Buzz
A new year has rolled in, but the world remains as bizarre and amusing as ever. That’s why this roundup is here to showcase the weirdest stories that made the headlines this week.
What better way to kick off 2019 on Mytour than by diving into mysteries and extraterrestrial tales? There’s been a fresh twist in the classic “British Roswell” case. We also uncover the story of two scientists claiming that the oldest person ever was a fraud. Plus, there are two spine-chilling stories featuring creepy crawlies, and yes, they’re both from Australia.
10. The Rendlesham Encounter
A new report suggests that the infamous Rendlesham Forest UFO incident of 1980 was actually a revenge prank carried out by the SAS on the US Air Force.
Between December 26 and 28, 1980, there were numerous reports of strange lights observed near Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk, England. These sightings came from members of the United States Air Force stationed at RAF Woodbridge, and included a memo from the deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt.
Naturally, many believed it was a UFO encounter. The event became widely known and is now informally called the 'British Roswell.' However, journalist and ufologist Dr. David Clarke recently claimed that an anonymous source within the SAS alleges that it was all an elaborate prank by British special forces.
At the time, the SAS often conducted security tests on the Woodbridge air force base. One August night, they were caught parachuting into the complex, unaware that the Americans had upgraded their radar systems. As a result, they were captured, interrogated roughly, and mockingly called 'unidentified aliens.'
Once released, the SAS soldiers plotted their revenge. They waited until December, then rigged the forest with flares, lights attached to black helium balloons, and remote-controlled kites. They likely didn’t anticipate how the story would escalate. This was compounded by the fact that Lt. Col. Halt’s memo and an audiotape of the investigation were later released to the public under the Freedom of Information Act.
9. Relics of a Medieval Siege
A dig for a new luxury hotel has revealed a 13th-century catapult ball, believed to have been used during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
The excavation site is located in Edinburgh, where a new Virgin Hotel is planned. Before construction begins, an archaeological dig has been underway since May. The team had previously unearthed prehistoric bones and the earliest known homes in the city center. However, the latest discovery is a ball thought to have been launched from a trebuchet during the siege of Edinburgh Castle.
In 1296, King Edward I invaded Scotland, sparking the First War of Scottish Independence. The siege of Edinburgh Castle lasted only three days before the English captured the fortress and held it for 18 years. Researchers are thrilled by the discovery of the ball, which they believe dates back to that siege. It is rare for archaeologists to identify 700-year-old artifacts with such precision.
8. A Doughnut Shortage in Kentucky
The Lexington Police Department in Kentucky took to social media to mourn the destruction of a doughnut truck in a fire, along with all of its contents.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the fire, but the true loss was felt in the form of the truck’s entire stash of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The cause of the blaze remains undetermined, though the driver reported seeing smoke emerging from the rear of the vehicle while driving through Lexington.
After the story spread online, Krispy Kreme reached out to the Lexington Police Department, offering to send a few dozen doughnuts to help lift their spirits.
7. Could There Be Vampires in Poland?
As the new year arrived, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) decided to share some of the strangest and most amusing questions and requests their consular staff received from Britons traveling abroad.
In 2018, the Foreign Office received over 330,000 requests for assistance. While many were routine and bureaucratic, there were also a few entertaining ones. For instance, a man in Poland called to ask if there were vampires in the country. He became worried after a woman he was about to date asked him for his blood type.
One caller from the United States missed an episode of Strictly Come Dancing and phoned to ask who had been eliminated. Meanwhile, someone in the Netherlands had just watched Braveheart and called the Foreign Office with questions about the film’s plot.
In New Delhi, one person wanted to visit the British Embassy to purchase vegetarian sausages. In Italy, another caller sought tickets to see the Pope. A man requested a list of Argentinean women available for marriage. Meanwhile, a Brit on vacation in the Canary Islands faced a crisis when a stray cat snuck into his hotel room and urinated on his bed.
A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed with regret that they couldn’t offer assistance on issues involving 'vampires, stray cats, or Strictly contestants,' but they still encouraged Brits abroad to contact them if they needed help.
6. Home Invasion
Australian police responded to screams coming from a home in Perth, only to break in and discover a man trying to kill a spider.
A person was walking down a street in the Wanneroo area of Perth when they heard disturbing sounds coming from a nearby house. These included a toddler’s screams and a man repeatedly shouting, 'Why won’t you die?' Alarmed, the passerby called the authorities.
Not taking any chances, multiple officers responded to the call. Inside the house, they found the man attempting to kill a spider. Embarrassed, the man apologized for the disruption and explained he had a 'serious fear' of spiders. The police reported no injuries, except for the spider.
5. The World's Oldest Fraud?
Researchers are questioning the claim of Jeanne Calment, a Frenchwoman who holds the record for being the longest-lived person ever.
Jeanne Calment was born in 1875 and passed away in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days, a record that still stands. However, two Russian researchers, mathematician Nikolai Zak and gerontologist Valery Novoselov, have conducted months of research into interviews, biographies, photos, and records related to Jeanne Calment and concluded that her identity may have been stolen. Specifically, they believe that her daughter, Yvonne, assumed her mother’s identity.
This alleged identity swap is said to have occurred in 1934. Official records state that Yvonne died of pleurisy, but Zak and Novoselov claim it was actually Jeanne who passed away at that time, with Yvonne taking over her mother’s identity to avoid inheritance taxes. If true, Yvonne would have been 99 when she died—a remarkable age, but not a record-breaking one.
The researchers point to several physical discrepancies between Jeanne before the 1930s and her later years, including changes in height, eye color, and forehead position. Additionally, it was reported that when Jeanne gained fame, she destroyed many photos of herself from her younger days.
The study has sparked significant controversy, with some criticizing it and others supporting it. If the debate continues, the truth could be revealed by exhuming both Jeanne and Yvonne Calment’s bodies and conducting DNA tests.
4. Are Cane Toads Just Lazy or In Search of Romance?
The internet has been buzzing after images surfaced of cane toads hitching a ride atop a -meter (11.5 ft) python.
A thunderstorm hit Kununurra in Western Australia last Sunday, bringing 7 centimeters (2.7 in) of rain in just one hour. When it ended, local resident Paul Mock stepped outside to check on his property and saw that a nearby lake had overflowed. As a result, numerous cane toads were fleeing the rising waters. Some of them found an unusual way out—by climbing onto a snake.
According to Paul, the snake was named Monty, a local resident who often hung around the lake and sometimes startled his wife while she was hanging laundry. However, Paul had never seen Monty act as a toad transporter before.
Paul snapped a few pictures of the unusual scene and sent them to his brother, who then shared them online. The photos quickly captured attention, with many people expressing amazement, while others questioned their authenticity, suspecting they might be staged. Biologist Jodi Rowley offered an alternative explanation, suggesting that male cane toads, driven by their mating instincts, might have mistaken Monty the snake for a mate.
3. Ring in the New Year with Fire Tornadoes
New Year's Day partygoers at the Scheveningen seaside resort in the Netherlands got more than they bargained for—a surprise appearance of fire tornadoes.
It’s a tradition at the resort for revelers to gather around a bonfire on the beach, but this year the weather conditions were perfect for a rare phenomenon known as a fire whirl or, sometimes, a fire tornado.
Strong, erratic winds carried the flames into a vortex nearly 50 meters (160 ft) high. While the fire whirls themselves soon dissipated, the winds scattered sparks and embers onto nearby roads, hills, and buildings. Firefighters worked tirelessly to keep structures wet to prevent fires from starting, and riot police were stationed to maintain order so the firefighters could do their job uninterrupted. Despite their efforts, a few small fires broke out, causing minor damage, but they were quickly put out.
2. Enter the Temple of the Flayed God
Mexican archaeologists have uncovered a temple dedicated to Xipe Totec, the pre-Hispanic “Flayed God.” His priests revered him by flaying human sacrifices and wearing their skin.
The discovery was made at a dig site in Puebla, uncovering ruins of the Popoloca natives. Scholars believe this could be the oldest known dedication to Xipe Totec in Mexico. Among the items found were two massive 200-kilogram (440 lb) skulls carved from volcanic stone and a 85-centimeter (33 in) ceramic effigy of the god. Archaeologist Noemi Castillo notes that the sculpture has a hollow in its belly where a green stone was placed during ceremonies, as well as a right hand hanging from the left arm to symbolize the dangling skin of a human sacrifice.
The artifacts were dated to between AD 900–1150 based on the temple’s age, but have been sent to a lab for further testing. While archaeologists are still debating whether this was once a site for human sacrifices, Aztec sources suggest that the rituals took place in one location, while the skins were stored elsewhere after being worn for several days. This temple may have served as the latter.
1. The Great Tequila Heist
What happens when four Florida Men team up? They might create a modern-day Justice League—or, more likely, attempt to swipe half a million dollars’ worth of tequila.
One Sunday evening, a trucker in Tampa stopped for a meal. Upon returning to his truck, he discovered that his semitrailer was gone. He contacted the police, who later recovered the stolen trailer and apprehended the thieves.
The suspects, Vidal Estrada, Humberto Ramirez, Lemuel Escobar, and Alberto Obaya, were caught in the act of unloading the stolen tequila into a box truck registered to them. They had already moved 20 cases of booze and had 950 more to go. The premium Patron Tequila they made off with was valued at over $507,000. All four were charged with grand theft, burglary, and resisting arrest without violence. One suspect also faced a charge for possession of a controlled substance.
