strange stuff

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

Stories 1981 - 2000 | << Prev   Next >>

Woman Falls 60 Feet, Lands in a Lucky Spot

A department store's display bed, to be exact

(Newser) - There's never a good time to accidentally plunge 60 feet off a balcony, but there is sometimes a good place to land if that happens: like on a bed. That's the incredible good fortune of a 60-year-old woman who took such a plunge while in a department store...

Amazon Will Void Its Terms of Service If the Zombies Come

Game developers using Lumberyard software get a pass if living dead show up

(Newser) - Your eyes may usually glaze over while reading companies' terms of service, but a paragraph buried in the ToS for Amazon's newly released game engine is worthy of your attention, CNNMoney reports. Lumberyard's beta version dropped Tuesday, and the company frames its purpose like so : "Whether you...

Scientists Find Source of Rare 'Vibration Allergy'

Gene mutation leads body to release inflammatory chemicals: study

(Newser) - There's no such thing as good vibrations for those suffering from "the vibration allergy." Yes, that's a real thing. The rare inherited condition, known formally as vibratory urticarial, causes an allergic reaction in patients during the most mundane exercises—think mowing the lawn, jogging, riding the...

Florida Citizen Pulls Over Cop for Speeding
Florida Citizen Pulls Over
Cop for Speeding
in case you missed it
Feb 6, 2016 10:40 AM CST

Florida Citizen Pulls Over Cop for Speeding

'Um, I don’t know how fast I was going'

(Newser) - It is the best pulled-over-for-speeding story you'll read in a long, long time. It's out of Florida, of course, where CBS Miami reports that a woman spotted a police cruiser flying down the highway without its emergency lights on and decided to pursue. "He passed me with...

Woman Attends Own Funeral, Shocks Husband Who Ordered Her Murder

He's been sentenced to 9 years

(Newser) - Noela Rukundo had been with her husband, Balenga Kalala, for 11 years when, last year, she flew from their home in Melbourne, Australia, to her native Burundi for her stepmother's funeral. While there, Kalala ordered gang members to have her killed. They abducted her and told her what they...

Spooky Tale in Japan: 'Ghost' Taxi Passengers Near Tsunami

Taxi drivers swear they had eerie encounters

(Newser) - When a Japanese college student started corresponding with taxi drivers in Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture for her senior sociology thesis, some became irritated, while others pretended they didn't hear her, Asahi Shimbun reports. But seven out of 100 drivers actually answered Yuka Kudo's odd question—"Did you...

Actor Declared Dead After Noose Scene

Family members don't believe it was suicide

(Newser) - An Italian actor has been declared dead after a hanging scene apparently went horribly wrong. Raphael Schumacher, 27, was taking part in a live theater performance of "Mirages" at the Teatro Lux in Pisa, Italy, last Saturday when a spectator found him unconscious. The Washington Post reports the play...

Car Lands on Roof of California Home

Driver somehow not seriously injured

(Newser) - It's hard to know what was more amazing: an out-of-control car ending up on the roof of a Southern California house or the driver somehow escaping serious injury despite the wild ride. Palos Verdes Estates police Capt. Mark Velez says a driver with a medical problem lost control of...

Iowa Fight Song— on a Loop—Drives NY Town Batty

It's been playing nightly on repeat across from Niagara Falls wine bar

(Newser) - The beat goes on near the Niagara Falls bistro, Wine on Third. And on and on and on. What sounds like a marching band rendition of the University of Iowa fight song plays on a grating loop all evening, every evening from a vacant building across the street. Why remains...

Eagles Are Being Trained to Take Down Drones

It's not yet clear if the process is safe for the birds

(Newser) - Dutch police have come up with a pretty crazy way of taking out drones: eagles. Law enforcement in the Netherlands is teaming up with a raptor training company to train the birds of prey to "intercept" quadcopters, the Verge reports, citing local media and a video report . Wired reports...

World's Oddest Animal Couple Splits

Timur the goat and Amur the tiger are no more

(Newser) - A romance that enchanted Russia may be over: As the AP reports, Timur the goat and Amur the tiger have had a fight and aren't together anymore. In November, the goat was placed in the tiger's compound in a wildlife park near Vladivostok with the expectation that the...

Coyotes Staring Down Calif. Drivers, May Be Trippin&#39;

 Coyotes Staring 
 Down Drivers 
 May Be Stoned 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 31, 2016 7:07 AM CST

Coyotes Staring Down Drivers May Be Stoned

They may have consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms

(Newser) - In Canada, coyotes build snowmen . In Marin County, Calif., they get high on mushrooms—or so it seems. At least one and possibly two coyotes have been spotted acting a bit oddly along Highway 1 near Bolinas, reports Pacific Sun . Residents describe an animal forcing nighttime drivers to stop on...

Guy Makes Film Censors Watch Paint Dry for 10 Hours

 Guy Makes 
 Film Censors 
 Watch Paint Dry 
 for 10 Hours 
in case you missed it
Jan 30, 2016 4:15 PM CST

Guy Makes Film Censors Watch Paint Dry for 10 Hours

It was the ultimate revenge for classification fees, says filmmaker

(Newser) - The British Board of Film Classification describes Charlie Lyne's Paint Drying as "a film showing paint drying on a wall. It contains no material likely to offend or harm" and "should be suitable for audiences aged 4 years and over." The cost of that classification: more...

Please Stop Sending Porn, Propositions to Tony the Tiger

'Let’s keep things gr-r-reat—& family-friendly'

(Newser) - Warning: Stop reading now if you ever want to enjoy another bowl of Frosted Flakes. Apparently, the Tony the Tiger Twitter account has been besieged by pornography, sexual propositions, and more since the cartoon cereal mascot started blocking furries on social media, the Guardian reports. Let's back up. In...

San Francisco's New Weapon on Public Urination: Open-Air Urinal

City will try almost anything

(Newser) - San Francisco's iconic Dolores Park is now home to the city's first open-air urinal, the latest move to combat public urination in the city. The concrete circular urinal is out in the open, though plants and a screen offer some privacy. The park once had just three toilets,...

Teen Allegedly Plotted Attack on Cops With Kangaroo Bomb

Aussie prosecutors say he was inspired by ISIS

(Newser) - April 25 is usually a day of solemn remembrance in Australia for those who've taken part in the country's wars, but this year's ceremonies may have come perilously close to being marred by a teen bent on terror. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Sevdet Besim plotted an attack to...

Rare White Giraffe 'Alive and Well' in Tanzania Park

But the unique animal could be at risk from poachers

(Newser) - A rare 15-month-old white giraffe has made another appearance in Tanzania, leaving conservationists to hope poachers don't decide to go all Ahab on it, the Telegraph reports. According to USA Today , the unique giraffe was spotted as a calf last year in Tarangire National Park. It was seen again...

Rapper: You've Been Fooled, the World Is Flat

Neil deGrasse Tyson sides with round-Earthers

(Newser) - "They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round," sang Fred Astaire—and Atlanta rapper B.o.B is still laughing. In dozens of tweets over the last few days, he has passionately defended what appears to be a genuine belief that the world...

Warrants Issued for Uniformed Men Dancing 'Outrageously'

UAE is taking this pretty seriously

(Newser) - Two newly issued arrest warrants in the United Arab Emirates are making headlines given the unusual nature of the crime: some crazy dancing. More specifically, the two men were "making outrageous physical movements" while dressed in military uniform, reports the BBC . Sadly, the video posted by the duo does...

Woman Goes to Carwash, Finds Utter Horror



 Woman Goes to 
 Carwash, Finds 
 Utter Horror 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 17, 2016 10:31 AM CST

Woman Goes to Carwash, Finds Utter Horror

In the form of a human face on the carwash floor

(Newser) - A Montana veterinarian who took a trip to the carwash in 2013 is now suing for medical expenses and damages for a find on the carwash's floor that she says has caused her tremendous trauma. Per Courthouse News Service , Kimberly Kriege brought her truck to a Livingston carwash on...

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