Yesterday was a ...

Good Day for scarecrows, as "Agnes", left in a garden at Brodie on the Moray Coast, Scotland, suddenly found herself in the company of "Frederick", dressed in a dinner jacket and clutching a red rose. Their owners, Suki Haider, 26, and Tom Lewis, 29, subsequently met and have now announced their engagement.

Bad Day for "Peg-leg" Sullivan who has been accused by lawyer and historian Dick Bales of starting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. At the time, an official board had blamed Mrs O'Leary's cow for kicking over a lantern. Mr Bales, however, says that it was all started by the careless pipe-smoking habits of Daniel "Peg-leg" Sullivan.

Disastrous Day for U527243, a ticket in the Italian lottery which almost won 2bn lire (pounds 850,000). The winning number was drawn live on television, before a blockage was found that had caused only six balls to drop instead of 10, in the machine that determined the first digit. The winner was then redrawn as I771131. Psychologists warned that the owner of the first ticket could turn aggressive, have a heart attack or even die of shock.