Top Weird News & Oddities of 2015

A look back at the strangest and most-viewed posts on Cult of Weird for 2015.
Most viewed weird news articles of 2015

Not only did 2015 mark the 5th anniversary of the Cult, it was a great year in weird. Goatman sightings, mummified monks, furry trout, and other oddities were abundant in the news. Here’s a quick look at some of the things that happened this year:

Cult of Weird was viewed by well over a million curious visitors this year, and that’s not even taking into account social media.

Thanks to all of you who read, comment and share! Without you, this wouldn’t be possible.

2015 Top Cult of Weird Posts

Perhaps due to our involvement in the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference, I had a renewed interest in the bizarre history and folklore of my home state this year. While the scope of Cult of Weird is not limited to any particular region, many of the most-viewed stories featured here come from the desolate reaches of Wisconsin.

Man Catches Rare Furry Trout
Man catches rare fur-bearing trout in Wisconsin river
A fisherman claimed to pull this furry trout from a Wisconsin river. Is it a hoax? Fur coat? Trout koozie? You decide. This was shared by National Geographic, making it the most-viewed article of the year.
Read Story Here

Scan Reveals Mummified Monk in Buddha Statue
CT scan reveals mummified monk found inside 1,000-year-old Buddha statue
A CT scan of a 1,000-year-old Buddha statue revealed the mummified remains of a Chinese monk inside. And ancient writings on paper scraps were used to replace his organs.
Read Story Here

The Tragic Story Behind Chicago’s Mass Circus Grave
Mass burial of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus at Showmen's Rest after the train wreck
A mass grave in Chicago contains the remains of the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus, which was wiped out in a devastating train accident in 1918.
Read Story Here

Witchcraft and Murder in 20th Century Pennsylvania
The Nelson Rehmeyer hex murder house in York County, Pennsylvania
How superstition and paranoia lead to a brutal murder in Pennsylvania in 1928.
Read Story Here

1947 Buick Frankenstein Hearse
1947 Frankenstein Buick hearse
A beautiful, one-of-a-kind vintage hearse found rusting in a field in Greece.
Read Story Here

Ed Gein Cauldron Hits the Auction Block
An antique cauldron found covered in blood at the Ed Gein crime scene in Plainfield, WI
A cauldron once owned by Ed Gein and witnessed holding human entrails came up for auction. And guess who bought it…Zak Bagans of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventurers.
Read Story Here

Feather Crowns Foretell Impending Death
Vintage feather death crown photo by Lori Kimball
In Appalachian culture, a lump of feathers in your pillow, called a death crown, is believed to signify impending death.
Read Story Here

Earliest Known Murder
Fractured skull from the Pleistocene may be the earliest known homicide
A 430,000-year-old fractured skull shows evidence of the earliest known murder.
Read Story Here

Digging Up Ed Gein in Plainfield, WI
The grave of Ed Gein in Plainfield Cemetery
Our latest expedition to Plainfield in search of Gein history for this post turned out to be more than just a road trip into the depths of human depravity, according to the controversy it sparked.
Read Story Here

Family Tormented by Haunted Bunk Beds
Haunted bunk bed of Wisconsin from the Horicon haunted house
In 1988, the bizarre events experienced by a family in Horicon, Wisconsin made national headlines and became the subject of an Unsolved Mysteries episode.
Read Story Here

St. Nazianz: A Town Founded by Heretical Mystic Cult
St. Nazianz cemetery of priests and the crypt of Father Oschwald
This small Wisconsin town was has a long history of unusual happenings centered around a German priest who brought his followers here after the church removed him from his duties for heretical works.
Read Story Here

Feather death crown
Artist Troy Walter submitted this illustration for the October Instagram giveaway. For a chance to win a “box of weird” each week, viewers had to share a photo answering that week’s question.

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morton berk
morton berk
7 years ago

and happy holidays to you!!!!!keep it going…weird wont run out!!!

Donna
Donna
7 years ago

Anyone ever Buy that Stunning 1947 Buick Hearst ??