STRANGE but TRUE

There is a town in Iowa that claims to be the future birthplace of Star Trek hero Captain James T Kirk. Some time in the ’80s, a fan of the 1960s TV series and a resident of Riverside, Iowa, noted that the show’s creator had written that Kirk was born on March 23 2233 in a small Iowa town — but didn’t specify which one. He petitioned the town to seize the honour and it did. It now has an annual Trek Fest, a museum and plaques all over the town declaring such illustrious spots as “where Kirk will be born” and “where Kirk will be conceived” (in the bar).