Did a 1981 horror novel predict the coronavirus?
And other stories from the stranger side of life
A horror novel written in 1981 by Dean Koontz features a partial prediction of the coronavirus. In The Eyes of Darkness, which tells the story of a grieving mother investigating the mysterious circumstances of her son’s death, there is a reference to a killer virus known as “Wuhan-400”, the name of the city where the coronavirus originated.
Fibre-glass skeleton and president's dagger pinched from libraries
President Harry S. Truman’s diamond-studded swords and daggers, President John F. Kennedy’s rocking chair, and a fibre-glass skeleton are among the strangest things to have been stolen from libraries. A dagger owned by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, has also been swiped from a library.
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.
Ohio man gives up everything but beer for lent
A man in Ohio is giving up solid food for Lent and switching to a beer-only diet in a bid to set a world record. Del Hall, who lost 44 pounds in 46 days last year on his beer-only Lent diet, said he is planning to extend his fast to 50 days this year to set a world record for the beer diet. “I don't think the extra days are going to be a struggle,” he said.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For more outlandish tales and news to make you smile, sign up for our new Tall Tales email at theweek.co.uk/sign-up-for-the-tall-tales-email.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Marine Le Pen's fake jobs trial
The Explainer The far-right French leader could face a fine, jail time, and a five-year ban from public office if found guilty of embezzlement
By Abby Wilson Published
-
How to earn extra cash for Christmas
The Explainer The holiday season can be expensive but there are ways to bolster your festive finances
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Zoos offer cockroach naming and hippo poo candles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
NHS tells Scots to walk like penguins
Tall Tales Walk like penguins in the snow, says NHS
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Experts discover why dogs wag their tails
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Peruvian 'aliens' aren't really aliens
Tall Tales And other stories from stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman accidentally puts nan in washing machine
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Couple sues after ‘farting dog’ ruins flight
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Experts suggest the real-life Dracula was vegan
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Pedants forgive Waterstones over apostrophe
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published