Welcome to another whirlwind roundup of 10 offbeat stories you might have missed this week (3/30/19). Another week has closed its pages, and we’ve dug up a handful of bizarre, unconventional news bites that slipped under the radar. If you’re craving a quick pick‑me‑up, feel free to revisit last week’s happy‑news roundup here.
10 Offbeat Stories Highlights
10 The Rex Of Rexes
Researchers publishing in The Anatomical Record announced a jaw‑dropping find from Canada: the largest known Tyrannosaurus rex ever unearthed, christened Scotty.
The fossil bones were originally uncovered on a Saskatchewan site back in 1991, but they lay trapped inside solid sandstone, making the excavation painstakingly slow. After careful removal, scientists painstakingly examined each fragment and painstakingly reassembled roughly 65 % of the skeleton.
Measurements of the thigh bone revealed a truly colossal predator. From snout to tail tip, Scotty stretched about 13 metres (43 ft) and tipped the scales at an estimated 8,800 kg (19,400 lb). University of Alberta paleontologist Scott Persons proudly dubbed the specimen “the rex of rexes.”
Beyond sheer size, Scotty may also hold the title of the oldest known T. rex. The previous record‑holder, Trix, lived to about 30 years; Scotty appears to have reached 31 or 32. Moreover, a suite of healed injuries tells the tale of a fierce hunter that survived numerous scrapes throughout its life.
9 Amazing Savings That Bring Back The Dead
Multiple shoppers at the Market Basket in Wilmington, Massachusetts, have reported spotting a ghost from the Victorian era drifting through the aisles.
The first witness, bakery‑department employee Christiana Bush, posted about the apparition on social media, prompting others to share similar sightings. The specter is described as a young woman with blue eyes, light skin, and dark hair, dressed in period‑appropriate clothing.
While the supermarket chain assures customers that its stores are ghost‑free, some speculate the phantom may be drawn to the store’s “Victorian‑era” price tags.
8 Van Gogh Painting Is The Real McCoy
After three decades of lingering doubt, a painting once thought to be a forgery has finally been confirmed as an authentic work by Vincent van Gogh.
The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, has owned Vase With Poppies since 1957, thanks to a private donation. Yet for nearly 30 years the canvas lingered in storage because scholars questioned its provenance.
The initial uncertainty stemmed from the donor, novelist Anne Parrish, who lacked a notable reputation as an art collector, making the painting’s history murky. In 1976, historian Bogomila Welsh‑Ovcharov raised doubts, and in 1990, art scholar Walter Feilchenfeldt echoed the concerns, leading the museum to keep the work out of public view.
Modern technology has now settled the debate. Using digital X‑ray and advanced infrared reflectograms, researchers uncovered an earlier self‑portrait hidden beneath the surface, and experts from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam confirmed that the pigments and materials match those the master employed after moving to Paris.
7 The Axe Effect
During a routine traffic stop, a visibly intoxicated driver attempted to conceal the smell of alcohol by spraying Axe body spray directly into his mouth.
When it comes to masking alcohol breath, most people reach for gum, peanut butter, or even strong foods like garlic or onions. This particular driver, however, apparently didn’t have any of those tools on hand.
Efren Mencia‑Ramirez, a 49‑year‑old from South Carolina, improvised by dousing his mouth with a generous amount of Axe. He was subsequently arrested after failing field‑sobriety tests. Deputies noted the presence of ten empty beer cans, an open bottle wedged between his legs, and slurred speech, suggesting the “Axe trick” was unlikely to have fooled anyone.
6 A Resourceful Library
While perusing the archives of Ushaw College Library at Durham University in England’s northeast, researcher Dr. Benjamin Pohl uncovered a royal charter dating back over 800 years, complete with the seal of King John.
The document, dated March 26 1200, is now one of roughly a dozen charters that have survived from the first year of King John’s reign – the monarch best remembered today for his antagonistic role in Robin Hood legend.
Dr. Pohl recognized the seal and noted that the charter was penned in “court hand,” a formal script of the era. The parchment records two land grants: Walter of Caen and Robert FitzRoger, Lord of Warkworth and Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, were awarded the hamlets of Cornsay and Hedley Hill.
Beyond the transactional details, the charter offers a glimpse into the political and social fabric of early 13th‑century England. The nine witnesses listed were among the most powerful northern English figures, likely eager to curry favor with the new king.
5 Can You Bully Someone With Flatulence?
The Court of Appeal in Victoria, Australia, took up a truly unusual case this week: an engineer sued his former supervisor for workplace bullying after the latter repeatedly farted on him.
Fifty‑six‑year‑old David Hingst claimed he suffered “severe stress” because his colleague, Greg Short, would “lift his bum and fart” on him up to six times daily. Hingst worked at Construction Engineering in Melbourne, where Short served as contract administrator. The cramped, windowless office became the setting for the offensive act, which allegedly caused Hingst psychiatric injury and prompted a A$1.8 million (US$1.28 million) lawsuit.
Short admitted he might have passed gas once or twice but denied any intention to harass. The Supreme Court of Victoria had previously ruled in his favor, finding no bullying. Hingst appealed, alleging bias, but the appellate court dismissed the case, concluding that flatulence alone does not constitute bullying, even if the allegations are true.
4 Fast Dining In Ancient Times
Recent excavations at the ruins of Pompeii have once again yielded fresh discoveries, including the counter of a thermopolium—an ancient Roman eat‑shop that resembles today’s fast‑food joints.
The thermopolium served ready‑to‑go meals and drinks, primarily catering to the city’s poorer residents who lacked private kitchens. Typical menu items included baked bread, fish, cheese, and a spicy wine.
This two‑thousand‑year‑old snack bar is just one of many thermopolia uncovered within Pompeii’s archaeological park. While the Roman elite usually avoided such establishments, this particular venue appears to have been a higher‑end version of “fast food,” complete with beautifully preserved frescoes that remain vibrant to this day.
3 The Garfield Mystery Is Solved
For 35 years, the western coast of Brittany in France has been plagued by a puzzling phenomenon: orange plastic fragments shaped like Garfield the cat have constantly washed ashore.
These bits turned out to belong to a line of novelty Garfield telephones popular in the 1980s. The litter has polluted the Finistère region’s beaches, even infiltrating a designated marine park, and became a symbol for the anti‑litter group Ar Vilantsou.
Investigators long suspected the debris originated from a lost shipping container, but the exact location remained a mystery—until a media campaign prompted a local farmer, who remembered the original beach‑side appearances, to point out the container’s whereabouts. The container sits in a sea‑cave only reachable at low tide; a team entered and found the open crate. Although it cannot be moved without heavy machinery, cleaners continue to remove the stray pieces that still wash up.
2 Get Paid To Lie In Bed
A joint venture between NASA, ESA, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is offering a rather unusual job: volunteers will be paid $19,000 to stay in bed for two months.
The study aims to examine how prolonged simulated weightlessness affects the human body, specifically probing any benefits artificial gravity might provide during long‑duration spaceflight.
Participants will lie in a tilted position, with their feet slightly above their heads, causing blood to pool in the upper body and reducing flow to the extremities. In this posture, they will eat, sleep, exercise, watch TV, shower, and even use the bathroom.
Half of the volunteers will remain in a normal lying area, while the other half will be placed inside a spinning centrifuge that mimics an artificial‑gravity environment, allowing researchers to compare physiological responses between the two groups.
1 A Bizarre Birth
In late February, 20‑year‑old Arifa Sultana from Bangladesh delivered a baby boy at Khulna Medical College Hospital. The first infant was premature but otherwise healthy.
Just four weeks later, Arifa began experiencing abdominal pain and was rushed to another hospital, where doctors made a startling discovery: she was still pregnant, this time with twins. Gynecologist Dr. Sheila Poddar performed an emergency caesarean, and all three newborns—one older brother and a set of twins—are now reported to be in good health.
The extraordinary circumstance stems from a condition known as uterus didelphys, where a woman possesses two separate uteri. Normally the condition is evident on ultrasound, but because Arifa and her husband hail from a poor village, they never received such imaging, leaving the double‑uterus anatomy undetected until the second delivery.