London - The world got weirder in 1997, driven by interest in so-called "holy" vegetables, events surrounding the death of Princess Diana and millennium cults, according to a survey released today.
The Fortean Times - the British journal of strange and uncanny phenomena - said its index of media interest in the weird and wonderful rose 4 per cent last year, the biggest increase ever. "1997 was by far the weirdest year since our records began. Although I don't make prophecies, I wouldn't be surprised if the index didn't continue upwards as a result of pre-millennial tension," said associate editor Mr Joe McNally. The journal said 1997 proved a bumper year for stories about human weirdness. They ranged from the mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate in the US, to the cloned sheep Dolly and a panic over penis-stealing magicians in west Africa.
