Latest Oddities News
Rolling thunder: Contestants chase cheese wheel down a hill in chaotic UK race
LONDON (AP) — The big cheese of extreme U.K. sports events is back. Hundreds of spectators gathered Monday to watch dozens of reckless racers chase a 7-pound (3 kilogram) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down the near-vertical Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in southwest England....
Indian official suspended after he drains reservoir to retrieve phone he dropped while taking selfie
NEW DELHI (AP) — A government official in India has been suspended from his job after he ordered a water reservoir to be drained so he could retrieve his smartphone, which he had dropped while taking a selfie. Food inspector Rajesh Vishwas dropped his Samsung smartphone in...
Bear helps itself to 60 cupcakes from Connecticut bakery, scares employees
AVON, Conn. (AP) — A hungry black bear barged into the garage of a Connecticut bakery, scared several employees and helped itself to 60 cupcakes before ambling away. Workers at Taste by Spellbound in the town of Avon were loading cakes into a van for delivery on Wednesday when the...
Man killed in accident in Berlin with old-fashioned paternoster elevator
BERLIN (AP) — A man died on Thursday after an accident involving an old-fashioned jump-on, jump-off elevator in Berlin, authorities in the German capital said. The accident happened in a building in a central district, the fire service said, and 30 officers were sent to the scene. ...
Man shot roommate after accusing him of eating the last Hot Pocket, police say
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A man in Kentucky's largest city is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting his roommate during a dispute over a Hot Pocket, authorities say. Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested on assault charges Sunday after he accused his roommate of eating their...
Teen dies during apparent social media stunt on Los Angeles bridge, police say
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 17-year-old boy fell to his death this weekend while climbing a Los Angeles bridge in an apparent social media stunt, police said. Police were sent to the 6th Street Viaduct around 2 a.m. Saturday and found the boy, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. His...
Danish masters prepped canvases with leftovers from brewing beer
NEW YORK (AP) — Danish painters in the 19th century may have turned to an unusual source for some of their supplies: breweries. Researchers examined paintings from the Danish Golden Age and found traces of yeast and grains. That suggests painters were turning to byproducts from...
Man steals backhoe for 10-mile drive to Illinois airport to catch flight
MARION, Ill. (AP) — A southern Illinois man has been charged with theft for allegedly stealing a backhoe to drive about 10 miles (16 kilometers) to an airport to catch a flight, authorities said. Security camera footage shows a Carbondale man arriving at Veterans Airport of...
Steer on the run for weeks lassoed, captured on Detroit-area freeway
HOLLY, Mich. (AP) — A team of wranglers — including one on horseback — chased down and captured a wayward steer named Lester across several lanes of a Detroit-area freeway. State police in-car video shows the tail-end of Sunday afternoon's chase on northbound Interstate 75 in...
German surgeon fired after getting hospital cleaner to assist amputation
BERLIN (AP) — Officials at a hospital in western Germany have expressed regret after it emerged that one of their surgeons got a cleaner to assist in a toe amputation. Public broadcaster SWR reported Friday that the incident at the Mainz University Hospital, which happened in 2020,...
