Katherine BiekThere were quite a few news headlines this week that made us do a double take. That's right, these stories were just so bizarre, we couldn't help but want to read more. So without further ado, let's get to our top three outrageous headlines of the week.
First up, we have what's been called the fastest hot tub in the world. (Via Motor Authority)
Two Canadian men decided to retrofit a 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille like this one, making it essentially a hot tub on wheels. (Via That Hartford Guy / CC BY SA 2.0)
"We converted it to a fully functioning mobile hot tub. All modifications are done in-house, including the fiberglass tub, molding and dashboard." (Via YouTube / Future Technology)
CBC reports Duncan Forster and Phil Weicker actually came up with the wacky idea when they were engineering students at McMaster University in the 1990s. They based this current version on a prototype they built back then.
Apparently back in 2001, the Southern California Timing Association challenged Forster and Weicker to race their invention at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The pair accepted but had difficulties building the perfect "hot tub car" to race. (Via Digital Trends)
Now, you're probably thinking, why race in Utah? Well, the Bonneville Salt Flats are made up of completely flat, salty soil, which makes for a perfect racetrack. (Via YouTube / Autofocusca Canada)
But now, with the help of people on Kickstarter, the two engineers have raised the necessary $10,000 needed to go race their hot tub — which they fondly call the Carpool DeVille.
The money will go toward the costs of transporting the car to Utah as well as gas for the car and race fees. Forster and Weicker hope to be the first to race more than 100 miles per hour in an open-air hot tub vehicle. We can't wait to see the end result of that race.
Next up, as CBS reports, one Seattle man faced the terrible consequences after trying to kill a spider using a lighter and a can of spray paint.
Probably not the smartest decision he's ever made. The man was trying to kill the spider in the laundry room, but the wall caught fire and flames quickly spread to the rest of the house. (Via Jezebel, Smosh, The Seattle Times)
NEIGHBOR 1: "I saw flames coming out of the side of the house and heard popping sounds."
NEIGHBOR 2: "There were giant clouds of smoke pouring out of the windows." (Via KIRO)
The man lives with his mother in that home, which they were renting. KIRO reports around $60,000 worth of damage was caused in trying to kill that pesky spider.
So that got us thinking: What's the best way to get rid of a spider without burning your house down? (Via corinna1411 / CC BY NC SA 2.0)
Some easy ways including stepping on them with your shoe, vacuuming up the little suckers or using a broom to get rid of both the spiders and their webs. (Via malik ml williams / CC BY NC 2.0, Philips Communications / CC BY NC ND 2.0, elaine / CC BY NC ND 2.0)
Yeah, those are all much safer options than a homemade blowtorch.
And finally, we've got the most exciting gift a dad can ever give his 7-year-old daughter. (Via Time)
Jeremiah Heaton decided to make his daughter Emily a real-life princess by giving her a kingdom to rule over.
Heaton wrote on his Facebook page saying he had promised Emily one day she would grow up and be a princess: "As a father I do my very best not to make empty promises to my children. At the time I had no idea how I would honor her wish but I knew that I had to find a way."
And he did find a way. According to ABC, it was just a little unconventional.
"So he searched online for unclaimed territory around the world. He actually discovered an 800-square-mile patch of desert that's between Egypt and Sudan."
Turns out the land, which is called Bir Tawil and is mostly made up of sand, is one of just three unclaimed territories on earth. (Via Atlas Obscura)
After getting permission from the Egyptian government, Heaton traveled to the unclaimed region and claimed it for his daughter. (Via Facebook / Jeremiah Heaton)
Heaton and his daughter — who is now referred to as Princess Emily — have elected to call their territory the Kingdom of North Sudan. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch he plans to undergo negotiations with surrounding countries so Emily's kingdom will be recognized as a real country.
But that might take awhile. A writer for Slate reminds us in order for North Sudan to be considered a state, international law requires it to have "a) a permanent population; b) a defined territory, c) government; and d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states."
But while Heaton's sorting out all that, it got us wondering what it would feel like to rule over our own kingdom.
Sadly, one of us kind of let the idea go to his head.
