Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 139
June 25, 2021
How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years? You Don’t Multiply By 7…
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Many people believe that one year in a dog’s life is equal to seven years in a human’s life. It’s easy to see why pet lovers think this calculation is valid. After all, many humans live to around 70 years old, while many dogs pass away around the age of 10. The seven-to-one ratio appears to add up. However, it’s a bit more complex than that, as there are several factors to take into consideration.
Size MattersAccording to the American Kennel Club, a medium-sized dog’s first year of life is equivalent to 15 years of a human’s life. His or her second year of life equals nine years for a human. Then each subsequent human year equals about five years for the canine.
Small dogs are usually considered senior pets when they are seven years old. However, larger dogs generally don’t live as long and are often labeled senior pets when they are just five or six years old. Depending on their weight, a 10-year-old dog is equivalent to a human who is 56 to 78 years old, while a 15-year-old dog is comparable to a 76 to 115-year-old person.
Photo by pixshots / Shutterstock.com
A 2019 University of California San Diego study examined the DNA of 104 Labrador retrievers in order to calculate dog-to-human age and found that the best way to do so is by multiplying the logarithm of the canine’s age by 16 and adding 31. However, it involved breed-specific data, so more research is needed.
Breed MattersA dog’s life expectancy varies greatly based on the size and breed, according to Pet MD. For example, a bulldog has an average lifespan of six years, while a golden retriever can live for 12 years. A 2013 study by Banfield Pet Hospital found that dogs weighing less than 20 pounds generally live around 11 years compared to those over 90 pounds who live only eight years on average. Still, there are exceptions, and some pets have shorter or longer lifespans than average.
Photo by Master1305 / Shutterstock.com
It’s critical to take the canine’s weight into consideration when calculating their average lifespan. A nine-year-old canine weighing less than 20 pounds is around 49 in human years compared to a nine-year-old dog weighing over 90 pounds who is approximately 70 in human years. That’s a 21-year difference in two dogs who were born the same year.
More Research Is NeededResearchers aren’t exactly sure why smaller dogs have longer lifespans. According to Cornelia Kraus, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Göttingen in Germany, there are several theories. Large dogs may age faster or simply start aging earlier. Or they may just have a higher mortality risk.
In addition, small dogs have lower concentrations of the growth hormone IGF-1 compared to large dogs. High levels of this hormone have been linked to an elevated risk of death from age-related complications such as cancer and heart disease.
If you want to determine your dog’s human age, check out this calculator from Pedigree.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!Source: How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years? You Don’t Multiply By 7…
June 24, 2021
June 23, 2021
June 22, 2021
Disneyland’s Wonderful Wizard of Bras
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
What comes to mind when you think about Disneyland? Perhaps, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, or the Matterhorn Bobsleds? Or maybe you’re a fan of the Main Street Electrical Parade? No matter your immediate association with the wonderful world of Disney, we’re guessing the history of underwear probably doesn’t rank high on your list. Yet, when the Magic Kingdom first opened in sunny SoCal in 1955, it included Hollywood-Maxwell’s Intimate Apparel Shop, showcasing none other than the “Wonderful Wizard of Bras.”
Photographer unknown, 1955: courtesy Orange County Archives via Yesterland
If you’re assuming the lingerie shop slipped in under the radar, get ready for a big surprise. Southern California newspaper inserts taken out by Disney actively touted the shop, from the Long Beach Press-Telegram to the Santa Ana Register. These ads attest to the Intimate Apparel Shop’s surprisingly prominent role.
Who Was the Wonderful Wizard of Bras?Of course, all of this begs the question: who was the Wonderful Wizard of Bras? None other than Herndon J. Norris, the president of the Hollywood-Maxwell Brassiere Company. Disneyland even used his pre-recorded voice to emcee an underwear history lesson, showcasing styles from the 19th through mid-20th centuries. But how did a lingerie company earn such a conspicuous spot in a kid’s amusement park? The partnership likely proved strategic for the budding playground.
Image from Disneyland advertising supplement, 1955: courtesy Orange County Archives via Yesterland
After all, Norris represented one of the “most famous names in American business” in 1955. As supplemental advertising from the Santa Ana Register (July 15, 1955), explains, “The Wonderful Wizard of Bras, famed symbol of the Hollywood-Maxwell Brassiere Company and major-domo of the novel, eye-popping exhibit prepared by Disneyland by this manufacturer of intimate apparel is one of the major magicians in the nation’s greatest magicland.”
Main Street Gets a FaceliftDespite the hype about the Wonderful Underwear Wizard, the Intimate Apparel Shop didn’t last long. Just six months after it opened, in January 1956, the Magic Kingdom bid farewell to the brassiere marvel. For the record, though, the Intimate Apparel Shop had greater staying power than some businesses on Main Street. For example, Grandma’s Baby Shop closed before the end of 1955. The iconic Silhouette Shop replaced it and still attracts large crowds today.
The Intimate Apparel Shop’s closure made way for the expansion of the neighboring China Closet, a glass and China Shop. For years, the store featured a large “China Closet” sign that detracted from and covered up much of the building’s intricate, Victorian-inspired upper balcony. Fortunately, they’ve since removed the sign, revealing incredible architectural details.
In 2009, the Disney crew added a painted window advertisement to the upper-middle window of the baby blue Victorian house. The ad promotes the “Palm Parlor” and one Roland Fargo Crump (a.k.a. Rolly Crump). Despite the “palm reader” advertisement, the front door is locked. And the interior space remains devoted to the China Closet. As it turns out, the window represents a shout-out to Crump, who helped design many of Disneyland’s weirdest places, including the Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room.
lorenjavier via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)
What Became of the Hollywood-Maxwell Brand?Of course, there’s still one loose end we need to tie up when it comes to the strange story of intimate apparel peddled in a children’s theme park: What ultimately became of the Hollywood-Maxwell brand? The business merged with the Vassar Company of Chicago in 1958, a part of the then-underwear giant, Munsingwear.
Today, Munsingwear is known as PremiumWear, Inc., but you’d likely be more familiar with one of its marketed brands, Jockey. The 1958 merger transformed Hollywood-Maxwell into Vassarette Intimate Apparel, a brand thriving under the larger umbrella of Vanity Fair Brands, LP. Believe It Or Not!, this means you can technically still purchase drawers and more from the “Wonderful Wizard of Bras!”
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
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June 18, 2021
Massachusetts Man Momentarily Swallowed By Whale
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[June 14–20, 2021] A winery rescue, a pandemic plunge, and a thrift shop surprise—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Man Freed From Giant Fan at California WineryA trip to California’s wine country took a turn for the worse when a Sonoma County deputy discovered a man who had been trapped inside a large fan at a vineyard for two days.
The deputy was responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked at a Santa Rosa winery on Tuesday when he noticed a hat on a piece of farming equipment nearby. As he got closer, he heard a voice coming from inside the shaft of a vineyard fan and called local firefighters for backup.
Once the 38-year-old man was freed from the grasp of the fan, authorities naturally had some questions. For one, how does someone get stuck in a fan?
The man’s claim to be an “amateur antique farming equipment photographer” fell apart pretty easily when an investigation revealed that the farm didn’t have antique equipment, nor did the man have any camera equipment with him. He did, however, have methamphetamine and, thus, will be facing trespassing and drug possession charges.
“The motivation to climb into the fan shaft remains a total mystery,” said the sheriff’s department in a statement.
Chicago Man Rounds Out 365 Days of Pandemic Plunge
A 38-year-old man was finally freed after getting stuck in the shaft of a giant fan for 2 days in a vineyard in Sonoma, California, according to law enforcement pic.twitter.com/hFK55234lW
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 10, 2021
Remember the early days of the pandemic when everyone started baking, birdwatching, and PowerPoint-making as a means of staying sane, only to drop their new hobbies a few months later? Chicago bus driver Dan O’Conor put us all to shame with his pandemic stress reliever on Saturday when he jumped into Lake Michigan for the 365th day in a row!
O’Conor began his daily jump at Montrose Harbor to escape from the stress caused by COVID-19, nationwide protests, and the intense election year saying, “It was somewhere where I could come down here and block all that noise out… and find some moments of zen.”
While a summer leap into the Great Lake sounds delightful, things got dicey as the temperatures dropped and Chicago’s infamous winter weather came into play. Nevertheless, O’Conor continued his new routine, even carving a hole into the frozen lake and subjecting himself to water so cold it would sometimes leave him with cuts and scrapes.
O’Conor posted his daily jumps on Twitter and Instagram, giving internet strangers another new hobby of tuning in to watch him dive.
Pet Dog Discovered Herding Sheep Post-Car CrashView this post on Instagram
A post shared by Daniel T O’Conor (@danielt.oc)
An Idaho family desperately searched for their pet dog after it was ejected from their car during a car accident, only to find it days later doing what border collies do best — herding sheep.
Linda Oswald and her family had just started their journey to Washington State moments before an SUV crashed into their car, shattering their back window and sending their dog Tilly flying. Though unharmed, Tilly was spooked enough to run as fast as he could across the Rathdrum Prairie.
Joined by at least six witnesses who had pulled off the road to help, the Oswald family began the search for their beloved pet. After 10 hours on the day of the crash, the Oswalds returned home to sound the social media alarms, garnering over 3,000 shares on a Facebook post about the missing 2-year-old border collie/red heeler mix.
Two days later, Tyler, Travis, and Zane Potter noticed an unfamiliar dog herding sheep on their farm just south of Rathdrum, Idaho. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the same dog circulating on Facebook and immediately contacted the Oswalds. They handed Tilly over to a deputy who coincidentally happened to be driving by searching for the dog.
The family’s reunion with Tilly was lackluster, with Linda noting, “He ran straight inside the house and started drinking water from the toilet.”
Thrift Shop Steal Revealed As David Bowie OriginalA Canadian thrift store shopper unexpectedly hit the jackpot after spending less than five bucks on a painting, only to find out it was an original creation by music icon David Bowie.
The mystery shopper purchased the painting, titled DHead XLVI, for a grand total of $4.09 at a donation center in South River, Ontario, only to find out later that Bowie painted it as part of a series in 1997.
According to auctioneer Cowley Abbott’s spokeswoman Andrea McLoughlin, the series featured a range of self-portraits, band members, and friends of Bowie’s, and may have been inspired by the artist’s Ziggy Stardust-era.
“This energetic and enigmatic portrait is truly a rare representation from a celebrated artist.”
Bidding is currently taking place on Cowley Abbott’s online auction and has already reached more than $50,000, speeding past the expected earnings of $9,000-$12,000.
Massachusetts Man Momentarily Swallowed By Whale
What a find! 🤯 https://t.co/JryWSoPlcS
— Metro (@MetroUK) June 17, 2021
A Massachusetts man was diving for lobsters when a humpback whale swam up and sucked him in, only to spit him back out 40 terrifying seconds later!
One moment he was swimming off the coast of Cape Cod searching for lobsters; the next, Michael Packard was in the dark, wondering if a shark had attacked him.
Once Packard realized he wasn’t in any pain, it dawned on him that he was actually inside the mouth of a large sea creature.
Packard had just enough time to see his life flash before his eyes before the whale decided he wasn’t tasty enough to devour and spat him back out into the ocean.
“I was in his closed mouth for about 30-40 seconds before he rose to the surface and spit me out,” said Packard.
In that brief moment, Packard’s thoughts flashed to his two young sons as he felt the whale squeezing its mouth muscles tight.
Miraculously, Packard came out of the situation with nothing more than a few bruises and one whale of a tale to tell.
NEARLY EATEN BY WHALE: Michael Packard just told us his incredible story. He says he was nearly swallowed by a humpback whale while lobster diving off the coast of Provincetown this morning. #NBC10Boston #NECN pic.twitter.com/9IE126H5rY
— Mike Manzoni NBC10 Boston (@MikeNBCBoston) June 11, 2021
By Meghan Yani, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog
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