Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 141
June 11, 2021
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June 9, 2021
The Creepiest McDonald’s In The World
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
These days, you can find a pair of the “Golden Arches” on nearly every street corner the world over. A little poking around even reveals some relatively crazy and unexpected McDonald’s locations. For example, you’ll find a franchise in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, complete with barbed wire. And the restaurant in Roswell, New Mexico, boasts an obvious UFO theme that’ll have you keeping your eyes peeled for “little green men.”
While you’d assume these two restaurants might prove difficult to top when it comes to strange McDonald’s stores, think again. You haven’t seen “The Barge,” a.k.a.“McBarge.” Here’s what you need to know about this spooky location and why it’ll haunt your fast-food–related nightmares.
The McDonald’s That Got Carried AwayBack in 1986, when the McDonald’s located in “The Barge” opened for the 1986 World Expo in Canada, it represented an eclectic and fun marvel. A floating restaurant, the franchise boasted the official title Friendship 500, which sounds downright happy and wholesome. And in the beginning, things weren’t so bad. The upscale location featured amenities that placed it head and shoulders above the competition.
50k special – mcbarge (1986)
expo ’86 expo grounds, vancouver, bc, canada
deceased (decommissioned, partially abandoned) pic.twitter.com/LfARdxPQ9q
— nonstandard mcdonald’s (@nonstandardmcd) September 30, 2020
These amenities included real houseplants, wooden floors, and walls covered with fine art. Instead of making the kitchen an obvious focal point, its creators hid it away. How did food get delivered to customers? Orders came out via a conveyor belt, which some might construe as a postmodern, job-stealing horror today. That said, we’re guessing this appeared downright cool in 1986. Along with crimping irons, synthesized film scores, and neon everything…
What else could you expect from this rather bizarre and eclectic location? Staff uniforms featured a nautical theme, and they even used a “tugboat” to collect litter thrown into the water by careless customers. No matter how well this concept would (or wouldn’t) go over today, it proved a smashing success during the World Expo.
Abandonment and the Birth of “The Barge”Millions of visitors from the four corners of the Earth dined at this cutting-edge, floating McDonald’s, ensuring its role as a must-see tourist attraction. But then a curious thing happened: Friendship 500 closed at the end of the Expo, moldering away in decay and neglect for several years.
In 1991, the ocean-worthy building appeared to have a chance at a second life after getting purchased by a real estate developer who wished to transform it into a facility to teach visitors about the ocean and underwater technology. After the deal closed, the new owner towed the Friendship 500 to Burrard Inlet, located near a refinery, where it sat.
By Taz, originally posted to Flickr as McBarge, CC BY 2.0
The “McBarge” TodaySo, what’s become of the world’s creepiest McDonald’s today? In 2017, a crowdfunding site attempted to raise money to revitalize the abandoned structure. They hoped to capitalize on the momentum and nostalgia of a bygone era to help raise funds for the derelict former McDonald’s. Unfortunately, the project, like the building itself, appears to have been abandoned, leaving the world with a truly creepy location.
Based on all this, the future of this former fast-food ferry doesn’t look too bright. But not all hope is lost: in February 2021, the owner of the “McBarge” revealed the latest plan is turn it into a seafood restaurant, however nothing official has been announced. What do you think should be done with “The Barge?” Let us know in the comments!
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!
June 8, 2021
Off The Rails: When Buster Keaton Pulled Off Silent Film’s Most Expensive Stunt
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In 1926, comedian, writer, and director Buster Keaton made a film titled The General, which featured a stunt involving an actual train falling from a burning bridge into a river. The spectacular stunt cost $42,000 to make—a huge amount at the time. In today’s dollars that would be the equivalent of more than $600,000—making it the most expensive stunt in the history of silent film.
By the time Keaton made the movie, he had already cemented himself as a stunt master alongside icons such as Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. Studio executives obviously had confidence in the 30-year-old’s abilities because they gave him the go-ahead to shoot such an expensive scene. However, it had to be recorded in just one shot. Keaton didn’t have the budget to build a new bridge, procure a new locomotive, or do the stunt more than once. The first and only shot had to be perfection.
A Rocky StartThe General was a comedy/romance/drama about the Civil War. Most of the movie was filmed in Cottage Grove, Oregon, where an entire town was constructed just for the movie. Keaton was heavily involved in the production and did everything from writing the script to directing the stunts, according to Alta. In the process, he had to deal with a range of issues, including lawsuits, forest fires, and budget problems.
The infamous stunt involved a steam train traveling across a burning bridge, and the goal was for the trestle to collapse in just the right spot so the train would fall spectacularly into the Row River. The town of Cottage Grove declared the day of filming a holiday so thousands of locals could watch the action. Keaton set up several cameras in the surrounding area to ensure that he had the right angle.
The good news is that Keaton was experienced at stunt work, so he knew what he was doing. He often performed stunts that other people would never conceive of attempting simply because they were too dangerous or ridiculous to consider. One of his most famous stunts took place in Steamboat Bill, in which Keaton avoided being struck by a collapsing building by “escaping” through a tiny window. Despite his skills, over the years he was injured numerous times; he broke bones, almost drowned, and severely damaged his neck.
Keaton’s InspirationIn The General, Confederate train engineer Johnny, played by Keaton, plots to retrieve a train that had been stolen by Union spies. In order to get it back, Johnny sets a bridge on fire and a pursuing Union train races over it. The bridge collapses, as planned, and the locomotive falls into the river.
Keaton chose to make the film after reading about the Andrews Raid, which took place in 1862. A Union raiding party overran a steam train called The General and tried to outrun pursuing trains while passengers were on board. The party left chaos in their wake and even tried burning down a bridge. Unfortunately, Confederate troops caught up with them after chasing them for 87 miles.
Lights, Camera, Action!As for the movie’s infamous train chase, Keaton and his crew decided to film it just east of Culp Creek, Oregon. They spent two weeks building a 215-foot-long trestle over the Row River, which had rapids and sloping river banks. They made the water deeper by building a dam. On the day of the infamous shot, Keaton made sure the cameras were properly in place and did a few trial runs. The bridge’s supporting timbers were then partially sawed in half, and dynamite was attached to them. Four hours after the scheduled shoot, the action started.
Keaton gave an engineer the go-ahead, and the locomotive started chugging towards the bridge. Keaton’s wife allegedly prevented him from driving the train (which apparently, he was eager to do), so the engineer had the job of jumping out of it. A papier-mâché dummy acted in his stead at the controls. Incredibly, Keaton and the crew pulled off the stunt, with the bridge crumbling below the train just as the entire locomotive was above the water. The resulting scene is jaw-dropping.
Box Office BluesDespite the inclusion of the history-making stunt, The General failed to resonate with audiences, and Keaton lost creative control over his subsequent films after studio execs decided to rein in his spending. The entire production had an initial budget of $400,000 ($5.7 million today) but wound up costing a total of $750,000 to make, and it lost money at the box office by generating just $500,000, according to Offbeat Oregon.
However, its significance revealed itself as time passed. When it was presented during a retrospective event at the Venice Film Festival in 1965, the movie received a standing ovation. Orson Welles lauded it as a masterpiece. Years later, Hollywood recognized the historical impact of the movie, and it was placed on the U.S. National Film Registry in 1989. Today it is considered one of the greatest silent comedies of all time.
As for the location of the stunt, as of 2007, you could still see some track and steel remnants from the production in the river when the water level was low.
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: Off The Rails: When Buster Keaton Pulled Off Silent Film’s Most Expensive Stunt
June 7, 2021
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June 4, 2021
Child Pianist Cheers Up Lonely Lemurs While Dressed As Alligator
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[May 31-June 6, 2021] Decapitated remains, a toddler genius, and a bear-fighting teen—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
English Archaeologists Dig Up Decapitated BodiesArchaeologists from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) were excavating Knobb’s Farm in Somersham, England when they discovered 17 decapitated bodies buried in three Roman cemeteries on the property.
Based on their positioning, the bodies are believed to have been victims of judicial executions with many of their heads placed near their feet or in a position indicating that they were kneeling when they died.
With the bodies dating back to at least 410 AD, it’s no surprise that the remains were not in the best condition. Even so, the skeletons did not indicate any signs of trauma or defensive injuries—aside from their heads being removed, that is.
The number of bodies discovered is considered “exceptionally high,” even for Roman cemeteries, where other excavations have resulted in 2.5–6.1% of decapitated bodies. This excavation produced a whopping 33%.
While we may never know exactly what took place at the site, researchers have deduced that “the practice cannot have been a mistake” and have theorized that the bodies belonged to criminals or people who brought shame to their families.
Meteorologists Mystified As Chunks of Ice Crash Through HousesIn the past week and a half, two families separated by 1,600 miles experienced the same mysterious happening as large chunks of ice crashed into their homes.
On the morning of May 19, homeowners in a Palm City, Florida, neighborhood greeted the day with a large piece of ice slamming onto their rooftop, leaving a sizable hole before falling to the ground. Floridians are fairly familiar with ice falling from the sky, but anything larger than golf ball–sized hail is definitely a noteworthy occurrence.
Only a week later, about 1,600 miles away, Elk Mound, Wisconsin resident Ken Millermon woke up to a 12.6-pound hunk of ice flying into his bedroom from above, landing only inches away from where he was sleeping.
Millermon got lucky, as he “would’ve probably been out, kicked the bucket” if it had shifted just a little bit.
In both instances, the source of the icy boulders remains a mystery, as the National Weather Service didn’t detect any storm clouds that would have caused hail in the areas.
Baby Genius Joins Ranks of World’s Smartest
A WI man says this 12lb ice chunk flew through his roof and into his bedroom Tuesday morning. He says had he been a couple inches to his left, he would have died. Researchers at @UWEauClaire are working to figure out what exactly crashed through Ken Millermon’s roof. @kare11 pic.twitter.com/qII1B89sjZ
— Sharon Yoo (@SharonKARE11) May 28, 2021
A Los Angeles toddler has officially joined the ranks of the world’s smartest people, becoming the youngest member of Mensa, America’s oldest IQ society.
While most two-year-olds spend their days playing with toys and throwing tantrums, Kashe Quest spends hers reading full sentences, learning Spanish, identifying states, and learning the periodic table.
“She’ll wake up on a Saturday and say, ‘I wanna do elements,’ or, ‘I wanna do states,’ so whenever she’s leaning into it, we’re just there to support her,” said parents Sukhjit Athwal and Devon Quest.
With an IQ score of 146, Quest’s IQ is close to 50 points higher than the United States average of 98. For reference, Elon Musk has an IQ of 155, and Bill Gates is sitting pretty at 160.
California Teen Shoves Bear to Save DogsView this post on Instagram
A post shared by Kashe Quest (@kashequest)
A California teen gave no paws when rescuing her beloved dogs from the claws of an annoyed mama bear, shoving the bear into submission.
Hailey Morinico, 17, bear-ly had time to think when she saw her dogs bolt out of her family’s Bradbury, California, home to yap at a trio of black bears walking along the fence outside their house.
While the baby cubs ran away from the pups, their mama wasn’t having it and began swiping at the dogs below. Morinico saw what was happening and ran to the rescue, shoving the bear off the fence.
“I go over to the bear. I look it in the eyes, and the first thing I think to do is push it, push a bear, push an apex predator, man,” Morinico recalled in a TikTok video.
Morinico pushed just hard enough for the bear to lose its balance and fall off the fence, giving her enough time to grab her precious pooch and run back to the safety of their home, escaping with nothing more than a sprained finger and a banged-up knee.
Though she may have saved the day, Morinico does not advise using her tactic if put in the same situation.
“Do not push bears. Don’t do what I did. You might not have the same outcome.”
Child Pianist Cheers Up Lonely Lemurs While Dressed As Alligator
@bakedlikepieMy cousin Hailey yeeted a bear off her fence today and saved her dogs. How was your Memorial Day?! (WTF?!) ##ohno ##badass ##brave ##fight ##bear♬ Oh No – Kreepa
An 11-year-old pianist dressed as an alligator has been giving lonely lemurs at a Thailand zoo something to look forward to with weekly performances in their habitat.
Seenlada Supat has been spending her quarantine keeping the animal residents of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo occupied with her piano performances.
Each week, Supat puts on an alligator costume to blend in with the lemurs, meerkats, hippos, and zebras who make up her audience.
Supat’s medley of Thai folk and pop songs has been a hit with the lemurs, who often join her in tickling the ivories by jumping on the keyboard.
“I don’t mind; it’s as if they’re playing music with me,” said Supat, who enjoys helping the animals relax while offering some company since the zoo’s attendance is low due to COVID-19.
The lemurs’ amusement has been infectious, with Zoo director Tawin Rattanawongsawat noting that other animals are reacting as well, saying, “They became curious while others appeared to be enjoying the music.”
Watch this young musician give these zoo lemurs some entertainment. This Thailand zoo has seen a 70% drop in visitors, leaving the park empty and animals lonely. 11-year-old Seenlada Supat said playing for the animals gives her a chance to overcome stage fright
pic.twitter.com/sAIVOabh0J
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 3, 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!Source: Child Pianist Cheers Up Lonely Lemurs While Dressed As Alligator
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