1986      FLEABAGGED

Thirty cats are seized from the home of a Wisconsin woman during a raid by animal control authorities. The woman says she realized that 30 cats was way over the four-cat-per-household limit, but adds, "I asked them to leave—I pleaded. But hey—they're CATS."

   1992      SMOKE GETS IN YOUR AYES

Always a sucker for a popular theme, Congress jumps on the tobacco-bashing bandwagon by announcing that its members will no longer be allowed to throw up smokescreens during press conferences.

   1993      HOOKING THE PIRATES

In each of the years prior to 1993, modern-day pirates attack dozens of ships in the waters near Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. In 1993, attacks are down dramatically. Officials credit the decline to an undercover program in which agents frequent port-city bars, tell jokes, and arrest those responding with "Hardy-har-har."