strange stuff

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

Stories 661 - 680 | << Prev   Next >>

Grandma Shocked by Cactus Toy's Cocaine Rap

Walmart says item has been pulled

(Newser) - A grandmother in Canada says she was more than a little surprised when the dancing cactus toy she bought for her toddler granddaughter started rapping in Polish about depression and cocaine use. "It just so happens that I am Polish and when I started to listen to the songs...

Mayor Admits Groundhog Was Dead on Groundhog Day

This has happened before, caretaker says

(Newser) - As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, strange news has emerged about a different holiday north of the border. Authorities in South Bruce Peninsula have admitted that groundhog Wiarton Willie, the Canadian equivalent of Punxsutawney Phil, died of a tooth abscess before this year's Groundhog Day. While the pandemic made this year'...

Man Sues After Being Locked In Mental Hospital by Mistake

Man who was homeless in Hawaii was arrested for someone else's warrant

(Newser) - A formerly homeless man who ended up in a mental institution for more than two years because of mistaken identity is suing the state and various Honolulu police officers, Hawaii public defenders, and doctors. Joshua Spriestersbach's attorneys say in a lawsuit filed Sunday in US District Court in Honolulu...

He Decided to Drive Himself to His Driving Test

This did not go over well with police

(Newser) - Points won for punctuality. Points lost for comically bad common sense. The AP reports that a man in Germany had the bright idea to drive himself to his own driving test. What's more, he parked the car right in front of the man who was there waiting to give...

Cool Archaeological Site Found Due to Retreating Glacier
Cool Archaeological Site Found
Due to Retreating Glacier
in case you missed it
Nov 20, 2021 5:05 PM CST

Cool Archaeological Site Found Due to Retreating Glacier

Researchers race clock to study WWI barracks cavern

(Newser) - Sure, it’s cool. A cave in the Italian Alps that sheltered soldiers during World War I is full of interesting archaeological treasures. It’s like a time capsule. The objects recovered—straw mattresses, helmets, newspapers—were found thanks to climate change. The cavern barracks was “literally frozen in...

Money Flies Out the Back of Armored Truck on Freeway

Police: Turn in the cash or face charges

(Newser) - Drivers scrambled to grab cash Friday morning after bags of money fell out of an armored truck on a Southern California freeway, authorities said. The incident occurred shortly before 9:15am on Interstate 5 in Carlsbad as the truck was heading from San Diego to an office of the Federal...

Fans Send Millionaire Artist $448K in 48 Hours

Afrobeats artist Davido of Nigeria apparently wanted to get his luxury car out of port

(Newser) - Nigerian-American Afrobeats star Davido is a multimillionaire, notes the Guardian . But that didn't keep him from asking fans for donations this week. And they jumped at the opportunity to help "one of the biggest African stars in the world," per the BBC . The singer with 31.6...

Attorney Who Thinks 'Like a Criminal' Is One Himself

Daniel Muessig, who put out viral ad, is now a felon in Pittsburgh

(Newser) - In 2014, Pittsburgh defense attorney Daniel Muessig got internet famous with a YouTube video in which he fishes for clients with the boast, "Trust me, I may have a law degree, but I think like a criminal.” Any guesses on what just happened? Correct: The 39-year-old became an...

After Hiker Notices Smell, Stream Found to be 1.2% ABV
Stream in Hawaii
Was 1.2% Alcohol
Nov 18, 2021 12:18 PM CST

Stream in Hawaii Was 1.2% Alcohol

Nearby liquor distributor was ordered to 'stop the discharge'

(Newser) - Streams of alcohol have been trickling down the rocks not in the Big Rock Candy Mountains , but in Waipio, around 15 miles north of Honolulu, Hawaii. The stream was contaminated by runoff believed to be from Paradise Beverages, the state’s largest distributor of liquor and alcoholic beverages, which owns...

&#39;I&#39;m Being Held Hostage by a Possum&#39;
'I'm Being Held
Hostage by a Possum'
Nov 16, 2021 10:21 AM CST

'I'm Being Held Hostage by a Possum'

Police in New Zealand resolved a weird case

(Newser) - In the annals of police emergency calls, it's a strange one. "I'm being held hostage by a possum," a woman informed police in Dunedin, New Zealand, reports UPI . It seems the woman was unpacking her car when she felt what she thought was a cat run...

Girl, 11, Likely Got Gonorrhea From Hot Spring

Doctors say infected swimmer likely left bacteria behind

(Newser) - An 11-year-old Austrian girl started experiencing vaginal burning and discharge while on vacation with her family in Italy—and back home, it was determined she had gonorrhea. In a case study published in September but just now making headlines, doctors say the girl likely contracted the bacterial infection (which was...

Cotton Candy Lobster Surprises Maine Fisherman

Haddie will live out her days in an aquarium in New Hampshire

(Newser) - A lobster fisher in Maine pulled a rare blue lobster out of the Gulf of Maine this weekend. Bill Coppersmith, who has been catching lobsters for about 40 years, found the cotton candy-colored lobster and promptly named her Haddie after his granddaughter. “It is so rare—there’s only...

Family&#39;s Puppy Grows Up, Takes Surprising Turn
Family's Puppy Grows Up,
Takes Surprising Turn
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nov 13, 2021 7:00 AM CST

Family's Puppy Grows Up, Takes Surprising Turn

Adorable baby critter in Peru turns out to be a wild Andean fox

(Newser) - Run Run is on the run. The Sotelo family in Lima, Peru, raised a puppy they thought was going to grow up to be purebred husky. They raised the cute little puppy with no problem for a while. Then Run Run started to chase things, killing and eating guinea pigs,...

Woman's Stunt at Bronx Zoo May Have Been Her 2nd

Police are seeking trespasser who climbed over barrier at lion exhibit, much like incident in 2019

(Newser) - An incident at the Bronx Zoo this week was reminiscent of one that took place about two years ago in the same spot—and it looks like it may have been a stunt pulled off by the same perpetrator. NBC News reports that at around 4pm on Thursday, a blonde...

Antarctic Penguin Swims 1.8K Miles to New Zealand

And after some rest and a fish smoothie, 'Pingu' was returned to the water

(Newser) - Harry Singh thought he'd discovered a child's toy on a beach on New Zealand's South Island. Then it moved its head. What he'd actually found was a tired Adélie penguin, which had the BBC reports apparently traveled some 1,800 miles from its home on...

As School Day Began, an 'Unbelievable' Crash

A moose smashed through the window of a Saskatchewan school

(Newser) - An early-morning program at a Saskatchewan school proved unusually exciting for the kids in attendance this week. The CBC reports that just before 9am on Thursday, a moose was spotted lurking around the Sylvia Fedoruk School in Saskatoon, just as a before-school program was wrapping up in a community room...

A New 'Jet Pack Man' Theory Emerges

Cops spotted human-shaped inflatable weeks after 2nd reported sighting

(Newser) - Authorities investigating sightings of apparent jet packs over Los Angeles County, Calif., say pilots may have actually witnessed a flying human-shaped inflatable. "One working theory is that pilots might have seen balloons," the FBI and FAA say in statements to KNBC after the outlet obtained police photo and...

Surprise: Winner of Bird Contest Isn't Actually a Bird

A bat sneaks in and takes top honors in New Zealand

(Newser) - Did somebody miss a meeting? Maybe a day or two of biology class? Somehow the winner of New Zealand’s Bird of the Year contest isn’t even a bird, reports the New York Times . The winning critter has wings, for sure, but bats don’t lay eggs and they...

If You Want to Avoid Vampires, Here's Where You Should Go

Best and worst cities ranked by garlic festivals, blood centers

(Newser) - If you’re looking for a place to live with lots of jobs , the best place to raise a family , a place to retire , a safe city , a small city , a big city , or a city with a high vaccination rate , there’s a list out there for you. Magazines...

23 Years After Pregnant Mom, Toddler Vanished, Car Found

Volunteers may have solved cold case

(Newser) - A pregnant woman put her 22-month-old daughter in her car, left to go to a concert, and never came home. Her car, with human remains inside, was found Tuesday—23 years later. Samantha Hopper’s plan was to drop off Courtney Holt, her toddler daughter, then go on to a...

Stories 661 - 680 | << Prev   Next >>