Monday, December 29, 2008

The Top 10 'Most Curious' stories of 2008

The Top 10 'Most Curious' stories of 2008

The Most Curious box gathers up the more offbeat and diverting news items of the day. We've taken a note of the offbeat stories that diverted you the most

Thomas Beatie (right), his wife Nancy and daughter Susan Juliette

(AP Photo)

Thomas Beatie (righth), his wife Nancy and daughter Susan Juliette

1: Look up tonight for a spectacular treat in the sky

Free entertainment on the biggest screen imaginable as the fullest full moon for years was enhanced by a display of shooting stars

2: Thomas Beatie a married man who used to be a woman is pregnant with a baby girl

The extraordinary story captivated many in March 2008, eclipsing even the report of his daughter’s birth,

3: Boy, 7 goes on killing spree in zoo feeding reptiles to crocodile

An as yet un-named boy broke into the Alice Springs Reptile Centre and fed several rare reptiles to a crocodile, miraculously escaping being eaten himself in the process.

4: Google search finds seafaring solution

An ocean-going server farm for the internet search giant piqued the curiosity if maritime computer enthusiasts everywhere

5: Officials fell trees inscribed by US soldiers who fought for France

Trees carved with messages from the troops who took part in the D-Day landings were felled and turned into paper by their owner, sparking outrage among many who thought that the forest should have been preserved as an historical site.

6: Nuclear powered passenger aircraft to transport millions says expert

A long-distance airliner that produces no carbon emissions might seem the stuff of dreams, but according to Ian Poll, Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Cranfield university, and head of technology for the mysterious sounding Omega project, it could be achieved within 30 years by the simple expedient of outfitting aircraft with nuclear power plants.

7: Schoolboy hacker Omar Khan who upped his grades faces 38 years in jail

Changing exam resukts by hacking into a computer might seem a droll Ferris Bueller prank but for Omar Khan the same trick led to a possible 38 years in jail

8: Science close to unveiling invisible man

Invisibility devices, long the realm of science fiction and fantasy, moved a little close to reality this summer after scientists engineered a material that can bend visible light around objects.

9: British journalist covering Barack Obama caught on camera in drunk plagiarism rant

Adam Smith, who sometimes styles himself Steve Zacharanda, became the funniest thing about Barack Obama’s electoral victory after he was filmed, copiously refreshed, in the streets of Miami making unwise statements about his employers and his journalistic workflow.

10: US hunters claim to have found Bigfoot

Plenty of hoaxers have faked film of the elusive ape-man of the woods but only Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton had the sheer effrontery to produce a ‘corpse’ of the phantom beast.

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