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 >>

Man With 'Auto-Brewery Syndrome' Acquitted of DUI

Belgian man's body produces alcohol on its own

(Newser) - A Belgian man was pulled over two times in a single month in 2022 and, both times, blew a breathalyzer result that was above Belgium's legal limit. Now, he's been acquitted on the drunk driving charges he was hit with because of a rare metabolic condition he has...

Object That Pierced Roof May Be From Space Station
NASA IDs Object That
Blew Through Home's Roof
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 20, 2024 12:10 PM CDT

NASA IDs Object That Blew Through Home's Roof

The plan was for the piece from the International Space Station to burn up before reaching Earth

(Newser) - That indeed was debris from the International Space Station that came crashing through the roof of a Florida home last month, NASA confirmed Monday after analyzing it. The agency identified the object as a metal support used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet for disposal, the AP reports....

Canada Relocates Elephant Seal, but He's Not Having It

Emerson journeys almost 100 miles to return to his home in Victoria, BC

(Newser) - Emerson, the pseudo-celebrity resident elephant seal of British Columbia's capital city, Victoria, really likes his chosen hometown. Really likes it. Last week, conservation officers decided Emerson's penchant for hanging out in the city's flower beds, parks, and roads wasn't the best suited to his longevity and...

Serial Record-Breaker Just Logged an Excruciating One

David Rush balances lawn mower on chin for 9 minutes, 17 seconds to earn latest Guinness honor

(Newser) - David Rush , the man who calls himself "one of the most prolific Guinness World Records title holders on the planet," now has a new notch in his world record belt. "My neck seared with pain. My back hurt, my eyes watered, and my legs shook,"...

Amazon Drivers Are Pretty Torqued at 'Wayne.' And 'Jimmy'

Employees create scapegoats that allow them to gripe about work without fear

(Newser) - If you happen to stumble upon a thread on Reddit that features Amazon drivers griping about a mystery supervisor named Wayne, it's likely not a real person they're complaining about, but an amalgam of all the horrible bosses that exist at the retail giant. That's per 404...

Dogs Are Getting Their Own Airline—but It Won't Be Cheap

Bark Air for dogs has just 2 stops from NY—London and LA—costing up to $8K one way

(Newser) - "Finally, dogs can fly." That's the lofty proclamation on the website for Bark Air , a "100% totally real" new service that vows to "revolutionize flying" for our canine companions. In a statement, the airline launched by the BarkBox subscription service will offer "a more...

Bakery to Customers: Check Cookies for Diamond

Kansas owner believes gem from her wedding ring fell into a batch of dough

(Newser) - The owner of a bakery in Leavenworth, Kansas, is asking customers to chew their cookies with care: One may contain the missing diamond from her wedding ring. Dawn Monroe, owner of Sis Sweets Cookies & Cafe, tells KMBC that at some point during a recent workday, she looked down and...

She Went Ghost Hunting, Was Found Drained of Blood

Authorities searching for male accused of abusing the French victim discovered in Italy

(Newser) - A French woman may have been hunting for ghosts before her body was found drained of blood on the floor of an abandoned church in northwest Italy. The 22-year-old woman, who has not been publicly identified, left her home near Lyon, telling family she planned to search for a haunted...

Mount Etna Gave Us Something Wild Looking

Those are volcano vortex rings

(Newser) - The solar eclipse wasn't the only phenomenon to appear in the sky in recent days. CBS News reports on the weekend sight above Italy's Mount Etna, which produced what at times looked like perfectly circular volcanic vortex bubbles—some of which had a pink hue. A 2023 paper...

Culinary Diplomacy: What's Janet Yellen Eating in China?

She ate potentially psychedelic mushrooms on her last visit, and all eyes are on this trip

(Newser) - Ever since she ate mushrooms that can have psychedelic effects in Beijing last July, Janet Yellen has united Americans and Chinese in wanting to know what she'll eat next. As the AP reports, now that the US Treasury secretary is back in China this week, having stopped in Guangzhou...

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...

New Home Is Accidentally Built on Vacant Lot
Owner of Vacant Lot Sued
After Home Goes Up in Error
in case you missed it
Mar 31, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

Owner of Vacant Lot Sued After Home Goes Up in Error

It's a strange mix-up in Hawaii

(Newser) - It's not the easiest mistake to correct. It seems a construction company hired by a developer in Honolulu built a home on the wrong vacant lot. The kicker is that the owner of the lot is among those being sued over the mess, reports HawaiiNewsNow . The saga began in...

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' 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'...

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