05-27-2024 - On This Day in Insane History

On the 27th of May in the year 1529, the town of Stockholm experienced an highly unusual plague of ducklings. While not unheard of for ducks to nest in the eaves and alleyways of cities, on this day the young ducklings seems possessed with a mischievous spirit. Eyewitnesses reported seeing groups of the small yellow creatures waddling through the streets in packs, quacking loudly and paying no heed to the townsfolk going about their business.

Some merchants setting up their stalls in the main square found their goods under attack, as swarms of ducklings descended from nowhere to pull apart piles of fabric or knock over displays of fruit. The town crier tried to announce the day's news only to be drowned out by a gaggle of ducklings who had snatched his hat and were tossing it back and forth. Even the castle residents were not spared, as platoons of puffballs infiltrated the barracks through open windows to roust sleeping soldiers from their cots.

By midday, there wasn't a soul in Stockholm who hadn't had at least a brief encounter with the menace of the marauding mallards. Reports flowed in of ducklings lurking in chimneys, squabbling on rooftops, and even boarding a ferry outbound from the docks. While no real damage was done and no injuries occurred, the people of Stockholm were left bewildered by the anomalous avian outbreak. As quickly as they had come, the ducklings suddenly vanished back to wherever they had emerged, though their memories would provide amusement for years to come.