strange stuff

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

Stories 4761 - 4780 | << Prev   Next >>

Guy Tries to Carjack Cop Car, Blames Batman Movie

Micah Calamosca claimed it was all part of the script

(Newser) - Micah Calamosca's first mistake was allegedly trying to carjack a vehicle inhabited by ... a plainclothes police officer. And the story only gets weirder from there: When the 21-year-old jumped into the car Saturday night and the detective drew his gun, Calamosca had his excuse ready. He told the Pittsburgh...

Skeleton in Bank Chimney in Louisiana is Missing Man from 1984


 Skeleton in 
 Bank Chimney 
 Is Missing Man 
 From 1984 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 31, 2011 4:10 PM CDT

Skeleton in Bank Chimney Is Missing Man From 1984

He got wedged in 27 years ago

(Newser) - It's sort of a good news-bad news situation for one Louisiana family. On one hand, they finally know what happened to Joseph Schexnider, who vanished in 1984—on the other, he died inside a local bank chimney 27 years ago. Construction workers renovating a historic bank discovered skeletal remains...

Drunk Dad Lets 8-Year-Old Drive, Say Police

Family was on trip from Mississippi to Texas

(Newser) - And today's Parent of the Year Award goes to: Billy Joe Madden, who allegedly let his 8-year-old drive during a family trip from Mississippi to Texas ... while dear old dad was passed out drunk in the passenger seat. State police arrested Madden after receiving an early morning call yesterday...

Woman Sues Employer for Sex Injury on Business Trip

Light fixture fell, and now she wants damages

(Newser) - A government employee in Australia is suing her employer because she got injured while having sex at a motel during a business trip. The woman thinks she deserves compensation because a light fixture fell on her, inflicting injuries to her face and causing mental distress, reports the Daily Telegraph .

Couple Kills Selves Outside Church They Married In

Patricia and Bruce Wright died in an apparent suicide pact

(Newser) - Las Vegas couple Patricia and Bruce Wright apparently made a pact to end their lives Sunday at the same Florida church where they married 40 years ago, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. A pastor discovered the couple early Sunday morning under a tree behind the church, with a rifle and...

Wrong-Way Drivers in Lagos Must Go See a Shrink

Penalty is part of city's effort to rein in traffic

(Newser) - Psychiatrists in New York would probably love to see this legislation passed in the US. In Lagos, Nigeria—where traffic has reached epidemic levels—if you're caught going the wrong way on a one-way street, you face a $160 fine, but you also have to receive a psychiatric evaluation,...

Grandpa Wakes Up Screaming in Morgue

Needless to say, the South African man was not actually dead

(Newser) - A South African grandfather is apparently just fine after spending 21 hours inside a morgue—but we're guessing family dinners are going to be awkward for a while. His family assumed he was dead when they were unable to wake him up, and called for an undertaker. But he...

Sinkhole: Woman in Guatemala City Finds 40-Foot Sinkhole Under Bed
 Woman Discovers 
 40-Foot Sinkhole 
 Under Bed 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 24, 2011 6:04 PM CDT

Woman Discovers 40-Foot Sinkhole Under Bed

She heard a loud boom, and then...

(Newser) - This makes monsters under the bed sound tame: A woman in Guatemala City heard a loud noise on Monday and tracked down the source—a 40-foot-deep sinkhole under her bed. "When we heard the loud boom we thought a gas canister from a neighboring home had exploded, or there...

Feds Pay for Study on Gay Men's Penis Size
 Taxpayers Fund Study 
 on Gay Men's Penis Size 
in case you missed it
Jul 23, 2011 7:30 PM CDT

Taxpayers Fund Study on Gay Men's Penis Size

To some, the results are less shocking than the study itself

(Newser) - Who's more preoccupied with the penis size of gay men: other gay men or the government? The National Institutes of Health recently conducted a study to find out how penis size affects the sexual health of gay men, reports the Daily Caller . Among the findings: Those who felt they...

Utah's Odd Liquor Laws Kill Some of the Buzz

The state's liquor laws are ... unusual

(Newser) - Happy hour never comes, you'll never see a restaurant bartender mix your drink, stiff drinks are a no-no, and don't even bother asking about a drink special … welcome to Utah! Though the state's infamously strict liquor laws lightened up considerably in 2009, the system remains rife...

Amish Teen Takes Cops on Buggy Chase

Police say he was drinking a beer

(Newser) - You shouldn't drink and drive—no matter what kind of horsepower you're riding. A 17-year-old Amish boy driving a buggy in upstate New York led deputies on a short chase after they saw him with an open can of beer, reports the Buffalo News . Once stopped, deputies say...

Food and Dieting Trick: Use a Bigger Fork
 Bigger Fork= 
 Smaller Meals 
study says
Jul 18, 2011 4:24 PM CDT

Bigger Fork= Smaller Meals

Users of bigger utensil left more food untouched

(Newser) - Looking to eat less? Try bigger utensils. A study compared how much restaurant-goers ate using different forks, one 20% larger than a standard restaurant fork, and the other 20% smaller. Researchers discovered that those who employed the big fork left more food uneaten—7.91 ounces of food compared to...

Guy Tries to Cremate Dog, Sets Fire to House

Now he's without his best friend and a place to live

(Newser) - A Virginia man accidentally set fire to his house while trying to cremate his dead dog, reports InsideNova . He reportedly set fire to wood that he placed next to the body of his 11-year-old Rottweiler, and added gasoline to encourage the backyard fire. The intensified flames caused $70,000 worth...

Squatter Gets Texas Luxury Home for $16

Uses an obscure "adverse possession" law to acquire ownership

(Newser) - Thanks to a little-known Texas real estate law, one creative guy seems to have snagged a $300,000 Texas home for just $16, reports KHOU-TV . Kenneth Robinson found a high-end home that had been abandoned after the owner walked away and the mortgage company went bankrupt. Then he filled out...

North Dakota May Not Be a State


 North Dakota 
 May Not Be a State 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 16, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

North Dakota May Not Be a State

Local historian trying to get constitutional 'oops' fixed

(Newser) - North Dakota has been a state since 1889—or has it? An 82-year-old government watchdog and local historian has been trying, for 16 years, to get someone to notice an important flaw in the state's constitution that he says renders North Dakota's very statehood invalid. The state constitution...

Philippines: Geckos Won't Cure AIDS

Health officials suggest trying actual medicine

(Newser) - Put down that gecko: The Philippine health department is warning citizens that using geckos to treat AIDS, asthma, and tuberculosis doesn't work and endangers those who don't seek proper treatment. There's no scientific evidence to the folklore behind the practice, and it's caused an increase in...

Peanut-Throwing Man Banned From Flying

He also had to forfeit his driver's license and passport

(Newser) - A Utah man may have gotten us that much closer to peanuts being banned on planes. Pogos Paul Sefilian is accused of throwing peanuts and pretzels at crew during a flight, and is now prohibited from flying on commercial airlines, reports Connect2Utah . He also allegedly refused to put away an...

Woman Mistaken for Casey Anthony, Attacked

Sammay Blackwell thinks she was targeted because they look alike

(Newser) - Looks like it may indeed be a good idea for Casey Anthony to disguise herself : In Chouteau, Oklahoma, a woman allegedly tried to kill an Anthony look-alike. Sammay Blackwell was working at her convenience store job last week when a suspicious-looking woman visited the store after 10pm. But after Blackwell...

Jail Lets Alleged Child Rapist Watch Videos of His Attacks

Acting as own lawyer, Weldon Gilbert must be given access to evidence

(Newser) - A loophole in Washington state law allows a man charged with sexually assaulting children to watch child porn—in a county jail, no less, KIRO-FM reports. Weldon Gilbert has chosen to defend himself, and all evidence in his case must be made available to the defense, including video of Gilbert...

Ukraine Zoo Gets Two-Headed Snake

And each has a mind of its own

(Newser) - A two-headed snake has gone on display at a zoo in southern Ukraine. The "Skazka" (Fairy tale) zoo in Yalta on the Black Sea said today that the albino California Kingsnake has two heads that think, react, and eat separately, though one is more passive than the other. A...

Stories 4761 - 4780 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser