Why German men are most likely to sit down on the loo
And other stories from the stranger side of life

German men are the most likely to sit down while taking a pee, according to am international poll. Researchers found that 62% of German men said they usually or always sat down, compared with 50% of Swedes, 34% of Italians and only 23% of Brits. Generations of German parents “worried about younger boys’ aim” have “long encouraged their offspring to sit down while urinating”, and signs placed in the bathrooms of some bars and cafés recommend it, noted The Times.
Man hides scissors in a risky place
A man was caught apparently trying to smuggle an eight-and-a-half inch pair of scissors into a prison by hiding them in his anus, reported Sky News. Officers discovered the risky ploy as they processed the man at La Porte County Jail in the US state of Indiana. A spokesperson for the jail said the assistant commander of operations, Lieutenant Jeff Holt, “observed what appeared to be a foreign object inside the anal cavity of the arrestee”. The spokesperson added that “a short time later, the scissors were removed from the arrestee without incident”.
Smashed Cobain guitar sells at auction
A guitar smashed by Kurt Cobain has confounded expectations by selling at auction for nearly $600,000 (£480,000). The broken black Fender Stratocaster had been expected to sell for a tenth of that amount at the auction at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York, said ABC. Although the instrument has been put back together, is no longer playable. The three-day auction also included memorabilia from Eddie Van Halen, Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Bill Wyman and Janet Jackson.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - deportation, Canadian politeness, and more
-
5 low approval cartoons about poll numbers
Cartoons Artists take on fake pollsters, shared disapproval, and more
-
Deepfakes and impostors: the brave new world of AI jobseeking
In The Spotlight More than 80% of large companies use AI in their hiring process, but increasingly job candidates are getting in on the act
-
Zoos offer cockroach naming and hippo poo candles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
NHS tells Scots to walk like penguins
Tall Tales Walk like penguins in the snow, says NHS
-
Experts discover why dogs wag their tails
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Peruvian 'aliens' aren't really aliens
Tall Tales And other stories from stranger side of life
-
Woman accidentally puts nan in washing machine
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Penile fracture risk higher over Christmas
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Why Dutch people put pancakes on their heads today
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Fly found in man's colon
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life