ADVERTISEMENT

For any well-informed citizen, it's crucial to stay up-to-date on the news. But considering the endless amount of information we’re bombarded with daily, it’s impossible to keep tabs on every hilariously bizarre thing happening on our planet. Or is it? Well, let’s just say that the internet has proven time and again that wild and ridiculous headlines will never go unnoticed.

After all, some of them totally catch us off guard and leave us unsure whether to facepalm or do a spit-take. Like "Bear breaks into Colorado house, plays the piano but not very well" or "Thief cut victim's grass before taking lawnmower". These are just a few little gems found on the 'Internet’s Craziest Headlines' Twitter account — aka the hall of fame of the most ludicrous titles noticed on TV and print.

So if you find entertainment in the Florida man and his antics whenever they manage to find a way to your feed, you’ve ended up in the right place! Let us present you with a new level of absurdity that is the compilation of images we wrapped up right below. Enjoy scrolling through these entries and hit upvote on your favorite ones. And if you've ever come across an outlandish headline yourself, we'd love to hear all about it in the comments.

Psst! More newspaper headline madness awaits in our previous post right over here.

RELATED:

    A brief scroll through this list may be all it takes to convince you that reality is often stranger than fiction. Even in this modern world where few things can genuinely knock us off our feet, people (and animals!) still manage to surprise us with the most absurd actions that exceed our expectations. News stories ranging from charmingly unexpected to plainly bizarre inevitably lead to funny headlines that are gaining popularity online every day. But this does beg the question: why are we so fascinated with them in the first place?

    To learn more about the abundance of weird news items and the fine line between an informative headline and a fake one, we reached out to Deborah S. Bowen, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of PR Instruction at the University of South Florida. When asked what impact the digital world had on the spread of weird news stories, she told Bored Panda, "Because of its relative accessibility, the internet has become a powerful dissemination tool."

    ADVERTISEMENT

    "Those fun stories from far-flung places (or not so far-flung!) are much more available now. People can amplify all kinds of messages across any number of platforms and can cast a net as wide as their imaginations," the professor added. "And all this posting can be done at no cost. It can even become a moneymaker for the person aggregating and publishing these wild tales. Besides, we love entertainment, and what’s more entertaining than the truth?"

    #4

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Brandon Marlowe
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Look for the bear necessities. The simple bear necessities. Forget about your worries and your strife.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Consider the Florida man scenario. The slew of stories that begin with those two words makes it look like the state is occupied by the wackiest and weirdest people ever. As a Florida resident, Bowen shared a few thoughts on the matter.

    "Some might suggest that many stereotypes are rooted in some grain of truth," she explained. "I suggest that Florida arrests are part of the public record, and therefore become excellent content for communicators across the media! Admittedly, though, there's nothing like seeing 'Florida Man' in a headline and wondering, 'will THIS be the one I know?!'"

    ADVERTISEMENT

    When it comes to our passion for these stories, the professor explained that their catchy and odd nature is what tends to spark our curiosity. "The best headlines — the infamous 'Headless Body in Topless Bar' being the classic archetype — grab the reader’s attention immediately and invite the reader on a newsworthy adventure."

    ADVERTISEMENT

    After all, getting your headline clicked on is far from an easy task. The words you choose to wrap your title in are the first, and probably the only, impression you make on the potential reader. "It’s awfully hard to make day-to-day happenings sound cool and sexy; it’s much easier when a story is so absurd that the headline becomes an easy 'get' for the author," Bowen said.

    "Wild headlines promise a real escape for a reader, and we crave, as humans, the emotional release that can come from reading a truth so different from our own. Whether hilarious or sad or evoking Schadenfreude [a German word meaning the pleasure we get from witnessing someone's misfortune], readers want the impact of the tale to be significant — to deliver the emotional punch promised by the headline."

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #11

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Paul Pierokowski
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They talk about men not knowing female anatomy. What about cis females who don't know? 😂

    Tina Smith
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Apparently, DNA tests were later done and the baby is the husband's child. https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/husband-dumps-wife-moments-after-giving-birth-after-baby-came-out-with-darker-skin-c-1331947.amp

    Tina Smith
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Although I might have read the wrong story. There's a couple of these that happened in the same time period. 2020 - of course.

    Load More Replies...
    Hello
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This seems to be a different one; That links mentions the husband accusing the wife and not like the one from here

    Hello
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Found the source, https://prettycoolsite.com/white-woman-gives-birth-black-baby/ it's a joke website

    Christine Jemison
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How the he** is that even possible? She didn't think this through before she opened her mouth.😅😅😅😅😅

    The Scout
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There has been a recorded case of a white woman giving birth to a black child because of her husband involuntarily transferring sperm from the privates of a prostitute who had just served a black customer before to his wife somewhen in the 90s. I do not remember the details.

    Down With Agent Hedgehog!
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I didn’t read this carefully and was like ‘so?’ And then… *face smacks against wall*

    Katie Lutesinger
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Reminds me of an account I read of a black couple whose baby came out white. After a lot of tears and accusations, a relative let them know about the family history of albinism.

    Celtic Pirate Queen
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, 'cause that's how pregnancy works. Right up there with the idiot who asked "Why don't they ever make the Mom take a DNA test"?

    dido74
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People that stupid should not have children 😵‍💫

    MED71
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Lmao! Surely not!

    blake
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i dont think a guy can push a baby through his penis lmao stupid idiot

    survivalrhino
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She heard Bilary talk about the big lie and figured to give it a shot

    Vera Rios
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thats one way to say not guilty. Blame the husband.😄😄😂

    your local gay gal
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    well this entire thing is crazy (and hilarious) but i dont like how they address the white woman as a woman but the black woman as a ‘girl’ . anyone else notice that?

    Bad Alchemy
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ah, it becomes clear that the "supreme" in White Supremacy is an acknowledgment of supreme stupidity.

    LeeAnne B
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's one of those reverse albino kids. I wonder if the husband believed her.

    View more commentsArrow down menu

    While it’s fun to devour stories that bend the limits of our imagination, they also serve as proof that anything can be considered newsworthy these days. The problem is that with the heaps of information that consistently grace our feeds, it has become difficult to differentiate facts from fiction.

    "One of my favorite sayings is 'Content without context is just noise,'" Professor Bowen noted. "It’s critical that we become informed and savvy consumers of media, and that we take no information for granted as truth. A headline tossed out casually on, say, a social media platform should always be questioned, even if the source is knowledgeable. Find the reporter or author. What has that person contributed to the news before? Is there an 'angle'? A bias?"

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #15

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Mattewis88
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Still waiting for that third arm the anti-vaxxers promised me after I got the jab. My dresses don't have pockets.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu

    But many readers forget to do their own due diligence before sharing stories on social media. In an attempt to prove it, the satirical news site the Science Post published a piece with a frightening headline: "Study: 70% of Facebook users only read the headline of science stories before commenting." The content of the text, however, was mostly blocks of "lorem ipsum" text. As of today, it has been shared over 194k times.

    #18

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Oh, no. Oh, thank you, none of that foreign muck. What? Garlic bread? Garlic bread? Garlic? Bread? Am I hearin' you right? Garlic bread? No, thank you, I've got some milk roll in t'case that'll do me. The toasty loaf. The garlic bread!" Peter Kay.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu

    Interestingly, it inspired researchers at Columbia University and the French National Institute to do an independent study of news consumption on social media. They collected the number of Twitter’s 280 million followers who potentially viewed and shared a news link and how many clicks those same links amassed. The researchers found that 59% of links shared on social media have never actually been clicked — users retweeted the news without bothering to read it.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    "People are more willing to share an article than read it," study co-author Arnaud Legout said. "This is typical of modern information consumption. People form an opinion based on a summary, or summary of summaries, without making the effort to go deeper."

    #19

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Brandon Marlowe
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It wasn't already? Damn! All this time I could have been.... wait. Did I say that out loud?

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu

    According to Professor Bowen, we, the readers, need to better understand the context in which news is being presented. "One important piece of that is to fact-check. Google will help readers find sources that are reliable and are generally truly journalistic in their approaches."

    ADVERTISEMENT

    She stressed that it’s "absolutely imperative" to become media-savvy, especially when we "see deep fakes (visual and audio) on the horizon" as technology advances. "Media literacy is an important tool for each of us to have. It can save us from scams, phishing attempts, and, of course, 'fake news.' With media literacy comes the ability to distinguish fiction from fact and fact from opinion."

    Bowen advised you, dear readers, to be diligent in searching for truthful information. "As William Shakespeare once said, 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet!' Make sure to find your information from solid, reliable sources. While their headlines might not be wacky, there's a treasure of truth to be learned. And enjoy every journey down your factually accurate and no less amazing rabbit holes," she concluded.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #26

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Dave Nalesnik
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “What you doin’ babe?” “Just chillin’.” “Not after I caught you cheating on me, you ain’t.”

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #29

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Deborah B
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If you can't tell the difference between a puppy and a ferret then maybe you deserve to be sold ferrets?

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #31

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    #35

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    #38

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Robert T
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is real and has been featured on BP before. Just chalk it down to being Florida. ;-)

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #40

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Brandon Marlowe
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This has been a test of the zombie apocalypse warning system. If this had been an actual emergency you would have been instructed to tune in to your local station for further instructions. Repeat. This was only a test.

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #42

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Purple light
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Fake news, there wasn't any bible eating and the guy pictured is a sex offender, but he is not on death row.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #44

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    #45

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Posties take note, this Postman managed to deliver his packages successfully!

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #47

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    The lesbian knitting panda
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    For the non Brits Harrow is one of the fanciest private schools in the UK, along with Eaton, it is famous for churning out self-important rich twits who own golf courses.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
    Unlimited content
    Ad-free browsing
    Dark mode
    #50

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Izzy Curer
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have a theory that Florida Man is everywhere, they just have really good news reporters in Florida

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #56

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Brandon Marlowe
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing insight. I need to do more research but suspect that I might agree with him.

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #60

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    M O'Connell
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The story authors clearly haven't heard of the gentleman who prepared and ate 65-year old Jello, or the other gentleman who ate a 153 year-old cracker. Both are fine.

    View more commentsArrow down menu
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #68

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Izzy Curer
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Come on, if you're getting paid minimum wage, you're not actually looking at the customer

    View More Replies...
    View more commentsArrow down menu
    #70

    Crazy-Internet-Headlines

    hofheadlines Report

    Add photo comments
    POST
    Powerful Katrinka
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He was very upset when he realized what had happened, and offered to pay the losses back. The company said no, and fired him anyway. On a brighter note, someone started a Gofundme account for him, and it raised over 300,000 dollars.

    View more commentsArrow down menu