Swedish Couple Banned From Naming Baby ‘Vladimir Putin’
The Swedish tax agency, Skatteverket, rejected a young couple’s request to name their son Vladimir Putin, the name of the famous Russian president. Public radio broadcaster SR recently reported the case of a couple based in Laholm, Sweden, who were banned from naming their newborn son after Russia’s president. Skatteverket didn’t explain exactly why they rejected […]
The Brazilian Treehopper – The Most Alien-Looking Creature on Earth
The Brazilian treehopper, a pea-sized, rainforest-dwelling insect that spends its days munching on treetop leaves, is almost certainly the most otherworldly-looking creature on our planet. From the double-nosed Andean tiger hound, to the painting-like “Picasso fish“, we’ve featured our share of strange-looking creatures on Oddity Central, but none of them come close to the bizarre […]
Man Claims to Have Been Sleeping Just 30 Minutes a Day for the Last 12 Years
Daisuke Hori, a 36-year-old man from Japan, has spent the last few years training his mind and body to function on as little sleep as possible. He claims to get just 30 minutes of sleep a day and not get tired at all. Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, […]
The World’s Fastest Roller Coaster Requires Riders to Wear Safety Goggles
Formula Rossa, the world’s fastest roller coaster, reaches a top speed of 240 km/h in just 4.9 seconds and requires riders to wear safety glasses to protect their eyes from impact with insects or grains of sand. As part of the Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi, the Formula Rossa roller coaster was designed […]
Al Naslaa – Saudi Arabia’s Mysterious Rock Formation
Saudi Arabia’s Tayma Oasis is home to a 4,000-year-old geological mystery – a strange rock formation perfectly split down the middle with the precision of a laser beam. The world-famous Al Naslaa rock formation is made up of two large sandstone boulders supported by a natural pedestal that appears much too small for its purpose. […]
Man Holds the World Record for Most Signatures Tattooed on His Back, Over 225
Funky Matas, a social media entertainer based in Florida, holds the world record for most signatures tattooed on the back, including those of celebrities like Will Smith or Gerard Butler. Funky, real name Juan Matas, used to work as a tattoo artist himself and came up with the project that would end up defining his […]
Political Candidate Forced to Run Against Doppelgangers Who Also Stole His Name
An opposition party candidate running for a municipal position in St Petersburg, Russia, is competing against at least two other people who not only legally changed their names to his, but also borrowed his physical appearance to confuse voters. Russian opposition politicians are used to running against candidates with the same surname, it’s a commonly […]
Mother Makes 13-year-Old Girl Jump Rope 3,000 Times Per Day to Grow Taller
A 13-year-old girl was diagnosed with a serious joint disease caused by being forced to jump rope 3,000 times a day by her mother, as a bizarre way of growing taller. Chinese media recently reported the case of a 13-year-old girl in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province who developed traction apophysitis of the tibial tubercle after being forced by her […]
Food-Stall Owner Adds Poppy Husk Powder to His Dishes to Make Them Addictive
A Chinese food stall owner was recently arrested after admitting to adding poppy husk powder to his dishes to get patrons hooked on them. In late August of this year, the Lunan Police Station in Lianyungang City, China’s Jiangsu Province, received information that a local hot noodle stall owner might be using illegal ingredients to […]
Rat King – Russian Farmer Finds Five Rats With Their Tails Mysteriously Knotted Together
Reports of the bizarre rat king phenomenon date back to the 16th century, but the recent discovery of a Russian farmer who found five small rats with their tails tied in a giant knot is once again causing scientists to scratch their heads. A rat king occurs when the tails of multiple rodents become so […]
Woman Denounces Female Neighbor for Hanging Her Underwear in Plain Sight to Seduce Her Husband
Police in Quintana Roo, Mexico, recently received an unusual complaint from a local woman who accused her 23-year-old neighbor of hanging her underwear in plain sight in order to seduce her husband. 42-year-old Yuvitza E. decided to file a formal accusation against her “shameless” young neighbor, accusing her of breaking “good morals and decency”. She […]
Street Artist Incorporates Flowering Plants Into His Graffiti to Stunning Visual Effect
Fabio Gomes Trindade, a talented Brazilian street artist, creates stunning graffiti masterpieces by combining his detailed portraits with branches of trees and flowering bushes. Whenever he starts work on a new project, Fabio Gomes Trindade first chooses the location of the artwork. The presence of lunch trees or flowering bushes is critical, as they basically […]
Tolkien Superfan Lives Like a Real-Life Hobbit
Nicolas Gentile, a 37-year-old fan of Tolkien’s fantasy, decided he wanted more than just to read about the life of his favorite characters, the hobbits, so he started living as a real-life hobbit himself. A pastry chef by training, Nicolas Gentile grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and watching the popular Lord of the Rings […]
Cat Miraculously Survives 52 Days Alone Locked in an Abandoned House
A lucky cat somehow managed to survive 52 days locked in an abandoned house in the Dutch town of Vlaardingen, eating paper and struggling to find water sources. At the end of last month, the new owners of a house in Vlaardingen were shocked to see a thin, visibly malnourished cat race past them as […]
Newlyweds Send Invoice to Wedding Guests Who RSVP’d But Didn’t Show Up
A Chicago-based couple recently sparked a heated debate on social media, after posting photos of invoices they sent to wedding guests that confirmed their presence at the event but eventually decided not to attend. Doug Simmons, 44, and Dedra McGee, 43, invited 109 guests to their fairytale wedding reception at the Royalton Negril Resort & […]