Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 164
January 15, 2021
January 14, 2021
Give Us A Believe It or Not! For The Books!
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This year, Ripley’s fans, lovers of the extraordinary, and seekers of the unusual were Mind Blown! by the stories featured in our annual publication. From the world’s largest Ouija board to beard artists, there was no shortage of wonderfully weird in this 256-page book. Cover-to-cover, stories from around the world fill our pages with colorful imagery, shocking snippets, and even some of your very own talents and submissions! Let’s take a look at some of the extraordinary Fan Feed entries we received that earned their place amongst the pages.
Koa, The Painting ParrotPerhaps one of the most famous sun conures on the ‘gram, Koa is not your ordinary house pet. His owner, Gina Keller, reached out to us via Instagram Direct message and wrote, “My fingers are crossed that you see this message. We have an awesome story to share with you. We have a painting parrot!”
With this message and the accompanying photos and videos of the talented bird, we were hooked! Gina and Koa earned their page in Ripley’s history and even participated in a Parrot Painting and book giveaway with us on Instagram.
Barry Osborne was a fisherman on a mission! He spent over 50 hours creating a fishing rod and reel using nothing but over 1,500 pipe cleaners. Elated to share his well-deserved accomplishment, Barry used our Submit A BION form to tell us about this crafty catch. Complete with photo evidence of the task, we couldn’t help but feature Barry inside the pages of Mind Blown!
Has he caught any fish with this crafty contraption? We caught up with Barry following the book’s publication and are proud to report that not only has he caught a fish, but broke a freshwater world record in the process!
To tell you the tooth, this Fan Feed submission was hard to beat! Longtime Ripley’s fan, and licensed dentist, Michael Foley, combined his love for the extinct Megalodon shark species, dentistry, and oddities to create the deadliest pair of dentures. Mike uses fossilized shark teeth washed ashore in his hometown, Tampa, Florida, to produce the sharpest set of teeth the human mouth has ever seen. In fact, a set of these sinister chompers now has a home here in the Ripley’s exhibit collection and a place inside the pages of our 17th annual book.
Do you have what it takes to make Believe It or Not! history? Experience, determination, artwork, talent, or downright luck could land you your very own feature in our next Ripley’s Believe It or Not! book!
Submit your story, the unbelievable saga of someone you know, the Instagram handle of an amazing artist, the YouTube channel of an extraordinary pet, the awe-inspiring work of a stranger, or any other Ripley’s-worthy talent you’ve seen to us here!
January 13, 2021
January 12, 2021
Broadway: Spirit Of The Season Or Spirited Supernatural?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
People flock to Broadway during the holidays to enjoy the spirit of the season. But some end up having “spirited” encounters instead. Broadway (formerly “The White Way”) has a long and storied history, and some of its performers appear to linger well after their final curtain call.
From ghost lights to spectral acrobats and musicals inspired by real-life murders, check out these chilling Broadway paranormal stories.
The Ghost LightWhat happens when actors take their final bows, and the curtain drops for the night? The ghost light comes out. This fixture, found in major theatres on Broadway, serves many purposes. Some even claim it protects against the supernatural.
What’s the ghost light? An exposed incandescent bulb or CFL lamp left on at center stage. The ghost light tradition stretches back to the 19th century when gas lighting illuminated theatres. To relieve pressure on each theatre’s gas valves, staff left one dimly lit gaslight on at night. This light also prevented accidents and injuries after the house dimmed.
A Ghost Light on an empty stage in a darkened theater, following the tradition of leaving a lamp lit on an empty stage. Taken at the WildWood Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas. || CC: Ellwood jon via Wikimedia Commons
But that’s where the practical explanations end. Plenty of superstitions also surround keeping a light on stage at all times. Many theatre enthusiasts claim it’s left on to ward off the supernatural. They believe it prevents phantoms from getting mischievous when no one’s around. Despite ghost lights, some theatres of the White Way still report plenty of paranormal activity.
A Spectral Acrobat and More at NYC’s Most Haunted TheatreLocated at 1556 7th Avenue and W 47th Street, the Palace Theatre dates to 1903 and has seen its fair share of musicals, plays, and spine-tingling encounters with the paranormal. Many of these sightings relate to Louis Bossalina. In 1935, he sustained near-fatal injuries after plunging 18 feet to the Palace’s stage while performing with an acrobatic team.
Photo by StefanoT / Shutterstock.com
Actors and stagehands still claim to see him swinging from the rafters late at night. They also hear his frantic shriek, and some claim to have seen him fall.
In 1995, a cast member of Beauty and the Beast reported the appearance of a cellist in a white gown who then vanished from the orchestra pit. Cast members called in famed psychic Elizabeth Baron to investigate. Baron identified 103 lingering souls while walking the theatre’s grounds. Her report helped clinch the Palace’s reputation as the most haunted theatre in the world.
Who were these spirits? According to Baron, they included famed singer Bing Crosby who formerly entertained troops there. Many people also claim to see Judy Garland’s specter near the door in the orchestra pit. Garland performed there in the 1950s.
The Theatre Impresario and His Lady in BlueConstructed four years after the Palace, the Belasco Theatre sits at 111 W 44th Street. Commissioned by theatre impresario David Belasco, it’s the sixth oldest theatre on Broadway. Unlike the Palace, where phantoms congregate in large numbers, most Belasco sightings relate to its namesake who died in 1931.
Over the decades since his death, countless sightings of Belasco have occurred. How do actors, theatre employees, and audience members know it’s him? They recognize his signature outfit, a clerical collar, and cassock. During his lifetime, this outfit earned him two nicknames, “the monk” and the “Bishop of Broadway.”
Some actors have also reported seeing a dark shadow figure seated in the balcony who attempts to speak to them after the show. If that’s not spine-tingling enough, people say the theatre’s curtains move on their own, doors open and close for no reason, and disembodied footsteps are often heard. Reports of a lady in blue, perhaps one of Belasco’s former lovers, have also made the rounds.
Shadows in the BalconyLike the Palace, workers constructed the Lyceum (149 W 45th Street) in 1903. The oldest continually operating legitimate theatre on Broadway, it’s little wonder it boasts a paranormal inhabitant, too. That said, this ghost hasn’t been gone for long.
Who’s haunting the Lyceum? None other than legendary choreographer Bob Fosse who passed away in 1987. Fosse was famed for his innovative and distinctive style of dance. He worked with many performers and actors throughout his career. When a handful of them came together for a production of The Visit in 2015, some say their deceased teacher and friend decided to visit from beyond.
Fosse’s former students and associates included Chita Rivera, Donna McKechnie, and Roger Reese. As they rehearsed and performed, crew members heard unexplained sounds. They also smelled cigarette smoke coming from the balcony, although nobody was there. Rivera and the crew decided it had to be Fosse. After all, he loved watching his students from the balcony while having a cigarette. Find out more about this strange, hair-raising visit.
The Murders That Inspired a MusicalSpeaking of Bob Fosse, his masterpiece Chicago continues to captivate audiences. It holds the record for the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. The 2002 film version, starring Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger, earned an Academy Award for Best Picture, a rare accomplishment for a musical.
But did you know real-life Windy City murders from 1924 inspired the storyline? In March, Belva Gaertner, a stylish cabaret singer, ended up in the clinker after a young car salesman named Walter Law turned up dead in her car alongside a bottle of gin and a handgun.
Then, in April, 23-year-old Beulah Annan joined Gaertner on “Murderesses Row” after confessing to the murder of her lover, Harry Kalstedt. Newspaper journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins covered both stories, eventually spinning them into a play. This play, in turn, became the basis for Fosse’s musical.
CC: Raymon Sutedjo-The, via Wikimedia Commons
Whether we’re talking musicals inspired by actual murder cases or theatrical hauntings that even ghost lights can’t deter, Broadway boasts many spirited stories. As you enjoy performances this holiday season, keep your eyes peeled for actors, performers, and theatre owners who may be visiting from beyond the grave.
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: Broadway: Spirit Of The Season Or Spirited Supernatural?
January 11, 2021
January 10, 2021
January 9, 2021
Strutting Into The Secret Life Of Coco Chanel
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel is one of history’s most famous fashion designers. She overcame several obstacles before finding success—born out of passion and hard work. Chanel, who died 50 years ago this month, was a force to be reckoned with in the fashion industry. But there’s much more to learn about this style pioneer outside the realm of designer labels. While she’s credited with creating looks that are still popular today (little black dress, anyone?), she also got wrapped up in some nefarious business for which she was never held accountable. Let’s dive a little deeper into the life of a French woman who, to this day, has left a large legacy on women’s fashion.
Chanel spent part of her childhood in an orphanage where she learned how to sew.
Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, in 1883, to street vendor, Albert Chanel, and laundrywoman, Eugénie Jeanne Devolle, Coco Chanel had five siblings. The family was very poor and lived in a one-room dwelling in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France. Her mother died when she was a child, and while her brothers and sisters were doled out to various family members, Coco wound up at the orphanage of the Catholic monastery of Aubazine.
The religious order the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Mary took care of abandoned and orphaned girls and demanded that they live strict and disciplined lives without many comforts. While it wasn’t the ideal place to come of age, it’s where Chanel learned how to sew and became a seamstress, which would greatly benefit her later in life.
When she turned 18, she aged out of the system and moved to Moulins to stay at a boarding house for Catholic women. When she got older, Chanel hid her past from the public. She claimed to have lived with two aunts after her mother passed, as being impoverished and growing up as an orphan were then shameful ways of upbringing.
Chanel earned extra cash as a café singer, which led to her nickname.
While working as a seamstress, Chanel also had a side hustle: singing. The young woman spent time at a cabaret that was popular with cavalry offices. She took the stage in a Moulins pavilion, La Rotonde. Her job was to perform for the audience in between the acts. She made her money by passing a plate around the crowd, and many loved her innocent magnetism, particularly men in the military.
Two of her favorite songs to sing were “Qui qu’a vu Coco?” (“Who Has Seen Coco?”) and “Ko Ko Ri Ko”, and Coco eventually became her nickname. Chanel, however, liked to credit the name to her father. Still, others think the name translates to the French term “cocotte,” which refers to a kept woman.
Unfortunately, while people loved her youthfulness and charismatic personality, Chanel’s singing voice was simply average, and she was unable to make a career of it.
Chanel No. 5 may have been partially inspired by the man with whom she had an affair.
In her early 20s, Chanel started dating ex-cavalry officer and textile heir, Étienne Balsan. He was very wealthy and lived in château Royallieu near Compiègne. Balsan doted on Chanel and gave her everything from diamonds to gowns, providing her with a much different life than she had as a child. Yet, that didn’t stop Chanel from falling in love with, and having an affair with, Balsan’s best friend, Captain Arthur Edward ‘Boy’ Capel, who set her up with a Parisian apartment. The couple split after nine years together, and her former lover ended up dying in a car accident a couple of years later in 1919.
Savvapanf Photo / Shutterstock.com
Chanel launched her signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5, in 1921. The number reportedly had a special meaning to Chanel and went back to her roots at the orphanage. Every day, she went to the chapel for daily prayers. The paths were a series of circular patterns involving the number five. Other sources claim out of all the scents Chanel tried, it was the fifth one consisting of jasmine and floral fragrances that inspired the name of her infamous perfume.
The shape of the perfume bottle was reportedly based on either the toiletry bottles Capel carried in his travel bag or from the whiskey decanter he favored. Chanel’s aim was to create a delicate and exquisite glass bottle for her fragrance, and she purportedly used Capel’s possessions as her inspiration.
Coco Chanel was a Nazi spy.
During World War II, Chanel worked for Nazi military intelligence, according to declassified French government documents. As a fashion designer, she had many connections, from artists and diplomats to politicians like Prime Minister Winston Churchill. She started a relationship with Baron Hans Günther von Dincklage, an officer in Abwehr, the German military intelligence, in 1940 after the Nazis took over Paris. At that time Chanel lived in Paris’ Hôtel Ritz, which served as a headquarters for the Germans.
Winston Churchill and Coco Chanel
Chanel became Abwehr Agent F-7124 in 1941, and she was directed to get “political information” during a trip to Madrid, Spain, in which she met with British diplomat Brian Wallace. She was later tasked with using her connection to Churchill in “Operation Modellhut”. After the war, Chanel testified in a French court to explain her connection to Abwehr. She claimed any involvement was just a means to get her nephew out of prison. This, at least, was true. She tried to use her influence to get André Palasse, who was imprisoned in a German stalag in 1940, released.
Chanel never paid the price for her connection with the Nazis. Following the war and some time spent away from the spotlight, she returned to the fashion industry in 1954 without any repercussions.
Chanel’s fashion ideas, including pants for women, were revolutionary.
Nearly a decade before she launched her signature fragrance, her lover, Capel, gave Chanel some money to open a small millinery shop in Deauville. She made sportswear, including jersey sweaters, hats, and sailor blouses, which became popular with wealthy women who were tired of wearing body-hugging corsets. They fully embraced Chanel’s philosophy that clothing should be luxurious but comfortable. Her simple, yet relaxed, garments were a radical but a much-welcomed departure from the social norm.
Chanel wanted women to have more freedom when it came to fashion, on the contrary to their restrictive corsets and skirts. She opted for designs that didn’t require underclothing and padding. As for her revolutionary decision to wear pants, it all came down to convenience. She reportedly visited Venice and wore pants as it was easier to travel on a gondola that way. In addition, she rightly decided that riding a horse with a long skirt was a bit cumbersome, so she donned a pair of male trousers. Chanel also reportedly wore pants instead of a swimming costume while visiting a beach resort in Deauville, because she didn’t want to expose herself.
However, later in life, the designer had some regrets about the trend and reportedly said at age 86, “I came up with them by modesty. From this usage to it becoming a fashion, having 70 percent of women wearing trousers at evening dinner is quite sad.”
Meanwhile, by the late 1920s Chanel’s company, which included her couture house, perfumes, textile mill, and jewelry empire, employed thousands of people and was worth millions of dollars.
Chanel is responsible for making suntanning popular.
Through the 19th century and early 20th century, affluent people favored pale skin. They believed anyone with brown skin was part of the lower class, which to them was unacceptable. That all changed in 1923 when Chanel took a cruise on the French Riviera and got a sunburn. When she traveled back to Paris, people took note of her altered appearance, and before long started to emulate her new look.
In a complete 180, sporting a tan became fashionable as well as a sign of wealth. Unfortunately, her accidental suntan has had some serious negative effects on society as a whole, which still resonate today. According to the FDA, there’s no such thing as a “safe” tan largely because it can cause melanoma, which is the deadliest type of skin cancer.
Chanel is also responsible for the little black dress and women’s suits.
These days, many women have little black dresses in their closets that they can throw on for a variety of events, but they weren’t always a closet staple. Before Chanel entered the fashion scene, most women wore black only to funerals or when in mourning. But Chanel wasn’t a fan of ultra-bright colors, so she decided to design a basic black dress that would become a mainstay in many women’s wardrobes. Vogue published a drawing of her calf-length black sheath in 1926, and the LBD was born.
Chanel was also one of the first designers to find inspiration in menswear or, as her official website notes, she created a wardrobe “tweaked with masculine accents.” She designed women’s suits with boxy jackets, fitted sleeves, and slimline skirts. The goal was to create outfits women could wear at the office in male-dominated industries. Celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Jackie Kennedy are just a few of the women who wore Chanel suits.
Chanel lived in a hotel for over 30 years.
Coco Chanel continued to work until her death at the age of 87 on January 10, 1971. She passed away at the Hotel Ritz in Paris—the place she called home for 34 years. The hotel has had a variety of famous guests over the years, including writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, Polish composer Chopin, actor Charlie Chaplin, and novelists Marcel Proust and Ernest Hemingway. Chanel moved into the hotel permanently in 1937 and lived in a lavish private apartment consisting of multiple suites.
She frequently used the staff entrance to gain entry into her home. And legend has it that when she traveled from the Ritz to her couture house across Rue Cambon, the hotel’s doorman would inform her employees that she was on the way, so they could spray Chanel No. 5 on the street before she arrived. However, this widely circulated tale is likely an embellishment.
Today, you can rent a 2,024-square-foot suite at the Ritz that honors Chanel. In it, you can find one-of-a-kind sketches and photographs paying tribute to one of France’s most celebrated designers. The hotel also has a spa named the Chanel Au Ritz, which provides several services and products related to Chanel.
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
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The Stories That Stuck With Us In 2020
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
It’s no secret that 2020 was nothing short of strange. So, it’s only fitting that we share the top five weirdest news stories from the unusual year behind us. A few bold headlines really stuck with us… for better or for worse.
5. Forrest Fenn’s Found Treasure
Clocking in at number five is the final discovery and recovery of buried treasure hidden by millionaire art collector and antiquities dealer Forrest Fenn. Fenn, who returned from the Vietnam War after flying hundreds of combat missions and being rescued in hostile jungles, went on to become the most famous art dealer in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He’d had drinks with Jackie O., stashed Sitting bull’s peace pipe in his vault, but his proudest accomplishment had been setting the spirit of adventure ablaze for thousands pursuing a treasure of jewels, gold, and other artifacts in the Rocky Mountains. This past year, someone finally found the treasure, just months before the 90-year-old Fenn passed away.
4. Man Marries Cat for Charity
In an attempt to raise money for an animal shelter, Scott Perry of Los Angeles, California, said “I do” to his cat. Scott adopted the love of his life, Olivia, from LA’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in 2015, but it was the bond of quarantine that inspired him to take the plunge. Complete with a wedding website and registry—a fundraiser for the shelter—the Perry’s wedding took place on Instagram. And you best believe we sent them our well-wishes!
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3. Tapeworm On The Brain
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Ripley’s countdown without a few bodily functions. The cringiest of them of all? Tapeworm larvae living in someone’s brain! After seven years of painful headaches, this 25-year-old Australian woman received an MRI from her doctor. The scan revealed an area of her brain occupied by what seemed to be a tumor. But, upon removing the lesion, they discovered that the mass was a cyst full of tapeworm larvae! This story will certainly be living in our brains rent-free forever—in addition to that whacky instance we covered where doctors removed a 15-pound hairball from a woman’s stomach…
Doctors said this woman had a brain tumor. But when a surgeon removed the suspected tumor, it turned out to be a tapeworm. https://t.co/VPD9B7e9XY
— CNN (@CNN) June 9, 2019
2. Lizard’s Body Breaks Body-to-Poop Record
A personal favorite of the Ripley’s team has to be our fat lizard friend. Aptly awarded the number two slot, a Northern curly-tailed lizard, unfortunately, passed away as a result of a poor quarantine diet.
The lizard had been dining near a pizza parlor in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where it was found by a curious biologist from the University of Florida. She noticed this particular lizard was swollen. At first, she thought it was pregnant, but later discovered it was severely constipated. The lizard’s bowels had become congested after eating pizza-greased sand, and had developed a fecal bolus clog that made up a staggering 80% of its weight! According to biologists at the university, this smashed the previous reptile record by nearly 60%.
1. Keep Your Mouth Sss-shut When You Sleep
Deciding on story number 1 was tough, but we just had to give it to a nightmare in the year of nightmares—the shocking video of Russian doctors pulling a four-foot-long snake from a woman’s mouth!
The unnamed woman from Dagestan was rushed to the hospital after the serpent slithered into her mouth and down her throat while she was napping in her yard. Doctors had to extricate the snake carefully and were surprised themselves to see the head of a serpent emerge. Whether or not the video footage is 100% authentic continues to remain up for debate… But apparently, locals are now heavily warned about sleeping outside.
And while 2020 was certainly strange, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking forward to another wonderfully weird year in 2021! And so you don’t miss out on all the strange this year will bring, join us for Weird News Happy Hour on Ripley’s Facebook and Twitch every Friday at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Stay weird and Happy New Year!
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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