Weird News

The Strangest, Most Far-Out Photos of 2010

Dec 29, 2010 – 6:54 AM
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Lee Speigel

Lee Speigel Contributor

It's that time of year when thoughts turn to holiday bargains, family get-togethers, peace on Earth and, hopefully, good will to all. It's also time to look back at stunning, unusual and downright far-out images of people, places and oddities captured in 2010.

Think of AOL Weird News as your one-stop shop to read about and view the most striking and often bizarre images to be seen anywhere.

2010 will be remembered for many newsworthy events, but some of the items that we at AOL News were especially moved by included things like bullfighter Julio Aparicio's face-goring moment, or those naked commuters on London's Underground system.
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Best of Far Out Photos

A Christmas tree made entirely of recycled bicycles is unveiled at the Rocks on Nov. 19, 2010, in Sydney, Australia. The bikes and parts for the tree were provided by recycling group, CMA Corporation, and will remain on display until Dec. 28 when it will be returned to the corporation for recycling.

Best of Far Out Photos

A crane lifts the head of what will be the world's largest statue of Jesus Christ in Swiebodzin, Poland, on Nov. 6. Dubbed "Christ the King," the massive statue rises 170 feet above the town and was officially consecrated on Nov. 21.

Best of Far Out Photos

Refrigerators are supposed to keep things cool, but a German artist is using them to make things hot. Ralf Schmerberg created an igloo with 320 refrigerators called the "Power Eater" in Hamburg, Germany, on Nov. 1 to draw attention to energy use and climate change.

Best of Far Out Photos

Can't swim but still want to scuba dive? No problem. HydroBOB, a submersible scooter created by Andrew Sneath of West Palm Beach, Fla., can stay submerged for 70 minutes and typically operates at fixed depths of between 10 and 25 feet.

Best of Far Out Photos

British photographer Carl Warner is getting a taste of fame thanks to photos of landscapes that contain nothing but food. The sails on this Chinese Junk are made of dried lotus leaves, while the hull is made from cinnamon sticks. The waves are a mix of bok choy, kai choy and Savoy cabbage.

Best of Far Out Photos

Nubia Esteban models a chocolate-decorated dress during the inaugural evening of the 16th "Salon du Chocolat" in Paris on Oct. 27.

Best of Far Out Photos

A model displays creations by Indian designer Nida Mahmood during the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week - Spring Summer 2011 collection in New Delhi.

Best of Far Out Photos

Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada walks on the catwalk during the Madrid Cibeles Fashion week on Sept. 19 in Madrid.

Best of Far Out Photos

Environmental activists put on bathing suits and covered their bodies in fake oil -- actually chocolate syrup -- to protest oil dependence. Demonstrators in Paris and several other French cities formed a "Petrole Mob" (Oil mob) to rally against deep-water drilling and plans to remove oil from oil-bearing sands.

Best of Far Out Photos

Seventeen-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar, from Nepal, is the smallest known person on Earth, standing just 22 inches tall. Londoner "Tiny Iron," 28, from Tottenham, has an incredible 280-pound frame. His enormous biceps measure 24 inches in circumference - bigger than most people's thighs!

Best of Far Out Photos

Do you recall Roxxxy, the first sex doll with artificial intelligence?

Two Jesus stories that caught our attention this year are worth a second look. We presented the "Coat Hanger Christ" sculpture back in August, and just in time for the holidays, "Christ the King," the world's largest statue of Jesus, was raised in Poland.
Largest Jesus
Janek Skarzynski, AFP/Getty Images
A crane lifts the head of what will be the world's largest statue of Jesus Christ in Swiebodzin, Poland, on Nov. 6.

We also like things that are so small, a full appreciation of them can generally require extremely good eyesight. There was the likeness of Elvis Presley whittled onto the top of a pencil stick, or the world's smallest handwritten Koran.

It was hard to avoid zombies this year. The walking dead showed up in so many places: books, movies, television series and on the streets of Sydney, Australia, for a special zombie walk.
Smallest Koran
Joseph Eid, AFP/Getty Images
Lebanese Muslim Hassan Abed Rabbo inspects what he says is the smallest handwritten complete version of the Koran ever made.

The fashion world provided us with lots of bizarre images in 2010, including a seven-headed model and a young lady adorned in multicolored balls, hitting the catwalks of India and Spain.

And lest we forget, 2010 gave us some delicious edible moments, including British photographer Carl Warner's tasty-looking landscapes made entirely of food.

Topping off this year's amazing photos, we offered two stories that brought attention to energy use, climate change and recycling -- all in the name of art.

First, there was the giant refrigerator igloo erected in Hamburg, Germany. That was followed by an environmentally friendly Christmas tree built in Sydney, Australia -- a tree made out of 100 old recycled bicycles.

Amazing stories and images. We hope you liked this look back at some of our favorite photo ops, as 2011 beckons with images we can't even imagine yet -- but they'll be here soon enough.

Happy Year End ... and Beginning!

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