strange stuff

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

Stories 1221 - 1240 | << Prev   Next >>

Star Wars Fans Will Love France's New Sport

May the force be with vous during your lightsaber battle

(Newser) - Master Yoda, dust off his French, he must. It's now easier than ever in France to act out Star Wars fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, per the AP . Of course, the LED-lit,...

The Weirdest of Heists: 'Ancient Water' Stolen

Iceberg Vodka discovered one of its tanks was empty on Monday

(Newser) - "Whoever did it, they knew what they were doing." So says the CEO of a Canadian vodka company who claims to have a bizarre theft on his hands. David Meyers alleges nearly 8,000 gallons of what the CBC calls "ancient water" was stolen over the weekend....

Recognize This Shoe? Its Owner Is Missing a Foot

Authorities look to identify 15th foot washed ashore in Canada

(Newser) - Canadian police say they're not alarmed by a human foot on a British Columbia beach—at least the 15th discovered since 2007. The left foot washed ashore in West Vancouver in September, though the BC Coroners Service is just now looking for help identifying its owner. "Typically …...

Tale of USB Stick in Seal Poop Gets Weirder

Owner is found, describes 'weirdest set of coincidences'

(Newser) - "This is probably the weirdest set of coincidences in my life—ever," says the owner of a USB stick found in a lump of frozen seal poop . Here's how it unfolds: In December 2017, sea lion volunteer Amanda Nally found an ailing sea lion on a beach...

Houston Seeks 'Forever Home' for Tiger Found by Pot Smoker

Big cat was found in 'rinky-dink' cage in abandoned home

(Newser) - All's well that ends well, though the outcome at an abandoned Texas home could've been a lot different. Per KTRK , authorities say someone busted into the Houston abode earlier this month so they could smoke some pot and found something rather unexpected: a large tiger in an unlocked...

University Warned About Woman Seeking Date for Son

Towson University police say it's not a criminal matter, she just needs to stop

(Newser) - Students at Maryland's Towson University have been advised by police to keep an eye out for a woman apparently seeking a date for her son. The odd warning came via a campus-wide "incident advisory" that police sent out after students reported being approached by the woman, said to...

Emergency Declared Over Polar Bears— Lots of Polar Bears

They've invaded the Novaya Zemlya archipelago

(Newser) - An emergency has been declared in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, due to ... polar bears? Yes, dozens of the animals have invaded the Russian islands, prompting environmental authorities to bring in a team of specialists to sedate and remove them, the Guardian reports. The bears "have literally been chasing people,...

'Anti-Natalist' Suing Parents for Having Him Without His OK

His lawyer mom's good-natured retort: 'I will destroy you in court'

(Newser) - New vocab word for the day: anti-natalism . If you need a quick primer on what it means, just ask Raphael Samuel, a 27-year-old from India who's suing his parents based on just that philosophy. To wit: He doesn't think they had the right to force him to be...

Attraction at New Museum: 6.5K Bobbleheads

Even Donald Trump is represented at Milwaukee's latest attraction

(Newser) - A new museum in Milwaukee may well hold the largest collection of bobbleheads anyone has ever seen, displaying more than 6,500 figures of athletes, mascots, celebrities, animals, cartoon characters, politicians, and more. The recently opened National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is the brainchild of friends Phil Sklar...

They Fled the Tent to Their Deaths. Now, a Search for Why

Russia to reinvestigate the Dyatlov Pass Incident

(Newser) - On January 23, 1959, 10 students set off on a skiing trip in Russia's Ural Mountains. One became sick and bowed out. The other nine didn't make it out alive, and though their bodies were recovered, the mystery of how they met their end has persisted for 60...

Memory Stick Full of Photos Found in Frozen Seal Poo

NZ researchers now trying to find owner

(Newser) - Wildlife researchers in New Zealand found a surprisingly resilient memory stick in a surprising place: a 14-month-old lump of frozen seal feces. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research says the fully functioning USB stick is in "good condition considering where it came from" and contains somebody's...

Courthouse Closes After Some See Bedbugs Fall From Lawyer

Exterminators were called to the Rogers County Courthouse in Oklahoma

(Newser) - An alleged incident in Oklahoma gives new meaning to the saying, "Don't bring your problems to work." The Rogers County Courthouse in Claremore had to close around noon on Monday after some judges and employees saw what looked like bedbugs falling from an attorney's clothing some...

She Thought a Ghost Was Taking Her Clothes. Not Quite

Andrew Swofford allegedly found Saturday in student's NC apartment

(Newser) - A student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro debunked her theory that a ghost was stealing her clothes, though the truth was no less terrifying. After spotting handprints in the bathroom of her apartment on the edge of campus and noticing several of her pants and shirts had...

Think Your Ex Is a Snake? Here&#39;s the Ideal Valentine&#39;s Gift
A Snake Needs
a Name: Your Ex's
Feb 5, 2019 8:40 AM CST

A Snake Needs a Name: Your Ex's

Aussie zoo contest lets you explain why its resident reptile deserves your ex's moniker

(Newser) - The brown snake of Australia is among the most poisonous in the world, which is apparently why a zoo Down Under has decided to let you name one of them after your ex. That is, if you win Wild Life Sydney's Valentine's Day contest, which is giving competitors...

He Nearly Died. The Problem? A Toothpick
How a Toothpick
Nearly Killed Teen
in case you missed it
Feb 3, 2019 3:35 PM CST

How a Toothpick Nearly Killed Teen

Doctors were stumped for weeks in recently reported case

(Newser) - He suffered from nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloody stool, and fever for almost three weeks before doctors finally figured out what was wrong. The answer may seem almost funny—but by the time the mystery was solved, it had caused an infection that nearly killed him. What was the problem?...

&#39;Sinkhole&#39; Turns Out to Be Secret Tunnel to Bank
They Thought
It Was a Sinkhole. 
Then They Saw
the Orange Cord
in case you missed it
Feb 3, 2019 12:40 PM CST

They Thought It Was a Sinkhole. Then They Saw the Orange Cord

FBI investigating after public works employees find secret tunnel leading to Florida bank

(Newser) - It started out as public works employees checking out a potential sinkhole or pothole; it ended up with the FBI trying to solve what the Sun Sentinel is now calling a "bank caper." What the workers spotted in the hole in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Tuesday that raised...

Indiana Marshal Has to Cut Horse Out of Tree

In -20 degrees. 'I couldn't feel a thing, it was so cold'

(Newser) - An Indiana town marshal wielding a chain saw rescued a horse that became wedged between two branches of a tree trunk amid subzero cold, reports the AP . Winfield Town Marshal Dan Ball says the horse somehow became stuck in the multi-trunked tree Wednesday morning in the town of Winfield, about...

Seizure of 5K Leeches Leaves Canada With Weird Problem
Man Stopped at Airport With
5K Leeches Had Weird Claim
in case you missed it
Feb 2, 2019 10:30 AM CST

Man Stopped at Airport With 5K Leeches Had Weird Claim

He allegedly said his orchids needed them

(Newser) - The beagle sat down next to the Canadian man at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Oct. 17, 2018, and the jig was up. Clued in by the dog, officials searched the man's bags and found containers holding 5,000 leeches. National Geographic has the story, which it says hasn'...

'Fingerprint Implants' Helped Fugitive Stay On the Run

Spanish police say the 'sophisticated process' included cutting and burning skin

(Newser) - It turns out you can change your fingerprints, but it sounds painful. A Spanish fugitive dodged arrest for 15 years by cutting and burning the skin of his fingertips, then replacing it with micro-implants, the Guardian reports. The man, who was not named by police, was arrested Tuesday on drug...

Woman Rescued After 3 Days in NYC Elevator

In a townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side

(Newser) - Feel like you had a bad weekend? It could have been worse. The New York Times reports a woman who worked at the residence at 48 East 65th Street in Manhattan was trapped in the townhouse's elevator from Friday night until the owners returned home Monday morning. A rep...

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