strange stuff

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

Stories 401 - 420 | << Prev   Next >>

'AK-47' That Prompted Panic Was Something Very Different

Police in New South Wales, Australia, say 'weapon' they found in car was actually just a bong

(Newser) - There was a bit of panic in Australia this week, after Sydney locals reported the sighting of a man carrying a frightening-looking assault rifle—but all was not what it seemed. The BBC reports that 911 calls started pouring in late Wednesday afternoon from the northwest side of the city,...

In the World of Shark Research, a Big Retraction

Scientists retract paper claiming mysterious creature was sighted in Mediterranean

(Newser) - As far as retractions go, it's an unusual one: A group of scientists have yanked their May 2022 paper claiming a goblin shark had been sighted for the first time in the Mediterranean as well as their defense, published March 13, 2023, of their study. The March 20 move...

It's a 'Mammoth Meatball' —in Size and Species

Scientists unveil cultivated meat made with mammoth DNA, but won't eat it

(Newser) - When a single meatball gets its own museum exhibit, you know it's something special. In this case, it's a mammoth meatball—or rather "an approximation of mammoth meat," as CNN reports. The sample wasn't taken from woolly mammoth remains discovered in Arctic permafrost. Instead, the...

Dutch Train Passengers May Be Cursing Badgers

Burrowing animals cause serious delays in railway travel

(Newser) - Badgers burrowing under rail tracks have halted trains in the northern and southern Netherlands, forcing lengthy cancellations on at least two lines. All trains were halted Tuesday afternoon on a busy line between the southern cities of Den Bosch and Boxtel after the animals dug into a dike carrying rails....

911 Call Was for Unresponsive Man. Cops Found a Lot More

Police find dead body, but also 200 snakes, a crocodile, and a toddler in Pennsylvania home

(Newser) - Police in Pennsylvania's Beaver County made quite a find this week while responding to a call about an unconscious man. The Beaver County Times reports that when officers arrived at the rental residence in Aliquippa, they didn't find an unconscious man, but a dead one—a 23-year-old whose...

South Carolina's Chief Accountant Made Quite the Blunder

Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom is stepping down from post after $3.5B snafu

(Newser) - South Carolina's embattled top accountant will step down next month after a $3.5 billion error in the year-end financial report he oversaw, according to a resignation letter written Thursday that was obtained by the AP . Republican Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's decision to leave the post he's...

New Zealand Invests $4M to Help Brokenhearted Teens

The country's 'Love Better' campaign wants young people to 'own the feels'

(Newser) - New Zealand's "Love Better" campaign is ready to help teenagers struggling with a breakup move on in a healthy way, and it's spending $4 million ($6.4 million in NZ currency) to do it. Via its affiliate RNZ, CNN reports that this is a youth-led campaign....

Family's Carbon Monoxide Leak Has Unexpected Cause

Their chimney was blocked by ... an owl

(Newser) - An Ohio family evacuated from their home due to high levels of carbon monoxide probably never would have guessed the cause: an owl had gotten stuck in their chimney, blocking it. One of the Hamilton County Dog Wardens came to rescue the owl after it was discovered; it was evaluated...

Fan Completes a Truly Bonkers Disney Challenge

Nathan Firesheets rode every available ride at all 12 Disney theme parks in 12 days

(Newser) - It's fair to call Nathan Firesheets a Disney superfan, especially after he ventured to all 12 Disney theme parks, spread across the globe from Paris to Tokyo, in exactly 12 days. And not just to take a quick look at each. To prove his dedication, Firesheets made it onto...

Lawyers: We Know Phony High Schooler's Case Is 'Very Bizarre'

Attorneys for Hyejeong Shin say she faked her way in to New Jersey high school due to loneliness

(Newser) - At age 16, Hyejeong Shin came to the United States from South Korea and attended boarding school in Massachusetts. In 2019, she graduated from Rutgers with a degree in political science and Chinese, got married, and set up her home in a high-rise not far from the New Jersey university....

The List of Every Place on Earth Just Got Bigger

The 'Most Traveled People' group ups the count to 1.5K

(Newser) - Quick: Name how many countries and territories one could visit on Earth. If your guess was in the hundreds, you're already way off, at least according to the "Most Traveled People" (MTP) community. MTP was founded by Charles Veley after he tried and failed to have Guinness World...

Aldi's Easter Candy Looks a Little Racy

'Sorry Aldi, but that ain't a bunny'

(Newser) - With Easter just weeks away, stores are starting to stock sweets on their shelves. One supermarket chain's offering, however, has caused quite the online brouhaha. Earlier this month, a shopper at a UK Aldi picked up a bag of "marshmallow bunnies and chicks," according to the bag'...

'Bird' Heard in Home's Walls Was Something Else Entirely

Animal rescue called off after UK resident discovered creature was a stuffed 'Harry Potter' toy

(Newser) - It can be quite distressing to discover there's a wild animal trapped in the walls of your house, as one UK resident thought had happened in their case. Per UPI , a call was recently made to Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue about a bird in such a predicament in a North...

He Once Wooed on the Soaps. Now, a 'Bizarre' Crime

Forbes March, who played Scott Chandler on 'All My Children,' is accused of stealing cooking oil

(Newser) - It's still early, but Soaps.com is already calling this "the most bizarre crime you're likely to read about this week." It involves Forbes March, a 49-year-old former soap opera veteran who's starred in such programs as All My Children, As the World Turns, and...

See If You Can Spot What Doesn't Belong in This Attic

Home inspector stumbles on alligator holed up in NC home

(Newser) - Alligators have popped up in Florida swimming pools , a Brooklyn lake , and even in a post office . North Carolina attic is a new one, in a discovery out of New Hanover County by a code compliance officer making his rounds. Per WECT , Dean Brown was inspecting a new home under...

Critics on Weird Sport: 'One of the Stupidest Things You Can Do'

UFC President Dana White says slap fighting is just good fun, but concussion experts disagree

(Newser) - The competitors stand rigidly upright with their hands behind their backs, waiting to absorb a brutal slap to the face. When the open-handed blow is delivered, there's a sharp report and the reaction can be dramatic. Some fighters barely move, while others stumble backward or fall to the floor....

Nick Cannon's Show Seemed Too Bad to Be True. It Was

'Who's Having My Baby' promo with Kevin Hart was just a stunt for their new 'Celebrity Prank Wars'

(Newser) - In a world where Reality TV Land includes shows featuring the "best funeral ever," Vanilla Ice becoming temporarily Amish, and a group of women who've convinced themselves they're vying for the hand of Prince Harry (it was an obvious lookalike), a series dedicated to prolific dad...

14-Foot Python Found Dead on Side of New York Road

Officials are trying to find out who owned it

(Newser) - Finding animals dead on the side of the road is not uncommon. But finding a 14-foot-long python dead on the side of the road is. That's what happened on Valentine's Day in New York, when the state's Department of Environmental Conservation got word that a large snake...

Art Blogger Finds the &#39;Most Nightmarish Job Listing&#39;
Job Posting
by 'Art World
Family' Is Just
Eye-Popping
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 4, 2023 6:00 AM CST

Job Posting by 'Art World Family' Is Just Eye-Popping

Art blogger calls it 'the most nightmarish job listing I've ever seen'

(Newser) - What may be the "worst art job listing ever created" has since been deleted, but freelance art writer Emily Colucci has saved it for all of us to marvel at. Writing about her recent find on her Filthy Minds blog , Colucci notes she stumbled upon the posting for an...

Latest Makeover Trend: Your Signature

The AP takes a look at the unusual idea with plenty of takers

(Newser) - Doctors, lawyers, celebrities: There's a new cosmetic surgery, of sorts, for which they're all signing up. By that, we mean handing over money to hire a calligrapher for a fresh take on writing one's own name in cursive, writes Leanne Italie for the AP . With a pen...

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