strange stuff

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

Stories 321 - 340 | << Prev   Next >>

Ex-Cop Who Hit Man, Took Body Home Is Sentenced

Former Newark officer Louis Santiago apologizes for 'inexcusable' actions

(Newser) - A former police officer in New Jersey who was off-duty, drunk, and still wearing his Halloween costume when he hit a pedestrian with his car in the early hours of Nov. 1, 2021, has been sentenced to five years in prison. Prosecutors said that instead of rendering first aid, Louis...

Runner's Extremely Slow Race Is a Head-Scratcher

Somalia's sports minister apologized after strange incident

(Newser) - Somalia's sports minister publicly apologized Wednesday and ordered that the chairwoman of the national track and field federation be suspended after a seemingly untrained female sprinter represented the African country at the World University Games in China and took more than 20 seconds to finish a 100-meter race, the...

The Stairway Goes Nowhere. He Bought It for $32K

Only in London?

(Newser) - "I don't think I've ever sold a vacant stairwell," longtime auctioneer Christopher Glenn said on Tuesday. That's now changed. A "disused" London stairwell has sold for about $32,000 at auction, the Guardian reports. The four-story stairwell once serviced the then-office building it was...

This Cop Is Going Viral for His Wild Slide Ride
Cop Hurt After
Bombing Down a Slide
VIDEO
Aug 2, 2023 8:56 AM CDT

Cop Hurt After Bombing Down a Slide

Video of Boston police officer has gone viral

(Newser) - No one knows how or why it happened, but we at least know the what, where, and a little bit of the who. A Boston cop was recorded tumbling down a children's slide in front of City Hall, and the video has now gone viral. In the footage , someone...

California Bear Decides to Cool Off
California Bear
Decides to Cool Off
Jul 31, 2023 2:48 PM CDT

California Bear Decides to Cool Off

Burbank cops get called to respond to a bear chilling in a swimming pool

(Newser) - Apparently, recalcitrant teenagers sneaking out after dark aren't the only pool-hoppers. In something of an answer to "how hot is it?," it was unbearable enough for a California black bear to break into a Burbank home and have himself a dip in the pool, reports CNN . With...

Georgia&#39;s &#39;Big Peanut&#39; Returns
Georgia's
'Giant Goober'
Returns
Jul 25, 2023 2:14 PM CDT

Georgia's 'Giant Goober' Returns

40-foot-tall monument to local peanuts has been rebuilt after being felled by a hurricane 5 years ago

(Newser) - Georgia's "Big Peanut" is back. The roadside landmark along Interstate 75 in south Georgia was rededicated Thursday, nearly five years after an earlier version was felled by the winds of Hurricane Michael. This time, the giant goober is made of sheet metal, not fiberglass. It's a symbol...

Hemingway Look-Alike Wins Contest, Despite Big Difference

'I only have one wife,' jokes Gerrit Marshall, 68, victor of annual Key West doppelganger contest

(Newser) - On his 68th birthday, a white-bearded Wisconsin man won the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, a highlight of Key West's annual Hemingway Days celebration that ends Sunday. Gerrit Marshall, a retired television broadcast engineer from Madison, prevailed over the weekend at Sloppy Joe's Bar, a frequent hangout of Ernest Hemingway...

Lizzo Does an Aussie &#39;Shoey&#39;
Lizzo Does an
Aussie 'Shoey'
Jul 24, 2023 11:00 AM CDT

Lizzo Does an Aussie 'Shoey'

Under duress from the crowd, star takes a modified shot out of her shoe

(Newser) - Lizzo took her tour Down Under, and Down Under did its best to take her down under—vis a vis a very Aussie, very strange drinking stunt. As Yahoo News reports, the rapper was performing at the Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday night when fans shanghaied her into doing a...

Surprise! Zoo Gorilla, Thought to Be Male, Births Baby

Columbus Zoo keepers were surprised to find Sully holding a newborn

(Newser) - For five years, the Columbus Zoo has believed one of its western lowland gorillas, Sully, was a male. On Thursday, the zoo found out in a very surprising way that it's been wrong this whole time—when zookeepers found 8-year-old Sully holding her newborn baby girl, UPI reports. As...

Unfortunately for Rescuers, Lightning Struck Twice

Two people were zapped helping Swiss victims of earlier lightning strike; they weren't seriously hurt

(Newser) - Everyone knows lightning never strikes twice. But a Swiss police officer and a helicopter pilot now beg to differ with that old saw. Both were zapped while helping two victims of an earlier lightning strike, reports the Local . Fortunately, the two rescuers were not seriously hurt, say police. As the...

Lana Del Rey Spotted Working at a Waffle House

Nobody is quite sure what's going on regarding the odd Alabama job

(Newser) - The day's dose of celebrity weirdness comes courtesy of singer Lana Del Rey, who was spotted working as a waitress—nametag and all—at a Waffle House in Florence, Alabama, reports Al.com . The 38-year-old hasn't explained the reason she took a shift at the restaurant, though Insider...

Things Got Truly Nasty on I-95 in Connecticut

Human excrement leaking from a truck caused crashes

(Newser) - Traffic got nasty on a stretch of I-95 in Connecticut on Monday night—quite literally. A northbound tractor-trailer that was leaking human excrement as it traveled caused a number of crashes around 10:30pm, with police saying 10 vehicles ended up being impacted by the waste. The New York Daily ...

A Weird Fight Over Phrase 'Taco Tuesday' Is Over

Taco John's gives up legal battle against Taco Bell

(Newser) - It was one of the more unusual trademark fights on the books, revolving around the phrase "Taco Tuesday." The chain Taco John's had it trademarked for decades, and the much larger chain Taco Bell filed a formal challenge to the trademark earlier this year, reports the Wall ...

Motorcycle Crash, House Fire, Cancer: This Is a Bad Day

Iowa's Wendy Hansen is trying to keep in mind the silver lining of that diagnosis

(Newser) - It's one to remember when you think you're having a rough day: Earlier this month, Wendy Hansen of Iowa lost her home to a fire, crashed her motorcycle while racing to said fire, then was diagnosed with cancer while being treated for the injuries in that motorcycle crash,...

Cops: Impaired Driver Had Baby Raccoon in Car

Canadian man faces charges including having cannabis readily available

(Newser) - Police in Canada say an allegedly impaired driver was arrested before any harm came to him or his unusual passenger—a baby raccoon. "Huntsville officers arrested a male for impaired operation of a vehicle," the Ontario Provincial Police tweeted Wednesday. "The male had a baby raccoon with...

Zoo Cracks Down on Gorilla's Screen Time

It seems they really like visitors' cellphones

(Newser) - If you've ever had a kid, spouse, or decidedly boring date you couldn't drag away from their phone, the Toronto Zoo can commiserate. The Toronto Star reports that visitors have for some reason felt the urge to show Nassir the gorilla videos on their cellphones. "Nassir is...

Hear the &#39;Most Wimbledon Warning Ever&#39;
Hear the 'Most Wimbledon
Warning Ever'
video
Jul 11, 2023 12:00 PM CDT

Hear the 'Most Wimbledon Warning Ever'

Umpire asks spectators not to uncork Champagne as a player is serving

(Newser) - Where and when to pop your Champagne is such a Wimbledon problem. For example, someone got the timing wrong over the weekend at the oldest Grand Slam tournament, where the bubbly helps wash down the strawberries and cream, per the AP . "Ladies and gentlemen, please, if you are opening...

&#39;Whale Vomit&#39; Inside Beached Whale Is Worth $550K
Scientist Probes Whale's
Cause of Death, Finds
a Weird Treasure
in case you missed it
Jul 9, 2023 7:23 AM CDT

Scientist Probes Whale's Cause of Death, Finds a Weird Treasure

Ambergris, produced by just 1% of sperm whales, is highly desired by perfumers

(Newser) - Suspecting a beached sperm whale's death was caused by a digestive problem, a Canary Islands scientist investigated ... and discovered nearly $550,000 worth of so-called "floating gold" inside the doomed animal. Ambergris—also called by the somewhat less appealing nickname " whale vomit "—is a waxy...

Wimbledon: Stop Hooking Up in Our &#39;Quiet Rooms&#39;
Wimbledon: Stop Hooking Up
in Our 'Quiet Rooms'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 8, 2023 6:30 AM CDT

Wimbledon: Stop Hooking Up in Our 'Quiet Rooms'

Tournament organizer warns patrons to stop having sex in rooms meant for reflection

(Newser) - Wimbledon has so-called quiet rooms at the stadium complex, intended to be used by visitors for, well, quiet things like prayer and meditation. Problem being, as the Telegraph reports, that said rooms are being used for decidedly unquiet purposes, with visitors to last year's tournament reporting people emerging with...

Cocaine May Have Been Found in the White House

Discovery by Secret Service prompted a brief evacuation over the weekend

(Newser) - A strange thing happened last weekend: The White House was briefly evacuated on Sunday evening after the Secret Service discovered what it would describe only as an "unknown object," reports Fox News . Now the Washington Post appears to have discovered what the "unknown object" was: cocaine. Authorities...

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