some serious decisions to make. The car was damaged beyond repair, but he had enough food and water to last him a few days, as well as a hacksaw and a few basic tools. The nearest village, according to his estimation, was at least 30 kilometres away. Trekking through the desert on foot was too big a risk to take, so Emile did the next logical thing: he started taking apart his car and using its parts to build a motorbike.
He started by removing the Citroen's body, which he used as a shelter to sleep under. He then shortened the car's chassis before reattaching the axles and two of the wheels, as well as installing the engine and gearbox in the middle. He initially thought that it would take him just a few days to construct the motorcycle, but in the end it took 12. Through careful rationing of his food and water supplies, Emile managed to stave off starvation and dehydration while he worked. On day 12, with half a litre of water left, he started his makeshift motorcycle and drove off in the direction of civilisation.
The going was anything but easy and he regularly fell off the seat, which was made from part of the car's rear bumper. He had realised too late that the 2CV transmission drove the rear wheel by friction, which meant that his motorcycle could only be driven in reverse. After a day of riding, Emile and his Mad Max-style creation (which he dubbed the Desert Camel) were picked up by the Moroccan police, who drove him to the nearest village. There, they unceremoniously handed him a hefty fine, because despite displaying the Citroen’s number plates, the registration documents for his vehicle no longer corresponded with what he was driving.
It just goes to show: even in the middle of the desert, bureaucracy will find you.
PS: how great are these photos of Emile and his Desert Camel? The man must have known that he was onto a great story, because he took the time to set up his tripod and snap a few pictures for posterity. In one photo, you can see the string in his hand that was used to release the camera shutter.

Dominique's fast facts: Weirdest World Records

An assortment of facts that will take you only a minute to read.

Farthest throw of a washing machine: Claimed by Johan Espenkrona in 2022, when a washing machine that he threw travelled over 4,45 metres.

Most candy canes in a beard: Claimed by serial record collector Joel Strasser, who managed to fit 187 candy canes in his beard at once. Some of Joel’s other records include most forks in a beard (126), most chopsticks in a beard (520), most paper straws in a beard (534) and most pencils in a beard (456). Joel has clearly found a niche and it’s working for him.

Most tennis balls caught while blindfolded: Claimed by Anthony Kelly, who managed to catch 11. Anthony also holds the record for the tallest stack of hats worn at once (it was 105.3 cm tall). And no, he wasn’t wearing the hats when he caught the tennis balls.

Longest time balancing on one leg while wearing high heels: Claimed by Aurel Bacs in 2011 after she spent an impressive one hour, 30 minutes and five seconds balancing on a single high heel.

Longest case of hiccups: Claimed by Charles Osbourne, who started hiccuping in 1922 and couldn’t find a way to stop until 1990. 68 years of hiccups, in our opinion, deserves a parade, not just a certificate!

Most times struck by lightning: Claimed by Roy C. Sullivan, a US park ranger. Roy survived seven lightning strikes over the course of his lifetime, losing everything from his eyebrows to his hair along the way.