Press "Enter" to skip to content

2023 Year in Review: Unusual News Stories

To recap 2023, NewsForKids.net is taking a look back at some of the most interesting stories we’ve covered this year.
Today we’re looking at some of the most unusual news stories from 2023.

Artist Recreates Famous Painting in Legos

A woman stands in front of Ai Weiwei's massive artwork, Water Lilies #1, made of 650,000 Lego pieces.
Many people are familiar with Claude Monet’s famous oil paintings of water lilies. Now the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has reworked Monet’s idea into a massive new artwork made from a surprising material: Lego bricks.


Special New “Einstein” Shape Never Repeats


Mathematicians are excited about a new discovery: a 13-sided shape called “the hat”. Lots of copies of the shape can be used to cover a flat surface without ever overlapping or leaving any gaps. Importantly, the patterns made with the hat never repeat.


Project Sends Earth Test Message from Space

Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia, United States
The Earth has just been sent a message from space. Now people around the world are trying to figure out what the message says. But the message wasn’t from aliens. Instead, it’s part of a project designed to see how humans might react if we did get a message from aliens.


Building a House With…Diapers?

A view of the house built by the researchers out of concrete made with shredded diapers.
A group of scientists from the University of Kitakyushu in Japan has come up with an unusual solution to a messy problem. They’ve taken dirty diapers, and used them to replace some of the sand needed to build a house with concrete.


Spelling Event Takes Over Paris Street

Long shot from the air of participants sitting at desks on the Champs-Elysees prepare to take part in the Big Dictation.
Last Sunday, the famous Champs-Elysees street in Paris was turned into a giant outdoor classroom for a special spelling event called “The Big Dictation”. The event was a chance for people who love words to show off their listening and spelling skills in an unusual setting.


“Dr. Deep Sea” Lives Underwater for 100 Days

A photo of Dr. Joseph Dituri diving. The picture is taken from inside his underwater home.
Dr. Joseph Dituri, also known as “Dr. Deep Sea”, has just finished an amazing adventure. For 100 days, the University of South Florida teacher lived in a small room underwater. He set a new world record, beating the old record of 73 days.


Huge Rockslide Barely Misses Swiss Village

The village of Brienz, with a huge mountain of rockslide towering over it.
On June 16, a huge chunk of rock and dirt fell from a mountain above the Swiss village of Brienz. Somehow, the rockslide missed the village by a “hair”. The road leading to the village was damaged, but the village itself appears to have been unhurt.


Danish Man Visits Every Country Without Flying

Thor Pedersen standing with the captain on a containership in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Torbjorn (“Thor”) Pedersen is a Danish traveler who recently finished a trip around the world. But this wasn’t just any trip. Mr. Pedersen spent nearly 10 years visiting every country in the world – and he did it all without flying.


Teacher Sets Record by Teaching for 53 Years

Paul Durietz posedswith his award from Guinness World Records.
Paul Durietz is a 76-year-old social studies teacher from Illinois. On September 1, he set a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest teaching career. Mr. Durietz has been teaching for 53 years – since he was 23 years old.


World’s Largest Aircraft is Ready for Testing

Pathfinder 1 during outdoor flight operations testing at Moffett Field, Mountain View, California, November 8, 2023.
On November 8, an enormous new airship called Pathfinder 1 made its first test flights in California. The huge airship was built by LTA Research, a company that’s hoping to make an old method of transportation new again.

Share:

Settings

Most news on NewsForKids.net is appropriate for all ages. When there is news that may not be suitable for all ages, we try to tag it. You can use the setting below to control whether content tagged in this manner is shown.