Unusual News
Oil Spill Threatens Rare Penguins on World’s Most Remote Inhabited Islands
As many as 20,000 endangered rockhopper penguins are at risk in a remote part of the South Atlantic where a cargo ship crashed and split into two, causing 1,600 tons of heavy fuel oil to spill into the ocean.
The penguins live on the Tristan... read more
China Overtakes U.S. as Number One Art Market
For the first time in the auction world, China last year topped the United States and the United Kingdom as the biggest seller of art.
Chinese public auctions in 2010 accounted for 33% of worldwide global fine art sales (everything from pain... read more
Guatemala’s First Couple to Divorce…for Political Reasons
There are a lot of reasons why couples divorce, but the problem that motivated the president of Guatemala and his wife is unusual…the desire to create a political dynasty.
Guatemala’s first lady, Sandra Torres de Colom, wants so badly to run... read more
Breast Surgery on the Rise; Nose Jobs Down
Plastic surgeons are still performing a lot of breast implants, while other popular cosmetic operations are on the decline.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of breast implants increased 39% in the past decade... read more
First Tweet and other Communication Firsts
With Twitter officially turning five years old this week, the opportunity arose to look back and see how the social media website first presented itself to the Internet world. Like other important communications before it, Twitter’s inaugural word... read more
Double Amputee to Lead Basic Training Company
Losing both of his legs did not mean the end of Captain Brian Brennan’s career in the U.S. Army.
Brennan, 23, has become the first double amputee to lead a company of recruits through basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia.
On May 7, 20... read more
Utah Becomes First State to Honor a State Gun
After participating in the pursuit of famed bandit Pancho Villa in the early 20th century, the Browning M1911 automatic pistol is again making history—becoming the first-ever official firearm of a U.S. state.
In deciding to establish a state... read more
Government Keeps Secret Information about Watermelons, Avocados and Caves
Alleged conspiracies and secret military missions aren’t the only things kept secret by the government. When an American files a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to learn more from an agency, officials are just as likely to deny releasi... read more
Pirates Offer Hostages at Discount Prices
Sounding more like operators of retail businesses than scallywags of the high seas, pirates from Somalia have decided their inventory of hostages has grown too large, and are going to offer reduced ransom demands so they can increase turnover of... read more
Millions of Dead Fish Clog California Marina
Researchers are continuing to search for the definitive cause of last week’s massive fish die off in King Harbor, located in Redondo Beach, south of Los Angeles.
At least a million sardines died from lack of oxygen, scientists have determine... read more
Idaho Rancher Turns Out to be Boston Mobster
His lack of knowledge about cattle did not give him away to his Idaho neighbors, nor did his knack of wearing outdated overalls. But locals did eventually discover who Jeffrey John Shaw really was after federal marshals showed up and arrested hi... read more
Senator Who? Menendez Holds Press Release Record, but Earns Blanks in New Jersey
Voters in New Jersey don’t have much to say about their junior U.S. senator, Democrat Robert Menendez, even though he was a press release machine last year.
In 2010, Menendez’s office distributed 773 news announcements, a rate of more than t... read more
Kenyan Politician Kicked out of Parliament for Wearing Ear Studs and Sunglasses
Gidion Mbuvi, a 35-year-old member of Kenya’s parliament from Nairobi, was thrown out of the room by his peers for dressing inappropriately.
Known commonly as Mike Sonko (Sonko being a Swahili term meaning rich and flamboyant), Mbuvi offended ... read more
UFO Files Missing from UK Government Archives in U.S.-Related Incident
In releasing 8,000 previously classified documents on UFO sightings, the British government has admitted that files on the Rendlesham Forest Incident have disappeared.
In late December 1980, dozens of members of the U.S. Air Force stationed ... read more
Solution to Global Warming…A Small Nuclear War
If world leaders want to slow global warming, all they have to do is pick a section of the earth and explode several hundred nuclear weapons, according to scientific modeling performed by NASA that determined what the effects of a nuclear war wo... read more
Billionaire Koch Brothers Go to Court after being Accused of Opposing Pollution
Most Americans would be proud to be portrayed as working to counter environmental problems…but not the billionaire Koch brothers. Angry over a joke press release pretending to come from them, Charles and David Koch are suing those responsible fo... read more