Things we find funny often shed light on the problems in society. A classic example from 2024 was the American policeman who started firing his gun, thinking that someone was shooting at him. What he had really heard was a falling acorn.

Here are five of the funniest stories of 2024:

1. Bananas businessman. Justin Sun paid £4.9m for a banana - and then ate it. It was not just any banana - it was a banana stuck to a wall with duct tape, or an example of "modern art".

2. DIY divorce. Model Suellen Carey married - and then divorcedWhen a marriage is officially ended and two people separate. - herself. She said she found herself difficult to live with, saying it was lonely and tiring.

3. Name-change campaign. Dustin Ebey did not want to vote for either Joe Biden or Donald Trump to be the next US presidentIn some countries, the leader is called the president.. So he decided to enter himself, changing his name to Literally Anybody Else. Sadly his campaign ended in failure.

4. Unbalanced bot. A postal-delivery robot in South KoreaAn East Asian nation on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, it shares one of the world's most heavily militarised borders with North Korea. South Korea has a population of about 52 million. started spinning around and around. Then it headed for a staircase and tumbled down it. Some people claim that the bot was suffering from overwork.  

5. Supreme thievery. Britain's minister for policing had her purse stolen - while she was talking to senior police officers. Dame Diana Johnson was giving a speech about theft at a hotel when she was a victim of crime.

Is laughter the best medicine?

Yes! The world is such a crazy place that the only way we can deal with it is by trying to see the funny side.

No! The world today is no laughing matter. We need to take our problems seriously, or else we will not be able to find answers.