Rejected vanity plates, badminton robot

Rejected vanity plates, badminton robot

Author: Ben Hooper December 26, 2025 Duration: 2:36

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias reveals some of the most "inappropriate" vanity license plates rejected by the state in 2025 and a Chinese robot designed to play badminton breaks a Guinness World Record on today's UPI Odd News Minute.

For these stories and more, visit UPI.com/Odd_News.

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Each weekday, Ben Hooper sifts through the global newsfeed to find those peculiar gems that make you pause and smile. UPI Odd News Minute delivers exactly that: a brief, daily dose of the wonderfully strange and unexpectedly uplifting stories happening around the world. You’ll hear about animals getting into improbable situations, ordinary people stumbling upon extraordinary luck, and discoveries that defy easy explanation. This isn't your typical news cycle; it's a curated collection of moments that highlight the curious, heartwarming, and downright bizarre side of human and animal endeavor. Tuning into this podcast offers a refreshing break, a reminder that amidst the usual headlines, there's always room for a tale that inspires a chuckle or a sense of awe. It’s the kind of content that sparks conversation, perfect for a quick mental reset during your commute or afternoon. Think of it as your daily allowance for delight, a guaranteed highlight in your news consumption that proves truth is often stranger and more entertaining than fiction.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

UPI Odd News Minute
Podcast Episodes
Odds and Ends: Bunnies on an oil rig, 'Unicycle Granny' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:58
Three bunnies stow away to an oil rig in Europe's North Sea, a performer known as the "Unicycle Granny" is officially the world's oldest unicycle rider, a moose visits a radio station called "The Moose" and a stuck parag…
World Book Day Special [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:03
The UPI Odd News Minute is celebrating World Book Day by looking back at five cases of library books that were returned over 100 years past their due dates. For these stories and more, visit UPI.com/Odd_News. Follow the…
Indiana doppelganger, exploding wheelchair [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:41
An Indiana woman searches for her doppelganger after being flagged by facial recognition software while renewing her driver's license and an electric powered wheelchair explodes in the driveway of a Florida home on today…
Wienermobile goes to prom, world's oldest rabbit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21
A group of Kansas students get a ride to prom on the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and a British couple's pet rabbit becomes the oldest in the world at the age of 15 on today's UPI Odd News Minute. For these stories and more,…
Odds and Ends: In-vehicle toilet, gamer granny [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:41
The UPI Odd News Minute presents weekend odds and ends, our weekely roundup of the missed odd-portunities that didn't quite make this week's podcasts. Today's stories include a Chinese car company's patent for an "in-veh…
Ice crashes through roof, world's oldest chicken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:28
A chunk of falling ice crashed through the roof of a California home and a Maine resident's chicken is officially named the oldest in the world by Guinness World Records on today's UPI Odd News Minute. For these stories…
Escape artist zebra, world's oldest grandpa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:19
A zebra named Zeus escapes from his owner's California property for the second time in four days and an Australian man earns the Guinness World Record for the oldest first-time grandfather at the age of 91 on today's UPI…
Tangled osprey, dinosaur record, glowing worms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:30
An osprey tangled in fishing line is rescued from a New York tree, the University of Calgary breaks a world record by gathering people in dinosaur costumes and bioluminescent fireworms are caught on camera in California…
Odds and Ends: Wallaby's college visit, mysterious barge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:53
The UPI Odd News Minute presents weekend odds and ends, our weekely roundup of the missed odd-portunities that didn't quite make this week's podcasts. Today's stories include a wallaby wandering an Ohio college campus, a…