Several weird stories grabbed our attention in 2010, but there are a few that have made it onto our own top 10 list.
A 2-year-old smoker, a mysterious ‘missile launch’, and the hummmm of vuvuzelas are some of the top 10 oddball stories of 2010.
Do you remember these? Check them out!
1. 2-year-old smokes 40 cigarettes a day
A 2-year-old Indonesian boy with a 40-cigarette-per-day smoking habit raised eyebrows in May. His mother said he would become angry and screams if he didn’t get cigarettes, according to the DailyMail.
Watch video of the 2-year-old:
2. Video shows mysterious ‘missile launch’
Video appearing to show a rocket or some other object shooting up into the sky and leaving a large contrail over the Pacific Ocean made headlines in early November.
The object was spotted off the southern California coast.
An expert reportedly said it was most likely and optical illusion and was just something high in the sky streaking northeast.
3. Time traveler caught on camera in Charlie Chaplin film?
A YouTube video from an old Charlie Chaplin film was a hot topic online in October, and had people asking an odd question.
Is a woman in the video using a cell phone?
In the black-and-white film, a woman is walking down the street with her hand up next to her ear. She appears to be holding an object in her hand, which looks like a modern-day cell phone.
The catch is that the film was made in 1928.
So far, nobody has an explanation for what is in the woman’s hand, but it does look similar to a cell phone.
Watch the video below and judge for yourself:
4. Walkers get the middle finger from crosswalk sign
Residents in Spokane, Washington received an unpleasant gesture from a street sign as they crossed the street, according to a report in December.
A crosswalk light displayed an image that looked like the middle finger, rather than a hand to signal for walkers to stop.
A storm blew snow into the crosswalk signal, blocking out the pointer, ring and pinky fingers. Only the middle finger and thumb were left visible.
The picture became a viral sensation online. See the photo.
5. Fired for being too hot?
Debrahlee Lorenzana claimed over the summer that Citibank fired her because her bosses thought she was too much of a babe to be a banker.
Lorenzana, a 33-year-old financial services professional the Village Voice describes as "a head-turning beauty" with "JLo curves meets Jessica Simpson rack meets Audrey Hepburn elegance," alleges that she was axed last summer from her $70,000-a-year job in a Manhattan branch because she is too good-looking.
Lorenzana, who is suing Citibank for wrongful termination and sexual harassment, says her bosses told her they couldn't concentrate on their work because her appearance was too distracting, and ordered her to stop wearing turtlenecks, pencil skirts, 3-inch heels or fitted business suits.
After several correspondences with human resources and a transfer to a different branch, Citibank fired Lorenzana in August, citing disciplinary problems and poor performance.
MyFox NY reported that Citi issued a statement on Thursday in response to the allegations by Lorenzana:
"We believe this lawsuit is without merit and we will defend against it vigorously. We respect the privacy of all of our employees and therefore cannot comment more specifically on this litigation, this former employee's overall performance, or the reasons for her termination- which an arbitration panel must resolve. Citi is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and providing a respectful environment in the workplace. We have a strong commitment to diversity and we do not condone, or tolerate, discrimination within our business for any reason."
An Australian businessman ordered a custom iPhone worth $8 million and the device made headlines in October.
Considered to be the world's most expensive phone, the diamond encrusted iPhone is said to be the first of its kind, The Daily Mail reported.
One-hundred carats of 500 individual flawless diamonds surround the phone that is also encased with a plate of rose gold. The Apple logo glimmers on the back with an additional 53 individual diamonds.
The luxury doesn't end there. Instead of the normal home button that is on the bottom center of the iPhone, the designer, Stuart Hughes, replaced it with a 7.4 carat pink diamond. But if you don't like pink, it can also be interchanged with an 8 carat single cut flawless diamond.
"The diamonds are rare and difficult to source, stones like that usually have a very long history," Hughes told The Daily Mail.
And don't forget about a case for the lavish device. Hughes' website shows a magnificent chest made from a single block of granite in imperial pink that is inlaid with a top grain leather called Nubick.
Hughes was asked by the un-named Australian businessman to create not one, but two of the extravagant phones, The Consumerist reported. See a photo of the phone.
7. Vuvuzelas take over the World Cup
The constant drone of cheap and tuneless plastic horns killed the atmosphere at the World Cup.
Everything seemed to be drowned out by the unrelenting water-torture beehive hummmmmmmmmmm of South African vuvuzela trumpets.
In Tweeting, "No offense to the vuvuzela posse but, man, it's a bit much," seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was not alone.
Their pitch didn't change, only the intensity. Blow hard. Blow soft. The range is from horrifically loud to just annoyingly so.
Check out the vuvuzela in the below video:
8. Cool! Trick football play goes viral
A middle school team in Texas had a play in November that is one of the greatest fakes you’ll ever see on a football field.
During the middle school championship game against Wynn Seale, Driscoll Middle School’s quarterback Jason Garza faked everyone on the field.
As the two teams lined up for the play, Garza loudly told the center that the officials had called for the ball to be moved up five yards because of a penalty, and the center then casually handed the ball back to Garza. The other players on the field stood and watched as Garza casually strolled past the line, then the linebackers, and then took off in the secondary.
He scored on a 68-yard touchdown, which tied the game at 6. Neither team would score the rest of the game, as the contest ended in a tie.
The play has become an Internet sensation since this weekend, as thousands of people have watched it on YouTube and other various places online. See the video to watch the entire play:
9. Behar causes stir on ‘The View’- TWICE
The View’s Joy Behar made headlines after causing a stir on set two separate times in October.
Behar and co-host Whoopi Goldberg walked off the set in an apparent disagreement with guest Bill O’Reilly on October 14th.
The argument began as the group discussed the controversy surrounding plans for a mosque to be built near Ground Zero.
On the October 26th show, Behar raised eyebrows for calling a Nevada Republican Senate nominee a b*tch.
See below to watch both videos:
10. U.S. wishes Queen Elizabeth II a happy birthday on the wrong day
Queen Elizabeth II is one of the most well-known people in the world, but the U.S. State Department, gave her birthday greetings a week early, according to Time.com .
Her Royal Highness reportedly gets two birthdays including her real one on April 21 and an official one, celebrated on June 12, 2010.
Do you remember any other weird stories that made headlines in 2010? Let us know by leaving a comment!
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