strange stuff

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

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The Weird Tale of &#39;Unique Pig Couch&#39; on Craigslist
The Weird Tale of 'Unique
Pig Couch' on Craigslist
in case you missed it
Nov 22, 2020 10:30 AM CST

The Weird Tale of 'Unique Pig Couch' on Craigslist

The couch (actually a chair) is real, but the ads offering it up for sale are not

(Newser) - An ad selling a "Unique Pig Couch" popped up on New York City's Craigslist this week. You can see it here , and the photos do indeed show a unique pig couch, which is to say, a couch in the shape of a pig. "Selling it for $250...

Pope John Paul II&#39;s Blood Stolen in Broad Daylight
Pope John Paul II's Blood 
Stolen in Broad Daylight
in case you missed it
Nov 21, 2020 12:51 PM CST

Pope John Paul II's Blood Stolen in Broad Daylight

Cops have a suspect, who's been known to lift sacred relics, but vial of blood is still missing

(Newser) - Pope John Paul II died more than 15 years ago, but people still try to get their hands on relics of the Polish pontiff when they can—even his blood. That's what a man from Tuscany is accused of swiping, and Italian authorities are now trying to track down...

It&#39;s Been 50 Years Since Highway Workers Blew Up a Whale
They Blew Up a Dead Whale.
It Didn't Go as Expected
in case you missed it
Nov 15, 2020 1:00 PM CST

They Blew Up a Dead Whale. It Didn't Go as Expected

'For the blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds'

(Newser) - Oregon is celebrating a special anniversary on Thursday: the 50-year commemoration of when highway workers there blew up a dead whale. Per the Willamette Week , a 45-foot, 8-ton sperm whale washed up on the shores of Florence in late 1970, and on Nov. 12, the state's highway division decided...

Spotted in Florida: 'It Looked Like a Jurassic Park Creature'

Giant alligator spotted strolling a golf course

(Newser) - Florida is known for its alligators, but one that showed up this week on a Florida golf course is making headlines for a) strolling around during Tropical Storm Eta like it was nothing but a sun shower, and b) its jaw-dropping size, per NBC News . Video shot Wednesday at the...

Amazon Driver Blames GPS for Odd Predicament

Delivery van became stuck in a golf cart tunnel

(Newser) - In yet another example of GPS leading a driver seriously astray, an Amazon driver got his van stuck in a golf cart tunnel last week in a Detroit suburb. USA Today has the "must be seen to be believed" photo. And in what may be the understatement of the...

Hunter Got His Deer. Second Animal Was a Surprise

Minnesota man encounters an alligator

(Newser) - A Minnesota man who was tracking a large buck on the opening weekend of deer hunting season encountered a second animal he never expected—a 3-foot alligator, per the AP . Cory Klocek was hunting Saturday on farmland in East Bethel when he took down with a shotgun what he described...

Yellowstone Ranger Busts Man Cooking Chickens in Hot Spring

Park officials say the Idaho visitor has been banned for 2 years

(Newser) - Although the pandemic limited many activities over the summer, at least people could partake in quiet outdoor activities, like having small, socially distanced barbecues. An Idaho man, however, has been barred from Yellowstone National Park after he picked the wrong place for his cookout. A park spokeswoman tells East Idaho...

Cops Not Impressed With Driver's Snowmobile Idea

Unusual traffic stop made in Wisconsin

(Newser) - The Wisconsin State Patrol had a little advice for a guy who transported a snowmobile by strapping it to the roof of his Toyota Corolla: Bad idea. A trooper pulled over the driver on Highway 63 in northwestern Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon after seeing the snowmobile perched sideways on top...

Train No Longer Rests on Whale Sculpture

Runaway carriage had come to rest on artwork

(Newser) - The front carriage of a Dutch metro train that landed on a sculpture of a whale's tail after plowing through the end of an elevated section of rails was painstakingly lifted clear of the artwork Tuesday and lowered to the ground. The train was left precariously balanced on the...

Whale&#39;s Tail Saves a Runaway Train
Whale's Tail Saves
a Runaway Train
Nov 2, 2020 8:11 AM CST

Whale's Tail Saves a Runaway Train

It's 2020, so why not?

(Newser) - The driver of a metro train in the Netherlands is a very, very lucky man. Incredible images show that a sculpture of a whale's tail saved him and his train from a nasty plunge, reports DutchNews.nl . The otherwise empty train broke through a barrier at the end of...

Kanye's Birthday Gift to Kim: a 'Special Surprise From Heaven'

Some think it's sweet he gave her a hologram of late dad Robert Kardashian; others think it's creepy

(Newser) - Kim Kardashian caused quite a buzz online this week after she posted pictures of her and a bunch of close friends partying on a private island for her 40th birthday, and she apparently isn't done with her celebration. This time, the reality star shared her gift from husband Kanye...

Ever See a Building Walk Before? Here's Your Chance

Historic 85-year-old school moved to new site via 200 robotic 'legs' in Shanghai

(Newser) - It took nearly three weeks, but the Lagena Primary School in Shanghai has been relocated to its new home. If you happened to have been in the Huangpu district earlier this month, you would've seen exactly how it was moved 200 feet to its new space, and you probably...

Cleaner 'Flabbergasted' to Win Election Against Overconfident Mayor

Russian mom Marina Udgodskaya wins in landslide against incumbent Kremlin ally

(Newser) - A Russian mayor running for reelection thought he'd found a "willing patsy" to run against him, a requirement of sorts to ensure at least the appearance of a democratic process. But Marina Udgodskaya—a local mom of two who used to clean Povalikhino's City Hall and says...

Undercover Operation Catches Rogue Turkey

Expert poses as a victim, then grabs 'Gerald'

(Newser) - A wild turkey's five-month reign of terror in Oakland ended Thursday when it fell for a sting operation. The aggressive turkey, called Gerald, had been terrorizing Grand Lake residents and prompted the closing of the city's Morcom Rose Garden, KGO reports. "I swear I was getting flashbacks...

Engineers Have a New Inspiration: This Beetle
'Super Tough' Beetle Could
Inspire Us to Do Better
new study
Oct 21, 2020 5:13 PM CDT

'Super Tough' Beetle Could Inspire Us to Do Better

Researchers say the bug's crush-resistant shell can be a model for planes and buildings

(Newser) - It's a beetle that can withstand bird pecks, animal stomps and even being rolled over by a Toyota Camry. Now scientists are studying what the bug's crush-resistant shell could teach them about designing stronger planes and buildings, the AP reports. "This beetle is super tough," said...

A Town Called Asbestos Gets a New Name
Asbestos, Quebec,
Gets a New Name
Oct 20, 2020 4:30 AM CDT

Asbestos, Quebec, Gets a New Name

Canadian town is now 'Val-des-Sources'

(Newser) - Asbestos, Quebec, doesn't exactly have a nice ring to it. And after more than a century, residents have changed it. The Canadian town was given the name at the end of the 19th century because, at the time, the world's largest asbestos mine was located there, the BBC...

Profanity Filter Presents Challenges for Paleontologists
Conference's Profanity Filter
Is a Little Too Efficient
in case you missed it
Oct 18, 2020 3:30 PM CDT

Conference's Profanity Filter Is a Little Too Efficient

Paleontologists weren't allowed to use the word 'bone'

(Newser) - Paleontologists who gathered online for an annual conference this week encountered an unexpected challenge: For a while, they weren't allowed to use the word "bone." This wasn't some creative exercise. As the Guardian explains, the gathering of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology had to contend with...

Town Haller: Trump's Smile Rocks, but My Vote's for Biden

Paulette Dale drew attention for complimenting president at town hall

(Newser) - There were plenty of attention-grabbing moments during President Trump's Thursday night town hall in Miami, but one attendee managed to steal some of the spotlight from him when she gushed over his looks. "I have to say, you have a great smile," Paulette Dale said to a...

Pilot Reports Man in Jetpack More Than 1 Mile Above LA

'We just saw a flying object like a flying suit that’s passing by us'

(Newser) - Something strange has been happening in the skies over Los Angeles. For the second time in six weeks, commercial pilots have reported seeing a person in a jetpack high above the city. In the latest incident, air traffic controllers warned Wednesday that a pilot preparing to land had seen somebody...

People With These Names Should Watch Their Step

A California-based firm compiles a rather odd list

(Newser) - What's in a name? Your odds of breaking a toe or looking silly in public, it seems. That's according to Uplift Legal Funding, a company that lists the top 10 names of the "most accident-prone" men and women, Today reports. Seems the firm made its list by...

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