Latest Oddities News

Ian Botham saved by Ashes rival from crocodile infested waters after fishing mishap

Nov. 10, 2024 02:24 AM EST

SYDNEY (AP) — England cricketing great Ian Botham was saved by his former Ashes rival Merv Hughes after a fall into crocodile-infested waters while on a fishing trip in northern Australia. Botham, along with Hughes and a group of friends, was on a boat when the accident happened,...

1 monkey recovered safely, 42 others remain on the run from South Carolina lab

Nov. 09, 2024 15:26 PM EST

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina has been recovered unharmed, officials said Saturday. Many of the others are still located a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility’s fence,...

43 monkeys remain on the run from South Carolina lab. CEO thinks they're having an adventure

Nov. 08, 2024 20:37 PM EST

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Forty-three monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina have been spotted in the woods near the site and workers are using food to try to recapture them, authorities said Friday. The Rhesus macaques made a break for it Wednesday...

Bolivians carry adorned human skulls asking for favors in the Ñatitas festival in La Paz

Nov. 08, 2024 20:03 PM EST

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Hundreds of Bolivian devotees arrived Friday at the municipal cemetery of La Paz carrying human skulls adorned with flowers for the Ñatitas festival, a custom rooted in the Andean region, but not recognized by the Catholic church. According to Bolivian...

43 monkeys escape from a South Carolina medical lab. Police say there is no serious danger

Nov. 07, 2024 23:16 PM EST

Forty-three monkeys escaped from a compound used for medical research in South Carolina but the nearby police chief said there is "almost no danger” to the public. “They are not infected with any disease whatsoever. They are harmless and a little skittish,” Yemassee Police...

Ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' are for sale nearly 2 decades after they were stolen

Nov. 05, 2024 16:19 PM EST

DALLAS (AP) — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is on the auction block nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, convinced they were adorned with real jewels. Online bidding has started and will continue through Dec. 7, Heritage...

2 adorable pygmy hippos pitted against each other in cuteness contest

Nov. 05, 2024 10:18 AM EST

LONDON (AP) — The Edinburgh Zoo launched a cuteness contest between Haggis, its newborn pygmy hippo, and Moo Deng, the adorable mini hippopotamus that became a viral sensation at a Thailand zoo this summer. “Moo Deng? Who deng?” the Scottish zoo playfully posted Monday on the...

Florida's convicted killer clown released from prison for the murder of her husband's then-wife

Nov. 02, 2024 18:56 PM EDT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A woman who pleaded guilty to dressing as a clown and in 1990 murdering the wife of a man she later married was released from prison Saturday, ending a case that has been strange even by Florida standards. Sheila Keen-Warren, 61, was released 18 months...

Pets join Mexico's Day of the Dead celebrations, as Fido and Tiger get their own altars

Nov. 02, 2024 00:36 AM EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Pets are not forgotten during Mexico's famed Day of the Dead celebrations, when even Fido and Tiger get a place at the altars Mexican families set up to honor their deceased loved ones, complete with flowers, candles and photographs. Though the human dead usually...

Tourists toss coins over a makeshift pool as Rome’s Trevi Fountain undergoes maintenance

Nov. 01, 2024 12:42 PM EDT

ROME (AP) — Tourists eager to return to the Eternal City are being forced to toss coins over a plastic barrier and into a small makeshift pool in front of Rome’s Trevi Fountain while the attraction is being drained for maintenance. The rectangular box, unadorned and showing its...