strange stuff

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

Stories 141 - 160 | << Prev   Next >>

Chechnya Bans Music That Doesn't Have the Right Tempo

It can't be too fast or too slow

(Newser) - Chechen authorities have reportedly shrunk the number of songs that are permissible in the Russian republic by banning music that's too fast or too slow. "From now on all musical, vocal, and choreographic works must correspond to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute" in order...

Goalie Was Drafted in 2015, Just Made His NHL Debut

Ivan Fedotov's story got a little geo-political on his way to playing for the Flyers

(Newser) - Ivan Fedotov was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015—which was great for the aspiring Russian goaltender, but a move made with "low expectations" on the part of the Flyers, as NPR puts it. Fedotov finally made his NHL debut with the Flyers on Monday night, some nine...

In 500 Years, Everyone in Japan May Have the Same Name

Japan's residents may all have surname Sato if an antiquated civil code isn't updated, researcher says

(Newser) - An antiquated law in Japan could lead to an unusual happening in about five centuries: everyone with the same surname. That surname would be Sato, which is the conclusion on the universally shared surname by the year 2531 arising from the research of Tohoku University economics professor Hiroshi Yoshida. More...

Off the Florida Keys, 'Emergency Response' Over Spinning Fish

NOAA has implemented an 'emergency response' to strange behaviors of dying smalltooth sawfish

(Newser) - Endangered smalltooth sawfish, marine creatures virtually unchanged for millions of years, are exhibiting erratic spinning behavior and dying in unusual numbers in Florida waters. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced what it calls an "emergency response" focused on the Florida Keys starting next week. A NOAA news release...

Cops: 9-Year-Old Tried to Drive to School

He led CHP officer on 'short and erratic chase' after taking family car

(Newser) - California Highway Patrol officers in Oroville say that after a driver led an officer on a short chase Wednesday morning, he told him, "I'm sorry, I'm trying to get to school." The 9-year-old behind the wheel had taken the keys to the family car, NBC News...

Harvard's Gruesomely Infamous Book Has an Update

University announces it has removed binding made of human skin from 19th-century tome

(Newser) - If you've ever spent a rainy day browsing through Harvard's "Ask a Librarian" FAQ, you may have stumbled upon one particularly gruesome query : "What is the status of the book bound in human skin at Harvard?" After a decade of debate and controversy, that status now...

Infamous Titanic Prop Sells for $720K

Viewers have long wondered why DiCaprio's Jack couldn't fit on wooden slab with Winslet's Rose

(Newser) - Conspiracy theorists have long argued that Kate Winslet's Rose had plenty of room for Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack on the floating door she clung to in the icy waters of the movie Titanic, after they'd abandoned ship. Now, one lucky person will get to examine those dimensions for...

'Harvard Has Taylor, Vermont State Has Weird Al!'

University will offer a course on comedic singer Yankovic in the fall

(Newser) - If you've ever longed for a glimpse inside the imagination of Alfred Yankovic and you're a student at Vermont State University, your two worlds are about to collide. The higher-ed institution will be offering a course this fall dedicated to the quirky singer-songwriter known as "Weird Al,...

Race Honors Paris&#39; Celebrated Waiters
Race Salutes Paris'
Famed Waiters
Mar 25, 2024 1:08 PM CDT

Race Salutes Paris' Famed Waiters

Apparently by making them walk a mile and a quarter carrying coffee, water, croissant

(Newser) - Usain Bolt's sprint world records were never in danger. Then again, even the world's fastest human likely wouldn't have been so quick while balancing a tray with a croissant, a coffee cup, and a glass of water through the streets of Paris without spilling it everywhere. France'...

Adulterers in NY Aren't Just Cheaters—They're Criminals

State legislature is looking to repeal 1907 law that made cheating on your spouse a misdemeanor

(Newser) - For more than a century, it's been a crime to cheat on your spouse in New York. But as the AP reports, adultery may soon be legal in the Empire State, thanks to a bill working its way through the Legislature that would finally repeal the seldom-used law that'...

Ouch. UFC Fighter Earns $50K Bonus the Hard Way

Andre Lima gets bitten during his bout, commemorates mark with a tattoo

(Newser) - It was a big weekend for UFC fighter Andre Lima: He won his fight, scored a $50,000 bonus, and got a new tattoo—all because he was bitten by his opponent. While he was fighting Igor Severino in Vegas on Saturday, Severino bit Lima on the underside of his...

Man&#39;s Rare Disorder: &#39;I Woke Up in a Demon World&#39;
He Woke Up
One Day and
Thought He Was
'in a Demon World'
in case you missed it
Mar 24, 2024 11:20 AM CDT

He Woke Up One Day and Thought He Was 'in a Demon World'

Odd neurological condition detailed in 'Lancet' case study causes patient to see distorted faces

(Newser) - We've all woken up on occasion with gunk in our eyes or experienced other visual issues—but for Tennessee native Victor Sharrah, what he started experiencing more than three years ago was a tad more frightening, and it's landed him in the medical annals. "My first thought...

Man Rails Against Seizure of His 750-Pound &#39;Son&#39; Albert
Man Rails Against Seizure of
His 750-Pound 'Son' Albert
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 23, 2024 1:05 PM CDT

Man Rails Against Seizure of His 750-Pound 'Son' Albert

Albert is an 11-foot-long gator, and New York DEC authorities say his owner was harboring him illegally

(Newser) - Hamburg, New York, is known for its ample snowfall , the Erie County Fair, and ... alligators? The Western New York town south of Buffalo picked up the latter honorary last week, when local authorities seized an 11-foot-long, 750-pound reptilian resident from a home there, where a man had apparently been keeping...

Candidate Graciously Concedes—Hours Before Polls Close

Congressional campaign for Ohio's Derek Myers mistakenly sent premature email

(Newser) - Political candidates typically refuse to concede on election night until they know for sure every last vote that could help them has been counted. The GOP's Derek Myers, on the other hand, seemingly couldn't wait to get the results over with, accidentally sending out an email on Tuesday...

'Glitch' Allows Customers to Withdraw Millions They Don't Have

Commercial Bank of Ethiopia is trying to recoup the money

(Newser) - A "systems glitch" that persisted for hours on Saturday allowed customers of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to withdraw more money than they had in their accounts, the bank says. By the time the bank was able to freeze transactions, more than $40 million had been withdrawn or transferred...

Pro Golfer's Putt Dropped in, Just Not Fast Enough

Austin Eckroat penalized a stroke after ball hung on the lip of hole for 45 seconds

(Newser) - Austin Eckroat appeared to sink a 20-foot birdie putt in dramatic, almost comical, fashion on Sunday at the Players Championship in Florida. But it ended up being for naught because of an obscure PGA rule—the ball hung on the lip of the hole too long.
  • The putt: Watch it
...

In Wales, a Monolith Mystery Emerges
Mystery Monolith
Emerges, 'Like
Some Sort of UFO'
in case you missed it
Mar 17, 2024 7:00 AM CDT

Mystery Monolith Emerges, 'Like Some Sort of UFO'

A 10-foot steel structure has popped up in Wales

(Newser) - As the world ponders what's going on with the Princess of Wales , another mystery has cropped up in the UK, in the form of a large metal monolith in the middle of the Welsh countryside. The Independent has footage of the odd 10-foot-tall structure, which it describes as sticking...

Town's Residents Warned About 'Abnormal' Cat

The cat is thought to have fallen in a chemical tank in Fukuyama, Japan

(Newser) - "Chemical kitty" might sound like the name of a punk band, but it's apparently a very real thing in one Japanese city. Fukuyama has warned its residents that it appears a cat fell into a tank of toxic chemicals at a metal plating factory and emerged covered in...

&#39;Hypervaccinated&#39; Man Floors Scientists
'Hypervaccinated' Man
Floors Scientists
in case you missed it
Mar 10, 2024 3:45 PM CDT

'Hypervaccinated' Man Floors Scientists

German patient was vaccinated 217 times against COVID, seemingly with no ill effects

(Newser) - Well, we know this guy definitely isn't afraid of needles. A German man has been found to have received 217 vaccinations for COVID-19, and he doesn't seem to be any worse for it. The BBC reports on the "bizarre" case of the 62-year-old out of Magdeburg, whose...

Trekkie Quirk Makes AI Chatbots Better at Math

Opening queries with a 'Star Trek' catchphrase yields more accurate results

(Newser) - Bet you didn't have this one on your AI bingo card. New research has found that when fed phrases that simulated being on the Starship Enterprise, chatbots spit out more accurate results to math problems. The study, published on arXiv and first reported by New Scientist , didn't set...

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