Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 161
February 3, 2021
From Pigskin Past To Record-Setting Cheers: Boning Up For Super Bowl LV
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Super Bowl LV goes down this weekend and defending champs Kansas City Chiefs are taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. This will be the first time in 55 years that a Super Bowl contender competes on its home turf—but that isn’t the only game-related curiosity worthy of snack table small talk. Let’s tackle a few of the game’s other conversation pieces.
Raymond James Stadium One Week Before Super Bowl LV || CC: elisfkc2 via Wikimedia Commons
In the early days, footballs were made from pig bladders.Way, way back in football’s early days, a pig bladder was wrapped in leather and inflated by players to game-time perfection. Thankfully, the means of ball production has evolved—but the nickname sticks around to this day. Wilson Sporting Goods, which today manufactures approximately 700,000 football annually, has supplied the NFL’s footballs since 1941.
The first Super Bowl tickets were only $6 each!Until this year’s game, the lowest recorded Super Bowl attendance was at its first contest in 1967—61,946 attended that year. Tickets that day averaged about six bucks! A juxtaposition to the entertainment spectacle we know the Super Bowl to be today, this 1967 game was not even televised! In fact, the only known recording was taken by a stadium employee and sits in a vault to this day. This year, attendance will be capped at just 22,000 fans—7,500 of which are healthcare workers who were selected to receive complimentary tickets.
And about that very first Super Bowl: The Kansas City Chiefs were at that one, too, facing off against the Green Bay Packers. Cheeseheads celebrated that day, as Green Bay walked away with a 35-10 win.
Patrick Mahomes was initially drafted by the Detroit Tigers baseball team.All eyes are on Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was born with innate athletic talent. His father, Patrick Mahomes, Sr., was a pitcher for not just one but seven different Major League Baseball teams! In high school, the younger Mahomes played baseball as well and even threw a 16-strikeout no-hitter. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2014 but had bigger plans to play football for Texas Tech. He was eventually drafted again, of course, by the Chiefs in 2017.
Members of the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, pose for a photo with Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs football team, at the Chief’s training camp in St. Joseph, Mo.
Tampa Bay quarterback, Tom Brady, holds the current record for most Super Bowl appearances.After enduring three years of losing seasons, Super Bowl LV marks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first appearance since 2003, when they emerged victorious (that year was also their first Super Bowl appearance). They’ve got a star quarterback, as well: Tom Brady, who’s already competed in the Super Bowl a record nine times. At 43, Brady holds nearly every quarterback record on the books. Like Mahomes, Brady was first drafted by an MLB team—the Montreal Expos—but opted instead for a future in football. By leading the New England Patriots to a victory in 2002’s Super Bowl XXXVI, Brady became the youngest-ever quarterback to win a Super Bowl in just his second season.
Super Bowl LV will mark Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady’s record 10th Super Bowl appearance. || CC: All-Pro Reels via Flickr
The halftime show was once performed by marching bands.Of course, plenty of us tune in specifically for the halftime show, during which pop music’s biggest stars shine bright. Coldplay, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars are a few in recent memory—a far cry from marching bands performing “The Sound of Music,” which kicked off the very first Super Bowl’s halftime show. In fact, almost all of the halftime entertainment in early years was delivered by marching bands: tributes to Duke Ellington and America’s Bicentennial, among them. Chubby Checker appeared in 1988, but the first time a full-blown contemporary pop sensation took to the stage was in 1991, when New Kids on the Block performed. Their full set didn’t air, however, due to Gulf War-related news updates. Despite their precedent-setting appearance, the “Boys in the Band” don’t all look back on the experience fondly; it seems the memory is one that’s still “Hangin’ Tough” for some.
Tampa Bay has ended with the same final score on 11 different occasions!Wondering where this year’s Super Bowl final score might land? Tampa Bay’s most frequent final score is Tampa 20, opponent 17. It’s happened a remarkable eleven times—but, not once during any of the team’s last eight seasons. The record for the biggest blowout was at Super Bowl XXIV when the San Francisco 49ers topped the Denver Broncos by a whopping 45 points!
Kansas City football fans hold a record for the loudest stadium cheers.The Chiefs have volume on their side, however. Kansas City football fans hold the world record for loudest stadium cheers, recorded at 142.2 dbA. With limited attendance at this weekend’s game, fans who do make it into the stadium will have their work cut out for them.
Will Brady lead the Bucs to a hometown victory, or will Patrick Mahomes secure back-to-back rings as the real M.V. Chief? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
By Bill Furbee, 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: From Pigskin Past To Record-Setting Cheers: Boning Up For Super Bowl LV
February 2, 2021
February 1, 2021
January 31, 2021
Ham the Space Chimp: The World’s First Ape in Space
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Three months before Alan Shepard became the first American human in space, the U.S. launched a chimpanzee astronaut. His name was Ham, and he was set into space by NASA 60 years ago, today!
For two years, number 65, as he was known (officials were worried that bad publicity might result from the death of a named chimp), was given intensive training at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. He was taught to push a lever within five seconds of seeing a flashing blue light.
Mercury-Redstone 2 launching Ham into space.
On January 31, 1961, the chimp, dressed in a mini spacesuit, was launched aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. During his sub-orbital flight, computers on the ground measured normal vital signs, letting mission control know their brave chimp was alive. During the mission, the Mercury capsule lost pressure, but Ham was saved by his spacesuit.
He performed his tasks admirably and his capsule touched down safely in the Atlantic at the end of the 16-minute flight. Though he pulled his lever just slightly slower in space than he did on Earth, this feat proved that human motor control was possible in space. Only when he had safely returned to Earth with nothing worse than a bruised nose was he renamed Ham.
Ham safely aboard the retrieval vessel.
Ham joined the ranks of fruit flies and dogs in the pantheon of space test animals. The space chimp’s mission paved the way for Alan Shepard’s pioneering flight above the Earth’s atmosphere in 1961 and Ham went on to live a comfortable existence in U.S. zoos until his death in 1983—even finding time to appear on film with another national hero, Evel Knievel.
January 30, 2021
January 29, 2021
Why Does A Groundhog Control The Weather?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Punxsutawney Phil is, without a doubt, the most famous groundhog around. This 135-year-old woodland critter is responsible for telling the world whether or not we will endure six more weeks of winter or if we are in for an early spring.
Phil crawls out of his hole, every February 2nd, and onto quite an elaborate stage to greet thousands of loving fans with his predictions about the season to come. If he sees his shadow, that essentially means we shouldn’t put our mittens away quite yet—winter is sticking around a bit longer. If he doesn’t see his shadow, spring is well on its way!
Photo Courtesy of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
The Celebration of CandlemasSo, what made people believe that a groundhog controls the weather? This quirky tradition started quite a long time ago and is rooted in folklore. The celebration of Groundhog Day, as we know it, actually began over 130 years ago! But before we gathered from near and far to see a rodent pop out of the ground, the second day of February was actually known as Candlemas: an ancient Christian tradition in which the clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter ahead was going to be.
Over time, Candlemas evolved into another form—a means of predicting the season’s weather ahead; but still, no involvement of Phil or any of his friends. It wasn’t until this tradition made its way to Germany that an animal was introduced to the forecast mix. Forget candles—bring on the hedgehogs!
According to German lore, if the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day, there would be a “Second Winter,” or six more weeks of bad weather. As these German settlers made their way to the US, their hedgehog meteorologist traditions came with them. However, it’s not often you see an abundance of hedgehogs burrowing and hibernating in the United States. So, a similar animal was chosen to continue the tradition: a groundhog!
Off To Gobbler’s KnobNow hosted in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Groundhog Day has been held every year since 1886 at the Gobbler’s Knob grounds. Our official source, The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, tells us that it’s “a day to take everything a little less seriously, and break up the winter monotony… at least for a little while!”
Photo Courtesy of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
So much planning and anticipation goes into this once-a-year celebration, from entertainment and fireworks to the secret language of Groundhogese. The Inner Circle of the Pennsylvania Groundhog Club has certainly gotten to know Phil on quite a personal level during the 135 years he’s been around! But is Phil the only groundhog around with this type of clout? Not exactly!
Other states have picked up this quirky tradition with their own furry friends:
Sir Walter Wally: Raleigh, North CarolinaBirmingham Bill: Birmingham, AlabamaBuckeye Chuck: Marion, OhioFrench Creek Freddie: French Creek, West VirginiaWoodstock Willie: Woodstock, IllinoisChesapeake Chuck: Newport News, VirginiaChuckles: Manchester, ConnecticutChattanooga Chuck: Chattanooga, TennesseeJimmy: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
Photo Courtesy of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
Can Animals Sense Weather Patterns?It may sound silly to rely on a shadow or a groundhog to tell what’s in store for the rest of the season. And to be fair, the whole shadow thing is very much fun and games. However, that doesn’t mean that animals don’t have the ability to sense other types of weather patterns. Take frogs for example! These loud amphibians are said to croak even longer and louder than usual when bad weather is on the horizon. When you hear their volume increase, you can assume a storm is brewing.
Farmers also believe that cows have some kind of weather-sense. Allegedly, when cows sense bad weather, they become restless and antsy and begin to swat flies with their tails or lie down in the pasture to save a dry spot.
Photo Courtesy of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
This year will look a bit different than the years of Groundhog Day-past out in Punxsutawney, but our friends from the Inner Circle will continue to broadcast Phil’s predictions via live stream! Will you be watching as Punxy Phil pops out of his hole on February 2, 2021? Set your alarms for 6:30 a.m. to watch this meteorologist work his magic.
Japanese Entrepreneur Wants to Analyze Your B.O.
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[January 25–January 31, 2021] A monster surprise, Bigfoot legislation, and the disappearance of a beloved mannequin—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Cookie Monster Spotted in A Phenom-nom-nom-enal FindCalifornia gem collector Mike Bowers won the internet last week after posting a video on Facebook of himself opening what appeared to be an average volcanic rock. As “C is for Cookie” played softly in the background, Bowers revealed the unmistakable googly-eyes and goofy grin of the world’s favorite cookie-gobbling Muppet—Cookie Monster!
The agate gemstone was sold to Bowers’ back in November after gemologist, Lucas Fassari, acquired it in the “Paradise of Gemstones,” Soledade, Brazil, along with many other agates.
Even Cookie Monster himself got in on the action, Tweeting, “Me no geologist, but me think dat rock look like me.”
While Bowers has no plans to sell the precious gemstone quite yet, he is set to rake in the dough when the time comes, having already received offers up to $10,000 for the phenom-nom-nom-enal find!
Scottish Town Pleads for Return of Beloved Police MannequinA Scottish town is in a right state since their beloved road safety officer and mannequin, Allan, disappeared Saturday afternoon.
Residents of Braemar are pleading for the return of Allan, who has been doing his due diligence to remind drivers to slow down through the village of Aberdeenshire for the past two months.
The mannequin warns speedsters approaching an Aberdeenshire village but locals have been left stunned by his disappearance https://t.co/7a010OaDt7
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 24, 2021
According to Geva Blackett, a local council member, Allan was last spotted at his station around 1:30 p.m. Saturday before going missing “not of his own volition.”
Blackett took to Facebook to alert the masses of Allan’s disappearance, describing him as a “gentle soul, who never offends anyone,” and who “took great pride in his role of reminding people… that they were in a 30mph speed limit.”
She went on to remind her constituents of the importance of Allan’s work, saying, “children, elderly folk, and red squirrels are all at risk if people forget.”
While Blackett originally requested a cut-out police officer for the position, she was given Allan instead. As of right now, there is no plan for replacing Allan, but the town has hope that he will be returned.
Oklahoma Bill Calls for Open Season on SasquatchOklahoma state representative, Justin Humphrey, has introduced a new hunting bill that would establish an open season for tracking down the state’s most elusive creature—Bigfoot.
Humphrey’s bill calls on the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission to declare an official Bigfoot hunting season, with specific dates and corresponding licenses and fees.
If the legislature is passed and signed by Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt, Bigfoot trackers can plan to begin their hunt on November 1, 2021!
Southern Oklahoma is known for the legendary Sasquatch’s sightings and even hosts an annual Bigfoot festival for enthusiasts to unite.
New Jersey’s Supreme court axed a bank robbery conviction after the prosecutor compared the defendant to state icon Jack Nicholson’s deranged character in the classic horror film, “The Shining.”
The poorly timed reference was used during closing arguments when the prosecutor presented a picture of Nicholson’s character breaking through a door with an ax yelling the iconic line, “Here’s Johnny!” at his terrified family.
Apparently, the reference was supposed to demonstrate that alleged bank robber, Damon Williams, should receive a more serious charge due to the concept that actions speak louder than words. However, Williams was never suspected of having used threatening language during the 2014 bank robbery.
A man previously convicted of bank robbery in New Jersey will get a new trial after the state’s highest court objected to a prosecutor including a photo of Jack Nicholson from the 1980 classic “The Shining” in her closing argument. https://t.co/Aloqy5CVG8 pic.twitter.com/fRDAdIsgEM
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) January 24, 2021
Nevertheless, the courtroom theatrics worked like a charm on the jury, who agreed to convict Williams of second-degree robbery instead of third-degree theft.
The New Jersey Supreme court got wind of the situation and decided unanimously to overturn the conviction on Tuesday. Justice Lee Solomon stated, “the use of a sensational and provocative image in service of such a comparison, even when purportedly metaphorical, heightens the risk of an improper prejudicial effect on the jury.”
Williams was serving a 14-year sentence from the conviction but will now be granted a retrial.
Japanese Entrepreneur Wants to Analyze Your B.O.A Japanese entrepreneur has now made it possible to send your sweat for a personalized stink analysis! Often too busy to bathe or change clothes during his Grad school days, Shota Ishida took his personal experience to the lab.
Realizing that he wouldn’t necessarily get the truth from his friends if he asked them about his odor, Ishida was inspired to create a body odor analysis method to give others obsessed with their scent peace of mind from straight facts.
According to Ishida, about 1% of the Japanese population has anxiety associated with their body odor.
Ishida teamed up with a chemist friend and spent $50,000 for a secondhand gas chromatography-mass spectrometer or a GC-MS. This technology is known as the gold standard for identifying chemical substances and is used heavily in episodes of CSI—and real-life forensics.
The client receives a white t-shirt coated in activated charcoal, wears it for 24 hours, drops it in the mail, and Ishida gets to work. The result is an analysis of the key offenders in their odor, focusing on 25 of the most pungent compounds that make up a person’s scent.
Ishida does not take this task lightly, adding a low-tech sniff test for good measure, where he does a closer investigation of extra-stinky areas like the underarms and back. This is where descriptors like “onions starting to rot” come into play.
CBSニュースさんに取材して頂きました！
今日もtiny labで頑張ってます
Japanese entrepreneur finds a niche offering scientific, “if brutal,” body odor analysis https://t.co/IEzC51l8wF @CBSNewsより
— 石田翔太 / 体臭測定@オドレート (@shotaishida_) January 26, 2021
“It is meant to be understandable, if brutal,” said Ishida of his method.
Ishida doesn’t leave his clients high and dry, or sweaty and stinky, with the analysis. He also provides tips and tricks, like product recommendations and lifestyle changes, tailored to their results to help them moving forward.
While some may find his process gross, it is much appreciated by clients who have spent their lives obsessing about their smell.
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!
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