strange stuff

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

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev   Next >>

With 14 Advanced Degrees, He Has a Logical Career

Benjamin Bolger is a college admissions consultant, and he's profiled in the New York Times Magazine

(Newser) - Benjamin B. Bolger achieved the impressive feat of graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in sociology at the age of 19. He's 48 now, and as a profile in the New York Times Magazine explains, he hasn't stopped collecting diplomas. Bolger has 14 advanced degrees...

Researchers Surprised by What Tiger Shark Threw Up

Sighting of shark regurgitating a dead echidna is believed to be a first

(Newser) - Tiger sharks aren't known for being fussy eaters but researcher Nicolas Lubitz and his team were still surprised by what one of them regurgitated. Lubitz says the shark vomited a dead echidna, a spiky, land-dwelling relative of the platypus, CNN reports. "We were quite shocked at what we...

China's Tallest Waterfall Gets an Odd Boost

Footage recorded by drone shows pipes in the rock face

(Newser) - China's Yuntai Falls trumps Niagara Falls when it comes to height, at roughly 1,000 feet to the latter's 188 feet. But when it comes to powerful natural flows, Niagara appears to have it soundly beat. It turns out the towering Chinese waterfall—the country's highest (see...

In Pennsylvania, a Wild Wildlife Photo

Falling black bear was caught in a tarp in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

(Newser) - It's certainly a candidate for photo of the week: an image of a young black bear falling from a tree and into a giant tarp held aloft by a group of wildlife, public safety, and rescue officials. That was the scene on Tuesday after the bruin showed up around...

&#39;Dead&#39; Woman Found Breathing at Funeral Home
Woman Found Breathing
at Funeral Home Has Died
UPDATED
Jun 4, 2024 3:02 PM CDT

Woman Found Breathing at Funeral Home Has Died

74-year-old was prematurely declared dead at her nursing home

(Newser) - A woman in Nebraska who was pronounced dead at her nursing home only to be discovered breathing by a funeral home employee two hours later has died, reports the New York Times . The woman died Monday afternoon, after being transported from the funeral home to a hospital in Lincoln. An...

Stingray Was Not Impregnated by Shark: Aquarium

North Carolina aquarium confirms stingray was never pregnant, is actually sick

(Newser) - In a sad update to the mystery of the stingray in a North Carolina aquarium that some speculated had been impregnated by a shark, aquarium officials have now announced the stingray actually has a rare ailment, ABC News reports. Lab testing and other data (including the fact that the ray...

Juror in Fraud Case Receives $120K Bag of Cash

Woman turns it over to Minneapolis police and was dismissed from the jury

(Newser) - A juror was dismissed Monday after reporting that a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 in cash at her Minneapolis home. And the woman offered her more money if she would vote to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed...

Couple Goes Magnet Fishing, Ends Up $100K Wealthier

New York couple finds safe, which police can't trace to anyone

(Newser) - A couple that took up magnet fishing during the COVID-19 pandemic now has their uncommon hobby to thank for a massive windfall. James Kane and Barbie Agostini tell NY1 they were looking for way to take up treasure-hunting without a large investment; magnet fishing requires just a rope and a...

Italian Island: Please Adopt Our Goats

Wild goats outnumber people on Italy's Alicudi by at least 6 to 1

(Newser) - About 100 year-round residents live on Alicudi, an idyllic, 2-square mile Mediterranean island that's part of the Aeolian chain. But they share their home with roughly 600 wild goats, and it's becoming a problem. As the New York Times reports, the plan is to capture, tag, and quarantine...

No, This Creature Wandering Florida Isn't a Gator

Florida woman's video of nearly 6-foot-long monitor lizard in Sarasota County goes viral

(Newser) - A mother-daughter car ride in Florida's Sarasota County led to quite a sighting last month. McClatchy News reports that Renee Aland was driving in the southwest city of North Port on May 20 when she did a "double take" at something she spotted along the side of the...

Alleged &#39;Serial Slingshot Shooter,&#39; 81, Arrested
Alleged 'Serial Slingshot
Shooter' Found Dead
UPDATED
May 31, 2024 5:56 AM CDT

Alleged 'Serial Slingshot Shooter' Found Dead

California man, 81, died of natural causes days after arrest, authorities say

(Newser) - An 81-year-old man accused of being a "serial slingshot shooter" died Wednesday, days after his arrest on charges including felony vandalism. Authorities say Prince King, who had been ordered to stay 200 yards away from his home in Azusa, California, was found dead from natural causes at a private...

Bay Area Lot Is Relatively Cheap, but There's a Catch

It turns out that 610 Grand Street in Alameda is underwater, literally

(Newser) - He surely thought he got the deal of a lifetime: A California pastor scooped up a lot with the official-sounding address of 610 Grand Street in Alameda for a relatively cheap $300,000 at auction, reports SFGate . Then he sent his realtor to take photos, only to learn that 610...

Feral Chickens Terrorize English Village

Though others say the chickens are just a long-time, charming part of the area

(Newser) - A village in Norfolk, England, is under siege—from about 100 feral chickens. Residents of Snettisham say the large flock that has taken up residence there is so noisy that locals have trouble sleeping at night, and that the birds are also digging up gardens, Yahoo News UK reports. "...

Undercooked Bear Meat Gives Family Brain Worms

CDC reports on the strange 2022 case

(Newser) - Six members of a family became infected with brain worms after undercooked bear meat was served at a family gathering. The CDC reports on the strange case from 2022, in which a 29-year-old Minnesota man was the first to be diagnosed. Over a two-and-a-half week period, he was hospitalized more...

The Most Famous Rock, Paper, Scissors Game

As Artnet recounts, it once decided which auction house would get $20M auction

(Newser) - Everyone knows the rules: Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beats paper. But if millions of dollars were at stake, which would you choose? As Artnet recounts, that very scenario once played out in Tokyo in the art world—and it turns out that "scissors" was the...

Flying Cars Are Now Legal in This State

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signs legislation making flying cars legal on state roads

(Newser) - If you've long dreamed of living life like the Jetsons, complete with flying cars, Minnesota might be the perfect destination. KFGO reports that Gov. Tim Walz has signed off on a transportation bill supported on both sides of the aisle that includes language on the use of "roadable...

You've Heard All About the 'Roof Ninja.' Now Meet Her

Footage released of unusual encounter in Michigan between cops, woman living in sign on store's roof

(Newser) - A woman who said she'd lived in a sign perched atop a Michigan grocery store for about a year is no longer living there after being busted by cops last month, but her first contact with the law was caught on video and is now circulating, reports MLive.com...

Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day
It's Bitcoin Pizza Day
May 22, 2024 5:41 AM CDT

It's Bitcoin Pizza Day

May 22 marks the anniversary of the first time cryptocurrency was used for real-world purchase

(Newser) - Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day to all who celebrate. Celebrate what, you might ask? Wednesday's "holiday" marks the anniversary of the day when, in 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz got two pizzas delivered to his house from Papa John's, which he paid for using Bitcoin, Quartz reports. (How exactly he...

That Naughty NYC-Dublin Portal Is Back Up

We'll see if we can have well-intentioned nice things again

(Newser) - A video link between New York City and Dublin that was shut down due to inappropriate behavior on both sides of the Atlantic has reopened with new security measures, reports the AP . The open-air video link between the two cities, which opened May 8 and was taken offline last week,...

&#39;Fluffy&#39; Won&#39;t Leave Her Car, So Woman Just Drives With It
'Fluffy' Won't Leave Her Car,
So Woman Just Drives With It
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 18, 2024 6:00 AM CDT

'Fluffy' Won't Leave Her Car, So Woman Just Drives With It

'Fluffy' being a poisonous red-bellied black snake that 4 separate snake handlers can't remove

(Newser) - A venomous snake that Lisa Kournelis believes has been living in her SUV since March apparently has no intention of leaving—and so the Aussie woman now simply throws on protective gear and drives around with it. Kournelis tells ABC Australia she thinks a red-bellied black snake snuck into her...

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