strange stuff

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

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Guy Discovers He's Been Paying Neighbor's Utility Bill for Years

Ken Wilson of California couldn't figure out why his costs were so high

(Newser) - There's being neighborly, and then there's unintentionally paying your neighbor's utility bill for years on end. The latter is the tale of Ken Wilson, a longtime resident of one Unit 90 in an apartment complex in Vacaville, California. As KOLD reports, Wilson was distressed when his utility...

Will You Marry Me? No, Will You Marry Me?

Couple proposes to each other at the same time, inadvertently

(Newser) - A Baltimore couple's engagement story has gone viral thanks to a twist straight out of a Hollywood rom-com. Rachel Hundertmark and Rashad Polk inadvertently proposed to each other at the same time, reports the New York Post . The couple had been dating for more than two years, and each...

Whale-Watchers Spot Seal in Humpback's Mouth

Seemingly bewildered animal soon swam out

(Newser) - It's a good thing seals aren't on a humpback whale's menu. A photograph by a whale-watching naturalist captured a seemingly bewildered seal in the mouth of a humpback whale after the giant marine mammal accidentally gulped it last Thursday in the waters off Anacortes, Washington, the AP...

Mayoral Candidate Hospitalized After Foe Attacks Him in Debate

Pablo Marcal, running to lead Sao Paulo, Brazil, got slammed with chair, is said to have fractured rib

(Newser) - WWE steel-cage match or Sao Paulo mayoral debate? It was hard to tell over the weekend when one Brazilian candidate attacked another with a chair as the latter was at the podium, leading to a hospital visit for the attackee. The AP and Washington Post report that Pablo Marcal—a...

Otter Drags Child From Dock, Into Water in Washington

Mom was able to pull the youngster to safety

(Newser) - A walk down the dock at the Bremerton Marina in Washington state turned terrifying for a mother and child Thursday morning when a river otter appeared and dragged the child into the water. Otter and child went under, then resurfaced, at which point the woman was able to pull her...

After Five Years, an Internet Mystery Is Solved
After Five Years, an
Internet Mystery Is Solved
in case you missed it
Sep 15, 2024 3:30 PM CDT

After Five Years, an Internet Mystery Is Solved

Reddit sleuths finally ID 'Celebrity Number Six,' who turns out to be an ex-model in Spain

(Newser) - It was such a seemingly simple challenge: Identify the stylized faces of several celebrities that appeared on a piece of fabric. All but one were were identified quickly. The last one, however, vexed internet sleuths for five years and spawned an entire Reddit community devoted to the mystery of "...

Alleged Reckless Driver Faces 86 Counts Thanks to His Own Videos

Police say suspect mounted camera on helmet, so they were able to retrieve footage of his speeding

(Newser) - A 29-year-old man in Denmark faced a whopping 86 preliminary charges on Friday for driving at high speeds on motorcycles, riding on the rear wheel—also at high speed—and endangering others, police said, adding that the man had mounted a camera on his motorcycle helmet, which provided investigators with...

After 26 Years, Lego Piece Comes Out of Man's Nose

'I can breathe out of this side of my nose now, and it's fantastic'

(Newser) - When Arizona man Andi Norton blew his nose in the shower recently, a small piece of plastic flew out and a long-forgotten memory resurfaced. In an Instagram post , the 32-year-old said that when he was around six years old, he put "one of those tiny dot Legos" up his...

He's Never Lived in Alaska. He's in Prison, and He's on the Ballot
New York Inmate
Will Stay on Alaska Ballot
UPDATED
Sep 13, 2024 10:05 AM CDT

New York Inmate Will Stay on Alaska Ballot

Alaska Democratic party sued to have Eric Hafner taken off ballot for state's lone House seat

(Newser) - An inmate serving a 20-year sentence in a federal prison in New York can remain on the ballot for Alaska's sole US House seat, Alaska's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The court affirmed the Tuesday ruling of an Anchorage Superior Court judge who dismissed a lawsuit from the...

Ig Nobel Winners Include Dead Trout, Drunk Worms

And a Japanese team found that many mammals can breathe through their anuses

(Newser) - Thursday was the biggest night on the calendar for weird science. The Annals of Improbable Research handed out Ig Nobel prizes honoring researchers including a Japanese team that found many mammals can breathe through their anuses. They won the Physiology prize for their research on "enteral ventilation," which...

This Slippery Eel Can Escape Predator's Stomach in a Minute
This Eel Can Pull Off
an 'Astonishing' Houdini
NEW STUDY
Sep 10, 2024 1:28 PM CDT

This Eel Can Pull Off an 'Astonishing' Houdini

Japanese eels can escape from a predator's stomach in less than a minute, researchers say

(Newser) - That eels are slippery is no surprise, but that they can literally slip out of a predator's stomach is "truly astonishing," according to researchers, who've recorded footage of the first-of-its-kind behavior, allowing for escape in less than a minute. "It sounds like the plot of...

Scientists Were Tracking a Shark. Then the Data Got Weird
Scientists Were Tracking
a Shark. Then It Got Eaten
in case you missed it
Sep 8, 2024 3:30 PM CDT

Scientists Were Tracking a Shark. Then It Got Eaten

They say they have first evidence of predator eating a porbeagle shark

(Newser) - Researchers captured and tagged a pregnant porbeagle shark near Cape Cod in October 2020. The 7-foot shark had two trackers attached: one was a geolocator; the other was a pop-off satellite archival tag (PSAT) that relayed info about water temperature and depth. As the scientists write in a paper published...

Food Dye Used in Doritos Offers a 'Jaw-Dropping' Perk
Food Dye Used in Doritos
Offers a 'Jaw-Dropping' Perk
in case you missed it
Sep 8, 2024 11:30 AM CDT

Food Dye Used in Doritos Offers a 'Jaw-Dropping' Perk

Tartrazine, aka 'Yellow No. 5,' creates see-through skin on mice to help scientists peer inside their bodies

(Newser) - To many consumers, "Yellow No. 5" is best known as the food dye that adds an orange-yellow tinge to snacks and drinks like Doritos, Gatorade, and M&Ms. To a team from Stanford, however, tartrazine, the chemical found in that dye, recently served as a window into living creatures'...

Two Men Take Bear Cub on Road Trip, Feed It Taco Bell

Which you probably shouldn't be doing 'for so many reasons,' notes wildlife rescue official

(Newser) - Two men in northern Ontario picked up a highly unusual passenger and took it on a road trip, complete with Taco Bell to scarf down. The problem? That passenger was a black bear cub. According to Myriam Armstrong of the Pet and Wildlife Rescue center in Chatham-Kent, her group took...

Contractor Drills Through Tunnel That Takes Drivers Under NYC River

Officials scrambled to block traffic, but some cars were leaked on

(Newser) - An underwater tunnel that passes beneath New York City's East River sprung a leak Wednesday after a city contractor mistakenly drilled a hole through it, sending streams of water into the heavily used passage as officials scrambled to plug the opening and block off traffic, the AP reports. The...

Half a House on Sale for Half a Million

Southern California property has an 'open-concept floor plan' after being crushed by tree

(Newser) - Newly listed for sale in Southern California's notoriously pricey realty market: half a house for half a million dollars. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow in suburban Monrovia, northeast of Los Angeles, was crushed by a tree in May with two renters and two dogs inside. There were no injuries, but...

Astronaut Reports 'Strange Noise' From Starliner

NASA has solved the mystery of odd pulsing sound coming from Boeing Starliner docked at ISS

(Newser) - NASA's Butch Wilmore had Mission Control scratching its head this weekend with a question about an odd noise. "I've got a question about Starliner," Wilmore said in his Saturday message to Houston from the Boeing aircraft docked at the International Space Station, per the Guardian . "...

'Injured' Bald Eagle Was 'Too Fat to Fly'

X-rays revealed it had eaten a raccoon

(Newser) - A bald eagle that Missouri Department of Conservation officials thought was injured just needed more time to digest a big meal. In a Facebook post, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield said the bird captured along the boundary of the park was found to be healthy, but full of raccoon, USA ...

Gallery Donor Gets Last Word, Two Years After Death

Lord John Sainsbury's hidden note objecting to architectural design is found

(Newser) - A strange story has emerged out of London's National Gallery involving a billionaire donor and his posthumous objections to the design of a wing he funded. The billionaire is Lord John Sainsbury, a grocery store magnate who gave tens of millions of dollars to the museum to build what...

Iowa Finally Catches Its Unique Marauder

When escaped water buffalo is released from hospital, it will go to a sanctuary

(Newser) - The escaped water buffalo that was running loose in Iowa after fleeing its owner's farm was captured Wednesday, four days after its escape. Authorities spotted the animal—nicknamed by some online followers of the story as "PHill" after the city of Pleasant Hill, where it was roaming—Tuesday...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>