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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Speedy Santa Is on the Lam in Florida

Costumed motorcyclist gets away at speeds reaching 120mph

(Newser) - The Florida Highway Patrol is asking for the public's help on Christmas Eve in tracking down a man in a distinctive red suit with white trim. But if this sounds like one of those warm-hearted Santa police posts, it's not quite that. Instead, authorities are genuinely looking for...

Happy ... 'Christmas Adam'?
Happy ...
'Christmas Adam'?
Dec 23, 2024 9:43 AM CST

Happy ... 'Christmas Adam'?

Day before Christmas Eve has its basis in a dad joke; not everyone loves its patriarchal undertones

(Newser) - The term "Christmas Adam" appears in Urban Dictionary , but how many people actually know what it means? In short, it's a holiday of sorts celebrated on Dec. 23, although the New York Times notes that "the Vatican certainly does not recognize it, and many churchgoers have not...

Police: Please Stop Putting Xmas Lights on Your Car

Wyoming Highway Patrol shares image as part of warning that it's illegal

(Newser) - The Wyoming Highway Patrol has shared an image of a pulled-over car sure to elicit some double-takes. The car in question is decked out with Christmas lights, which, alas, is against the law. It's not clear when the stop was made. While "this might look cool and be...

Why You Shouldn't Hide From the Cops in a Chimney

33-year-old Massachusetts man has to be rescued after he gets stuck, is charged with drug possession

(Newser) - 'Tis the season for people doing stupid stuff, or at least stupider stuff than usual, which brings us the tale of a man in Fall River, Massachusetts, trying to creatively evade police. As WCVB reports, police were trying to execute a search warrant at a home there when two...

Spy Agency's Xmas Card Is 'Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma'

GCHQ's annual greeting features 'fiendishly difficult' puzzles to excite the minds of UK kids

(Newser) - What does a spy agency give for Christmas? How about a riddle wrapped in an enigma inside a mystery? GCHQ, Britain's electronic and cyberintelligence agency, on Wednesday published its annual "Christmas Challenge" —a seasonal greeting card that doubles as a set of fiendishly difficult puzzles designed to...

New Jersey Plagued by Mysterious Drones

Governor says they're nothing for the public to worry about, though FBI is investigating

(Newser) - Dozens of drones have been spotted at night across New Jersey in recent weeks, including near sensitive sites such as a military research facility, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. Murphy said the drones don't appear to pose a public safety concern, the AP reports. The FBI has been investigating...

'Tiger Woods of Scrabble' Wins in a Language He Can't Speak

New Zealand's Nigel Richards wins Spanish title in 'incredible humiliation'

(Newser) - A New Zealand man known as the "Tiger Woods of Scrabble" has won yet another title, in a language he can't even speak. CNN reports that 57-year-old Nigel Richards scooped up the top prize last month in the board game's Spanish world championship, beating out about 150...

He Drank Liters of Lemon, Lime Juice in Under 14 Seconds

Andre Ortolf says his stomach felt 'relatively good' after reclaiming world records

(Newser) - It was a sweet pair of victories, but they must have left a sour taste in his mouth. Germany's Andre Ortolf has reclaimed his world records for drinking lemon juice and drinking lime juice —and he did it on the same day, UPI reports. Both records were broken...

Tastes Just Like Chicken: KFC's Wrapping Paper

The 'lickable' gift wrap is sold out, though

(Newser) - Count on KFC to come up with possibly the weirdest wrapping paper you've ever heard of. The fast-food fried chicken chain likes to say its food is "finger-lickin' good," and apparently the wrapping paper is, too—they call it "lickable," and, per its description , it...

Buyer Eats His $6.2M Banana Art
$6.2M
Duct-Taped
Banana Is
Eaten
Nov 29, 2024 7:00 AM CST

$6.2M Duct-Taped Banana Is Eaten

Justin Sun hands out bananas, duct tape to attendees at event in Hong Kong

(Newser) - He paid $6.2 million for a banana taped to a wall —and then he ate it. Justin Sun followed through on his promise to eat the banana at the center of Maurizio Cattelan's infamous "Comedian" artwork on Friday after logging the highest bid for the work...

NHL Team Ditches Bus Amid Traffic, Walks to Game

Utah players discover the joys of Toronto gridlock

(Newser) - Members of the Utah Hockey Club had to hoof it to their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night. The team posted a video on social media of players walking to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was...

Travel Blogger Has Really Infuriated Egypt

'Cairo Airport: Is There a Worse Major Airport?' post did not go over well

(Newser) - Egypt is hopping mad and the target of its wrath is, of all things, a travel blogger. As the New York Times reports, the tussle revolves around Cairo International Airport and goes a little something like this:
  • The blogger in question: Ben Schlappig, who runs the One Mile at a
...

Sicilian Businessman Sent a Severed Horse's Head
Someone Just Pulled a Bloody
Godfather Stunt in Sicily
in case you missed it
Nov 24, 2024 3:50 PM CST

Someone Just Pulled a Bloody Godfather Stunt in Sicily

Severed horse's head found on businessman's property near Palermo, an apparent Mafia warning

(Newser) - It's one of the most famous scenes in moviemaking history, and it just played out in real life on the Italian island of Sicily. The Guardian reports that a severed horse's head was found on the property of a local contractor, located in Altofonte near Palermo, placed on...

Out of China, a Head- Scratching Doping Case

Theory that cooking wine for noodles may have contaminated China's athletes keeps twists coming

(Newser) - It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast: He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions...

Kindergarten Battles an Unlikely Shoe Thief

What a weasel

(Newser) - Police were called to a kindergarten in Japan after a bunch of children's shoes were stolen and more were seemingly tossed around the property. Fifteen shoes were discovered missing from the Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, on Nov. 6, followed by another six on Nov. 7, per...

Duct-Taped Banana Just Got Ridiculously Expensive

Maurizio Cattelan's artwork auctioned for $5.2M, though neither the tape nor banana is original

(Newser) - Maurizio Cattelan's infamous duct-taped banana , a work first displayed on a wall at Art Basel in Miami Beach and sold for $120,000, has now sold for more than 40 times that amount. Sotheby's New York auctioned off one of three editions of the artwork, titled "Comedian,...

Italian Village Is Offering Homes for a Buck

Ollolai, on the island of Sardinia, is looking at you, disgruntled Americans

(Newser) - For the 48.3% of Americans who might be feeling sore about the 2024 election results, the offers from abroad continue to roll in : As CNN reports, the tiny Italian village of Ollolai says that if you've got about a buck, you can buy a house. Located on the...

Investigators: Fake Bear Used in Insurance Stunt
Investigators: Fake Bear
Used in Insurance Stunt
in case you missed it
Nov 17, 2024 4:00 PM CST

Investigators: Fake Bear Used in Insurance Stunt

California authorities say man dressed up as a bear to damage vehicles, collect payouts

(Newser) - If you're going to dress up like a bear to commit insurance fraud, at least dress up like a bear that actually exists in your state. Authorities in Southern California say four men overlooked that bit of common sense, among others, and now face charges of fraud and conspiracy,...

Man Makes 'Crippling' Delivery to NH Animal Shelter

He dropped off 1K mice, which the New Hampshire SPCA is now trying to handle

(Newser) - A group of mice is called a nest, but what do you call 1,000 of them in one animal shelter? "Crippling," said Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is scrambling to care for an overwhelming influx...

Well, We Now Have Our Next 'Baby Shark'

Moo Deng the viral and bouncy baby pygmy hippo has an official song released in 4 languages

(Newser) - In case you can't get enough of the little pygmy hippo Moo Deng from Thailand, there's now an official song featuring the internet's favorite baby animal—released in four languages for her global fans, reports the AP . The upbeat 50-second song "Moodeng Moodeng," available in...

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