A 38-year-old man named Sergei who was taking part in a corporate holiday party at the Igra Stolov "Game of Tables" cooking studio in Moscow was rushed to surgery after drinking a cocktail that ruptured his stomach, Metro UK reported on Dec. 25. The liquid nitrogen-infused drink was part of a "cryo-show" being put on by one of the culinary school's chefs. Liquid nitrogen is used by chefs and mixologists to flash-chill drinks and provide dramatic effects, but because the liquid expands rapidly into a gas when exposed to room temperatures, it's critical that the drinks are not consumed before the nitrogen has had a chance to fully evaporate. Witnesses at the Moscow event claimed they were given no warnings by the chef or staff of the danger the cocktail presented. Sergei underwent surgery and remained in serious condition at the time of the report. [Metro UK, 12/25/2025]

Lost & Found

Residents of Ogmore-by-Sea, Wales, were understandably puzzled when hundreds of small, hobnailed shoes began washing up on the local beach, the BBC reported on Dec. 23. The mystery only grew deeper when expert analysis revealed that the shoes were from the Victorian era. The working theory is that an Italian cargo ship from that time, known to have sunk just off the coast, has finally decayed enough to release some of its valuables to the ocean currents. The small size of the footwear is likely due to the fact that "people had much smaller feet in those days," said local mudlarker Lara Maiklem. (The hobby of mudlarking involves scouring riverbanks for historical artifacts.) [BBC, 12/23/2025]

Mixed Messages

After denying requests for a number of vanity license plates on the grounds that the requested tags were obscene or inflammatory, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias created a YouTube video in which he read off some of his favorites, including "IBPOOPN," "SNDNUDZ," "BDASMOM" and "ICUP." WBEZ Chicago reported that while Giannoulias and his staff appreciate the creativity of the state's drivers, he advises them to "keep it clean and avoid ending up on the naughty list." [WBEZ, 12/22/2025]

It Takes a Village

It's not a baby boom, but it's a start: Lara Bussi Trabucco is the first baby to have been born in the tiny rural Italian town of Pagliara dei Marsi in almost 30 years, The Guardian reported on Dec. 26. Lara's arrival bumped the village's population to roughly 20. "Pagliara dei Marsi has been suffering from drastic depopulation, exacerbated by the loss of many elderly people, without any generational turnover," said Mayor Giuseppina Perozzi. Lara's mother, Cinzia Trabucco, 42, lived in Rome for years before moving to her grandfather's hometown for a quieter lifestyle. Birth rates in Italy have been falling for 16 years, reaching a record low in 2024, per the country's statistics agency. Government incentives and “baby bonuses” can only do so much, leaving parents and communities struggling as nurseries, schools and even maternity wards close down. In this landscape, little Lara has become a symbol of hope -- and a tourist attraction, says her mom: "People who didn't even know Pagliara dei Marsi existed have come, only because they had heard about Lara. At just 9 months old, she's famous." [The Guardian, 12/26/2025]

Animal Antics

Ken Johnson has been living with a 550-pound black bear under his home in Altadena, California, since November, reported Fox 12 Oregon on Dec. 22. After weeks of attempting to scare the ursine squatter off with loud noises and fake dog barks, Johnson got a little help from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which set up a cage trap near the crawl space and sprayed it with caramel and cherry scents to lure the bear inside. In a classic case of "good news, bad news," the cage was successful, in that it captured a bear, but unsuccessful, in that it was not THE bear, but rather a different bear that had wandered onto Johnson's property. That bear was relocated and released, but Johnson's unwanted guest remains. "I thought this would be over by now," Johnson said. "It's still going on, and there's no sign of him leaving." [KCAL, 12/22/2025]

Face the Music

At least he left an entertaining note. Buzzy Levine, owner of Lark Street Music in New Jersey, enlisted the help of the public by posting surveillance video of a theft that took place in his store on Dec. 22, but it turns out, he needn't have bothered. WABC-7 NY reported on Dec. 29 that the shoplifter, seen in the video stuffing two mandolins (worth about $4,000 apiece) into his parka and exiting the store, returned the instruments four days later, along with a box of chocolates and a handwritten note that read, "SORRY, I BEEN DRUNK, MERRY CHRISTMAS You are a good man." "I suspect that a friend of his or his mom said, 'Hey,'" Levine said. Police are looking for the suspect and still plan to press charges. [WABC-7, 12/29/2025]

Good Intentions

Steven Pavlik, 63, of Stuart, Florida, is facing charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrest after his stint as a Salvation Army bell-ringer went very much awry on Dec. 23, WFLA reported. Pavlik was stationed in front of a Publix grocery store on Kanner Highway before "Drunk ringing, belligerent tidings and assault took him from bell duty to booking blotter after a full blown charity tirade," the Martin Country Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post recounting the incident. Having become intoxicated during the course of his charitable work, Pavlik began confronting passersby, who informed the Publix store manager; when the manager came outside to discuss the complaints with the inebriated volunteer, Pavlik attempted to impale the manager with the donation kettle tripod, then fled. The manager was uninjured, and Pavlik was arrested at his home. [WFLA, 12/26/2025]

Dude, Where's My Seafood?

The FBI is on the case of a $400,000 shipment of lobsters that has gone missing, Boston.com reported on Dec. 30. The truck and its valuable cargo disappeared somewhere between its departure point at a warehouse in Taunton, Massachusetts, and its destinations at Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota. "It followed a pattern we’re seeing more and more," said Dylan Rexing, president and CEO of Rexing Companies, "where criminals impersonate legitimate carriers using spoofed emails and burner phones to hijack high-value freight while it’s in transit." U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement estimates that the U.S. economy loses $15-35 billion annually to cargo theft, with high-value items like pharmaceuticals, electronics and alcohol among the most frequent targets. [Boston.com, 12/30/2025]

Bad Idea

A 38-year-old man was arrested on Dec. 20 in Aukland, New Zealand, for checking all of the wrong boxes, 1News TVNZ reported. Using flashing lights on the roof of his station wagon to pull over other motorists? Check. Attempting to pull over an unmarked police car? Check. Fleeing the scene upon realizing his huge mistake? Check. And finally, failing a breath test once the police caught up with him? Check. The impaired impersonator's breath analysis registered at twice the legal limit, adding a charge of excess breath alcohol to the already serious charge of impersonating a police officer. "It's bad enough that this person thought it was okay to impersonate a police car," Inspector Kerry Watson said. "It's even worse to see impaired and dangerous driving." [1News TVNZ, 12/21/2025]

It's a Mystery

In Beeston, Nottinghamshire, England, locals are perplexed about a monthly offering at the corner of Abbey Road and Wensor Avenue, United Press International reported on Jan. 6. Starting over a year ago, on the second day of each month, a plate heaped high with peeled bananas has appeared at the intersection. Resident Clare Short said she put up a sign reading, "Please, respectfully, no more bananas! The uncollected plates and rotting bananas leave such a mess." But on Jan. 2, a new plate appeared. "I think it's a special thing for someone, and I wish them well," Short said, adding that she has taken down her sign. "But if they could come back and clean up the mess a few days later that would be lovely." [UPI, 1/6/2025]

News That Sounds Like a Joke

A high school teacher in Queensland, Australia, has taken to identifying as a cat, 7News-TV reported on Feb. 10. "Miss Purr," as she prefers to be known, teaches at Marsden State High School, where she "screeches and growls when (her students) don't listen," one person posted on Facebook. She also hisses and licks the backs of her hands during class and wears a headband with cat ears. One concerned mother said Miss Purr had made her daughter "purr for a lolly." The Department of Education said the school was aware of the complaints and the principal is speaking with the teacher. [7News, 2/10/2025]

It's a Dirty Job

Nath Wyld is a star at Magic Men, a strip club in Prahran, Australia -- or at least, he was, until he discovered a more lucrative line of work. Metro News reported on Feb. 10 that Wyld makes about 20,000 pounds a year by posting videos of himself passing gas on TikTok. The onetime carpenter joined OnlyFans in 2017 and soon made enough with his X-rated videos to quit his daytime job. About two years in, he got a request for a fart video, which he initially refused. "I was blown away (no pun intended) by the demand and I have been making them ever since," Wyld said. "Some want to see my facial expressions; others just want to see me from far away," he said of the custom videos he makes. Wyld said he "starts bloated -- kind of part of the process -- and go through the video until I feel lighter by the end. ... I've been doing this long enough to know that everyone's into their own thing, and that's cool." [Metro News, 2/10/2025]

You Again?

Rescues are not uncommon on Mount Fuji, but one climber may have used up all the good will of the Shizouka prefectural police, who were called to save the man near the mountain's peak twice in a span of four days. The imprudent adventurer, a 27-year-old Chinese student living in Japan, began suffering from altitude sickness and was airlifted to safety after calling authorities on April 22; the Associated Press reported that he returned to the mountain on April 26 "to look for his cellphone and other belongings left behind," according to police. When another climber found him suffering altitude sickness and unable to move, authorities were called in to rescue him once again. There is no penalty for climbing Mount Fuji during the offseason, and no charge associated with being rescued -- even twice in the same week. [The Associated Press, 4/28/2025]

Awesome!

As of May 18, Landerneau, France, holds the distinction of being home to the largest gathering of people dressed as Smurfs, United Press International reported. Perhaps because of excitement about an upcoming Smurfs movie, the town gathered 3,076 costumed people together, breaking a record set in Germany in 2019. "Schtroumpfs," as they are known in France, were created by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford. [UPI, 5/19/2025]

Queen

Olivia Jaquith co-anchors the WRGB-TV morning news in Albany, New York, with Julia Dunn, United Press International reported. On May 21, the pair shared some truly breaking news: At 4:15 a.m., Jaquith's water had broken, but she went to work, and the show went on with her in the anchor seat. Jaquith, who was two days past her due date, said it was "early labor" and her contractions were far apart, but she headed to the hospital after the broadcast. [UPI, 5/22/2025]

Saw That Coming

The Madison (Wisconsin) Fire Department responded to a boozy blaze on June 15, WMTV reported. Someone reported an oven fire around 6 p.m.; the caller told firefighters they had been cooking a turkey for about eight minutes when the oven door blew open. First responders removed the oven from the apartment, and the fire went out. They later learned the turkey had been marinated in tequila, and they believe the accumulated vapors from the alcohol were not properly vented from the oven, which caused the fire. No one was hurt (except the turkey). [WMTV, 6/16/2025]

Creme de la Weird

Neil Hopper, 49, a vascular surgeon from Truro, England, has been the subject of a 2 1/2-year investigation after he allegedly tried to defraud two insurance companies, The Guardian reported on July 23. Devon and Cornwall police said that in 2019 he "made a false representation to insurers, namely the injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted." Hopper is accused of amputating his own legs in the scheme, hoping to gain $320,000 from one company and $314,000 from the other. Before his legal problems, he was shortlisted in the European Space Agency's search for an astronaut with a disability. He was scheduled to reappear in court on Aug. 26. [Guardian, 7/23/2025]

Suspicions Confirmed

On July 23 in Tallahassee, Florida, police took a famous mouse into custody: Chuck E. Cheese. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Mr. Cheese, aka Jermell Jones, had been fingered as the person who stole a patron's credit card in June and made fraudulent purchases with it. When police arrived at the famous restaurant, Jones, wearing his giant costume mouse head, was handcuffed and escorted out the front door in front of patrons young and old. Officers found the stolen credit card in his possession. [Tallahassee Democrat, 7/24/2025]

Defies Categorization

In Manchester, England, a band called Bionic and the Wires is on the cutting edge of fun-guy (fungi) music, Metro News reported on Sept. 2. Jon Ross and Andy Kidd are producing music by attaching sensors to mushrooms and plants to turn their electrical signals into musical notes. The sensors are attached to bionic arms, which strike the instruments. The different organisms create different beats. "It's a really good way to connect with (plants and mushrooms) and a really sort of emotional experience," Ross said. [Metro News, 9/2/2025]

The Aristocrats

As if the idea of toddlers driving motor vehicles wasn't breathtaking enough, now you can purchase a luxury car for your wee one, Oddity Central reported on Oct. 1. For the low, low price of $49,000, your tot can proudly sport around in a Russian-made scaled-down Mercedes-Benz SL300 with a top speed of 28 mph. The model, popular in the 1950s and '60s, features adjustable leather seats, functional lights and a subwoofer, for the kids' refined listening tastes. Happy motoring! [Oddity Central, 10/1/2025]

Just Had to Know

Friends, acquaintances and other mourners at a funeral in Konchi, a village in Bihar, India, were stunned when Mohan Lal, the man whose funeral they were attending, rose and began taking part in the rituals of the Hindu service. Metro UK reported that the 74-year-old Lal, a retired Air Force veteran, is well-respected in Konchi for his work within the community -- which, oddly enough, includes helping to fund and build a crematorium for the rainy seasons -- but all of that goodwill didn't stop Lal from carrying through his plan. "I wanted to witness it myself and see how much respect and affection people give me," Lal said. Reactions varied from shock to confusion to relief, but Lal was able to calm things down by throwing a feast for the attendees. [Metro UK, 10/18/2025]

Kathy Allen Duncan, 73, of Topeka, Kansas, passed away in September, The Washington Post reported on Dec. 17. But her husband, "Tuck," was determined for her spirit to live on this Christmas. Kathy was a collector of snowmen, with about 1,000 figurines that she displayed each year for five decades. At her funeral, he remembers thinking, "We need to build one more, one last one." So Tuck, 74, rented a vacant store in a shopping mall and recruited family members to create an exhibit of Kathy's "snowpeople." The family said they hoped to spread joy -- and they've been surprised at the response. Thousands of people have visited in person, and millions more have seen photos on social media. Tuck said the project cost him about $15,000 and was "worth every penny." The family will disassemble the display on Christmas Eve and split the figurines between them, to make new scenes in their own homes. [Washington Post, 12/17/2025]

Least Competent Criminal

Police in New Castle, Delaware, received a call on Dec. 10 from Kayonne Baxter, 21, who wanted to retrieve some items from a Hyundai Sonata that had been towed, Fox29-TV reported. Oh, and he had stolen the car the day before. Baxter was taken into custody on the same street where the Hyundai had been stolen; he was charged with felony theft of a motor vehicle. [Fox29, 12/12/2025]

About Time

Lady Justice, perched atop the Butte, Montana, courthouse, has been missing a key item since 1911: her scales. But no longer: Government Buildings Manager John Sullivan was able to find a set of scales on eBay for $50 and purchase them, KBZK-TV reported. "She has a spot for scales ... the hole was there," Sullivan said. The city borrowed a construction lift to install the new set on Dec. 11, fulfilling a to-do item on Sullivan's list. "She looked naked without a set of scales," he said. [KBZK, 12/12/2025]

The Litigious Society

Roy Marsh, 86, was in Lincolnshire, England, earlier this year when, as he rested on a bench, a leaf blew into his mouth, the BBC reported on Dec. 10. Marsh spit out the leaf, but "just as I got up to walk away, two guys came up to me," Marsh said. One of the littering enforcement officers told Marsh that he had been seen spitting, to which Marsh called him a "silly boy." Marsh ended up receiving a fine of $334.50, later reduced to $200.70, which he paid. But Adrian Findley, a county councillor for Lincolnshire County, said enforcement officers are "taking it too far. If it looks like a genuine accident, then give people the opportunity to apologize and pick it up." "It was all unnecessary and out of proportion," Marsh said. [BBC, 12/10/2025]

Animal Antics

This year's Grinch award goes to the camel that was participating in a "Christmas Spectacular" at the Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston on Dec. 13. The Houston Chronicle reported that as part of a retelling of the nativity, church performers were leading camels through the megachurch to the stage when one of the animals shot its rear leg out and struck a woman in the audience. She was treated at a hospital and released. A church spokesperson said the church "regrets that this happened. We then discontinued walking animals within the audience seating areas for the remainder of the shows." Good thinking. [Houston Chronicle, 12/17/2025]

Cat Burglar

Diane Huff-Medina of Lakewood, California, didn't even realize her pet cat, Piper, was gone until she looked at her doorbell camera video, KTLA-TV reported. On Dec. 11, an Amazon Flex driver delivered a package to Huff-Medina's front door, then stooped over to pet Piper, who was sitting on the porch. Then the man picked up Piper by her scruff and carried her off to his vehicle. An Amazon spokesperson called the act "horrible" and said the delivery person is no longer "eligible to deliver to our customers." Police said the driver had been identified and charges are pending -- but Piper is still missing. "I don't know where she is or if she's OK," Huff-Medina said. [KTLA, 12/17/2025]

Irony

The last three 1-cent pennies ever minted by the U.S. government sold at auction on Dec. 11 for $800,000, the Associated Press reported. The winning bidder also received the three dies that struck those coins. "I've been going to coin auctions for 40 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said John Kraljevich of Stack's Bowers Galleries, where the auction was held. The penny was introduced in 1793 and at that time could buy a biscuit or piece of candy. "I think for a lot of people, the ending of production of cents for circulation is an item of nostalgia," Kraljevich said. [AP, 12/16/2025]

News You Can Use

The first half of December was the darkest since 1934 in Stockholm, Sweden, Yahoo! News reported, with just a half-hour of sunlight in the first 15 days. Meteorologist Viktor Bergman said low-pressure systems with mild and humid weather have contributed to the gloom. The average number of hours of sunlight for the whole month is 33, he said. In more bad news for Stockholm, the chances of a white Christmas look slim, he said. [Yahoo! News, 12/16/2025]

Update

News of the Weird told in June 2023 of Cedric Lodge, 58, and his wife, Denise, who had been indicted for stealing and selling human body parts from the Harvard Medical School morgue. NBC News reported that both appeared in federal court on Dec. 16 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Lodge was sentenced to eight years in prison, and Denise was sentenced to just more than a year for helping him. The Lodges offered a shopping opportunity at the morgue, where buyers could pick which donated remains they wanted. They would then take the items home and ship them through the mail. The parts included heads, brains, skin and bones. For example, Lodge provided a buyer with skin to be tanned into leather and bound into a book. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin said Lodge treated the human remains "as if they were baubles to be sold for profit." Lodge expressed regret in court. [NBC News, 12/17/2025]

Off the Shelf

At the Amble Links Primary School in Northumberland, England, naughty elves have taken their game up a notch, the BBC reported on Dec. 17. Some of their hijinks have included bricking up the school entrance, filling the head teacher's office with balls and getting a herd of sheep to block the school's entrance. For six years, community members have helped pull off the elves' pranks. Head teacher Paul Healey said, "There's just been so much community involvement, which has been tremendous. It does involve some very, very early mornings ... as it's trying to have things ready for when the breakfast club children start coming in." Healey loves doing the tricks for the joy it brings the children: "It's memories for them." [BBC, 12/17/2025]