Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 154
March 21, 2021
March 20, 2021
March 19, 2021
Could Bigfoot Be Deemed ‘Real’ In Our Lifetime? Possibly!
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Cryptozoology is the study of creatures only known through anecdotal evidence—from grainy footage to he-said-she-said rumored sightings. Your mind likely goes straight to fanciful beasts like Nessie or the Chupacabra, but Believe It or Not!, many of the animals you know and see today were once considered cryptids.
In 1735, Carl Linnaeus attempted to classify Earth’s living things, ultimately creating the foundation of modern zoology with his text, Systema Naturae. Breaking down stones, plants, and animals into classes, orders, genera, species, and varieties, he created the basis for the taxonomy still used today.
Some of Linnaeus’ research and observations were inconclusive, so he included “suspect” animals in his findings—what we’d refer to as cryptids. On the suspect list: the narwhal, pelican, and antelope, to name a few. But, as recently as the 20th century, animals once thought to be fiction have been proven as fact…
Giant Squid
Two of the largest specimens of giant squid recorded, found in Hemne, Norway, in 1896.
Scandinavian folklore warns sailors of the Kraken, however, the creature was revealed as a giant squid in 1853. It wasn’t until 2005 that we got to really see these sea monsters in action when researchers filmed a live giant squid for the first time ever in its natural habitat. The animal struggled for hours before finally breaking free, losing an 18-foot long arm in the process.
Komodo Dragon
Long before their discovery, Komodo Island natives dubbed them “ora,” meaning “land crocodile.”
The Komodo dragon was not confirmed until 1910 when Lieutenant van Steyn van Hensbroek went to Komodo Island after hearing of tantalizing giant lizard lore.
Coelacanth
Coelacanths belong to an ancient lineage that has been around for more than 360 million years.
Allegedly extinct for millions of years, only documented through fossils, the coelacanth was well known to South Africans, who called it “gombassa” or “mame.” Then, in 1938, a museum curator was sorting through a local fishermen’s catch, looking for curious creatures, when she spotted the ancient coelacanth.
Peccary
Highly endangered, there are only about 3,000 Chacoan peccary currently in the world.
Similar to the local legend of the coelacanth, the peccary, a wild pig-like mammal native to South America, was thought to be long extinct by scientists, but alive and well according to locals. The peccary was discovered via fossil records in the 1930s, but in 1971, scientists realized thousands of them were living in the Chaco region of Argentina.
Okapi
Scientists in the 1900s assumed the okapi was related to the zebra, due to its unique stripe patterning.
Imagine a creature with a tongue long enough to lick its own eyeballs and hearing so supersonic that it can elude even the faintest sound of a predator. This is the “Ghost of the Forest,” or the okapi. The giraffe’s closest living relative, okapis are extremely sensitive to sound and hide in the almost impenetrable thickets of the Congo.
Bigfoot Gorilla
The endangered mountain gorilla lives in east-central Africa in two isolated groups.
Some Bigfoot enthusiasts believe that their not-so-tender-footed friend could be a small, revived population of an extinct ape species, such as Gigantopithecus. It doesn’t seem that far-fetched when you look at the discovery of the gorilla itself.
It wasn’t until 1847 that scientists officially identified the gorilla. That is the same year the United States issued the first postage stamp! Believe It or Not! the mountain gorilla subspecies remained a mystery until it was identified in 1902.
Could Bigfoot be Next?It is estimated that 15 million different species live on our planet, but only two million of them are currently known to science. This past year alone, hundreds of new species were discovered around the world, from an iridescent burrowing snake species in Vietnam to the Popa langur, a new primate found living on an extinct volcano in Myanmar.
When exploring cryptids crossing over to the realm of reality, there are two constants: They exist in isolated, hard to navigate, parts of the world, and local communities and native cultures tend to be in-the-know far in advance of the “experts.” So, is it only a matter of time for a cryptid like Bigfoot to slide out of our “suspect” category and into biology textbooks?
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: Could Bigfoot Be Deemed ‘Real’ In Our Lifetime? Possibly!
Dozing Arctic Walrus Drifts All The Way To Emerald Isle
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[March 8–March 14, 2021] Ancient biblical artifacts, a bite of burglary, and a barkseat driver—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Ancient Biblical Text Discovered in ‘Cave of Horror’This week, the Israel Antiquities Authority unveiled dozens of newly discovered Dead Sea Scroll fragments containing biblical texts dating back nearly 2,000 years! Archeologists are calling this ‘Cave of Horror’ discovery “astounding,” specifically because the 80 fragments of biblical texts were the first Dead Sea Scrolls to be excavated in half a century.
The 1,900-year-old fragments are an exciting new find, with text differing from any other manuscript of its type discovered previously. The parchment includes two bible passages, from Zechariah and Nahum, who were included in both the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets in Hebrew scripture and the Old Testament in the Christian Bible. While written in Greek, “the name of God appears in ancient Hebrew script, known from the times of the First Temple in Jerusalem,” said the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The Authority’s director, Israel Hasson, explained in a statement that the current excavation began as a way to protect the cave from looters who have targeted the location since the first Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered about 70 years ago, saying “some things are beyond value.”
The Scrolls Fragments before conservation in the IAA Lab. Photo: Shai Halevi / Israel Antiquities Authority
Bite of Sausage Betrays Burglar in a Nine-Year-Old CaseThe suspect of a nine-year-old burglary is having the wurst luck this week as German police reopened his case after finding his DNA on a piece of sausage left at the scene of the crime.
The suspect, a 30-year-old Albanian citizen, fell prey to his own stomach rumblings in the midst of the March 2012 break-in, snagging a quick bite of his victim’s sausage before disappearing into the streets of Schwelm.
Investigators were left stumped on the suspect’s identity until this week, when police in France notified them that the DNA of a suspect they picked up for an unrelated violent crime matched that found on the burglary brat.
While this discovery may bring closure to the case, justice may not prevail as the statute of limitations has expired, meaning the banger burglar could remain a free man.
The days of serenading to snag a mate may be coming to an end for a critically endangered songbird species in Australia.
Once abundant in southeastern Australia, the regent honeyeater population has decreased to only 300 individuals worldwide. With so few birds left to sing, young male honeyeaters are struggling to find older generations to teach them the signature songs needed for making ladybirds swoon.
Though they try to adapt by mimicking other species’ songs, female regent honeyeaters don’t react to the foreign tunes, making courtship difficult. The bachelor birds are left singing their days away, desperately searching for a mate.
This rejection wouldn’t be such an issue if the population were substantial, but the loss of singing could be fatal for the declining honeyeaters species, with researchers deeming it a “precursor to extinction.”
A Wisconsin dog has been taken off the good girl list after moving her family’s car out of park and crashing it into a building.
Sturgeon Bay police responded to the scene Wednesday after receiving reports that a Jeep had crashed into the Pearl of Door County art museum. Expecting to find a human at fault, they instead discovered an Australian shepherd behind the wheel.
The vehicle’s owner had left his 5-year-old pup Callie in the parked car at a gas station while he ran into the Sunflower Bakery. After retrieving his baked goods, he came outside to find his vehicle crashed into the building.
It appears that Callie had knocked the shift gear out of park, sending the Jeep rolling straight into the side of the museum.
Fortunately, nobody was injured, and the museum had a sense of humor about the situation, saying, “It’s not every day that a dog drives Jeep across traffic and right into your business!”
Callie will not be getting her license any time soon.
Dozing Arctic Walrus Drifts to Emerald IsleAn Arctic walrus is living out pandemic travel dreams after falling asleep on an iceberg only to wake up on the shores of Ireland—just in time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
On Sunday, March 14, 5-year-old Muireann Houlihan and her father, Alan, were walking along the beach of Valentia Island in County Kerry when the young girl pointed out a blubbery beast in the distance. Alan first thought the animal was a seal until he noticed its tusks and massive size.
Native to the Arctic Circle, walruses are extraordinarily rare to the Irish coastline, with less than two dozen sightings since the 1980s—and zero since the first noted sighting almost 100 years prior!
How the young walrus traveled to the Emerald Isle is up for debate, but marine biologist Kevin Flannery of the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium believes, “He fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted off, and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic.”
There is also the possibility that the walrus is “island-hopping,” but it’s not likely. However, it is likely that, like any tourist, the young walrus is exhausted and famished after traveling thousands of miles.
It was spotted by five-year-old Muireann who has been drawing pictures of it and coming up with possible names. 🥰️ https://t.co/uXC8k7XJsM
— Metro (@MetroUK) March 16, 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: Dozing Arctic Walrus Drifts All The Way To Emerald Isle
March 18, 2021
Betty White: America’s Queen Of Comedy
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Before Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Ellen Degeneres were even twinkles in their mothers’ eyes, there was Betty White. Set to turn 100 years old on January 17, 2022, she remains the original Queen of Comedy.
White graced radio airwaves before leaping into quiz shows, sitcoms, and, eventually, onto the silver screen. Along the way, she gained fame on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Golden Girls. Over the past handful of years alone, she’s enjoyed a colossal television comeback with cameos on Saturday Night Live, The Middle, and Community. Along the way, she’s shattered ratings as an audience favorite.
Clearly, White remains a Hollywood powerhouse. But how much do you really know about one of America’s most beloved comedians? Let’s take a closer look.
Betty White’s first television debut was a Parkay Margarine commercial.In 1988, White was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But how did her career begin? It’s astounding when you realize the Matron of Laughs got started on a Parkay Margarine commercial, but such were her humble beginnings. According to the grapevine, White haunted the office of producer Fran Van Hartesveldt in search of work.
Eventually, he relented and offered her a job in a commercial. From there, she debuted on the radio show “The Great Gildersleeve,” another Hartesveldt project. Despite her natural charisma and ease in front of the camera, White never took an acting lesson. She claimed they were never really her “thing.” What’s more, she wanted to act as naturally as possible, and acting lessons didn’t strike her as the way to achieve this.
Before becoming an actress, Betty aspired to be an opera singer, zookeeper, or park ranger.What’s another fact about White that might surprise you? She never intended to be an actress, let alone a comedian. Instead, she spent her youth enrolled in serious singing lessons because she aspired to be an opera singer. Many decades later, she got to indulge her wildest singing desires on the set of the animated movie The Lorax (2012), where she relished the opportunity to belt out a few bars.
Betty White and Lorax at the “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” Premiere, Universal Studios, Universal City, CA || Editorial credit: s_bukley
But her varied interests didn’t stop at the Met. She also longed to be a zookeeper or park ranger. However, in the 1930s and 40s, women didn’t become park rangers or zookeepers, so White put her dreams on the backburner. Then, in 2010, she got the chance of a lifetime. At the age of 88 years old, she was named an honorary park ranger. She would later confide that her parents would’ve been more impressed by this award than any other that she’s received over the years.
At age 99, Betty holds many awards and record-breaking titles.In 2014, White was named the actor with the Longest TV Career for an Entertainer by various record books, based on her more than 70 years of work in Tinsel Town. She also holds the record for being the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live. In 2014, she became the oldest star to win an Emmy at the age of 92. She also clinched the record for the longest span between Emmy nominations, with her first in 1951.
Editorial credit: Joe Seer
That said, her television debut in 1939 has been lost to the pages of history. She would later recount that this appearance involved dancing with her Beverly Hill High student body president to the “Merry Widow Waltz.” She wore her high school graduation dress for the event, and it set her on an early trajectory to celebrity.
But that didn’t mean White wouldn’t face distinct challenges, too. Her initial rise to stardom got cut short by World War II. Before the war, she worked as a model as well as on radio and in theater. But she pushed everything to the side to join the American Women’s Voluntary Services. There, she spent her days devoted to delivering supplies via PX trucks throughout the Hollywood Hills. In the evenings, she would participate in rousing dances, fantastic send-offs to soldiers shipping out.
Her love of animals goes far beyond her zookeeper dreams.We’ve already hinted at White’s love of furry friends. After all, she would’ve chosen a job as a zookeeper over an actress any day. She also confesses that she prefers animals to people. An avid animal rights activist, she’s a board member of the Los Angeles Zoo. And she’s contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the Farm Animal Reform Movement and Friends of Animals group. In 2010, she even started a line of T-shirts whose profits went to the Morris Animal Foundation.
Martine Collette with Loretta Swit and Betty White at 2006 Safari Brunch Fundraiser For The Wildlife Waystation. || Editorial credit: s_bukley
But her activism doesn’t stop with fundraising. After being offered the role of Helen Hunt’s mom, Beverly Connelly, in the movie As Good as It Gets (1997), she turned it down. Why did she pass up the chance to work with Jack Nicholson? Her reason for declining was because of a scene in the film that she felt openly advocated animal cruelty. It involved Nicholson’s curmudgeonly character throwing a small dog, who wouldn’t quit barking, down his apartment building’s trash chute.
Betty credits her life’s longevity to her guilty pleasure love of junk food!What’s the key to Betty White’s incredible vitality and youthfulness as she approaches her centenarian? She attributes her longevity to an incredible guilty pleasure, her love of junk food. From Red Vines to hot dogs, French fries to Diet Coke, she regularly indulges in preservative-laced food. She’s speculated it may be the actual preservatives keeping her in such good shape!
But her wayward loves don’t stop at food. She’s also obsessed with Robert Redford. Despite her more than 110 television and film credits, she’s never had the opportunity to work with him, although she speaks of him often. She also never misses the chance to flirt with younger men, like Piers Morgan, Jason Momoa, and Alec Baldwin, to name a few. As White demonstrates, there’s something to be said for staying young at heart!
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!
March 17, 2021
Curious Artifacts From The Original Collection Of Robert Ripley
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Today: From The Collection of Robert Ripley
Dubbed the “Modern Marco Polo,” Robert Ripley visited 201 different countries in this lifetime and collected hundreds of unique and peculiar artifacts during his travels. Upon his passing in 1949, Ripley’s entire collection went up for auction. Thankfully, his business partner, John Arthur, was able to purchase many of his original finds—many of which still have a home here in the Ripley’s exhibit collection today!
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts like this one, and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!Source: Curious Artifacts From The Original Collection Of Robert Ripley
Beauty And The Beast: The Wild History Of Female Animal Trainers
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While fantastic achievements have been made over the past decades, it wasn’t that long ago that women remained barred from most careers. But a daring group of individuals refused to let discrimination stand in the way of their wild careers.
Let’s take a look at some of the first women to perform as animal trainers and the daring career paths they forged along the way. As you’ll see, Tiger King has nothing on these animal-loving ladies of the bygone performance stage.
Mabel Stark: The Tiger TrainerAlthough many performers are born into the circus life, such was not the case with Mabel Stark. After graduating from nursing school, she became enthralled by the circus life and, more particularly, working with tigers. Her rise to the top of the animal training ranks required equal parts tenacity, daring, and the ability to endure great pain.
The Butte daily post. [volume] (Butte, Mont.), 05 July 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
After all, she survived three major big cat maulings onstage during her career. Yet, she never blamed the animals for any of these incidents and even claimed her preferred form of death would be by a tiger. She worked with animals from 1911 to 1968, sometimes performing with as many as 18 tigers at a time for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.Ursula Blütchen: The Polar Bear PrincessUrsula Blütchen’s introduction to show business proved anything but glamorous. A working girl living in Germany, she got a cleaning job at the East German Circus Bausch. While working as a janitor, she became acquainted with an animal trainer who introduced her to working with animals. Of the many creatures housed at the circus, the five-foot one-inch-tall beauty longed to work with massive polar bears.
Ursula Böttcher at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (1978) — Photo Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Treating them like her children, Blütchen named each one. Over time, her act grew to include 14 polar bears and four Kodiaks. In the process, she earned a reputation as one of the world’s most significant and impressive animal trainers. In 1998, she retired after a final tour, ensuring each of her precious bears found a good home in a German zoo.
Barbara Woodcock: The Elephant TrainerBarbara Woodcock’s career began in the 1930s as a child working with her parents at their small operation, Marlowe’s Mighty Hippodrome. Educated as a leopard trainer and aerialist, her career took a major U-turn after meeting William “Buckles” Woodcock, her future husband. Woodcock came from a long line of elephant trainers. Soon, Barbara embraced training and performing with pachyderms.
I am Barbara Woodcock. See you in Montmartre, 1899. Let’s build a revolution! #creaturesoftheunderworld #societyoflove pic.twitter.com/9jqgn12YI7
— Anna Pridgeon (@AnnaPridgeon) February 3, 2017
The couple crafted a crowd-pleasing show highlighting Barbara’s showmanship and William’s skills. She added spectacle to each show by wearing fantastical costumes and performing stunts atop the elephants. The duo and their beloved elephants were featured on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965. From 1982 to 2000, they performed with the Big Apple Circus, adding their children to the shows.
Sonora Webster Carver: The Horse DiverThe first woman to ride the diving horses at Steel Pier in Atlantic City, Sonora Webster Carver, inspired the Disney movie Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken (1991). She first made history in 1924 after plummeting 40 feet on horseback into a tank of water, repeating a stunt first performed by W.F. Carver. Sonora would soon go on to marry Carver’s son, Al.
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In 1931, she suffered two detached retinas after hitting the water at the wrong angle with her horse, Red Lips. While her horse was uninjured in the incident, she suffered immediate blindness. Nevertheless, this didn’t prevent her from returning to the entertainment scene. She performed high-diving horse stunts until World War II, although the popular attraction would continue into the 1970s. Throughout her career, Ms. Carver insisted that the horses loved the dives and were never forced into them.
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!Source: Beauty And The Beast: The Wild History Of Female Animal Trainers
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