Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 174
November 11, 2020
Kicking It With Freestyle Footballers
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
There’s nothing like kicking it with the artistic and athletic talents of freestyle footballers! Freestyle football is the art of creatively juggling a ball with any part of the body, excluding hands and forearms. These athletes combine dance, acrobatics, and music to entertain and participate in competitions around the world. But, these performance abilities just scratch the surface when it comes to the 2000-year-old history of the sport.
Thousands of years ago in Southern and South East Asia, many different games encapsulated many skills that relate directly to freestyle football as we know it today. But, according to the World of Freestyle Football Association, freestyle football really began to form in the 20th century.
“When you think about fundamental freestyle tricks such as the ‘Neck Stall’ and ‘Around The World’; These were first performed in the 1800’s by circus performers such as Enrico Rastelli and Francis Brunn. If you watch videos of their performances today you can see many similarities to every modern day freestyler.”
Enrico Rastelli
Freestyle football phenom Caitlyn Schrepfer has made the best of a bad situation. Schrepfer began playing soccer at the young age of four, moving into a goalkeeper position as her passion for playing professional soccer grew. Her dreams of playing professionally came to a halt after an unfortunate hip injury in her teens, but Schrepfer kicked her hobby of freestyle juggling into high gear and shifted her focus to the urban sport. As one of the few females in the male-dominated arena, Caitlyn Schrepfer is the top U.S. female freestyler!
As the youngest competitor in the freestyle football sport, teenager Patrick Shaw is learning to balance high school life with freestyle fame. Taking up the fledgling sport in the eighth grade, Shaw has used his gymnastics and break-dancing background to his advantage. Competing in the Red Bull Street Style 2019, Shaw placed second in the World Finals.
Born and raised in Preston, Lancashire, England, 34-year-old John Farnworth is a multiple freestyle football world-record holder. Passionate about soccer from a very young age, he traded the traditional game with 11 players a side for futebol de salão—the five-aside variation of the sport popularized in South America. Farnworth dedicated his time to learning every possible move and even created his own, developing unique skills to use as a freestyler. He likes to bend the laws of physics with just a ball and 100 percent dedication. In 2018, Farnworth put his skills through a true test of endurance. He climbed 19,685 ft (6,000 m) up Mount Everest—all while keeping a ball in the air during the trek. The 10-day juggling ascent raised money for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Learn more about this eclectic sport of past and present, and other freestyle footballers, inside the pages of Ripley’s latest annual, Mind Blown!
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!
November 10, 2020
November 9, 2020
Do Celebrities Always Die In Threes?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
It’s one of the oldest superstitions in pop culture. The notion that movie stars and celebs always give up the ghost in groups of three. And it does happen from time to time. After all, the Big Bopper, Richie Valens, and Buddy Holly all died in one 24-hour period in 1959. Of course, they perished in the same plane crash, so I think we can agree theirs were exceptional circumstances.
But what about other situations? Like when fashion designer Kate Spade, television chef Anthony Bourdain, and actor Jackson Odell all passed away within a matter of days? Spade and Bourdain died by suicide, and Odell was found unresponsive in a sober living home. Tragic events, might there be more than coincidence at play? Research indicates the answer’s a firm, “No.”
Keep reading to learn more about how a careful examination of vital records and statistics disproves the myth that celebrities die in threes.
An Urban Legend with Serious Street Cred
In 2014, after the passing of Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall, the world held its breath. Who would be the third celebrity to die? As people waited for the other shoe to drop, they relied on anecdotal evidence from the past to justify their macabre anticipation.
After all, we can think of at least ten instances when celebrities have died in threes. They include the “Summer of Death” in 2009 when the world lost three pop icons back to back, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson 1990 || Editorial credit: Vicki L. Miller / Shutterstock.com
Or how about 2014 when the greedy Grim Reaper took actress Ann B. Davis (of Brady Bunch fame), baseball legend Don Zimmer, and actor Rik Mayall? And no one can forget the deaths of rock legend David Bowie, actor Alan Rickman, and René Angélil, husband and manager of Celine Dion, in 2016. Add to this, Alan Thicke, George Michael, and Carrie Fisher, and it has to be more than coincidence. Right?
Wrong! Researchers now have mathematical proof that this urban legend is fiction, not fact. No matter how strong the human tendency remains to seek patterns in life’s unexpected events.
Disproving the Celebrity Rule of Threes
The New York Time’s (NYT) Upshot examined the statistical prevalence of celebrity deaths in threesomes. How did they do this? They started by defining a “celebrity” as anyone with an obituary running at least 2,000 words or longer. This word count is equivalent to 67 percent of a full-length printed page.
For some context, consider the obituary that ran for Lauren Bacall in 2014. It came in at a respectable 3,000 words. On the other end of the spectrum, there was the obituary for Pope John Paul II, which contained a whopping 13,363 words. Compare these word counts to your Average Joe, a mere 200-450 words, and you can see why this filter proved useful in identifying “famed decedents.”
Researchers identified 449 “celeb” obits since 1990 using this filter. In 75 cases, two stars perished within three days of one another. But here’s the kicker. They only found seven instances where three celebrities died within five days of each other. These findings fell well within the confines of random chance.
A Loose Definition of Celebrity
It’s worth noting that the definition of “celebrity” proved somewhat ambiguous in this study. After all, some individuals who led important, albeit unglamorous lives, got filtered into the results. These included people like Dr. Jonas Salk, the polio vaccine’s inventor, and Albert Shanker, the teachers’ union leader. Were Salk and Shanker actual celebs? We highly doubt their names would appear on Entertainment Tonight.
Infamous individuals, including mass-murdering dictators like Pol Pot and Idi Amin, also fell into the study’s “celeb” category. Yet, none of us would celebrate these monsters as stars. And of course, some very famous people had obits too short to make the cut, like Amy Winehouse.
Fans pay tribute to Amy Winehouse in front of her house on Camden square, on July 27, 2011 in London. Amy Winehouse died aged 27 on Saturday, July 23. || Photo by Thomas Dutour
Nonetheless, the NYT’s study is among the first to make significant headway towards scientifically disproving the notion celebs die in threes. Yet, perhaps the more profound and interesting question remains why we seek these patterns in the first place?
Why Humans Seek Patterns in Life
Scientists speculate that establishing meaningful patterns helped our ancestors survive in nature. When a primitive ancestor heard a rustle in the bushes, they could assume it was just the wind. Or, they could see a pattern based on previous encounters with cave bears and make a run for it. In the latter case, even if the rustling turned out to be the wind, there was no harm, no foul. But for an ancestor who mistook a bear for the wind? If you’ve seen The Revenant, you know what happened next.
As descendants of individuals who survived by finding meaningful patterns in life, we can’t shake the habit. The act of pattern-seeking, even where patterns don’t exist, is known as apophenia. And it can lead to downright superstitious behavior. Like carrying a rabbit foot or “knocking on wood” at the first talk of trouble.
What’s more, the number three proves a potent figure in our society. We raise our children on this number, from “the Three Bears” to “the Three Blind Mice.” And it represents an ideal number in everything from artistic compositions to landscaping and religious doctrine (e.g., the Holy Trinity). When it’s all said and done, the idea of celebrities dying in twos, while statistically sounder, proves far from cosmically satisfying.
Pattern-Seeking Versus Oblivion
Does this research mean that pattern-searching is an altogether wasted endeavor? Not necessarily.
Researchers also remind us that looking for patterns in life remains a vital aspect of living. Just remember to hold your observations up to some scientific scrutiny. After all, the polar opposite of pattern-hunting is total oblivion. Sure, existing in this state today won’t make you a sabertooth lion’s sack lunch, but it could get you mugged or run over in a busy crosswalk.
As John Hoopes, professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, notes, “It’s always better to recognize a pattern and be prepared to deal with it than to ignore it.” That said, there’s no need to hold your breath when it comes to clusters of celebrity death. As it turns out, the Grim Reaper’s no more generous with famous people than the rest of us.
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!
November 8, 2020
November 7, 2020
November 6, 2020
Five Incredible Artists That Will Leave You Mind Blown!
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
We saw some crazy at-home art projects pouring into the Ripley’s inboxes this year, as people have found themselves with a lot of cooped up creative energy to burn. If you’re looking to get inspired or to just step back in awe, we’ve got five of the strangest, most exciting, and unbelievable artists to show you from our newest annual, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Mind Blown!
Unleashing Ouijazilla
In the true “spooky season” fashion, first up is Rick “Ormortis” Schreck. Rick made it into the annual for unleashing “Ouijazilla!” Constructed from 99 individual sheets of plywood, this mammoth Ouija measures 3,168 square feet and weighs around 9,000 pounds!
Rick is the vice president of the Talking Board Historical Society and a New Jersey-based tattoo artist. He labored from June 2018 to October 2019 through wind, snow, rain, and extreme heat as the sole handyman on this monstrous project. Working with completely donated materials, Rick has poured his blood, sweat, and tears into this gargantuan board.
Rick’s penchant for the macabre doesn’t stop there. He goes out of his way each year to make something spooky and exciting for trick-or-treaters. This year, he completed a candy slide that stretched from his balcony to his street, spitting candy from the jaws of a skull.
Koa, the Painting Parrot
If Ouijazilla’s a little too foreboding for you in 2020, how about a painting parrot? This artist may not be human but can still paint with the best of them.
Gina Keller of Ontario, Canada, reached out to Ripley’s to share her painting parrot! Keller adopted three-year-old Koa, a male sun conure, and has since taught him dozens of tricks, including painting on a small canvas that sits on a tiny art easel using miniature, 2-inch paintbrushes, which he holds in his beak. Some of the proceeds from the sale of Koa’s paintings go to charity. Koa entertains and amazes fans all over the world on Instagram.
Creative Dog Groomer, Anaïs Hayden
Speaking of animals and art, Anaïs Hayden of Atlanta, Georgia, takes dog grooming to a whole new—and colorful—level! With a brush in one hand and grooming shears in the other, Anaïs can transform your average pooch into a Lisa Frank–inspired masterpiece or even a different species!
Some of her impressive makeovers, which take anywhere from three to six hours, including trimming and dyeing a dog’s fur to make them look like zebras, giraffes, tigers, panda bears, and even betta fish! Anaïs got into the creative dog grooming business because she wanted to combine art and working with animals. She makes sure that all the products she uses are safe, non-toxic, plant-based, and approved by the National Dog Groomers Association. Anaïs has even partnered with her local humane society to give some pooches needing a groom a little something extra to help them get adopted.
The Gay Beards
Did you know that during the reign of Elizabeth I, men’s beards were taxed? Thankfully for these two artists, the law is no longer in effect.
Childhood best friends Brian and Jonathan have always celebrated creativity. But the artistic impulse coalesced for both men after they started growing facial hair in 2014. That’s when a friend convinced them to put a few flowers in their beards and pose for photos.
After seeing their popularity with friends and family, the duo was on a mission to spread love and laughter. The Gay Beards were born! Today, they fearlessly push social constructs and decorate their facial hair with anything from flowers to food, glitter, and even cupcake sprinkles.
Gunpowder Art with Dino Tomic
Squarely set at the intersection between pop-culture, fine art, and absolutely bonkers creativity, Dino Tomic is an artist we’ve featured in Ripley’s books before for his use of gunpowder to create fiery portraits. Despite their explosive climax, these pieces require extreme precision and patience, as the grains of gunpowder can be disturbed by just walking by the art, or even breathing too hard.
This time, though, Dino created a Spider-Man portrait of Tom Holland using countless tiny drawings of spiders. Tomic used concepts found in pointillism to achieve the desired effect. When viewed at a distance, the portrait looks stunningly lifelike, but step closer, and you’ll see it relies on thousands of tiny spiders to create shadows and contrast. The intricate portrait only took a few days to complete, but it required plenty of patience and a passion for eight-legged creepy crawlies.
This year’s annual, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Mind Blown! is packed with so many incredible artists, just like these five! Snag your copy just in time for the holiday season.
Source: Five Incredible Artists That Will Leave You Mind Blown!
Kayakers Survive A Whale Of A Tale
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[November 2-November 8, 2020] Flying cars, hidden chameleons, and walking buildings—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Indonesian College Offers Refreshing Alternative for Paying Tuition
Students at The Venus One Tourism Academy in Gianyar, Bali, received a tropical treat when the hospitality college announced they will now accept coconuts as a form of tuition payment. The school is swapping cash for coconuts in an effort to help students continue their education while alleviating financial stress caused by COVID-19. Other accepted payment include moringa leaves and Gotu kola leaves. The natural materials collected are used to harvest virgin coconut oil and make products like herbal soap, which are sold on campus, with proceeds going to the school.
Slovakian Flying Car Takes First Flight
Move over airplanes; there’s a new flying vehicle on the block! KleinVision, a company based in Slovakia, shared a video this week of its AirCar taking its first flight. During its maiden flight, which took place in late October at Piestany Airport in Slovakia, the AirCar showed off its ability to go from the streets to the skies within three minutes flat, proving that it has a lot to offer potential buyers when it hits the market in 2021.
This smooth operator has a flight range of 620 miles, which could take you from Orlando to New Orleans at any time! It flies at an altitude of 1,500 feet and includes retractable wings, folding tail surfaces, and even a parachute deployment system—safety first! KleinVision is also in the works of taking the plunge with an amphibious vehicle designed to take on the land, sky, and seas.
New futuristic flying ‘AirCar’ – that can transform from a road vehicle into a plane in under 3 minutes – takes to the skies for the first time.pic.twitter.com/9UndDbMcun
— Disclose.tv
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