strange stuff

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

Stories 1001 - 1020 | << Prev   Next >>

They Took Away Police Chief&#39;s Duties. He Took Off His Clothes
They Told Him to
Turn In His Uniform.
He Took Them Literally
in case you missed it
Feb 23, 2020 10:30 AM CST

They Told Him to Turn In His Uniform. He Took Them Literally

Police chief stripped of duties strips down to boots, hat, and skivvies, heads into storm

(Newser) - A New Hampshire town's board of selectmen voted this week to shut down its one-man police department—and the police chief reacted to the news by stripping down to his skivvies and walking out into a snowstorm. Per CNN , Croydon's three-person board unanimously decided Tuesday to give Richard...

These Candles Are for Hard- Core McDonald's Fans Only

6-pack of custom-scented candles smell like a Quarter Pounder when all burned together

(Newser) - You know that heavenly smell of hamburger that wafts into your car as you're on the McDonald's drive-thru line? You can have that all day at home now, thanks to a new product offered by the fast-food chain. The Quarter Pounder Scented Candle Pack advertised on the restaurant'...

After Demolition Fails, the &#39;Leaning Tower of Dallas&#39;
Dallas Demolition Doesn't
Quite Finish the Job
video
Feb 18, 2020 12:03 PM CST

Dallas Demolition Doesn't Quite Finish the Job

People are having fun with 'leaning tower' photo op

(Newser) - Dallas has its own version of the leaning tower of Pisa after a demolition failed Sunday morning. Crews imploded the former Affiliated Computer Services building, or at least, they imploded most of it: The elevator shaft and stairwell of the 11-story building did not fall. (See the video .) The...

Class Ring Lost 47 Years Ago in Maine Pops Up in Finland

Maine woman who lost class ring of her boyfriend (who became her husband) in 1973 gets it back

(Newser) - Shawn and Debra McKenna were high school sweethearts who were married for four decades before he died in 2017 after a long battle with cancer. Earlier this month, Debra McKenna received a sweet reminder of the man she'd loved, from the most unexpected place. The Bangor Daily News relays...

All Men Must Have Vasectomies at 50: Ala. Rep

In response to the state's contested abortion ban, Rolanda Hollis wants guys snipped

(Newser) - If you're an Alabama male of a certain (middle) age and haven't gotten around to planning that family you've always wanted, you might want to step to it. That's according to a most-unlikely-to-pass bill put forth by Rep. Rolanda Hollis that would require all men to...

Fried Chicken-Scented Crocs Are Now a Thing
KFC Crocs Don't Just 
Look Like Fried Chicken
in case you missed it
Feb 16, 2020 6:48 AM CST

KFC Crocs Don't Just Look Like Fried Chicken

They smell like it, too—at least until feet enter the picture

(Newser) - For $59.99, you can "make your dreams of wearing a bucket of chicken finally come true." That's according to Crocs , which is out with what is surely (seriously, no contest) its oddest design yet. Revealed in a fairly out-there ad released Wednesday, the KFC X Crocs...

Exhibit on Ocean Pollution Leads to Big Shock for One Woman

German woman spots mixtape she lost 25 years ago—and it still works

(Newser) - If you're in your late 30s or older, you likely remember the unique joy that accompanied creating what we olds call a "mixtape." A German woman is now reliving that elation after she stumbled upon a mixtape she lost 25 years ago while on vacation in Spain....

Mom Wrestles Otter That Attacked Her Teen

Florida teen is doing OK after some rabies shots

(Newser) - Otters may look cute and cuddly, but should you encounter one, you'll want to give it a wide berth. "If you see one up close, they are so beautiful. But they are vicious. Don’t mess with an otter. I’d rather barehand catch a bobcat probably than...

He Lied About Being a Doctor, Tried to Kill to Keep the Secret
Fearing Family Would Discover
His Lie, He Tried to Kill Them
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 8, 2020 7:00 AM CST

Fearing Family Would Discover His Lie, He Tried to Kill Them

Satya Thakor stabbed his wife, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law

(Newser) - A British man failed the exams he needed to pass to become a doctor—nearly a decade ago. But Satya Thakor apparently spent the next seven years pretending to his family that he actually was one, and then tried to kill them to keep them from discovering the lie. The...

'Smelly, Brown Liquid' Coming From Taps Is a Shocker

(Newser) - A "smelly, brown liquid" poured out of the faucets of an apartment building in southern India on Monday. So why is it international news, and why were the residents "bemused," as the BBC puts it? Because the liquid wasn't just water but a combination of water,...

There's a Creature That Didn't Move for 2,569 Days

Researchers studied the olm over 8 years

(Newser) - There's a kind of cave-dwelling salamander that a Hungarian scientist describes to the New Scientist as "hanging around, doing almost nothing." But "almost" might be a little too generous. A team led by Gergely Balazs of Eotvos Lorand University studied a group of olms found in...

A Company Sent Him a Letter—55K Times

All that mail/bonfire fuel might've cost some $11K to send

(Newser) - Dan Cain was expecting a statement about his daughter's student loan. He was not expecting 55,000 copies. But when the Ohio man showed up to the Twinsburg Post Office, he was told his mail wouldn't fit through the front door, reports WOIO . Driving around back, he saw...

Her Dog Vanished in 2017. Then She Saw the Beer Can

Monica Mathis says she has no idea how Hazel got from Iowa to Florida

(Newser) - Monica Mathis has no idea how Hazel, missing for more than two years, got from Iowa to Florida—but Mathis is now excited to welcome her home to Minnesota. Hazel is Mathis' dog, a terrier mix who vanished from Mathis' yard in 2017. "She was an escape artist, she...

Star Is Seen Dragging Space-Time With It
Star Is Seen Dragging
Space-Time With It
new study
Feb 2, 2020 3:30 PM CST

Star Is Seen Dragging Space-Time With It

Looks like Albert Einstein nailed this one

(Newser) - Rack up another one for Albert Einstein. New research on a pair of stars confirms a prediction from Einstein's general theory of relativity—that a spinning object will drag space-time right along with it, Science Alert reports. Astrophysicists have spotted the effect, known as "frame dragging," in...

Old Perfume Taking Up Space? Zoo's Big Cats Will Take It

Banham Zoo puts out a call for perfume, cologne

(Newser) - Have any old bottles of perfume or cologne lying around? Banham Zoo in Norfolk, England, will take them. The zoo says its lions, tigers, and leopards "respond very positively to unique scents when sprayed in their enclosures," and since their supplies are running low, they're hoping the...

Fake Skeleton Doesn't Cut It in HOV Lane

Arizona trooper cites driver

(Newser) - A 62-year-old man was cited in Arizona this week after trying to disguise a fake skeleton as a passenger just to use the HOV lane. The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a trooper pulled over the man on Thursday after noticing he had placed a fake skeleton in the...

If You're in This State, Look Out for Falling Iguanas

Cold spell in Florida is sending the lizards into dormant state, leading to this odd phenomenon

(Newser) - George Romero did Night of the Living Dead; the Sunshine State is doing Day of the Falling Iguana. In a story that's prompted USA Today to insist "we're not making this up," the large lizards are reacting to a recent cold spell in the South in...

16 Hours, 27.4K Rolls of TP, and a Possible World Record

Michigan high school's robotics team hopes Guinness OKs world's tallest toilet paper pyramid

(Newser) - When Maxton Herst was a freshman at Michigan's Bullock Creek High School, he left YouTube on autoplay one day, and one of the videos that popped up showed something that piqued his interest: the world's tallest toilet-paper pyramid. Per MLive.com , he brought up the idea with fellow...

Goop's Latest: $75 Candle That 'Smells Like My Vagina'

'Geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar absolutes'—really?

(Newser) - Keep up, Yankee Candle—Gwyneth Paltrow is at the forefront of waxy odors. Via her lifestyle brand, Goop, Paltrow has a new product out in what the Daily Dot calls her "catalog of absurdities": a $75 "This Smells Like My Vagina" candle. And what, exactly, does Gwyneth's...

Before Miami's Super Bowl, a Massive Snake Hunt

'Python Bowl' participants to hunt down invasive Burmese pythons for cash and prizes

(Newser) - Miami's upcoming Super Bowl will mean death for dozens of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades—and wildlife officials say that's a good thing. The game's organizing committee is working with Florida to promote the Python Bowl, a 10-day contest that began Friday that will give out...

Stories 1001 - 1020 | << Prev   Next >>