Etc...

'And step on it, please'

Taxi driver Mark Forbes's shift was almost over one morning last month when he picked up two fares at an Everett, Wash., motel, one of whom said they wanted a lift to his brother's residence. Almost three days and $3,000 later, they reached their destination. How is that possible? The brother supposedly lived in Milwaukie, Ore., 208 miles away. Now, that's a long ride, but not long enough for a $3,000 tab, right? Right. When they arrived and found the address didn't match any of the streets, the passengers asked whether there's another place with the same name. Yes, Forbes said, but it's in Wisconsin. Back home, he recalls the strange trip as "one of those you think about but never [believe] is going to come true."

In the history of the World Cup, soccer's showcase and the most widely followed spectacle in pro sports, the venue mostly has shifted between Europe and the Americas. The next quadrennial event, in 2006, will be no exception: It is scheduled for Germany. But to level the playing field, the sport's governing body, FIFA, permitted only African countries to bid for the 2010 tournament. Earlier this month, South Africa was selected over Egypt and Morocco (Tunisia withdrew beforehand). The host countries and years in which each has staged the World Cup:

1930 Uruguay
1934 Italy
1938 France
1950 Uruguay
1954 Switzerland
1958 Sweden
1962 Chile
1966 England
1970 Mexico
1974 West Germany
1978 Argentina
1982 Spain
1986 Mexico
1990 Italy
1994 US
1998 France
2002 Japan/South Korea
- The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004