Latest Oddities News
An 8-year-old Ohio girl drove an SUV on a solo Target run
BEDFORD, Ohio (AP) — An 8-year-old girl took an SUV from her Ohio home and drove for miles to a store where she was later found unharmed, authorities said. The girl, whose name was not released, and the vehicle — a 2020 Nissan Rogue — were reported missing around 9 a.m. Sunday,...
A smelly penguin wins New Zealand's hard-fought bird election
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — It's noisy, smelly, shy — and New Zealand’s bird of the year. The hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, won the country’s fiercely fought avian election on Monday, offering hope to supporters of the endangered bird that recognition from its victory...
The birth of a spectacled bear brings joy to a farming community in Peru
LIMA, Peru (AP) — A spectacled bear was born in a rescue center built by a Peruvian farming community that has protected these animals for more than two decades. The bear cub, which does not yet have a name, was discovered after park rangers in the community of Santa Catalina de...
Vessel rescued in English Channel after emergency call to Dover, Delaware, instead of Dover, England
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Police dispatchers in Delaware’s capital city are being lauded for helping direct rescuers to a boat foundering in the English Channel thousands of miles away. Dispatchers for the city of Dover found themselves at the center of an international rescue effort...
Jurors help detain a man who flees a Maine courthouse in handcuffs
SKOWHEGAN, Maine (AP) — A man convicted of assaulting a child tried to flee a courthouse in Maine but two jurors and a detective quickly foiled the escape attempt. Nicholas Carter, 31, on Wednesday ran out of the courthouse in Skowhegan while handcuffed. He had been found guilty of...
A cat named Drifter is safe after sneaking out and getting trapped in a sewer for nearly 8 weeks
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A cat aptly named Drifter is safe at home after sneaking outside and getting trapped in a sewer for nearly eight weeks. The 3-year-old tabby — an indoor feline who had aspirations of being an outdoor cat — went missing from the home of Clifton Nesseth and...
Studies on pigeon-guided missiles, swimming abilities of dead fish among Ig Nobels winners
BOSTON (AP) — A study that explores the feasibility of using pigeons to guide missiles and one that looks at the swimming abilities of dead fish were among the winners Thursday of this year’s Ig Nobels, the prize for comical scientific achievement. Held less than a month before...
In Denmark, a man is suspected of 86 counts of reckless driving. He filmed it himself.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A 29-year-old man in Denmark faced a whopping 86 preliminary charges Friday for driving at high speed on motorcycles, riding on the rear wheel — also at high speed — and endangering others, police said, adding that the man had mounted a camera on his motorcycle...
Wreck of French steamship that sunk in 1856 discovered off New England coast
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The French steamship Le Lyonnais, a marvel for its time, was feared lost forever when a maritime disaster in 1856 sent her to the bottom of the ocean off Massachusetts. Generations later, a marine salvage crew is ready to write the next chapter in the history...
The ancient jar smashed by a 4-year-old is back on display at an Israeli museum after repair
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together. Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum...