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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World&#39;s &#39;Ugliest Woman&#39; Buried 153 Years Later

 World's 'Ugliest 
 Woman' Buried 
 153 Years Later 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 17, 2013 10:59 AM CST

World's 'Ugliest Woman' Buried 153 Years Later

Julia Pastrana's body finally returned to her native Mexico

(Newser) - The "world's ugliest woman" has been laid to rest—153 years after she died. Born with a genetic condition that covered her face in thick hair, Julia Pastrana was called "bear woman" by husband/manager Theodore Lent and described in an 1854 New York Times ad as the...

Brothers Celebrate Lotto Win With Meth, Blow Up House
Brothers Celebrate Lotto Win With Meth, Blow Up House
ATTN: DARWIN AWARDS
Feb 17, 2013 9:31 AM CST

Brothers Celebrate Lotto Win With Meth, Blow Up House

Because who wants to celebrate with a cruise anymore?

(Newser) - Some people might celebrate a lottery win by, say, buying a new car or taking a vacation. But that is entirely too mundane for a pair of as-yet unnamed brothers in Wichita, who scored a $75,000 win and decided to truly live it up on Friday and go for...

Woman Dies After Downing 2 Gallons of Coke Per Day

 Woman Dies After 
 Downing 2 Gallons 
 of Coke Per Day 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 17, 2013 7:18 AM CST

Woman Dies After Downing 2 Gallons of Coke Per Day

Coca-Cola not pleased with release of coroner's report

(Newser) - Heavy drinking may have led to the death of a New Zealand woman—but it wasn't alcohol she was glugging. It was Coca-Cola, TVNZ reports. She reportedly drank some 2.2 gallons (that's 18 pints) of the soda every day, AFP notes, a habit that went on for...

Alec Baldwin's Wife Hit With 'Yoga Injury' Suit

Student: I was hurt in Hilaria Thomas' class

(Newser) - A Yale student is suing Alec Baldwin's wife over a (possibly horrific) injury he claims to have sustained in one of her yoga classes. Gawker initially pokes fun at Spencer Wolff for his lawsuit against Hilaria Thomas, which alleges he was hurt while performing "a dangerous activity at...

Henri IV's Long-Lost Skull: Found in an Attic?

Mystery of French monarch's head still divides the experts

(Newser) - That may be Richard III's skeleton found under a British parking lot—but what about Henri IV's long-lost skull? A new book about the French monarch argues that his skull turned up in the attic of a retired tax collector, the Guardian reports. Critics groan that Henri IV:...

Study Reveals Why Pilots&#39; Farts Can Be Dangerous
Study Reveals Why Pilots' Farts Can Be Dangerous
seriously
Feb 15, 2013 8:10 AM CST

Study Reveals Why Pilots' Farts Can Be Dangerous

...but passengers' are fine

(Newser) - Need to pass gas on a plane? No worries—assuming you're a passenger, says an oddball new study. In fact, researchers encourage you to go right ahead: Pressure changes associated with flying do indeed make us more gassy, and holding it means potential indigestion and heartburn, AFP reports. If...

Driver Stuck in Car Going 125mph—for an Hour

Frenchman's high-speed ride ends 125 miles later, in Belgium

(Newser) - An amazing tale of survival out of France—and Belgium. Frank Lecerf's attempt to drive to the supermarket took a crazy turn on Saturday after his car's brakes failed while he was traveling 60mph. His attempts to use them only caused the car to accelerate, until it eventually...

Why You Might Want to Keep Your Appendix

Study: It has evolved in 32 different mammals, might protect gut

(Newser) - A new study lends weight to the theory that the appendix has been getting a bad rap for centuries. Researchers determined that the organ had evolved independently in at least 32 different mammals, which wouldn't make a lot of evolutionary sense if it served no purpose, reports Science . Conventional...

Old Man Robs Bank So He Can Go Back to Prison: FBI

Walter Unbehaun told investigators he felt more comfortable on the inside

(Newser) - After spending most of his adult life behind bars, 73-year-old Walter Unbehaun was released in 2011—but recently decided to rob another bank in hopes of going back. He felt more comfortable in prison, court documents allege, and wanted to spend his final years there. So the balding, gray-haired man...

Pastor to Tenn.: Give Me Back My Snakes

Pastor needs confiscated creatures for worship services

(Newser) - A Kentucky pastor uses snakes in his worship services, and would like the snakes that Tennessee recently confiscated given back to him, thank you very much. Gregory "Jamie" Coots went to Alabama last month to buy three rattlesnakes and two copperheads, but was stopped in Knoxville while driving home...

This Sea Slug Sheds Penis, Grows New One in 24 Hours
This Sea Slug Sheds Penis, Grows New One in 24 Hours
study says
Feb 13, 2013 5:47 AM CST

This Sea Slug Sheds Penis, Grows New One in 24 Hours

Ability to shed, re-grow sex organ surprises

(Newser) - The Chromodoris reticulata has a peculiar way of mating: After the deed is done, the sea slug sheds its penis ... and then grows a new one within 24 hours and does the whole thing again. "I haven't seen anything like this before," says one expert. A team...

Lehigh Student Sues Over Grade
Lehigh
Student Sues
Over Grade
Feb 12, 2013 6:30 PM CST

Lehigh Student Sues Over Grade

She claims university unfairly ruined her career path

(Newser) - Here's one extreme way to dispute a bad grade: A graduate student at Pennsylvania's Lehigh University has sued the school because she didn't earn a high enough grade in a key course, reports the Morning Call . Megan Thode got a C+, but she needed a B in...

Valentine's Day Sewage Tour Back by Popular Demand

It's certainly more original than dinner and a movie

(Newser) - Looking for a grand romantic gesture this Valentine's Day? Consider New York City's sewage tour. The Department of Environmental Protection is again offering Valentine's Day tours of the Newtown Creek sewage treatment plant in Brooklyn—three tours this year, in fact, due to "overwhelming demand" after...

Lawyer Offers Free Valentine's Day Divorce

How ... romantic?

(Newser) - A Michigan lawyer is giving out an unconventional Valentine's Day gift: a freebie divorce. Walter H. Bentley III is running a contest on his website, and will help the lucky man or lady who tells "the most compelling and convincing story" of why he or she needs to...

Man Bites Off, Swallows Cousin's Ear in Brawl

Connecticut man asked cousin to turn down music, leading to fight

(Newser) - Police in the United States say a man bit off his cousin's ear lobe and swallowed it during a fight over loud music. Officers in Connecticut charged 27-year-old Emilio Mendoza with first-degree assault and other crimes early yesterday in connection with the attack on his cousin, 29-year-old Ruiz Clemente-Perez.

Zombie Attack Under Way, Warns Montana TV Station

KRTV apologizes for hackers' warning

(Newser) - Montana's KRTV yesterday issued an emergency warning: Zombies are on the attack. The scrolling message alerted multiple counties that "dead bodies are rising from their graves" and "attacking the living," the AP reports. People shouldn't "approach or apprehend these bodies as they are extremely...

Viral Video Captures Spiders 'Raining' on Brazil

Man looks up, sees thousands in the sky

(Newser) - How about glancing up and seeing thousands of spiders swaying and dangling in the sky? That's what Erick Reis, 20, witnessed when leaving an engagement party in the Brazilian town of Santo Antonio da Platina—so he shot a video that has since gone viral, the Examiner reports. Turns...

Now, the Pope Benedict Conspiracy Theories

Sex scandal? Nazi history? Prophecy?

(Newser) - With Pope Benedict suddenly announcing his resignation today, we've looked at his legacy and the process for choosing his replacement . Now—forgive us—we delve into the inevitable conspiracy theories that "explain" his resignation:
  • His Nazi History. Benedict has acknowledged he was forced to serve in the Hitler
...

Serial-Rapist DNA Test Leads Cops to Twins

So Marseille police are ordering unusual genetic test

(Newser) - Police in the French city of Marseille relied on DNA evidence to arrest a serial rapist accused of attacking six women, the Telegraph reports. Only problem: His DNA nearly matches his twin brother's, so police hauled them both in. And the victims, unable to tell them apart, positively identified...

Largest Captive Crocodile Found Dead

Town will preserve 'Lolong'

(Newser) - A remote southern Philippine town has gone into mourning over the death of the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity , even though it was blamed for the deaths of several villagers. Bunawan town plans to preserve the remains of the 1-ton crocodile, named Lolong, in a museum to keep...

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