mysteries

Window Smudges Could be Bigfoot's, Says Paranormal Group

Lauri Apple · 06/25/11 05:54PM

Seems like every time members of the Sanger Paranormal Society go looking for evidence of Bigfoot, they find some. How coincidental is that? This week, members announced that the notoriously shy forest dweller might have left some smudge marks on a truck belonging to the society's founder, Jeff Gonzalez.

The Video of the Kiss That Wasn't a Kiss

Remy Stern · 06/24/11 10:47AM

Remember that beautiful image of the kiss that was never a kiss, taken during the Vancouver hockey riots? We knew that it wasn't really what it seemed to be, but now we can actually see how it happened. [Gizmodo]

Fake Cowboy Shootout Investigation Will Take 'Months,' For Some Reason

Hamilton Nolan · 06/23/11 04:10PM

Last week, three tourists watching a staged "Old West"-style gunfight in the South Dakota tourist town of Hill City were shot. Like, actually shot! One of those victims was Carrol Knutson, a visitor from Minnesota. And if there's one thing Carrol Knutson knows, it's this: she was shot by a god damn bullet. "Hospital staff told her a bullet shattered her fibula," for one thing. So she just, you know, came to that conclusion. Whoa there, little lady!

Does Vladimir Putin Travel with a Portable Lawn?

Jeff Neumann · 06/17/11 03:23AM

The manliest of all Russian men, Vladimir Putin, is taking some heat from Russian bloggers after he paid a visit to the city of Pskov. Just before his arrival, workers planted new lawns, painted some things and brought in new trash cans, then ripped the lawn up as soon as he left. The Telegraph explains the "Potemkin lawn":

What Is J.K. Rowling's Mysterious New Website?

Richard Lawson · 06/16/11 11:56AM

Though billionaire Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling registered the "Pottermore" domain name two years ago, she's only recently put something on the site. Not much of a something, though. Just a "Coming soon" tease and some owls. OMG, what is it??

Some Guy: I Shot Tupac

Hamilton Nolan · 06/15/11 04:34PM

In November of 1994, a bunch of unknown guys ran up on Tupac at Quad Studios in Manhattan, shot him, and robbed him. (Not the shooting that killed him! That was two years later.) That 1994 shooting was the spark that set off the East Coast-West Coast hip hop wars. And the assailants have never been discovered. Until now, maybe, allegedly!

Sheep Diagnoses Woman With Breast Cancer

Lauri Apple · 06/14/11 04:54AM

Alfie Purl, a sheep who lives in England's Cotswolds, is not the head-butting type. So when he went nuts and started bumping his owner—an archeologist named Emma Turner—in the chest one day, Turner "thought there must be something wrong with him."

Things to Do With Dead Loved Ones: Donate Them to Goodwill

Lauri Apple · 06/12/11 01:26PM

For two months, the Goodwill store in Fenton, Michigan has been holding onto an urn—delivered to the store in a cardboard Palmolive box labeled "Grandma's urn"—because staffers assumed somebody would return and reclaim it. But nobody ever did.

Did Man Play Russian Roulette With His Dog and Lose?

Lauri Apple · 06/09/11 04:25AM

Drinking moonshine was probably the most reasonable thing Russell Little did on Tuesday night. The least reasonable thing he did: put a gun to his head, and also to his dog's head, in a game of Russian Roulette.

The Mystery of the Gay Girl in Damascus

Adrian Chen · 06/08/11 02:20PM

When a post appeared on blogger Amina Arraf's blog claiming she'd been kidnapped by armed gunmen, media around the world quickly picked up the dramatic story. But now questions are being raised about Arraf's identity. Does she even exist?

Michigan Campground Reopened Either Illegally or Magically

Lauri Apple · 06/05/11 09:58PM

As most of you know, the West Branch State Forest Campground in Dickinson County, Michigan (on the Upper Peninsula, not the mitten-shaped one!) closed back in 2009 due to budget cuts. But recently someone has been mowing the grass, reopening the bathrooms, and moving rocks around.

Scaly Sea Monster Discovered Under Brooklyn Bridge

Maureen O'Connor · 05/26/11 11:19AM

On his evening commute, a Manhattan cyclist spied a strange beast at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. It had the scales of a fish, body of a serpent, head of a pit bull, and was the size of a large alligator. It was lying on a blue blanket, perhaps part of some strange ritual involving the can of Bud Light next to it. Unless these are the remains of a beer-swilling chupahipstera that died trying to reach Manhattan?

500-Pound Pig Escapes Through Minivan Window

Jeff Neumann · 05/14/11 11:31AM

A Washington State Patrol trooper yesterday shot and killed a 500-lb pig that had "escaped through a broken back passenger window" of a minivan. Trooper Morgan Mehaffey saw the pig running on a sidewalk in Spokane Valley, so he corralled it with his cruiser, Tasered the hell of it, then shot its ass dead.

Bristol Palin's Face Looks Different, Doesn't It?

Maureen O'Connor · 05/04/11 04:49PM

"Oh no," I thought to looking at the picture at left. "Someone mixed up the Palin girls, and labeled this one 'Bristol Palin.'" But lo! The female at left really is Bristol Palin. And so is the female at right. Did our beloved Teen Mom 2: Republican Boogaloo star use some of that abstinence advocacy money on plastic surgery? Or is her new face the product of normal weight fluctuation? Update: Bristol admits she had surgery, is "thrilled" with new face.

Spy Panic Over Sexy Tweeter '1st Lady of Missiles'

Ryan Tate · 04/28/11 04:52PM

ZOMG! The national security world is totally as petty, gossipy and vicious as a pack of 13 year old girls. Just look at the hysteria surrounding supposed Twitter spy "Shawna Gorman."

Princeton's Mysterious Suicide Scandal: Why Was Antonio Calvo Fired?

Maureen O'Connor · 04/23/11 12:15PM

On Thursday we reported the death of Princeton lecturer Antonio Calvo, who committed suicide in the midst of a complicated game of academic politics. In the last 48 hours, articles in the New York Times and international media outlets have pushed campus conspiracy theories to a fever pitch. But we still have no real answer as to why the popular Spanish teacher lost his job—and why he chose to take his life.