Weekend Weird: Two-headed space worm, lost in the catacombs, 8th wonder of the world rediscovered, and more
This week’s roundup of weird news is here to remind us that everything is horrifying and there is no escape. Enjoy!
In case you missed your daily dose of deranged, here’s the weekend roundup of the latest offbeat news, science, archaeology, and other bizarre media. This week’s offerings remind us that if you’re not an experienced cataphile, maybe you should avoid the 170 miles of catacombs beneath Paris where people tend to get lost and sometimes end up dead.
Also, space is weird, bald people don’t have gold in their heads, Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery is not only a great source for sweet hereafter honey, it’s apple trees also make cider from beyond the grave, AI is better than humans at Ms. Pac-man, Gene Simmons doesn’t know how to do the “devil horns” gesture properly, but he’s going to trademark it anyway, and please, for your neighbor’s sake, clean your clams.
By the way, remember the news that H.H. Holmes was being exhumed for DNA analysis to test the legend that he escaped the gallows during his 1896 execution? Turns out it’s for an upcoming 8-part History Channel series headed up by Holmes’ great-great-grandson Jeff Mudgett.
All this and more below.
Teenagers lost in the Paris catacombs for three days
Gene Simmons applies for trademark on “devil horns” hand gesture (thumb up)
Video: Rare giant carnivorous snail devours earthworm
History premieres new eight part limited series AMERICAN RIPPER, 7/11
Suffolk man finds hexafoil protection spells etched into 18th-century barn door
Bald men in Mozambique in danger because some believe their heads contain gold
Rare deposition from the Salem witch trials sells for $137K
The cider that comes from beyond the grave
Man who was constipated for 22 years gets surgery to remove 28lbs of feces
Watch: Neill Blomkamp’s bleak vision of post-alien invasion life in new short film Rakka:
What to do with this WWII submarine mired in muck?
How can you clearly remember a murder you didn’t commit?
The 8th wonder of the world may have been rediscovered after 130 years
Can human mortality really be hacked?
Worms grows two heads in space
Maybe paving a road with putrid, rotting clam shells isn’t such a good idea
Conjoined harbor porpoises caught in the Netherlands
Innocent man freed from prison after doppelganger was found 17 years after conviction
Giant chalk kiwi carving near Stonehenge given protection status
Sorry humans, Microsoft’s AI is the first to reach a perfect Ms. Pac-Man score
Philotimo: The Greek word that can’t be translated
Did Texas park officials release photos of Bigfoot tracks?
The Mexican doctor rehydrating the dead
Couple seeks nanny who can deal with “supernatural incidents”
Quacks & Hacks: Walter Freeman and the Lobotomobile
Comments of the Week
- “Washing your clams is generally good advice in most situations.” [view post]
- “Can I just baby sit the ghosts and let someone else deal with the children?” [view post]
- “Next thing you know all chalk kiwis will be demanding some form of protection status” [view post]
- “I was just there the other day – it’s intensely claustrophobic. I can see how one could easily pass out and possibly lose time. It’s a head trip for sure, this place – and it’s not the dead, it’s the DEPTH. Being that far under the earth is almost too much to bear, especially with ceilings that hit your head.” [view post]
Cult of Weird Collection
Grab your planchette and say h-e-l-l-o to the latest addition to the Cult of Weird collection: A 1940s Hasko Mystic Tray! These unique talking boards were made by a company in Chicago called Haskelite Manufacturing Corporation (1917-1958) who specialized in producing fine molded serving trays. They decided to get into the “fortune telling” business in 1942, producing a variety of Mystic trays and boards under the name Hasko. They sold millions, becoming one of the most prolific manufacturers of talking boards in the world.
Hey look, Cult of Weird and the Red Room from Twin Peaks share the same color palette:
Cult of Weird Community on Instagram
Tag your oddities and adventures #cultofweird to be featured!
This week’s featured WEIRD BOOK
Throughout the ages fashion has been weird, and sometimes even deadly. In Corsets & Codpieces author Karen Bowman takes a fresh look at “history’s hidden fashion disasters” to reveal the funny, bizarre, and often horrifying stories behind historical garments, including bum rolls, poisonous makeup, oversized codpieces, Victorian ladies shoplifting crinoline, and more.
Buy it now on Amazon
