strange stuff

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

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Witnesses: Driver Kept Plowing Into Families

Series of hit-and-runs leaves one dead, 11 injured

(Newser) - A series of hit-and-run incidents in the Welsh city of Cardiff killed a woman yesterday and injured 11 other pedestrians, including seven children. Witnesses described a motorist deliberately driving into families walking home from school. South Wales Police said a 32-year-old woman had been killed, and other victims were taken...

That Was No Earthquake This Morning in Jersey

Military aircraft stuns residents with a sonic boom

(Newser) - The ground shook and windows rattled in South Jersey this morning, and it remained a mystery for a while—especially after local Air Force personnel said they weren't to blame, reports the Examiner . But officials later confirmed that military aircraft had shaken up the state with a sonic boom,...

Sunscreen Recalled ... Because People Catch on Fire

Banana Boat has five reports of people who got too near a flame

(Newser) - The maker of Banana Boat sunscreen is recalling a half-million bottles of spray-on lotion after reports that a handful of people have caught on fire after applying the product and coming in contact with open flames. Energizer Holdings, based in St. Louis, said it is pulling 23 varieties of UltraMist...

Big Tex Has Bad Day: It's Like 'Losing Santa'

State fair icon burns, but Texas officials vow he'll be back

(Newser) - Dallas' mayor vows Big Tex will be back "bigger and better" after the 52-foot statue that has towered over the Texas state fair for 60 years burned to a crisp yesterday, reports AP . It's not clear what happened, but officials suspect a mechanical glitch at the base started...

Your 'Inner Psychopath' Could Make You a Big Success

A book by Kevin Dutton looks to learn from nutcases

(Newser) - What psychopaths have too much of, we could all use in small doses—or so argues Kevin Dutton in a new book called The Wisdom of Psychopaths. Easy charm, unassailable self-confidence, outsize ego, and resistance to self-blame are among the qualities that horrify us in Anders Breivik, say, but seem...

Neighbors Wage War Via Wi-Fi Network Names

Typically, it's about noise

(Newser) - Want to know what your neighbor really thinks of you? Try scrolling through your local Wi-Fi hotspot names, which may contain a personal message—like "We Can Hear You Having Sex" or "Shut The Barking Dog Up No 7," the BBC reports. Other examples include complaints about...

Rare Frog's Cool Weapon: Spiked Thumbs

Japanese Otton frog uses them for combat and mating

(Newser) - Meet the most badass frog in the pond: The Japanese Otton frog has what amounts to spiked thumbs, reports LiveScience . The scientist who made the discovery says the extra bony digit is used to help the male hang on during mating but also for fighting other males. It's apparently...

Hookers Sponsor Greek Soccer Team

Brothels fork over bucks made playing the field

(Newser) - When an amateur Greek soccer team was hard up for cash, they turned to the world's oldest profession for help. Now members of the Voukefalas club wear hot pink practice jerseys reading "Villa Erotica," one of two brothels the team recruited as sponsors amid drastic sports budget...

Passenger Tries to Bust Out of Landing Plane

He says he thought the wing was on fire, remains in custody

(Newser) - A Ukrainian man tried to make an early exit during a flight from Boston to Salt Lake City: Just as the plane touched down, he attempted to wrestle his way through the emergency-exit rear doors. He had them partway open before passengers knocked him down, ABC4 reports. Anatoliy Baranovich told...

World's Oldest Dad: 96-Year-Old Indian

Ramajit Raghav had first kid at age 94

(Newser) - An Indian man is being called the oldest father in the world after fathering a second child at age 96—two years after having his first son, the Telegraph reports. "We had planned for another baby after my first son was born in 2010," says Ramajit Raghav. "...

Cops Mistake Blind Man's Stick for Sword, Tase Him

Colin Farmer, 61, had no idea what was going on at first

(Newser) - When police in England responded to reports of a man walking around with a sword, they stumbled upon Colin Farmer, 61, who is blind … and was carrying his white stick. Surely you see where this is going: Police, mistaking the stick for a samurai sword, set upon Farmer and...

'Chewing Gum Survey' Snares Man for 1976 Murder

DNA match made 36 years after Maine slaying

(Newser) - A Seattle man accused of a horrific murder in Maine 36 years ago was busted after an undercover cop got his DNA by persuading him to take part in a "chewing gum survey," the Daily Mail reports. The DNA obtained from 63-year-old transient Gary Raub matched that of...

Source of Huge Eyeball on Fla. Beach ID'd

Probably came from a swordfish

(Newser) - The softball-sized eyeball that washed up on a Florida beach last week probably belonged to a swordfish, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says. "Experts on site and remotely have viewed and analyzed the eye, and based on its color, size and structure, along with the presence of...

Cops: Man Set Bonfires to Warm Pot Plants


 Cops: Guy Set 
 Bonfires to Warm 
 Pot Plants 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 14, 2012 11:46 AM CDT

Cops: Guy Set Bonfires to Warm Pot Plants

And then the bonfires drew the attention of police

(Newser) - This week's entry in the marijuana chronicles: Police in Aurora, Illinois, say a man set two big bonfires in his backyard to keep his marijuana plants warm. The tragic flaw in his plan: Police came to investigate the fires—it was about 3am—and spotted three suspicious-looking plants in...

Worker Cooked to Death at Tuna Plant

Not clear how Jose Melena ended up inside 'steamer machine'

(Newser) - Authorities say a 62-year-old employee has been cooked to death at a Southern California seafood plant for tuna maker Bumble Bee Foods. Local media report that Jose Melena was found shortly before 7am Thursday at the plant in Santa Fe Springs. It's not clear how the man ended up...

Iowa Newborn Is Numerologist's Delight

Little Laila can boast of 8-9-10-11-12-13-14

(Newser) - A dream alignment for numerologists has come true in the delivery room of a Des Moines hospital. Laila Fitzgerald weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces when she was born. She came into the world on Thursday, which, numerically speaking, was 10/11/12. She arrived, militarily speaking, at 1314, which would be 1:...

Your Next Doctor's Visit: Sitting in Your Car

A USC center wants cars to monitor our health

(Newser) - Most of us tend to our car's every need, but what if our cars returned the favor? Well, USC's Center for Body Computing is already on the case, Fastcoexist.com reports. They're getting in on a USC project called Nigel, a Mini Cooper equipped with 230 sensors...

Mom Gets 99 Years for Gluing Tot's Hands

Elizabeth Escalona sentenced for beating her toddler

(Newser) - A Dallas woman who beat her 2-year-old daughter and glued the toddler's hands to a wall because she was struggling with potty training was sentenced today to 99 years in prison. Family members in the courtroom sobbed loudly as the judge announced Elizabeth Escalona's punishment. Escalona pleaded guilty...

10-Foot Snake Found at Airport
 10-Foot Snake Found at Airport 
Oct 12, 2012 12:54 PM CDT

10-Foot Snake Found at Airport

It was roaming the tarmac in Key West

(Newser) - It was a snake … near a plane. A 10-foot-long snake was found in the grass near the commercial ramp at a Key West airport yesterday, NBC Miami reports. It has been turned over to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. (Impressive, but not in the giant-eyeball-on-a-beach class.)

Man Wins Roach-Eating Contest, Dies

Eddie Archbold died after downing dozens of live roaches

(Newser) - A Florida man won first prize in a pet store's insect-eating contest by gobbling dozens of live cockroaches and other insects, but he didn't get a chance to savor the victory. He collapsed in front of the store soon afterward and was pronounced dead at the hospital, the...

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