Ever wondered what lengths world leaders go to protect their secrets? At the Alaska summit, Putin’s bodyguards turned heads with a suitcase dedicated to, quite literally, presidential waste. Turns out, state secrets aren’t always digital—sometimes they’re biological. Curious how far this strange tradition goes? You’ll want to keep reading.

What do you get when evolution channels its inner game designer? Meet Janjucetus dullardi, the 25-million-year-old whale fossil that could out-weird any Pokémon with its tennis-ball eyes and mystery teeth. Its discovery proves once again that prehistoric oceans—much like school playgrounds—were full of surprises. Dive in to find out why this “nightmare Muppet” has scientists and fossil fans alike grinning.

Every once in a while, a forgotten artifact resurfaces and quietly upends the mundane—like the San Antonio library book recently returned, only 82 years past due. From war-era Texas to an Oregon attic, this book’s improbable journey is a neat reminder: even the smallest oversights can outlive generations and, eventually, make their way home. Curious how? Let’s follow the breadcrumbs.

Who grilled the world’s first bratwurst? In Germany, Bavaria and Thuringia are locked in a centuries-old (and delightfully absurd) spat over sausage stand supremacy. From 13th-century documents to crispy pork pride, the story’s as juicy as the bratwurst itself—proof that some rivalries are best served hot.

What does it take to walk out of a university library with treasures from the era of Kublai Khan—and not just overdue tomes of Salinger, but actual 13th-century manuscripts? UCLA’s recent “dummy book” caper is stranger (and sneakier) than fiction, exposing how modern library systems sometimes trip over their own welcoming policies. Just how secure are our literary time capsules really?

A medal, a family, and the oddest tug-of-war you’ll see outside Thanksgiving dinner—Putin’s posthumous Order of Lenin for the fallen American son of a top CIA official isn’t fiction, but 2025’s latest true-life twist. Is this a case of tragic individual strangeness, or is the line between personal lives and statecraft only getting blurrier? Dive into the full story to decide.