Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 178
October 16, 2020
Diving Into The World’s Blue Holes
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
It’s often been said that scientists know more about the surface of Mars than they do about the bottoms of our oceans, and blue holes are just one of the mysteries lurking below the water. It might be a simple name, but so-called “blue holes” are some of the most mysterious places on Earth.
Imagine sailing across the beautiful, light blue waters of the Caribbean only for your boat to suddenly be surrounded by the inky waters of a perfectly circular shaft of dark blue. Dotted all across the world, from the Bahamas to the South China Sea, these enormous marine caverns have been said to be home to half-shark and half-octopus creatures, the proving grounds of gods, and even tunnels to hell.
It’s only been since the 19th-century that the scientific community has begun studying these sea caverns, and many mysteries still remain about them.
The result of Ice Age sinkholes that have filled with water with sides plummeting straight down, these unique caverns often contain layers of salt and freshwater that meet in a corrosive reaction that literally eats away at the rocky sides of the hole. This unique reaction means that some blue holes have winding series of tunnels stretching outwards into the Earth’s crust, while others have a variety of unique rock formations like enormous underwater stalactites reaching through their depths.
Beyond that, not all blue holes are surrounded by shallow water or can be easily spotted. One blue hole, named Green Banana, lies just off the Florida coast but remained a secret until the last decade as the hole itself is deep underwater.
While the deepest blue hole, Young Hole in the South China Sea, has been measured to be nearly a thousand feet deep, many blue holes have never had researchers reach their bottoms, proving too dangerous even in the 21st century.
While sites like Dean’s Blue Hole and the Great Blue Hole, featured in the Ripley’s annual, Mind Blown!, have been sites for modern studies—and even safe enough to host free-dive competitions—they still pose their own dangers.
The Great Blue Hole in Belize for example has a veritable graveyard at its bottom. In 2018, a team of scientists used two submarines to explore the depths of the Great Blue Hole. They found that the hole stretched down 410 feet and, at a certain point, oxygen disappears from the water, literally suffocating any shellfish who stray down its steep underwater precipice. This conch graveyard isn’t the only such blue hole to be a pit of death.
The Great Blue Hole in Belize
Another, in Egypt, located in the Red Sea has been given the nickname of the Divers’ Cemetery after claiming an estimated 130 to 200 divers’ lives in a 15-year period. Most of these divers have been well-trained technical divers or even instructors, but still lost their lives to the dangerous sea cave.
But, while some blue holes have graveyards at their bottoms, others have a rich and unique array of life teeming within their walls. At the surface, holes like Green Banana create a sort of reverse reef that teems with fish and marine life, while deep within they contain unique astrobacteria capable of living without light or oxygen. Further, scientists have found unique treasure troves of fossils lying undisturbed within these sea caverns, making them a perfect record of life 10,000 years ago.
So, some of the hardiest bacteria on the planet may find comfort in blue holes, but these mysterious shafts of water have proven less hospitable to humans. What do you think? Would you brave the perils of a blue hole? Check out more of our world’s most curious sites and places inside the pages of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Mind Blown!
THE STRANGEST STORIES OF THE YEAR
Now that you’ve read the strangest stories of the week, how about the strangest stories of the year? Ripley’s all-new annual is an all-true collection of incredible facts, unexpected stories, and stunning photography!
French Couple Drops $7,000 For A Big (Cat) Surprise
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[October 12-October 18, 2020] Cursed artifacts, frightful flames, and a mid-flight baby delight—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
John Oliver is Full of Crap
A playful feud between late-night talk show host, John Oliver, and the town of Danbury, Connecticut, has come to an end with the city naming its $110 million sewage plant after the comedian. After an impressive 18-1 vote, City Council members ruled that the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant was a go. Tensions began back in August when the “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” host publicly poo-pooed the town during a segment where he called it “a sad, empty void where hope goes to die.” Unsurprisingly, the town’s mayor, Mark Boughton, did not take kindly to his remarks and retaliated by posting a video of himself on Facebook announcing that the sewage plant would be Oliver’s new namesake because he, too, is “full of crap.” Although Boughton later made it clear that the video was a joke, Oliver was already invested in the idea, offering a donation of $55,000 to local Danbury charities to make his new dream a reality. “I didn’t know that I wanted my name on your (expletive) factory, but now that you floated it as an option, this is all I want,” said Oliver. Along with the donation, Oliver will be providing signage for his new pride and joy and the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Not one to waste an opportunity, Boughton said this spat has “been a lot of fun. If I can put food on people’s table for Thanksgiving by naming a sewer plant after a very popular comedian, we’ll do it all day long.”
It’s toilet time for John Oliver. The Danbury City Council has voted 18-1 to rename a sewage plant after the comedian, in a bit of tongue-in-cheek revenge over his rant against the Connecticut city on his HBO show. https://t.co/cqhBHk1dXN #odd
— AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) October 9, 2020
Cursed Artifacts Returned to Pompeii After 15 Years
Objects taken during a young Canadian’s trip to Pompeii 15 years ago were returned to the city this week in hopes of ridding the woman of the “curse” they have brought to her life. Along with two tiles, a fragment of ceramic, and pieces of an amphora, the woman, known only as Nicole, sent a letter of apology, stating that she was “young and dumb” when she took these pieces during a visit to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. She believes the theft of these artifacts has contributed to her bad luck ever since, which includes two bouts of breast cancer and financial difficulties. “We are good people, and I don’t want to pass this curse onto my family,” she wrote. The package was received by a travel agent in the city and included everything Nicole took during her visit with the exception of one tile, which she gifted to a friend. Nicole asked that the items be returned to where they belong, which, according to Professor Massimo Osanna, temporary director of the park, is easier said than done. “Obviously, they cannot be relocated because their precise origin is not known.” Hopefully good intentions count for something!
Archaeological Park of Pompeii in Italy.
A Blaze of Halloween Glory
Carmen and Travis Long set their California neighborhood ablaze with holiday decorations so realistic that neighbors called the fire department! The couple went all-in on their “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme, decking their house out with the hottest Halloween décor 2020 has to offer: a faux house fire! Firefighters responded to several calls reporting a house fire, only to show up to find the festive display. In place of their services, the firefighters provided high-fives and congratulations on a job well done to the Longs, who now alert authorities when they light the “flame” to entertain masses of crowds with their display every night. While critics have questioned the timing of a faux house fire during an unprecedented season of wildfires on the West Coast, the Longs stand by their decision and are happy their family can “bring a little bit of Halloween joy for everyone” during this challenging year.
SCARY-GOOD DECORATIONS: One family’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’-themed Halloween decorations are SO lifelike, passers-by are calling 911! pic.twitter.com/RJKaKPvos0
— ABC World News Now (@abcWNN) October 13, 2020
Bringing New Meaning to Emergency Exit
Social media is abuzz with the news of a premature baby boy born on Wednesday night while flying over India. The mother, who was not yet 32-weeks pregnant, went into labor somewhere between Delhi and Bengaluru, sending IndiaGo flight attendants into delivery-mode, led by Dr. Shailaja Vallabhani, a gynecologist who just happened to be on board. Passengers immediately took to social media with images of airline workers suited up in pandemic PPE holding the newborn and praised their “amazing teamwork” during the delivery. After landing and receiving a quick round of applause from passengers and airline workers, the mother and son were taken straight to Kempegowda International Airport’s medical facility for a checkup. One question remains after this harrowing tale: will IndiaGo grant the baby a lifetime of free flights?
Amazing scenes. Baby born mid-air on @IndiGo6E Delhi – Bangalore flight today, helped by the airline’s crew.
October 15, 2020
Learning 1 Thing Or 2 About Theodor Seuss Geisel
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” But, how well do we really know Mr. Theodor Seuss Geisel? Otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, this rhyming wizard holds a special place in our childhood storybook hearts, but there is 1 Thing or 2 that even the most seasoned Seuss reader would be curious to know. We’re diving into, “All the things you can think when you think about Seuss!”
Dr. Seuss wasn’t actually a doctor.
Theodor Seuss Geisel had multiple pen names: L. Pasteur, Rosetta Stone, T (Theophrastus) Seuss, and, simply, Seuss. Adding in the Dr. prefix was all his own doing. His father had always wanted him to practice medicine, but Seuss never actually earned a doctorate degree. He was even voted Least Likely to Succeed by his Dartmouth graduating class! But, ironically enough, the only doctorate he would ever receive came from his alma mater in 1956–an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
Believe It or Not!, the pronunciation of his name “Seuss” wasn’t intended to rhyme with moose, goose, or loose. It is actually supposed to be pronounced as ZOYCE, which is the German version of Seuss. But, in true rhyming fashion, he liked that the wrong “Seuss” paired nicely with mother goose, so he adopted that pronunciation.
His first “Dr. Seuss” idea was thought of while crossing the Atlantic on the liner MS Kungsholm.
During his travels, Seuss got so caught up in the pulse of the ship’s engine that he began experimenting with words that fit the rhythm. From this, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was created, kick-starting his journey into the magical world of children’s publishing.
Though And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was rejected over 25 times, it was finally published in 1937.
Green Eggs and Ham was written on a bet.
After writing The Cat in the Hat–using only 236 out of the 348 words approved by educators for books to teach children to read–Seuss’s publisher bet him $50 that he couldn’t write a book using only 50 words. And thus, Green Eggs and Ham was written using just these 50 words: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you.
Julie Clopper / Shutterstock.com
Seuss’s biographer, Brian Jay Jones, told The Current, “He ends up putting maps up on the wall of his vocabulary words, and he has flow charts—it’s a math problem from him part of the time. So it’s no wonder that the ultimate plot of this book is about convincing someone to do something they didn’t really want to do. Seuss had a really hard time with this book.”
Decades later, this classic story recently celebrated its 60th anniversary in August 2020.
Dr. Seuss was the first recorded person to use the word “nerd.”
The first-ever recorded use of the word “nerd” is written in Dr. Seuss’s If I Ran the Zoo, published in 1950.
And then, just to show them, I’ll sail to Ka-troo
And bring back an It-kutch, a Preep and a Proo,
A Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker, too!
According to Merriam-Webster, the following year Newsweek came out with an article about the latest slang, including the word “nerd.” It wasn’t until the ’60s that the term took off and became used more frequently in text. If it is true that the word originated from the brain of Seuss, Merriam-Webster surely made sense of its depicted context clues:
“Its connotation of “squareness” may have arisen partly from the Nerd’s decidedly uncool appearance in Dr. Seuss’s illustration—not to mention, the juxtaposition of Nerd with Seersucker (seersucker being a rather uncool fabric). On the other hand, it can be argued that Dr. Seuss’s Nerd appears as more of a disapproving grouch than a “drip” or “square,” which, then, leaves us wondering: if it’s not the nonsense coinage Nerd, what inspired the formation and popularization of the slang term? Did the good Doctor really make it up or did it originate before the publication of his book?”
Dr. Seuss based many of his book illustrations on his whimsical taxidermy creations.
When Dr. Seuss was still just Theodor Geisel, he created a series of figures that he called “.” He made imaginative creatures that looked as though they’ve seemingly jumped right out of one of his iconic books. He used real horns, beaks, and antlers from deceased animals to create these whimsical figures.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Art of Dr. Seuss (@artofdrseuss) on Jan 30, 2020 at 11:59am PST
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ivonne ⭐️ (@ivystar18) on May 28, 2020 at 4:39pm PDT
Dr. Seuss pretended to have a daughter.
Unfortunately, Seuss’s first wife, Helen, was unable to have children. But, that didn’t stop the couple from raving about the achievements of their imaginary daughter, Chrysanthemum-Pearl, whom they apparently shared custody over. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Chrysanthemum was a part of their shared inner life and helped mask their anguish of not being able to have kids.
Besides discussing the accomplishments of his invented child, he included her name on their Christmas cards and dedicated his 1938 book, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins to “Chrysanthemum-Pearl, aged 89 months, going on 90.”
Dr. Seuss was a real-life Cat in the Hat.
For over 60 years of his lifetime, Seuss collected hats from all around the world and kept them tucked away in a closet in his La Jolla home. Not only was collecting hats a hobby of his, but it also was a rather peculiar remedy for his writer’s block.
When he started writing children’s books, he’d often invite his editor in chief, Michael Frith from Random House, over to his house. The two would work all through the night. Whenever they’d get stuck, according to Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel by Judith and Neil Morgan, “Seuss would open a secret door to a closet filled with hundreds of hats. Then, he and Frith would each pick a different hat, perhaps a fez, or a sombrero, or maybe an authentic Baroque Czech helmet or a plastic toy Viking helmet with horns. They’d sit on the floor and stare at each other in these until the right words came to them.”
James Kirkikis / Shutterstock.com
Besides wearing the hats as inspiration for writing, he would also wear them at dinner parties where it was tradition for guests to wear them as well.
Dr. Seuss had a license plate that read GRINCH.
In an interview with Redbook, Seuss admitted he was his own inspiration for writing the Grinch character. They quoted him saying, “I was brushing my teeth on the morning of the 26th of last December when I noticed a very Grinch-ish countenance in the mirror. It was Seuss! So, I wrote about my sour friend, the Grinch, to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that obviously I’d lost.”
Seuss was also responsible for writing the original lyrics for the animated special, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” When the Whos down in Whoville sing on Christmas morning, after having their presents and decorations stolen, “Fahoo fores dahoo dores,” those iconic song lyrics were all just random, senseless words and noises that Seuss totally made up.
In his earlier years, Dr. Seuss’s most creative projects were prohibited by his advertising contracts.
Ever wonder how Seuss started writing children’s books? While he was under contract for his early advertising jobs, his creative outlets were restricted, leaving only children’s books an option. He became even more dedicated to creating basic level books for early readers after finding an article about how American children were having some trouble learning to read.
Before books, he made a living as an ad agency illustrator. Some of his clients included Ford, GE, and NBC, in addition to older brands such as Standard Oil, Flit, and Schaefer Beer. The illustrations in these ads are similar to those in his books, which is a bit strange to see since his target audiences for the ads were adults, while his books were obviously the contrary.
Seuss once attempted publishing a book for adults.
In 1939, Seuss wrote The Seven Lady Godivas, a story about seven medieval sisters who never wore clothes. And, keeping with the theme, he illustrated them fully naked throughout the entire book. Originally, 10,000 copies were printed but only 2,500 were bought, making this attempt a total failure.
According to The Atlantic, he said “I attempted to draw the sexiest babes I could, but they came out looking absurd.” His New York Times obituary quotes him once saying, “I’d rather write for kids. They’re more appreciative; adults are obsolete children and the hell with them.”
The last book Seuss published before passing was Oh, the Places You’ll Go! which is typically given to graduating seniors, successful young adults, or those on the cusp of achieving greatness in life. So maybe, after all, he did author some variation of an “adult book.”
Oh, the places he still goes!
Seuss is ranked number 6 on Forbes’ Top-Earning Deceased Celebrities list, bringing in $19 million from October 2018 to October 2019. According to Forbes: “Licensing deals with Hallmark, Universal Studios, and others add to the publishing empire that moved more than 5 million books stateside over the past 12 months.”
In 2010, Life Books added Seuss to its list of 100 people who changed the world. From three-year-olds to 103-year-olds, Dr. Seuss is still enjoyed today by readers of all ages. From his Mulberry Street to animated films to Seussical the Musical–there’s no stage too big for Seuss and his iconic characters.
By Michela Pantano, contributor for Ripleys.com
THE STRANGEST STORIES OF THE YEAR
Now that you’ve read the strangest stories of the week, how about the strangest stories of the year? Ripley’s all-new annual is an all-true collection of incredible facts, unexpected stories, and stunning photography!
October 14, 2020
Edgar Cayce: Tales from the “Sleeping Prophet”
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Few clairvoyants enjoyed the renown of Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), America’s “Sleeping Prophet.” During his lifetime, Cayce gave more than 14,000 documented readings to a wide range of people, including celebrities like Harry Houdini, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, and Marilyn Monroe. These readings covered a wide variety of topics, including personal matters and health conditions. He also foretold events, from Atlantis’s rediscovery to the outbreak of World War II.
Yet, he earned his most famous moniker, the “Sleeping Prophet,” because of his purported ability to fall asleep atop books, awakening with full retention of the facts and illustrations recorded therein. Later, this skill transformed into the ability to diagnose and recommend treatments for illnesses while in a trance-like sleeping state. Cayce himself had no formal medical training.
Here’s what we know about Cayce’s preternatural talents, surprising predictions, and fascinating medical diagnoses.
The “Sleeping Prophet’s” Talents Emerge
Edgar Cayce remains a controversial figure and with good reason. Stories surrounding his early life prove sensational and hard to believe. Yet, they provide the foundational elements for this fascinating turn-of-the-century American figure’s rise to fame. Among his earliest exploits? Playing with the “little folk” and communing with his dead grandfather.
He considered these entities incorporeal, claiming he could look right through them if he focused hard enough. In 1889, 12-year-old Cayce recounted a visit from a winged woman who promised to answer his prayers.
With all of these supernatural beings running around, it’s little wonder Cayce had difficulty concentrating on his school work. The day after he first met the lady with the wings, he received an unsatisfactory report from his teacher about poor spelling. Cayce’s father tested him for spelling, knocking his adolescent son out of his chair in frustration.
At this moment, Cayce recalled hearing the winged lady’s voice. She commanded him to fall asleep a little while so “they” could help him. After pleading with his dad for a quick nap, he placed his head on the spelling book and snoozed. When his father woke Cayce up, he had full recollection of the volume tucked beneath his head. His father was stunned to find his son had every page of the book memorized.
The Rise of a Clairvoyant Legend
Cayce repeated the process with other school books. By 1892, his teacher pronounced him the best student in class. When she questioned him about how he’d turned around his school grades, he mentioned sleeping atop books. Each time he did this, he woke to full recollection of their contents
The legend of the “Sleeping Prophet” was born. Over time, his ability to absorb books during slumber was eclipsed by another talent. His ability to provide people with full medical diagnoses in his sleep.
Acting as a clairvoyant doctor began with self-diagnosis. After getting hit in the spine with a ball during a school game, Cayce acted strangely. His parents put him to bed. To their astonishment, he began talking in his sleep, diagnosing his condition, and describing how to cure it. After following their sleeping son’s instructions, Cayce received healing.
A Cayce Reading
Soon, newspapers billed Cayce as the “illiterate man [who] becomes a doctor when hypnotized.” They described how Cayce, whom they described as a “psychic diagnostician,” would take off his coat, collar, and tie before reclining. He would then close his eyes and sigh deeply. Moments later, his eyes would open, filled with a dreamy quality as if in a trance, and he would start reciting diagnoses, cures, and even predictions.
During his lifetime, he gave more than 14,000 readings covering a wide range of topics. According to his biographer Thomas Sugrue, “There are hundreds of people throughout the United States who will testify, at the drop of a hat, to the accuracy of his diagnoses and the efficacy of his suggestions for treatment.”
Whether these testimonies amounted to much more than anecdotal evidence remains up for debate. But Cayce’s health recommendations from the 1920s and ’30s do hold up to today’s standards. for leading a long and healthy life included getting a good night’s sleep, cooking with olive oil, exercising, and drinking plenty of water.
Prophetic Revelations from Cayce
Besides his penchant for sleep-talking medical diagnoses, Cayce also made fascinating prophecies. While some appear to have proven accurate, others remain up for interpretation. Among those predictions attributed to him are foretelling the stock market crash of 1929 on two separate occasions, the first in February 1925 and then six months before the event in March 1929.
In 1935, he predicted how World War II would unfold, describing an unprecedented alliance between the Germans, Austrians, and Japanese. It’s worth noting that this alliance would not come to light until the Tripartite Pact’s signing on September 27, 1940. Cayce also predicted, “the whole world will be set on fire by the militaristic groups.”
Other strange foretellings from the “Sleeping Prophet” include the use of blood as a diagnostic tool, the discovery of the La Niña and El Niño effects, and the convergence of communications companies in a cooperative and structured manner. He also spoke at length about the Dead Sea Scrolls and the people who created them, the Essenes. Yet, the Dead Sea Scrolls weren’t discovered until 1947, two years after Cayce’s death. And it would take many more years before details about the lives of the Essenes would begin to emerge.
Cayce also discussed the lost city of Atlantis, predicting its rediscovery near Bimini in 1968 or 1969. In 1968, archaeologists discovered an underwater rock formation off the coast of the Bahamian island of North Bimini. The formation sits 18 feet below the surface. Some hypothesize it marks the submerged city’s entrance. Although debate still rages about whether the Bimini Road is naturally occurring or human-made, its discovery lends additional credence to America’s favorite clairvoyant.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
THE STRANGEST STORIES OF THE YEAR
Now that you’ve read the strangest stories of the week, how about the strangest stories of the year? Ripley’s all-new annual is an all-true collection of incredible facts, unexpected stories, and stunning photography!
October 13, 2020
October 12, 2020
October 11, 2020
Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog
- Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s profile
- 52 followers
