New reports of "knockout" incidents involving teens physically assaulting strangers have surfaced and it's prompting community leaders to call for an end to the violence.

Teens from cities in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia have been caught on camera approaching strangers on the street and knocking them to the ground with one powerful punch to the face or head in a game called "Knockout." Reports of the "game" have also surfaced in Massachusetts, Illinois and Missouri.

A D.C. woman in the Columbia Heights area was approached by a group of eight males on bikes last Thursday when one reached out, punched her in the back of the head and rode away, NBC's News4 reported.

A 78-year-old woman fell victim 10 days ago in Brooklyn, making her ninth reported "Knockout" victim in New York. Authorities are investigating the attacks as hate crimes, NBC 4 New York reported. Some of the attacks have targeted members of the Jewish community.

The alarming trend gained national attention in May after a 51-year-old man died in Syracuse, N.Y., in the hands of a group of teenagers who knocked him out and stomped on him, according to The Post-Standard's news site Syracuse.com. In the same month, a 20-year-old man was sentenced to 55 years in prison after he struck and killed a man in St. Louis back in 2011, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

NBC10 in Philadelphia last week reported on a similar Internet trend called #SmackCam, which uses the Vine smartphone app to capture people being unexpectedly slapped in the face. What started out as a playful game spawned by boredom turned awry when more violent depictions of the game started popping up on social media site. A compilation video on YouTube has amassed 1.7 million views since it was posted in July.

People with Type T personalities, which characterizes risk-takers and thrill-seekers, are motivated to commit violent acts, like smacking strangers in public, according to Professor of Educational Pyschology Frank Farley.

"Many of the perpetrators may be these T types and one of their things is pushing the envelope," Farley told NBC Philadelphia. "It’s risky to go up and slap someone in public.”

Amtrak has launched an investigation to find out how a New York-bound train took a wrong turn onto mass transit lines and wound up in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

• WATCH: Girl, Father Clipped by SEPTA Train

Keystone train 664, carrying 130 passengers, left Philadelphia's 30th Street Station around 11:45 a.m. last Thursday and somehow navigated off of Amtrak-operated rails, Amtrak officials confirmed. The train operators apparently missed a signal.

The train traveled about four miles west along tracks used by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) for its regional rail system.

The lost train eventually followed tracks for SEPTA's Cynwyd line and stopped at the authority's station in Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pa., officials said.

SEPTA and Amtrak both responded to the scene and the passengers were taken off of the wayward train.

"They took us the wrong way out of Philly now we are stuck with no power and no way to get back to Philly," Bridget Cook tweeted to the Amtrak Twitter account. She then posted the photo above.

SEPTA staff guided the train back to Philadelphia, where passengers were offered a ride on another train to New York.

"Everyone was very fortunate that at that time of the day there were no SEPTA trains on that track," said SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams. "At no time were any of our riders in danger."

The Cynwyd line is a single 6.1 mile track that runs from SEPTA's Suburban Station in Center City Philadelphia to Bala Cynwyd, where it ends. It has the lowest ridership among the transit authorities 13 regional rail lines -- with a daily average ridership of 622 people.

Williams says the next train heading towards Bala Cynwyd was set to depart Center City at 12:19 p.m. that day.

"An investigation was launched and the crew has been held out of work until they can be fully debriefed and additional training can be conducted," said Amtrak spokesman Craig Schultz.

When the Amtrak train switched onto SEPTA's line, Williams says the authority's control center was alerted.

The train's operators would have also been told that the track was clear through an automatic signaling system. SEPTA did not authorize the train to come onto their tracks, Williams says.

Dr. Allan Zarembrski, Professor and Director of Railroad Engineering and Safety Program at the University of Delaware, called the incident "unusual."

He says, while only limited information has been released about the mishap, it could have been the Amtrak dispatchers that led the train astray.

“It may have been the case where a dispatcher may have switched the train onto the wrong track," he said.

He says based on the limited information about the mishap, he hasn't seen anything to suggest safety was compromised -- adding that SEPTA's signal system appears to have done its job.

"That’s what the signal system is designed for, that if a train is occupying the track, it notifies the dispatcher and other train not to proceed," he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board says they are not looking into the incident because they only investigate accidents.

NBC10 has also reached out for comment from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Also on NBC10.com:

• A Look at Amtrak's Long-Distance Cars
• Amtrak Breaks a Record
• Art Will Transport Commuters on Space Journey

If you're in the habit of shopping for the holidays early and want to get a head start this year on Thanksgiving Day, don't bother stopping at Nordstrom. It'll be closed.

The leading fashion retailer announced its doors will close Thursday, Nov. 28.

Affecting more than 100 stores in 35 states, the closure is part of a Nordstrom full-line and Nordstrom Rack tradition.

“This is how we’ve approached the holidays as long as anyone here can remember,” Nordstrom spokesman Colin Johnson said.

Photos: Outrageous Black Friday Behavior

Closing for the holiday doesn't sit well with most retailers, which are already losing six shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year as part of a calendar phenomenon that occurs about every seven years.

Breaking a 155-year-old tradition, Macy’s announced in mid-October that it would open on Thanksgiving Day at 8 p.m. Other retailers, such as JCPenney and Toys“R”Us, are betting on the holiday to increase sales by remaining open and expanding their operating hours.

Flyers were posted in Nordstrom stores announcing the closure with big lettering that read, “HAPPY THANKSGIVING.”

“We won't be decking our halls until Friday, November 29. Why? We just like the idea of celebrating one holiday at a time," the sign read.

Some people don't like the idea that a retail store would remain open, forcing its employees to work on a holdiay.

"We've received positive feedback in the past," Johnson said.

Doors are set to re-open in time for Black Friday on Nov. 29 and in full holiday spirit.

“The Friday after Thanksgiving is when we deliver our holiday trim,” Johnson said. “It makes it more fun and exciting.”

For those shoppers who can’t wait till Black Friday, Nordstrom's online site won’t be affected.

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A Bridgeport woman is facing charges after allegedly stealing a car in Stratford, leading police on a chase and trying to back the stolen vehicle into the officers who pursued her.

Latrinda C. McNeill, 21, is accused of stealing a car from the Stratford Motor Inn at 2200 Stratford Avenue. The victim called police Nov. 19 to report that two women had pointed a gun at him and taken his car. Officers responded to the scene to find McNeill driving away in the stolen vehicle. When they pursued her, she sped off, police said.

McNeill led police on a chase down Stratford Avenue into Bridgeport, where she crashed into a phone pole. When officers approached the car, McNeill tried to back into them, according to police.

She was taken into custody at the scene, where she gave several fake names, police said. Officers searched her and found a small amount of marijuana. They did not find a gun.

McNeill was charged with third-degree larceny, interfering with or resisting arrest, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree robbery, possession of marijuana, reckless driving, driving without a license and engaging police in a pursuit. She was held on a $50,000 bond and is due in court Nov. 29.

Police said McNeill was the only person in the car. They have not identified a second suspect.

A U.S. congresswoman from New York was beaten and robbed of her handbag as she walked home from dinner in Washington, D.C., authorities said.

Rep. Grace Meng, who represents parts of Queens, was walking to her home on Independence Avenue Tuesday night when she was struck in the back of the head.

The suspect took her black Gucci bag and fled on foot.

Meng, 38, appeared disoriented when officers talked to her, according to a police report. She had injuries on her left knee and left hand, the side of her face and the back of her head.

She told NBC News she was knocked out after she hit the ground, and "the next thing I remember is talking to the police officer and the ambulance." 

Meng was able to return to work Wednesday.

"I have a little headache, and a I have a lump here and a skinned knee, but most kids know what that feels like," she told NBC News. "But other than that, I'm back at work and taking it slowly." 

Meng didn't get a look at the suspect, but the person took a cell phone out of another cloth tote bag Meng was carrying and threw it to the ground, which she says police are testing for prints. 

"Of course it's scary. This could happen to anyone, male, female, young, old, and it's just another opportunity to remind people to exercise caution when they're walking," Meng said.

Meng was elected last year.

A JetBlue flight landed safely in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday after an emergency evacuation slide inflated within the plane's cabin, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

JetBlue 1266, an Embraer E-190 aircraft, headed to Boston Logan International Airport landed at Orlando International Airport at 3:40 p.m., FAA Spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in an e-mail statement.

The slide "partially deployed" in the front gallery, according to a statement from JetBlue.

The flight took off from Southwest Florida International Airport in Lee County, Fla. No injuries were reported.

There were 78 passengers on board, reported NBC affiliate WESH.

Bergen said the FAA is investigating the incident. The plane was taken out of service for inspection and passengers were expected to depart OIA at 5 p.m. on another plane to Boston, JetBlue said.

More on NBC6.com:

• Elderly Father Shot Son in Dirty Dishes Dispute: Police
• WATCH: Healthcare Marketplace Crashes While Sebelius Tours Center
• Dwyane Wade Sells Sitcom to Fox
• PHOTOS: Sexiest Man Alive Through the Years
• WATCH: Channing Tatum Parodies Van Damme's "Epic Splits"
• PHOTO: Tornado Survivor Finds Dog Buried Alive in Debris

The bill for San Francisco's Batkid day -- forever etched in San Francisco history as Nov. 15 -- is coming in at $105,000, according to a mayoral spokeswoman.

The biggest ticket item, according to reports, was the Civic Center celebration where Mayor Ed Lee handed Batkid, aka Miles, a 5-year-old battling leukemia, the key to the city.

PHOTOS: Batkid Saves the City

Mayoral spokeswoman Christine Falvey said the money came out of revenue from conventions held at the Moscone Center. It's the same pot of cash that funds the $150,000 Fourth of July fireworks show.

Police Chief Greg Suhr said no police overtime was required for the events.

MORE: SF Morphs into Gotham City for Batkid Battling Leukemia

That's not too bad for an event that drew about 12,000 volunteers and millions of eyeballs around the globe. All were watching the altruistic spirit that turned the city of San Francisco into Gotham City for a day, and gave a kindergartener in remission from cancer a memory for a lifetime.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Miles, who hails from Siskiyou County in Northern California, his dream of becoming Batman for a day.

"The cops you saw were all on regular duty," Suhr told the Chronicle's Matier & Ross. "All we did was move them around from one part of the city to another, like we do with any number of events during the year."

RAW VIDEO: Batkid Saves Damsel in Distress

Bay City News contributed to this report.

Watertown police have arrested a New York man suspected in an armed home invasion in the Mount Fair neighborhood on Dec. 6. 2011. 

Today, police arrested David Davis, 22, of Brooklyn, New York, who they said has prior arrests in New York for robbery.

Police said the victims, a husband and wife, were returning home from their business in Waterbury and had pulled into their garage when David approached their car, knocked on the window and demanded that they open the doors or they would be shot, police said.   

One of the victims began honking the horn and the intruders fled.

As detectives investigated, they determined that David and his accomplices were waiting for the victims, intending to steal proceeds from their Waterbury business, police said.

Detective Kevin Ferrucci identified David as a suspect from the Waterbury store’s video surveillance.

Police reached out to The U.S. Marshals Service and the New York Police Department’s Fugitive Task Force and took Davis into custody.

He is being held on $1 million and will be arraigned in Waterbury Superior Court on Nov. 21.
Davis was charged with home invasion in the first degree, first-degree robbery, criminal attempt at larceny in the second degree, second-degree threatening and first-degree reckless endangerment.

Police continue to investigate and expect additional arrests.
 

When horror happened around them at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown last December, teachers took on the role of heroes, working to keep their students calm and safe.

One of those teachers, Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, has been recognized as one of Glamour magazine’s  Women of the Year for 2013.

Last December, as shots rang out in the school, Roig-DeBellis moved her 15 students into the bathroom, blocked the door and assured them that everything would be OK, even though it was hard for her to believe herself. 

She also ensured that something positive came out of something terrible and created the charity Classes 4 Classes, a non-profit meant to connect children and foster living with love, kindness, empathy and compassion.

“Twenty young children and six brave adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, but in the middle of this horrific act, a miracle happened. Fifteen first graders survived and are alive today because of the courage, love and devotion of one teacher, Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis,” Arianna Huffington said during the event.

“I have lived my life so as not to let that day define myself or my students,” Roig-DeBellis said. “This award is an honor of the 26 angels who I know are looking down on us right now, she said through her tears. “This is for them.” 

Former First Lady Laura Bush also made a statement about Roig-DeBellis for the magazine.

“Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis is a Woman of the Year because... ‘No teacher expects to have to rescue her students from a deadly attack. But Kaitlin's quick thinking at Sandy Hook saved 15 lives’," Bush wrote.
 

Interstate 95 southbound was closed for hours in Norwalk on Wednesday after a tractor-trailer carrying scrap metal flipped onto its side.

Fire officials arrived at the scene just after 10:30 a.m. to find the dump trailer lying on its side across all three lanes of traffic. Pieces of aluminum cargo had spilled from the truck and were strewn about the left and center lanes, according to Deputy Fire Chief Gino Gatto.

The driver was pinned inside the cab and had to be extricated. His injuries don't appear to be life threatening, Gatto said in a news release.

Hydraulic oil also spilled around the cab. Crews from the state Dept. of Transportation and Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection brought in payloaders and street sweepers to help with the cleanup, Gatto said.

An early police investigation reveals that the truck may have malfunctioned and hit the bridge, causing the trailer to roll onto its side, according to Gatto.

The southbound lanes were closed between exits 13 and 14. Traffic was detoured off of exit 14, according to state police.

The highway reopened around 2:30 p.m.

 

Waterford police are warning residents of a phone scam targeting Medicare recipients.

According to the police department Facebook page, residents have been receiving long-distance phone calls claiming that new Medicare cards are being issued. The person on the other end, who is known to have a heavy Jamaican accent, asks the victims for personal information, including their full names, addresses and social security numbers.

Medicare has been contacted and said it will not be issuing new cards, according to police.

Authorities urge residents to think twice before disclosing personal information over the phone, especially to an unknown caller.

At least three athletic offices at Quinnipiac University were robbed Tuesday night, according to Hamden police.

Police said electronics, jewelry and money were stolen from offices inside the Burt Kahn Building. It’s not clear who might be responsible or how the offices were accessed, but police said the building showed no signs of forced entry.

The thefts happened Tuesday evening and were reported to police on Wednesday, authorities sad.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Hamden Police Det. Donald Remillard at 203-230-4040.

With cyber-bullying on the rise, Facebook is coming up with ways to tackle the problem.

The social networking site launched its anti-bullying hub this month. Teenagers can now anonymously report abuse or reach out to adults on the site for help.

Facebook consulted the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence on Preventing Bullying to brainstorm a plan to combat cyber-bullying. The idea is that reporting bullying to adults with whom teenage users are connected on Facebook will help victims to cope.

Like many teens around the country, students at Lewis Mills High School are regular Facebook users. Many said they’ve seen incidences of bullying taking place on the social media platform.

“I don’t notice it a lot, but when I do, it’s pretty bad,” said high school senior Amanda Buthe.

Facebook is implementing a new bullying prevention hub, which allows users to anonymously report abusive comments to Facebook and to other users’ friends. Students think this will help to discourage cyber-bullying and hold users accountable.

“It’ll make them aware that it’s not the right thing to do and they can get caught for it and get in trouble,” said Benn Kelly, a junior at Lewis Mills High School.

The Washington Post reports that Facebook also planned to release talking points for adults and educators to use when alerted of bullying cases.

When the Helene Grant School comes down early next year and is then rebuilt to new specifications, it will be named for a man who spent more than 20 years in the district.

“It's Dr. Mayo that has taken this district to where it is right now,” said Garth Harries, Superintendent of Schools for New Haven.

The school, which will serve 3- and 4-year-old students, will be called the Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood Center. Officials broke ground on the new school Wednesday. It will be completed in December of 2015.

“I want people to pass this building and really just think about early childhood, because that certainly has been a passion of mine,” said Dr. Mayo, who served as New Haven’s School Superintendent for two decades.

His passion has shaped the New Haven school district.

“Today because of Doc's efforts, we are the largest, not the second largest or the third largest, but the largest provider of pre-kindergarten services in the state of Connecticut,” said Mayor John DeStefano.

The district is also now one of the finalists for this year's Race to the Top competition, which would award New Haven anywhere from $4 to 30 million over the next four years. A big part of being a finalist is the school change Dr. Mayo helped to implement four years ago.

“Reflecting on some of what Dr. Mayo said today, we put students at the center of this, so it's a grant that really tries to figure out how can we inspire students in their middle school years, help them transition to high school, make sure the learning is really tailored to them because as Doc said today, they're our inspiration, they're the ones we can learn from,” said Harries.

The grant winners will be announced by the end of December.

Quinnipiac University is investigating a sorority on campus and school officials have put the chapter on hold.

“The organization has been ordered to cease and desist its operation while the university investigates concerns about member behavior,” said John Morgan, Associate Vice President for Public Relations at Quinnipiac.

It’s not clear what that member behavior entails or what the future will hold for the chapter.

The Quinnipiac Chronicle says it's not the first time the chapter has had problems. Alpha Chi Omega National Headquarters investigated the chapter in the spring of 2012, the Chronicle reports.

According to the sorority website, the Iota phi chapter at Quinnipiac was founded in 1996 and comprises more than 160 members. Nationally, the sorority has been around for 128 years.

Quinnipiac Greek Life includes nine sororities and seven fraternities.

The town of Norfolk and cold weather are synonymous. Banners hang from light posts in the center of town reading, “Norfolk: Icebox of Connecticut." It’s a nickname that residents of the coldest and snowiest town in the state have come to embrace.

The town is home to one of only two curling clubs in Connecticut. It’s one of a few things that make the town unique and it’s something residents say they love having in their backyard.

On a predictably cold December night in 2011, two arsonists went on a crime spree through town. Kyle Majewski and Matthew Carey are convicted of setting two fires in Norfolk, one of which destroyed the Norfolk Curling Club.

Jon Barbagallo has been curling in Norfolk since he was 13 years old. He’s also a volunteer firefight in town. Barbagallo was putting out hotspots at a house fire in North Norfolk on Dec. 18, 2011 when he heard from the Norfolk Resident Trooper about a fire on Gulf Drive.

“I was one of the first ones to get here,” he said. “Once we were coming up on the hill and could see the glow in the sky, you knew it wasn’t good.”

The club was established in 1956 and the old wooden structure was vulnerable to fire. Barbagallo said he always had a plan for how he would fight a fire there if one were to break out, but even the best-laid plan wasn't enough.

“I never envisioned it would be so complete by the time we got here.”

The fire was so intense the 42-pound granite curling stones split from the heat of the blaze.

“Poking our heads in the back of the ice shed you could hear them cracking. There wasn’t much to save,” Barbagallo recalled.

After the fire was extinguished, there was virtually nothing left. All 32 stones were destroyed, as were the ice shed and the main building. Decades of memories were reduced to a pile of ash.

Nearly two years later, and after thousands of hours of work, the Norfolk Curling Club is almost ready for its rebirth. The bar is stocked, the fireplace is ready and so is the ice. This Sunday, curling will return to Norfolk after a 23-month absence.

“I think there’s a lot of excitement and awe,” club president Mary Fanette said.

Fanette is a relative newcomer to the Norfolk curling community. For years she was a “weekender,” commuting from New York City to her Litchfield County home as a getaway on her days off. In 2005, shortly after retiring to Norfolk, she won a club membership at a silent auction for the Norfolk Public Library.

Fanette says she was welcomed into the community and for the last four years has served as president during some of the most trying times.

“We’re looking forward to being here and having some great times and good curling,” Fanette said.

Club members were the driving force behind rebuilding the facility, but they acknowledge that support from other Norfolk residents and the curling community was a huge help.

“Basically fundraising started that night at the fire and we still need more,” Barbagallo said. “It’s been an exhausting effort… thousands and thousands of man hours.”

While missing the entire curling season last year was a disappointment, getting back open in time for the Sochi Olympics was critical.

“It’s a huge time for us,” Fanette said, “We get a lot of attention and we do get new members during that time and we need to be ready for it.”

The Norfolk Curling Club will have an open house on Sunday, Nov. 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

The signs are up and wiring is being installed so that a handful of new surveillance cameras can be stationed around New Haven's Chapel West neighborhood.

“There have been concerns over the years around Kensington Square, so as we try to take steps to make residents feel safe, we started to take a community approach," said Erik Johnson, Executive Director of the Livable City Initiative. "Instead of saying, ‘Hey were going to put something in to watch where you go,’ we built this from the neighborhood up."

The city has worked with a number of community partners and property owners on the $100,000 project. The cameras will be installed along Chapel Street, and the video will be sent back to the New Haven Police Department, just like video from other cameras in the city. The hope is to have the cameras running by the end of the year.

“There's a way to catch crimes, sometimes you don't know who does what, and that's a way to figure it out," said Johnson. "But on our side, it's really not so much as a crime catching mechanism, it's kind of that somebody knows you’re watching, that somebody's got your back. We believe in safety and this is the community taking ownership of its neighborhood.”

Pierre Solomon lives in Kensington Square and said he's not sure what impact the cameras will have.

“I think it will be a slight deterrent because it depends on the individual, because if you have very desperate people, they really wouldn't care what's there, and they really wouldn't care who's watching,” said Solomon.

However, he does believe that the cameras are a good addition to the already established neighborhood watch.

“With that, the cameras, as well as the police substation around the corner, I think we'll be really safe over here,” said Solomon.

Governor Dannel Malloy did not hold back today in talking about his frustrations with the federal roll out of the Affordable Care Act.

"The president and federal government did a disservice in this terrible roll out and they were ill prepared," said Gov. Malloy. "And I can say that as a state that was well prepared."

Malloy's insurance commissioner is meeting with President Obama today at the White House.

Connecticut has yet to decide whether it will go along with Mr. Obama's fix for the health care law. That fix would allow people to keep their non-ACA compliant plans. Nine-thousand in the state have been dropped by their insurance companies.

Gov. Malloy said the fix will further complicate matters.

"I think there's a lack of understanding in the White House of how complicated this issue is on a state by state basis," said Gov. Malloy.

President Obama himself admitted that the roll out was fumbled.

Connecticut's health exchange is working well compared to most states. Around 13,000 have enrolled and the web site has had few issues.

Insurance companies spent years coming up with policies that were to be compliant with the new health care law.

If these products are extended, companies have to file rates, the rates have to be reviewed," said Keith Stover, who is a lobbyist for the Connecticut Association of Health Plans.

The so-called fix, the president has proposed, would likely raise rates.

"To do what the president kind of suggested last week would be a very very significant undertaking," said Stover.

Political observers have said that President Obama proposed the fix to satisfy Democrats in Congress who are in tough fights but now the fix has created an issue for Democratic governors like Malloy, who are likely to run in 2014.

"They shifted their problem to me and I don't appreciate it," said Gov. Malloy.

The mother of a severely beaten 5-year-old from Bridgeport was arrested after police said she failed to stop the abuse of her son.

Police call it one of the worst child abuse cases they’ve ever seen and said 22-year-old Jarelis Lugo, the boy's mother, knew about the abuse but never reported it.

The boy's father, Daquon Gomillion, also 22, was arrested in September after the child was discovered with extensive scarring on his body and other "significant injuries" indicating he may have been struck with an extension cord.

At the time of the incident, a doctor told police, “The number of scars is too numerous to count, and the number exceeds the number that I have ever seen on any other child.”

Gomillion was charged with multiple counts of first-degree assault and risk of injury in a minor and is being held on a $750,000 bond.

Now Lugo is also facing charges. She was arrested Wednesday and charged with risk of injury to a minor.

Police said Lugo initially told them her son’s injuries were accidental and that he “falls a lot.” She later admitted that Gomillion had repeatedly abused the child.

The boy was taken into the custody of the Dept. of Children and Family Services, police said.

Lugo’s bond was set at $50,000.

Joe Biden celebrates his 71st birthday Wednesday, and just like anyone's wacky 71-year-old uncle, there are some memorable moments to look back on, um, fondly.

While he was initially known for his gaffes, that's not what we enjoy about the man who might just be the most interesting vice president to watch in modern American politics.

Biden's not shy in public situations. He has an ability to turn an workaday campaign stop or speech into an internet meme, just by cuddling a biker or dropping an F-bomb within range of the press (whoops!).

In honor of his birthday, here are five unforgettable Biden moments:

Mr. Biden Goes to Costco

During what was possibly the most GIF-able event of 2012, Biden took a surprise shopping trip at the grand opening of a Northeast D.C. Costco. While wearing mirrored aviator sunglasses.

The veep snacked on samples, called his daughter to ask advice on a watch, and hugged employees and CEO alike. (We've noticed he has a different view of personal space than most people.)

Highlight: When a hairnet-wearing worker felt comfortable enough to remove a crumb from the vice president's face.

Have Biker, Will Travel

Biden was chatting up customers in the Cruisers Diner in southern Ohio while on the campaign trail last year when he met a group of bikers clad in black leather vests and bandanas. Biden waved over a female motorcyclist, telling her, "I know who runs the show."

The woman had nowhere to sit, so Biden pulled a chair in front of himself and pulled her nearly into his lap. Because that's what you do with bikers sometimes. (Photo: AP)

The F-Bomb Heard Around the World

You'd think the shockingly close embrace would be enough. But Biden wasn't moving in for a hug so much as he wanted to mark the significance of a landmark moment: Shortly after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Healthcare Act into law, Captain Obvious leaned in and (in)famously told him, "This is a big f---ing deal."

The bleep-able moment "sullied" the passing of the legislation, said the editorial staff at the Hartford Courant, deflating "a significant moment for the president." But they weren't the ones who garnered YouTube fame.

(Also, see what we mean about the personal space? Photo: Getty Images)

Biden Celebrates End of Shutdown, With Muffins

The day after the government shutdown ended, Biden greeted returning EPA workers with muffins, setting down four plastic trays on the counter at the security desk. Still unknown: Whether he bought them at Costco.

The move was a part of the political choreography that top government officials used in an attempt to raise worker morale after the shutdown. But the only one we know of who brought food? Biden. (Photo: News4)

"The Most Beautiful Women in the World"

Well, OK. At a 2009 meeting with then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in Kiev, Biden gave new meaning to the term "foreign relations" when he lavished praise on the women of the country, telling Viktor Yushchenko, "You have so many beautiful women" in the country. (Above, he meets one of them: former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Photo: AP)

"I cannot believe that a Frenchman visiting Kiev went back home and told his colleagues he discovered something and didn't say he discovered the most beautiful women in the world. That's my observation," Biden said through a translator.