strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

Stories 221 - 240 | << Prev   Next >>

Someone Really, Really, Really Wanted These Stanley Products

Police say California woman stuffed 65 of much-coveted drinking vessels into car without paying

(Newser) - Stanley drinking vessels are the hot fad at the moment, but someone may have become a bit too obsessed. Police in Roseville, California, last week announced that an arrest was made after workers at a local retail store spotted a woman leaving the establishment with a shopping cart crammed with...

Feds Unamused by Highway Sign Puns
Feds Unamused by
Highway Sign Puns
Jan 20, 2024 3:10 PM CST

Feds Unamused by Highway Sign Puns

New guidance is winding down clever safety messages within the next 2 years

(Newser) - If you enjoy the occasional wild highway sign urging you to "Camp in the woods, not the left lane," sadly, you'll have to get your dad jokes elsewhere. The Federal Highway Administration (part of the Department of Transportation) has weighed in on whether electronic safety billboards on...

Builder Finds Out Why Not to Name Homes After Anne Frank

Or Harriet Tubman, per resurfaced listings that are taking some heat

(Newser) - It's admittedly a challenging job to write compelling real estate copy, in the hopes of inspiring potential customers to buy. One New Mexico homebuilder, however, may have gone a little overboard in its descriptions of two home designs that have "baffled" those who've seen them, per the...

This City Wants Space Aliens to Come Visit

Coded message sent to TRAPPIST-1 solar system welcoming ETs to Lexington, Kentucky

(Newser) - If you've never visited Lexington, the Kentucky city wants your business—especially if you're from out of this world. That's why the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau (aka VisitLEX) beamed a message in October to the TRAPPIST-1 solar system, described by VisitLEX as "home to the...

Mouse Caught Tidying Up Man&#39;s Workbench


Mouse Busted
Tidying Up
Man's Bench
at Night
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 13, 2024 6:00 AM CST

Mouse Busted Tidying Up Man's Bench at Night

'I don't bother to tidy up now, as I know he will see to it'

(Newser) - An industrious mouse in Wales has gained fame for his housekeeping prowess. Rodney Holbrook couldn't figure out why small objects left on a workbench in his shed kept returning to a box overnight, seemingly of their own accord. He set up a camera and discovered that the little critter...

Oscar Mayer Has a Tremendous Career Opportunity for You

Apply now to drive the Wienermobile—just don't get your hopes up

(Newser) - If you're looking to travel the country in one of the doofier rides out there and make new friends with an appreciation for highly processed meat, well, Oscar Mayer has just the gig for you. As USA Today reports, one of the nation's biggest names in hot dogs...

Unsurprisingly, &#39;Hitler&#39; Bug Is Causing a &#39;Ferocious Debate&#39;
This Bug's Scientific Name
Is Causing a Big Uproar
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 6, 2024 4:20 PM CST

This Bug's Scientific Name Is Causing a Big Uproar

'Anophthalmus hitleri,' aka the 'eyeless Hitler' beetle, is now the subject of 'ferocious debate'

(Newser) - Slovenia: home to former first lady Melania Trump, "breathtaking" landscapes , and one of the most controversial insects on the planet. Not that the Anophthalmus hitleri ground beetle is inherently a troublemaker—but, as you may have surmised from its longer scientific moniker, its designation as the "eyeless Hitler"...

If You Think You've Had a Scary Flight, This May Beat It

Alaska Airlines plane makes emergency landing in Oregon after panel flies off, leaving huge hole

(Newser) - A flight from Oregon took a frightening turn as the weekend kicked off, though no one was hurt. KING 5 reports that the Alaska Airlines plane out of Portland International Airport on Friday afternoon—a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet headed to Ontario, California—was forced to turn around and...

By Returning What He Stole in 1999, Thief Revealed Himself

He used his credit card to pay to ship the gold-painted weathervane back

(Newser) - A thief returned what he stole more than two decades ago anonymously—but he didn't remain anonymous for long. AFP reports a gold-painted weathervane that sat atop a Catholic cross in southwestern France was taken from its perch in April 1999. Over the years, historian Michel Sabatery wrote about...

Andrew Lloyd Webber Once Had a Poltergeist Problem

He said he had to call on a priest to help

(Newser) - Andrew Lloyd Webber once had to call on a priest to rid his home of a pesky spirit. In a recent interview with the Telegraph , the Phantom of the Opera composer was asked whether any of the six London theaters he owns are haunted. The Guardian reports the question wasn'...

UK Police Investigate Girl's Virtual Rape

Traumatic VR attack and others like it could spawn new laws prohibiting such behavior

(Newser) - Police in the UK have launched what's believed to be the first investigation of an alleged virtual rape. A girl younger than 16 was using a virtual reality (VR) headset when avatars controlled by adult men attacked her avatar, causing what a senior officer describes as "psychological trauma...

Chinese Chess Champ Loses Crown Over Pooping Incident

Yan Chenglong, accused of cheating with anal beads, defecated in hotel tub

(Newser) - There's playing dirty, and then there's celebrating dirty, and allegations of both have gotten the newly crowned king of Chinese chess unceremoniously dethroned. As AFP reports, Yan Chenglong on Dec. 17 won the national title of "Xiangqi King," or king of Chinese chess, a hugely popular...

Have You Gotten &#39;Whammed&#39; Yet This Holiday Season?
39 Years Later, Wham!
Tops UK Christmas Chart
updated
Dec 23, 2023 5:45 PM CST

39 Years Later, Wham! Tops UK Christmas Chart

George Michael wanted a holiday No. 1, Andrew Ridgeley says

(Newser) - The avoidance game that's all the rage apparently is not hurting the popularity of "Last Christmas," released by Wham! 39 years ago. For the first time, the song is top of the Christmas chart in the UK, the BBC reports. Andrew Ridgeley said the other half of...

25-Year Search for Mysterious X-Files Song Finally Pays Off

Internet thread leads to songwriters who penned tune that appeared in 1998 episode

(Newser) - There was always mystery upon mystery layered in The X-Files, the popular sci-fi series starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and now a big meta one regarding the show itself has been solved. The Washington Post reports on a melancholy country-western song heard in the background of a Season 6...

She Knew Her Uterus Was Rare. Now, an Even Rarer Pregnancy
Woman With Double Uterus
Has Healthy Twin Girls
UPDATED
Dec 23, 2023 9:30 AM CST

Woman With Double Uterus Has Healthy Twin Girls

Kelsey Hatcher's pregnancy was one in a million, doctors say

(Newser) - An Alabama woman with a rare double uterus and an even rarer double pregnancy gave birth to healthy twin girls Roxi and Rebel a few days before their Dec. 25 due date. The girls were delivered safely after Kelsey Hatcher spent a combined 20 hours in labor, AL.com reports....

10 Standout Cases of (Allegedly) Bad Behavior
10 Standout Cases of
(Allegedly) Bad Behavior
best of 2023
Dec 22, 2023 9:40 AM CST

10 Standout Cases of (Allegedly) Bad Behavior

Everyone didn't toe the line in 2023

(Newser) - Our "strange stuff" tag is one of our most used—it currently contains more than 4,500 stories. Some of them are strange in a delightfully quirky way. Others are strange in a smack-your-head kind of way. The stories that follow are definitely of a SMH nature. Here, 10...

Odd Delay for New Jersey Commuters: Wayward Bull
For Steer Who Escaped
in Newark, a Happy Ending
UPDATED
Dec 21, 2023 3:30 PM CST

For Steer Who Escaped in Newark, a Happy Ending

'Ricardo' will live at an animal sanctuary

(Newser) - A lost steer captivated New Jersey and much of the nation last week when it showed up on the tracks by Newark's Penn Station. The Washington Post has an update that will please those rooting for the animal, as well as a more detailed account of how the adventure...

Denver Zoo Needed a Paternity Test. They Got a Famous Expert

Maury Povich announces father of 4-month-old orangutan Siska, to great fanfare

(Newser) - Maury Povich has shifted into retirement mode in recent years—he wrapped up his talk show in 2022, and he was recently presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys—but his services are apparently still in demand. At least at the Denver Zoo, which recruited the 84-year-old...

TSA: Man Blamed This 'Loaded Diaper' on His Girlfriend

Agency says man was cited at NYC's LaGuardia airport after 17 bullets found in disposable diaper

(Newser) - It was a loaded diaper, but not like you would think. Security officers found 17 bullets concealed inside a disposable baby diaper Wednesday at New York's LaGuardia Airport, the Transportation Security Administration said. Officers pulled the otherwise clean diaper from a passenger's carry-on bag after it triggered an...

NASA Beams Cat Video to Earth From 19M Miles Away

This could be a big deal in terms of eventual Mars exploration

(Newser) - Ultra-high definition video of an orange tabby cat named Taters has been beamed to Earth from almost 19 million miles away. Why? Because NASA decided to use the 15-second video as part of its Deep Space Optical Communications experiment, CBS News reports. The video of the cat (who is owned...

Stories 221 - 240 | << Prev   Next >>