Former President John Tyler’s (1790-1862) grandchildren still alive

President John Tyler

Former President John Tyler, born 221 years ago, still has two living grandchildren. The one-term president isn't a well-known historical figure; he's probably best remembered for helping to push through the annexation of Texas in 1845, shortly before leaving office.

So, how is it possible that a former president who died 150 years ago would still have direct descendents alive today? As it turns out, the Tyler men were known for fathering children late in life. And that math is pretty outstanding when added up:

John Tyler was born in 1790. He became the 10th president of the United States in 1841 after William Henry Harrison died in office. Tyler fathered Lyon Gardiner Tyler in 1853, at age 63.  Then, at the age of 71, Lyon Gardiner Tyler fathered Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. in 1924 and four years later at age 75, Harrison Ruffin Tyler. Both men are still alive today.

That means just three generations of the Tyler family are spread out over more than 200 years. President Tyler was also a prolific father, having 15 children (8 boys and 7 girls) with two wives.

He even allegedly fathered a child, John Dunjee, with one of his slaves.

Some context on Tyler's progeny: Jane Garfield (granddaughter of James Garfield) is 99, making her the oldest living grandchild of a former president, even though Garfield took office 40 years after Tyler.

Former Ambassador John Eisenhower is the oldest living presidential child, turning 89 this past August.

A few other Tyler tidbits:

• He joined the South's secession efforts shortly before his death and was even elected to the Confederate House of Representatives.
• Because of his Confederate ties, Tyler's is the only presidential death not officially mourned.
• Tyler ascended to the presidency in 1841. Other things that happened that year: Canada became a nation; the United States Senate has its first filibuster, lasting nearly a month; the city of Dallas, Texas was founded.
• Tyler was the first person to ascend to the presidency through succession as vice president.

[Via Mental Floss]

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Wrongfully imprisoned man awarded $25 million in damages

Thaddeus Jimenez after his release from prison in 2009

A Chicago man who spent 16 years in prison after being convicted of murder as a teenager has been awarded $25 million in damages after it was determined that he was wrongfully convicted.

Thaddeus Jimenez, 32, had spent nearly half his life in prison before being exonerated and released in May 2009. After being released, Jimenez then sued the city, accusing the police of ignoring evidence in his case, including a confession from another suspect, Juan Carlos Torres.

Nonetheless, Jimenez was tried and convicted twice and sentenced to 45 years in prison. More from the Chicago Tribune:

Years later, lawyers and students from the Northwestern University Bluhm Center on Wrongful Convictions and other attorneys reinvestigated Jimenez's conviction and found that two key witnesses recanted their original claims that he was the gunman. The state's attorney's office then agreed to reopen the case.

If the verdict stands, it will be one of the largest levied against Chicago in the city's history.

"The state's attorney's office … recognized an injustice had occurred and they corrected it," said Jimenez's attorney Jon Loevy. "They deserve a ton of credit for reopening the case … taking an honest look at it and correcting an injustice."

Jimenez is reportedly now working at a restaurant. "He's trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life," Loevy said. However, last December, Jimenez was convicted on drug possession charges and could be headed back to prison for up to three years. He sentencing is scheduled for February 1, according to CBS News.

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Voice behind “honey badger” video revealed

The YouTube sensation "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger" video has generated nearly 35 million views since first being posted last year. But until now, no one has known who exactly was behind the viral video's narration.

TMZ has caught up with the voice in question, though he is still concealing his full identity, choosing to only be identified by the name "Randall." In the video below, Randall explains his motivation behind the honey badger narration.

"I've always had a natural talent for narration, so I figured what better animal to start with than the honey badger. Seriously."

"Because in today's society, I think it's an animal that a lot of people can relate to. I think a lot of people want to be able to take what they want. And I believe firmly, and Harvey [Levin] can tell you this, everyone, inside of them, has a honey badger just waiting to get out. They don't care, they want to take what they want and now is the time to do it."

So, why is Randall stepping into the spotlight now? TMZ writes:

So, why go public now? Randall's in Hollywood hocking his new book -- yes, the Honey Badger can write too -- and there's even an animated TV show in the works. Guess he really is pretty badass.

You can watch the original honey badger video below. Warning, it does contain graphic language:

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Four-year-old U.S. boy pulls out marijuana at school

(Reuters) - A four-year-old U.S. boy who announced to his teacher at school snack time that he wanted to share pulled nine bags of marijuana out of his jacket pocket, police said on Wednesday.

Police in Meriden, Connecticut were called to Hanover Elementary School Tuesday afternoon after the young special needs student displayed the drugs, authorities said.

Meriden police said the nine individually wrapped bags of marijuana appeared prepared for sale.

Hanover Elementary School principal Miguel Cardona called it an "extremely unfortunate" and "isolated" incident that was not witnessed by any other students.

"What's so disheartening is this is really an adult issue and problem and adult behavior put a student at risk," Meriden schools superintendent Mark Benigni told Reuters.

"This student had no idea what he brought to school or what the substance was," he added.

Authorities are not releasing the names of the student or parents and police said there is a possibility for arrests pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Department of Children and Families is also looking into the incident.

(Reporting By Lauren Keiper. Editing by Paul Thomasch)

Paralyzed snowmobile rider makes trip to South Pole

Grant Korgan's "sit-"ski

A Nevada man who was paralyzed in a 2010 snowmobiling accident has successfully reached the South Pole on a modified "sit-ski." Grant Korgan, 33, traveled 75 miles through sub-zero temperatures to reach his destination, done in part to mark the 100^th anniversary of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition.

"Although my body has been broken, my spirit never will be. I am unbreakable!" Korgan said in a statement posted on the crew's Web site.

Over the past year, Korgan trained with a team on practice missions in Alaska, Norway, Lake Tahoe and South American, according to the Associated Press. The South Pole trip was arranged to help raise money for the High Fives Foundation, which helps injured winter athletes reintegrate back into their chosen sport. The group is also supporting the Reeve Irvine Research Center, which studies repair, regeneration and recovery from spinal cord injuries.

Korgan made his journey with paralympian John Davis, two travel guides and a team of cinematographers who are shooting a documentary on the journey called "The Push: A South Pole Adventure," schedule to be released later this year.

"Grant just pulled off one of the most amazing athletic achievements in modern history and a first for adaptive athletes," said the documentary's director, Steven Siig. "This is a historic day in the name of recovery, technology, adventure and the human potential," he said.

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Man with two hearts survives double heart attack

X-ray from an Italian man with two functioning hearts

Doctors managed to save the life of a 71-year-old man with two hearts who suffered dueling heart attacks. "We haven't ever seen anything similar to this case before," Dr. Giacomo Mugnai said in an interview with MSNBC.

At first, doctors thought they had a typical case of cardiac arrest until they examined the patient more closely and noticed his unusual medical condition. It turns out that the man actually wasn't born with two hearts. His second heart arrived after an earlier medical procedure on his original heart.

The procedure, a heterotopic transplant, is done to pair a new, healthy organ with a diseased one.

"We see this in cardiac patients or kidney patients, sometimes," Dr. Rade Vukmir, professor of emergency medicine at Temple University and a spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians, told MSNBC. "Surgeons might leave a kidney in place if it's too much trouble to take out, or if there is hope for recovery of a kidney, or a heart, after a period of time" of being helped by the new organ.

The report first appeared in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, describing how the transplant team managed to merge the patient's new heart with his original, diseased organ. Of course, there's an inherent risk that if the transplant goes too well.

"You can develop two independent heart rhythms, especially in a scenario where one heart gets a little better," Vukmir said. Which is apparently exactly what happened to the Italian patient. After being admitted to the hospital, doctors administered drug therapy in an attempt to correct his dysrhythmia, only to have the medicine shut down both of his hearts.

Doctors then were able to successfully use a defibrillator to revive both hearts simultaneously.  He's now reportedly doing well with his two functioning hearts.

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Farmer caught spray-painting hawks as part of “prank” on bird-watchers

Hopes for a new species of hawk turned out to be a case of animal abuse

A New Zealand farmer has been caught spray-painting hawks in a pinkish-red hue as part of a "prank" on bird-watchers who were hoping to have discovered a new species of bird.

Grant Michael Teahan has been found guilty on two charges of ill-treating an animal, according to the Manawatu Standard.

The mystery began in early 2009, when locals began snapping pictures of the strangely colored hawks and sending them to the local newspaper. It was only after on of the hawks was accidentally hit by a car that the spray-painting ruse was discovered.

An investigation by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) failed to turn up a culprit until Teahan asked his nephew to send a video clip to the media of him catching a magpie in a trap covered in the spray paint. When police seized computers from Tehan's property, they found deleted pictures and video relating to "red hawks."

"Various people got involved, like experts who thought maybe it was a new strain or a new type of bird or whatever, but then feathers were being found and it was obvious somebody was actually painting these hawks," Palmerston North SPCA manager Danny Auger told the Standard.

Teahan is appealing his conviction.

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