Answers:
1. The boy's grandmother was Queen Victoria. In this true incident, the boy sold the letter for five pounds.
2. It is a true story and the man was Picasso. The builder wisely decided that by building the extension he would be able to retain Picasso's rough sketch of the plans, which would be worth far more than the cost of the construction work. He was right.
3. The patient is a boxer. The last thing he heard was the anaesthetist counting 1, 2, 3, 4 and as he comes round he automatically tries to beat the count and resume the fight against his opponent.
4. This incident took place in South America. the unfortunate man was camping by a river. When he put his hand in the river, the blood attracted piranha fish which removed his finger including the cut!
5. She was a circus tightrope walker. Her most daring act was to cross a high wire while blindfolded. The band played while she crossed and when the music stopped,it was the signal that she had reached the end of the wire and could safely alight. Unfortunately, one day the conductor was taken ill at the last mnute and the stand-in conductor, unaware of the importance of the timing, ended the music just a little too soon. She stepped off the wire to her death.