The Absolute Weirdest Stories of 2013

Every year will have its list of the most heartwarming, most viral and most noteworthy stories of the year. This list is no different, except we've chosen to look back on some of the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) oddities of 2013.

Weird, by definition, is something unusual or strange and that, for our purposes, is likely to at least cause you to furrow your eyebrows in angst, awe, confusion, amazement and the like.

Here's a list of some of the weirdest stories -- in no particular order -- that came out of this past year.

Harlem Shake

You thought you forgot about all the Harlem Shake-tastic hoopla until now, didn't you?

Here's a refresher to show how the Harlem Shake is the epitome of odd:

Let's not forget, the Harlem Shake instigated a federal investigation in one case and lost miners their well-paying jobs in another.

The reaction of children to trend sums it up nicely:

'What Does the Fox Say?'

Speaking of tunes that will get stuck in your head for weeks and are just plain weird, watch this video:

The "Fox Song" by Ylvis, as it's commonly shortened, was so popular in 2013 that it was the YouTube's most viral video of the year with more than 311 million hits to date after only being posted in September.

Miley Cyrus... and her teddy bears

It was the twerk seen around the world. Miley Cyrus' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards with singer Robin Thicke was not only eyebrow raising, it had some covering their eyes all together.

Miley Cyrus performs — before stripping down to far less clothing — during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Aug. 25, 2013. (Getty Images)

And the giant teddy bears…just weird.

'Sharknado'

What do you get when a tornado picks up sharks congregated together by a hurricane? A sharknado.

Thank you SyFy Channel for this original movie that made a severe weather even more terrifying and yet comical at the same time. Lucky for "Sharknado," it got so much social media traction for the outrageous plot that it actually might go down as a cult classic someday.

Knockout game makes disturbing resurgence

In the knockout game, which spread across the country after a New Jersey news report went viral, a target is chosen at random and beaten for no reason at all. It's a senseless trend to add to the "what is this world coming to" list.

The mystery of the fence-like webs

Spotted on Peruvian Amazon rainforest trees, scientists did not know what created these strange structures at first.

Troy Alexander/Rainforest Expedition Lodges Facebook

A few months later, they were a bit closer to identifying the structure's purpose and the critter that makes it. Scientists who collected samples saw a tiny spider hatch from the egg sac at the center of the structure. Still, researchers have yet to identify the spider.

Strange noises in the sky

An earthquake? Electromagnetic activity? What could cause the eerie sound that some were calling "sky trumpets" in Terrace, British Columbia?:

This wasn't the only case either. Other reported noises had been heard in the sky with another witness saying it sounded like "the planet is in pain."

World Trade Center wailing

Speaking of strange sounds, the sound of a wind storm whipping around One World Trade Center, sitting on the site where terrorists attacked the original six-building complex on Sept. 11, 2001, was downright haunting:

And then there's the face that some see in an art installation made from two steel beams mangled together from the 9/11 wreck. The face is said to be at a point a plane hit one of the towers.

A close up of the top of the structure shows what some have made out to be a face. The image has been called the “angel of 9/11.” (AP/Mary Altaffer)

Chilling photos capture ghostly experiences

A father believes his son, killed in the massive Moore, Okla., tornado, showed up in this photograph taken on the Fourth of July.

Image source: McCabe Family/KWTV-TV

Another family thinks they captured the hand of a woman who died in their home 100 years ago.

Image source: Peaches Geldof/Instagram

The 'humanoid of unknown classification'

A documentary film titled “Sirius" claimed to have found and DNA tested a "humanoid of unknown classification" earlier this year.

Image source: YouTube

While a story like this is likely to cause some skepticism, Garry Nolan, director of stem cell biology at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, said "it is human -- closer to human than chimpanzees."

Watch the documentary's trailer:

Let us know in the comments the story you think was the weirdest of them all -- or contribute your own ideas.

Featured image via Shutterstock.

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