Latest Oddities News
Brief buzz: Danish Mayfly named 2021 insect of the year
BERLIN (AP) — The Danish Mayfly was selected Friday by an international group of entomologists and others as the Insect of the Year for 2021, but it won't have long to celebrate its 15 minutes of fame. The insect, whose scientific name is Ephemera danica, only has a few days to fly, mate and lay new eggs....
Candle wax in Oslo fjord puzzles Norwegian authorities
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian officials are asking the public for helping cleaning up and mapping “large amounts” of paraffin wax found at the entrance to the Oslo Fjord, a narrow inlet south of Norway’s capital. Officials have not identified the source of the grains of white...
Rocky the Christmas tree stowaway owl returns to the wild
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. (AP) — Rocky the stowaway owl is back in the wild. The tiny Saw-whet owl was named Rockefeller after it was found by a worker setting up the holiday tree Nov. 16 at Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center. The owl was apparently trapped in the 75-foot-tall (23-meter-tall) Norway spruce when...
Mysterious shiny monolith found in otherworldly Utah desert
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Deep in the Mars-like landscape of Utah's red-rock desert lies a mystery: A gleaming metal monolith in one of the most remote parts of the state. The smooth, tall structure was found during a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep in southeastern Utah, officials said Monday. A crew from...
Man leaves $3K tip for a beer as restaurant closes for virus
CLEVELAND (AP) — A customer left a $3,000 tip for a single beer as a restaurant voluntarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The man walked into Nighttown on Sunday in Cleveland, ordered the beer and asked for the check, which came to $7.02, owner Brendan Ring wrote on Facebook. Ring said the man...
Owl found in Rockefeller Center tree could take flight soon
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. (AP) — A tiny owl that was found dehydrated and hungry in the branches of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is eating its way back to good health and is set to be released back into the wild Saturday. The adult male Saw-whet owl was dubbed Rockefeller after it was discovered Monday by...
Illinois man, 81, uses antique walking stick to beat thieves
NILES, Ill. (AP) — An 81-year-old former Marine from suburban Chicago used his grandfather's antique Irish walking stick to chase off three burglars and deliver one a thump in the head for his trouble. Dan and Barbara Donovan told the Pioneer Press newspaper group that a man in a reflective vest and mask...
Holy smoke! German customs seizes 10 tons of shisha tobacco
BERLIN (AP) — German authorities have seized 10.2 metric tonnes (11.2 tons) of water pipe tobacco they say was being smuggled into Berlin from the Mideast to avoid import taxes, officials said Thursday. The overnight operation carried out by police and customs officials Tuesday came as the culmination of...
Hoot, hoot, hoot! Owl in Rockefeller Center Christmas tree
NEW YORK (AP) — It wasn't quite a partridge in a pear tree, but a worker helping set up the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree found a holiday surprise — a tiny owl among the massive branches. The little bird, now named what else but Rockefeller, was discovered on Monday, dehydrated and hungry, but...
Video shows unauthorized man with flamethrower atop NYC bus
NEW YORK (AP) — A rapper who said he was making a tribute to a legendary New York City hip-hop group was recorded shooting a flamethrower from the top of an occupied city bus in an unsanctioned stunt a transit agency spokesman called “absurd, dangerous and just plain stupid." Bystander video, taken...
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