strange stuff

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

Stories 3001 - 3020 | << Prev   Next >>

Man Killed When Cow Crashes Through Roof

'Being crushed by a cow in your bed is the last way you expect to leave this earth'

(Newser) - "I didn't bring my son up to be killed by a falling cow," says the grieving mother of a Brazilian man killed when a cow crashed through the roof of his home. The 45-year-old was asleep next to his wife on Wednesday when the 3,000-pound animal,...

Church Gets $93K Water Bill
 Church Gets $93K Water Bill 
Jul 14, 2013 10:12 AM CDT

Church Gets $93K Water Bill

Ohio city blames software glitch for five-figure bills

(Newser) - Residents and businesses in Girard, Ohio, got a rude surprise when they opened their water bills this month: insane five-figure bills. St. Rose Catholic Church, for example, got hit with a $93,000 charge, and the Tri-Changes hair salon got tagged for $12,000. After residents, business owners, and, yes,...

&#39;Dead&#39; Woman Opens Eyes, Stops Organ Harvest
'Dead' Woman Opens Eyes, Stops Organ Harvest
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 13, 2013 9:46 AM CDT

'Dead' Woman Opens Eyes, Stops Organ Harvest

Syracuse hospital nearly killed her after mistaken death pronouncement

(Newser) - The Syracuse Post-Standard has a medical story equal parts amazing and scary: Doctors who thought a 41-year-old woman was dead were preparing to remove her organs when she opened her eyes in the operating room. St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center eventually got fined $6,000 by the state after...

'Vampire' Graves Unearthed in Poland

The skeletons' heads were found between their legs

(Newser) - No word on whether they kept garlic or a crucifix nearby as they dug, but Polish archaeologists say they've unearthed four "vampire" skeletons. The remains were found with the head placed between their legs; folk tradition held that this burial arrangement would ensure that a possible bloodsucker couldn'...

Pregnant Woman Struck by Lightning, Gives Birth

Dad also hit, but all 3 are fine

(Newser) - A pregnant New Mexico woman has survived a bolt from the blue to give birth to a bouncing baby girl. Kendra Villanueva and the baby's father Ian Gordon were watching fireworks with friends on July Fourth when lightning struck both of them in the front yard of an Albuquerque...

This Exists: Cola-Flavored Wine

The French are selling it ... but you can make your own

(Newser) - Quelle horreur! A French producer is attempting to woo the "Pepsi generation" by giving red wine a cola flavor. The segment of Châteaux en Bordeaux that has introduced the drink is keeping things pretty youthful, from the price tag (less than $4 a bottle) to the name (Rouge...

5 Craziest Crimes of the Week
 5 Craziest Crimes of the Week 
Jul 12, 2013 8:40 AM CDT

5 Craziest Crimes of the Week

From skinny-dippers to self-kidnappers

(Newser) - It's the heat of summer, so no wonder the swimming pool figures in two of this week's weirder crimes:
  1. Like Bonnie and Clyde, With Skinny-Dipping : A 54-year-old guy in eastern Tennessee is sure two of his neighbors stole more than $1,000 worth of stuff from his home.
...

Hospital Charges Women $5 for Every Scream in Labor

Report cites practice as evidence of corruption in Zimbabwe

(Newser) - The Washington Post has spotted an almost too-hard-to-believe nugget from an international report on corruption: A hospital in Zimbabwe charges women $5 for every time they scream during labor. In theory, it's to curb "false alarms," but it's really about "separating mothers from their money,...

Guy Arrested for Sex With Pool Toy ... for 2nd Time

Edwin Tobergta also reportedly likes inflatable pumpkins

(Newser) - What can we say: Edwin Tobergta has a type. That type is rubber, inflatable, and, presumably, brightly colored. The Ohio man has been charged, twice in less than two years, with engaging in sexual relations with a pool toy, the Smoking Gun reports. In the most recent incident, for which...

9/11 Mastermind's Jail Pastime: Building Vacuum Cleaner?

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed read Harry Potter , did "homework"

(Newser) - Storytime, tea and biscuits, Harry Potter: Sounds more like a day in the life of a British schoolkid than a typical day for the mastermind of 9/11. The AP offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's time in a CIA prison, as officials tried to...

Guy Gawks at Skinny-Dipper as Hubby Burglarizes House

He says he watched her while her husband cleaned out his house

(Newser) - A 54-year-old guy in eastern Tennessee is sure two of his neighbors stole more than $1,000 worth of stuff from his home. But it's the way they did it that's making headlines. As Stephen Amaral tells it, the husband and wife came to his house, and the...

Minnesota Mayor Is 4 Years Old

Bobby Tufts is even running for re-election in tiny Dorset

(Newser) - The mayor of the tiny Minnesota tourist town of Dorset hasn't even started school yet. Say hello to Mayor Robert "Bobby" Tufts, all of 4 years old. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether...

Family: Cops Violated Our ... 3rd Amendment Rights?

They say officers were 'quartering' at their house

(Newser) - The first, second, fourth, and fifth amendments are pretty well-known—but when's the last time you cited the third amendment? As a refresher, it states that "No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of...

Coaster Fixes Weird Problem: Too-Loud Screaming

Park adds a tunnel to keep neighbors happy

(Newser) - It's a great problem for any roller coaster to have: People were screaming too loudly. So loudly, in fact, that the screams exceeded an agreed-upon decibel limit between the Great America park in Santa Clara and a real estate company that owns neighboring properties. As a result, the park...

Venice Robbers Steal $1.7M ... in Lagoon

They robbed a boat ferrying money to banks

(Newser) - Filed under the only-in-Venice category: Three bank robbers pulled off a $1.7 million heist in one of the city's lagoons. In fact, they made it look easy: An armored truck delivered the money to a courier boat, which then was supposed to deliver it to banks, explains Fox...

Woman Survives as Train Zips Over Her

Czech rider isn't injured after fall onto tracks

(Newser) - Video of a Czech woman falling onto subway tracks just before a train arrives turns from horrifying to amazing as she emerges unscathed. The woman appears to be falling asleep on her feet as she stumbles onto the tracks, reports the Telegraph . A man arrives a second too late to...

28 Years Later, Dead Wife Found in Hoarder's Home

JoAnn Nichols' murdered body was behind basement wall

(Newser) - With seven Dumpsters full of clutter in his backyard, neighbors in Poughkeepsie, NY, knew James Nichols had a hoarding problem—but they didn't know he was hoarding the body of his own murdered wife. The body of JoAnn Nichols, a first-grade teacher who was reported missing in December 1985,...

Man Tears Off Own Penis, Blames Mushrooms
Man Tears Off Own Penis, Blames Mushrooms 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 30, 2013 4:29 PM CDT

Man Tears Off Own Penis, Blames Mushrooms

He almost died from blood loss

(Newser) - Something weird is in the mushrooms in Michigan's Ypsilanti Township: Police say a man ripped off part of his own penis, almost killing himself through blood loss, after taking hallucinogenic mushrooms. Cops found the naked, screaming man outside a school after responding to a late-night burglar alarm, the Detroit ...

Zoo Welcomes 2-Headed Turtle

Thelma and Louise is healthy, spokesperson says

(Newser) - A two-headed turtle has hatched at the San Antonio Zoo. Name: Thelma and Louise. The female Texas cooter arrived June 18 and will go on display tomorrow at the zoo's Friedrich Aquarium. The turtle appears healthy and is able to swim and walk, and experts at the zoo don'...

Is Your Boss Dishonest? He Might Need a Smaller Desk

Study sees correlation between 'expansive' surroundings and bad behavior

(Newser) - A study at the Columbia Business School floats a novel theory on why some white-collar workers lie, steal, and cheat—it's partly their desks' fault. The researchers say they found a correlation between "expansive" physical surroundings and dishonesty, reports PsychCentral . As the theory goes, someone sitting behind a...

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