Looking back at the whirlwind that was 2020, we’ve compiled a top 10 weird roundup of the most bizarre moments that managed to stand out amid the pandemic chaos. While the world grappled with a relentless virus, these oddball events offered a strange distraction, proving that reality can be stranger than fiction.
Why These Top 10 Weird Stories Still Captivate Us
10 Tumbleweed Causes Trouble
As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve 2019, drivers near Yakima, Washington, found themselves unexpectedly marooned on State Highway 240. A colossal wall of tumbleweed, whipped up by fierce winds, rolled across the road and ensnared vehicles for roughly ten hours while crews labored to free the trapped cars.
State Patrol trooper Chris Thorson told The Seattle Times that in his two‑decade career he’d never witnessed such a tumbleweed siege. Though tumbleweeds are iconic of the American West, they actually hail from the Ural‑steppe region of Russia and now pepper landscapes from Afghanistan to New Zealand.
9 Mystery Box Opened
In October 2020, a carved wooden box surfaced at the notorious Boleskine House—once home to occultist Aleister Crowley and later to Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. The box, allegedly sealed with melted wax, was snapped up at auction by Grimsby resident Rik Spencer, who was told it had been recovered from beneath the floorboards after a 2015 fire.
Spencer mustered the courage to crack the lid in November, sprinkling a circle of salt around it. Inside lay a voodoo‑doll‑like figure, a sketch reminiscent of the Sinister DVD cover, assorted coins, and some plant material. He suspects the crate might be a Dybbuk box and has appealed for anyone with knowledge of the house’s 2012‑2015 owner—millionairess Trudy Piekaar‑Bakker—to step forward.
8 Is That a Guy in a Jetpack?
On September 1, 2020, an American Airlines crew reported spotting a “guy in a jetpack” soaring at roughly 3,000 feet above Los Angeles International Airport. A second aircraft’s crew corroborated the sighting ten minutes later.
Just a month later, another flight crew observed a similar figure at about 6,000 feet, seven miles northwest of LAX. The FAA alerted the FBI, which opened an investigation into the mysterious aerial visitor.
To this day, authorities remain puzzled: Was it a daring jet‑pack enthusiast, a cleverly disguised mannequin attached to a drone, or simply a case of mistaken perception? The mystery still fuels speculation among aviation buffs.
7 Wait, That’s Not Me!?
In mid‑2020, Tennessee resident Jade Dodd renewed her driver’s license online, only to receive a card displaying an empty chair where her photo should have been. Initially baffled, Dodd contacted the DMV, which was skeptical until a review of her file revealed the chair was the last photograph saved before the actual portrait was taken.
The mishap quickly went viral, spawning memes across social media. Fortunately, the DMV corrected the error, and Dodd received a proper license by August, chair‑free.
6 Wish Upon a Scam
Dr Laeek Khan of Uttar Pradesh, India, was treating a patient when he encountered two men claiming to be the patient’s sons. They spoke of a “baba” who could summon a jinn from a lamp that promised wealth and luck. Intrigued, Khan agreed to meet the baba at the men’s home.
After witnessing a supposed jinn emerge, Khan offered $93,000 (≈7 million rupees) for the lamp. He soon realized the lamp held no magic; the “jinn” was likely one of the men in disguise. Disillusioned, Khan reported the con to the police.
The two conspirators were arrested in November 2020, while the woman—identified as the men’s wife—fled, still wanted for her role in the elaborate scam.
5 A Puppy Named Hulk
On January 10, 2020, Shana Stamey watched her German Shepherd give birth to eight puppies. When the fourth pup emerged, its fur was a vivid lime‑green, starkly contrasting the other black‑and‑white littermates.
Veterinarians confirmed the hue resulted from meconium— the newborn’s first stool—staining the pup’s coat. The green coloration posed no health risk, and the family christened the little canine “Hulk,” believing he’d bring good fortune.
4 Green Eggs and Ham
From green puppies to green food, it’s always uncanny when nature flips its usual palette. Mid‑2020, a farmer posted photos of his hens’ eggs, which featured unusually dark‑green yolks. The images went viral, catching the eye of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University researchers.
The university team collected a hen and several eggs to investigate. They discovered excess green pigment stored in the birds’ fat layers, traced back to a particular feed formulation that altered yolk coloration.
After recommending an alternative feed, the farm saw a rapid return to normal yellow yolks within two weeks, solving the mystery of the emerald‑hued eggs.
3 Aurora Borealis and the Titanic
One hundred eight years after the Titanic’s tragic sinking, researchers revisited the night of April 15, 1912, noting a powerful solar storm that painted the sky with the Aurora Borealis. The dazzling lights may have interfered with the ship’s navigational instruments.
Independent scholar Mila Zinkova published a paper suggesting the geomagnetic disturbance skewed the Titanic’s compass, nudging it toward the fatal iceberg. She also posited that the Carpathia’s compass suffered similar interference, potentially hampering its rescue efforts.
Historian Tim Maltin, however, argues the solar storm’s impact was negligible, insisting the disaster stemmed from design flaws and inadequate crew protocols rather than celestial interference.
2 It’s a Miracle!
During Monterrey, Mexico’s 2007 Bella Via festival, an artist sketched a Virgin Mary portrait on a parking‑lot pavement using chalk, intending it to fade after three weeks. In October 2020, fresh photographs surfaced showing the same chalk drawing miraculously reappearing on the asphalt.
Believers flocked to the site, heralding the resurgence as a divine sign. The original artist confirmed the work was indeed his 2007 creation, adding intrigue to the phenomenon.
Authorities cordoned off the area, repeatedly washing the pavement to enhance visibility. Skeptics, however, argue that the “miracle” narrative distracts from broader societal issues in Mexico.
1 Too Good to Be True?
Who doesn’t dream of a sudden lottery windfall? In December 2020, twenty South Africans shared a $7.8 million jackpot, each holding a ticket with the sequential numbers 5‑6‑7‑8‑9‑10. The unprecedented draw sparked immediate suspicion on social media.
Critics accused the National Lotteries Commission of rigging the draw, demanding transparency. The commission vowed a thorough investigation, promising to release findings.
Meanwhile, some winners claimed they chose the sequential numbers “out of instinct,” while others admitted they simply wanted to try something different.