Odd things happen around the world every day. Some of these events might have you shaking your head in disbelief or have you wondering, “huh, I didn’t know that!”. Here are a few weird and strange things that are a part of New Hampshire’s history.

1. A famous alien abduction took place in Woodstock.
Wikpedia
Betty and Barney Hill claim to have been abducted by an alien ship on September 19, 1961. This was the first abduction case to receive major attention from the media. A book and television movie were created in the wake of the event. Today, the alleged abduction spot has a state historical marker.
2. The University Of New Hampshire was granted $500,000 for football practices without helmets.
Wikpedia
The goal of the grant was to fund research to make the sport safer for players. The results of the study indicated that tackling drills done without using helmets were effective at reducing head impacts by almost 30 percent.
3. Construction of a shopping mall in Nashua had to be changed to keep it within New Hampshire.
Pheasant Lane Mall
The original plans for the Pheasant Lane Mall called for it to spill over the state line into Massachusetts by only a few inches. The shape of the mall was altered to keep the entire structure north of the border. Without this modification, the mall would have been subjected to Massachusetts' sales tax.

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4. A Greenfield farmer built a giant trebuchet to launch pumpkins into the sky.
Eric Kilby/Flickr
This massive catapult stands on wheels that are ten feet tall. The structure weighs 26 tons, rises almost seven stories high, and tossed objects more than a quarter mile. The trebuchet site on Route 31 in Greenfield is no longer in operation, but the public can still view the equipment from the roadside.
5. A boulder in Newbury was painted with a romantic message.
Ken MacGray/Google Photos
This roadside boulder along Route 103 originally had the words "Chicken Farmer, I Love You" and was painted in the late 1970s or early 1980s. The word "still" was added later. There are numerous theories as to the message's origin, and the rock remains a love note to this day.
6. A state law was enacted regarding "spite fences".
Getty Images
This oddball law, first created in 1887, states that any fence more than five feet high which has been "erected or maintained for the purpose of annoying the owners or occupants of adjoining property" can be considered a nuisance.

This is but a small sampling of strange events and occurrences in the Granite State over the years. What are some others that we didn’t mention here? Let us know in the comments!

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Featured Addresses
Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 Daniel Webster Hwy, Nashua, NH 03060, USA
Greenfield, NH, USA
Woodstock, NH, USA
University of New Hampshire, 105 Main St, Durham, NH 03824, USA
I still love you Chicken Farmer, 539 New Hampshire Rte 103, Newbury, NH 03255, USA