Americans spent almost $40bn drunk shopping last year
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Americans spent $39.4bn while drunk in 2018, according to a new survey. Most of that money was spent on food but 43.22% of respondents admitted that they splashed cash on clothing and cigarettes while inebriated. Some 10% said they bought a car while drunk, while 14% booked a holiday.
Woman gives birth to baby containing its own twin
A Colombian woman has given birth to a baby whose abdomen contained the half-formed body of her own twin sister. This “foetus-in-foetus” birth is rare: it is thought to occur in about one in every 500,000 births. After informing the mother of what was happening, the doctor who oversaw the birth alerted a local television news network.
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.
Family fined when funeral overruns by 14 seconds
A family was fined £200 because their dad's funeral overran by 14 seconds, when a mourner on walking sticks took too long to leave the chapel. Commenting on the episode, a local councillor said of the grieving family: “They struggle to think some one was standing, as if they had a stop watch.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Crossword: October 27, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Sudoku medium: October 27, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Zoos offer cockroach naming and hippo poo candlesTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
NHS tells Scots to walk like penguinsTall Tales Walk like penguins in the snow, says NHS
-
Experts discover why dogs wag their tailsTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Peruvian 'aliens' aren't really aliensTall Tales And other stories from stranger side of life
-
Woman accidentally puts nan in washing machineTall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Couple sues after ‘farting dog’ ruins flightfeature And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Experts suggest the real-life Dracula was veganfeature And other stories from the stranger side of life
-
Pedants forgive Waterstones over apostrophefeature And other stories from the stranger side of life