Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 210
April 2, 2020
Fact Versus Fiction: Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Paul Revere’s midnight ride remains an iconic event in early American history. According to legend, on the night of April 18, 1775, Revere galloped through the streets of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. As he rode, he loudly proclaimed, “The British are coming! The British are coming!”
Believe It or Not!, there’s a lot about Revere’s midnight ride that later generations have gotten wrong. From what he said to how many riders alerted the countryside and who finished the mission, let’s explore the truth behind the legend.
1775: A Tense Year
By April 1775, Massachusetts was a powder keg awaiting a spark. British soldiers sat stationed in Boston, their numbers steadily increasing since the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
Their objective was twofold. First, to disarm the residents of the Massachusetts colony. Second, to arrest and imprison its leaders, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Hancock and Adams fled to Lexington, where Hancock’s family hid them. Massachusetts patriots realized, however, that it was only a matter of time before their two boldest heroes would get arrested.
They had to act. So, patriots summoned the Bostonian Paul Revere to their aid. Since 1774, Revere had worked as an express rider, carrying news, copies of important documents, and messages for the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. His routes took him as far afield as Philadelphia and New York. As an expert rider and member of the Sons of Liberty, he proved a trustworthy choice for the colonial rebels.
One If By Land, Two If By Sea
Dr. Joseph Warren asked Revere to deliver a message to Hancock and Adams in Lexington when the time was right. He also needed to alert the colonists scattered throughout the countryside of the advance of regular troops (a.k.a. Redcoats) marching from Boston. Warren had received intelligence that British troops intended to arrest Hancock and Adams as well as seize military stores of ammunition, gunpowder, and several cannons in Concord.
To ensure their warning plan went off without a hitch, Revere contacted an unidentified friend (likely, Robert Newman, the sexton of the church) to signal the patriots from the Old North Church tower when the troops started to march. His instructions included an ingenious way to communicate the direction taken by the soldiers. One lantern if they left on land via Boston Neck and two if they rowed across the Charles River to Cambridge.
The Fateful Ride
Although Henry Wadsworth Longfellow chose to immortalize one man in his famous poem, Paul Revere’s Ride (1860), Revere was by no means the only rider that night. He organized fellow members of the Sons of Liberty to head out into the Massachusetts countryside, warning as many people as possible. Riders included Dr. Samuel Prescott and William Dawes.
On the evening of April 18, Revere traveled to the North Church and asked his friend to station two lanterns in the tower, alerting local patriots and riders that troops would arrive by sea. Then, two of Revere’s friends rowed him across the Charles River, slipping past a British warship in the dark.
After ensuring his fellow patriots had seen the double lanterns and informing Colonel Conant of recent events in Boston, Revere headed out on horseback. He borrowed a ride from the local merchant and patriot sympathizer, John Lark.
The Regulars Are Coming!
On the outskirts of Charlestown, Revere had a near-miss with a handful of British officers, forcing him to improvise en route. In Medford, he warned Isaac Hall, captain of the local militia, and all of the town’s residents. Yet, he remained careful not to disturb the Royall Mansion where well-known Loyalists lived. He did, however, speed across the mansion’s grounds undetected.
Arriving in Lexington after midnight, he warned Hancock and Adams with the same words he proclaimed in Medford, “The Regulars are coming!” It would have sounded like gibberish for Revere to refer to these forces as “British.” After all, Revere and his fellow patriots still considered themselves British, too. “regulars” referred to members of the King’s army. The term “American” didn’t come into common parlance until much later. George Washington didn’t even speak the word in his first inaugural or farewell addresses.
Artistic rendering of Paul Revere’s Ride featured in Montgomery’s The Beginner’s American History (1904)
Who Finished the Famous Ride?
William Dawes met up with Revere in Lexington at 12:30 am. After a quick rest, they rode on toward Concord. They still needed to ensure the military stores had been properly dispersed and hidden. Just outside of Lexington, they met up with fellow rider Dr. Samuel Prescott, pressing on together. A short while later, a British patrol intercepted all three riders.
Fortunately, Prescott and Dawes managed to escape, but Revere was held for questioning. Eventually released, he had to surrender his mount to a British sergeant with a tired horse. Revere trudged back to Lexington on foot, arriving in time to witness part of the battle on Lexington Green. In the end, Prescott alerted the militia in Concord.
While Revere never made it to Concord, he and his fellow patriots still managed to achieve their objectives. The critical nature of their mission meant designing a plan that could go off without a hitch, even if one or more of them got captured.
And that’s what happened the night of the midnight ride, providing the spark that would ignite the American Revolution.
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
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April 1, 2020
Court of Mysteries: Cosmological Creation or Bored Brick Mason?
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When we think of 1940’s America we think of World War II and Big Band music, not yoga and Eastern spiritualism—which seem to belong to the “hippie movement” of the 1960s and beyond. Yet in the late 1930s or early 1940s, a Santa Cruz brick mason named Kenneth Kitchen built a red-brick love-letter to Hindu folklore and cosmology. Utilizing symbols from planets to pyramids, stars, obelisks, and inlaid abalone, he constructed an archway called The Gate of Prophecy.
Even empty, The Gate of Prophecy has always held speculation. The exterior supposedly contains hidden symbols, and the triangle on the gate is allegedly said to align with the chimney right before a disaster. Rumor has it that he built the structure only at night by the light of the moon.
Surreal Estate
Just like a ghost, Kitchen abandoned his magnum opus in 1957 and vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. The property changed hands a few times but was effectively abandoned by the 1990s, hosting only teen vandals and other campfire-building temps. The temple at 519 Fair Avenue has been called the Court of Mysteries, the Unorthodox Chapel, and Surreal Estate.
Now, Artina Morton and Douglas Harr call it home…sort of.
CC Mark Nockleby via Flickr
Morton and Harr bought the property in 2016 and have built a home separate from the “Yogi Temple,” as they call it. They’ve been stewarding and restoring this historic landmark, bought one year after looking at it for the first time.
“My husband was very drawn to the property,” Morton says, though it was boarded up on their first visit. They came back a year later when a realtor was able to let them in. Morton had her reservations about the property and the accompanying feeling that was bound to come from this eerie, decades-vacant building.
“If I walk in that building, and there’s weird or negative mojo. I’m not going to be able to sage that away,” she told her husband, “but I would try for you.”
But, any reservations she had tucked away suddenly vanished when the sunshine flooded in through the newly opened doors.
“The minute I saw the inside of the building, I thought, it has this great positive energy to it,” Morton says. “The attention to detail in the architecture on the inside is just inspiring,” and other people “feel really good when they’re on that property.” Morton thinks it might even be a vortex: a place of concentrated spiritual energy. In this case, the energy is on the positive side.
Kismet Connection
Upon further investigation, it turned out there was a personal, spiritual reason Harr was so drawn to the property.
Two weeks after buying, the couple had been given a spiral-bound collection of stories and theories, though no certainties, about why Kitchen built this glorious oddity. One theory was that he had come to help his brother, Raymond, a stonemason, with some construction work in the area where the brothers owned a fair amount of land.
CC Mark Nockleby via Flickr
Unfortunately, the Kitchen brothers didn’t get along. Raymond told Kenneth that he and his anger problem needed to “Go find some peace,” Morton says, so Kenneth did just that. He went to the Self Realization Fellowship Center (SRFC) in Los Angeles and learned teachings of the famous yogi, Yogananda Paramahansa, before returning to Santa Cruz to live in a small shack on his property. He even raised goats to sell dairy products while he built his masterpiece.
The couple realized that Harr was likely so drawn to the property because his own brother had been a monk at the SRFC. “Doug grew up seeing these buildings,” Morton says. “We thought it was a real kismet thing.”
Written in the Stars
There are other stories and theories, of course, that muddle the truth behind this mystery.
One claims that Kitchen was in Turkey during World War I and developed his affinity for Eastern and Occult philosophies then. Another alleges that during World War II he also built a device in his backyard that could stop submarines.
Morton favors the tale about Kitchen studying to be a yogi; the one where he “felt at peace for the first time in his life. You can sense it when you’re on that property.”
The couple’s restoration of this unique space seems to have been as much of a labor of love for them as it was for the original builder. Morton has documented much of the process in a blog called The Red Brick Castle that covers the initial detailed work of restoring a beloved landmark to the unexpected find of antique tiles buried under the temple.
Close-up of the mother of pearl inlaid in the brick./CC Mark Nockleby via Flickr
The temple will be the couple’s creative studio space, but they also look forward to opening it for public events. Morton and Harr are hopeful the Court of Mysteries will be ready for a Haunted Courtyard event this Halloween.
Something tells us the stars will align in their favor.
By Liz Langley, contributor for Ripleys.com
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Source: Court of Mysteries: Cosmological Creation or Bored Brick Mason?
Biosphere 2 The Second Earth Experiment Of The 1990s
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Believing they could create a perfectly sealed vivarium for all the plants, animals, nutrients, and people needed to become self-sustaining, a company called Space Biosphere Ventures built a massive complex, dubbed Biosphere 2. The Earth itself, they asserted, was the first biosphere.
A Human-Sized Terrarium
The structure was meant to be representative of the environments on Earth, and the enclosure was divided into zones that included a desert, marsh, thorn scrub, rainforest, Savannah, and even an ocean. Human occupants were assigned living and an agricultural zone.
Built from steel and glass, the terrarium was tightly sealed, only leaking about 10% over the course of a year. Because the engineers were afraid that the changing temperatures would cause the air inside to burst the glass, a series of “lungs” made from a non-rigid material were added to depressurize during expansion and contraction.
By the time it was built in 1991, Biosphere 2 was ready for its first crew. A team of eight went inside for two years. The experiment set rigid guidelines. Nothing was allowed to breach their isolation. They had only themselves to rely on for survival.
Ecology
Along with the humans were a number of animals, including pygmy goats, chickens, pigs, and tilapia. The ocean zone even had a coral population, which eventually led to many breakthroughs in ocean research.
Despite being well prepared with an overstock of life and advanced technology, the biosphere suffered from food and oxygen shortages constantly. Carbon science wasn’t very sophisticated at the time, and they had a hard time controlling air quality.
Crisis
Group morale took a turn for the worse, too. The group split into factions, with old friends becoming bitter enemies. Despite differing opinions on how the group should proceed, every team member is reported to have developed a keen responsibility for the ecology of the biosphere.
One team member cut her finger preparing food. The doctor on the team attempted to render treatment, but her condition only got worse. For a few short days, she was allowed to leave and receive treatment. Officially, she returned with just a few plastic bags as research supplies, but many guess that she somehow smuggled food in. It was also later revealed that engineers had secretly pumped oxygen into the building, betraying many people’s trust in the experiment.
When the mission ended, a lot of environmental knowledge had been gained, but the mission to prove mankind could survive on other planets in a biosphere had dubious proof at best.
Last Mission
For the second—and final—mission of Biosphere 2, new management was brought in to reign in the costs of the project. Presidential advisor to-be Steve Bannon took over the project. He clashed with many mainstays in the venture. He seemed more intent on studying earth science with the dome, and subjects from the previous mission feared their comrades were in danger. Ex-crewmembers eventually broke into the compound to warn the isolated inhabitants.
After a series of firings and resignations by team members, the company folded and ended the mission prematurely.
Today, Biosphere 2 is owned by the University of Arizona, who conducts earth science research inside. They abandoned the space colony idea, installing systems to pump air into what is now akin to a very large greenhouse.
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Source: Biosphere 2 The Second Earth Experiment Of The 1990s
March 31, 2020
Peer Into the Frozen Forest of Oregon’s Clear Lake
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What lies beneath the surface of the crystal clear waters of the appropriately named Clear Lake of Sisters, Oregon?
Turns out there aren’t very many mysteries. After all, the lake is so clear you can see just about everything. Including its famous underwater forest.
That’s right—sitting just under the 148-acre lake, which is named for its amazing transparency, is an ancient forest, with 80-foot tree trunks once drowned in a flood, now kept petrified by the water’s cold temperatures.
Seeing Clearly
Discovered in 1859 by explorers trying to find a way through the Cascade Mountains, they made their way along an Indian Trail.
“Hiking the Clear Lake Trail is an incredible way to experience this unique Cascade lake,” writes Halvor Tweto of the Outdoor Project. “Leaving from the Clear Lake Resort trailhead, a counter-clockwise walk around the lake provides views of Three-Fingered Jack, the McKenzie River Headwaters, the Sand Mountain Lava Flow that created the lake, the springs that feed the river, and a surreal perfect image of the Three Sisters (volcanic peaks) perfectly framed in the lake’s waist.
Tree (c.3000 years old) submerged in Clear Lake, Linn County, Oregon, USA. The top of the tree is about 12 inches below the water surface./CC Christopher Johnson
“Add to this the constant presence of clear, sapphire water and the ghostly, underwater figures of a forest long submerged, and you’ve found one of the best walks in the Cascade foothills,” he continued.
Brian Carroll, Linn County Parks and Recreation director, told Travel + Leisure that some see it as a spiritual place.
“To me, Clear Lake has a very spiritual effect on people…when you get there it just comes across as magical,” he said.
“You’ve got it all, the mountains are there, the forest is there, and there’s lava; there’s just so many different abnormalities about the area because you’re surrounded by all this volcanic terrain.”
Frozen in Time
Sitting at an altitude of more than 3,000 feet, scientists note that the lake has an area temperature just above freezing year-round. This keeps the underwater world in a nearly frozen state, and some divers take advantage by exploring through the branches.
Surrounded by five miles of trails in the Willamette National Forest, Clear Lake offers cabins and relaxation, campfires, and picnic tables. “(It) is considered one of the best spots for freshwater diving in America,” writes Jen Anderson, of TravelOregon.com.
Courtesy of Iandraz via Flickr. The Petrified Forest at the bottom of Clear Lake.
Which really begs the question: Why wouldn’t you want to check this out?
Just a few hours away from major cities like Portland, Salem, and Bend, you’re pretty much off the grid when you’re in the National Forest, driving down Highway 126. Scuba enthusiasts can jump in the lake and explore the underground forest, and because no motorized boats are allowed on the water, it’s peaceful and calm for those who want to kayak, row, or paddle.
By Ryan Clark, Ripley’s Believe It or Notcast host and contributor for Ripleys.com
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Infiltrating A Secret Society – Ripley’s Notcast Episode 35
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For decades, people have joined the Ordo Templi Orientis society, which incorporates dark magic and sexual rituals into their presentations.
This week, we talk to Marguerite—a magazine writer who snuck into the Ordo Templi Orientis society for a story. It started out innocent enough. Then things got weird.
For more weird news and strange stories, visit our homepage, and be sure to rate and share this episode of the Notcast!
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Source: Infiltrating A Secret Society – Ripley’s Notcast Episode 35
March 30, 2020
Emotional Support Animals Can Be Any Wonderfully Wacky Species
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In 2018, an artist tried to board a plane on a United Flight with her “emotional support peacock” named Dexter. And while she had been told in advance that this elegant bird was not permitted onboard the aircraft, she took the animal to the airport anyway, undoubtedly sparking national attention and thousands of Instagram followers.
For a while, airlines were fairly relaxed about what kind of animals they would let on with passengers as they were mostly dogs. But following this peacock debacle, major airlines petitioned the Department of Transportation to allow more restrictions on what these ESAs were allowed to be, using Dexter as an example of someone abusing the system. Even though Dexter was in fact an ESA certified animal, he was the perfect example of the odd and unusual partners to come in the world of service companions.
And before we get into the less-than-ordinary bunch of critters, it’s important to note that ESAs are not the same as service or therapy animals. Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks, such as seeing-eye dogs. As a result, these furry friends have more rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additionally, service animals can only be dogs and miniature horses, according to the ADA. ESAs, as we will soon learn, have very little species restrictions.
Mark Anten, an ESA certification licenser, had received quite the assortment of requests during his time in this role. Anten says that he has issued about 1,000 letters, mostly to people who have dogs. However, his company has also certified letters for a horse, a serval—a type of medium-sized cat, a fish, and a double yellow-headed Amazon parrot. Of course, wild animals, such as a serval, may require other permits to keep legally, depending on the state you live in.
Aside from permits and certifications, there’s also a danger factor that comes along with some of these animals. In fact, the doorstep of Joie Henney may be one you would keep your distance from. Henney is the proud owner of his ESA, Wally—a 5-foot-long, 60-pound alligator. Henney’s doctor approved Wally as an Emotional Support gator as an alternative to medicine for his depression.
And now that we’ve covered our big bases, we’re taking it tiny to TarantulaHeaven.com. Patricia, a writer for the site, highly recommends tarantulas as ESAs, stating that her Grammostola rosea, Spidey, helps her with ongoing anxiety.
Although ESAs do not undergo any particular training, each is proven to provide genuine benefit for their human counterpart. Bird-owner, Cynthia Zhao, writes that her emotional support pigeon, Miu, gave her the support she needed to deal with depression in college. Miu is, “…calm when I’m not. She’s something to hold and love even when nothing else appears to be working,” Zhao writes. “She exists. Sometimes all I need is for something to exist with me, and she does that constantly and without complaint.”
And if peacocks, gators, and tarantulas weren’t far enough out of your wheelhouse, many other quirky companions have also made the headlines including a kangaroo, a squirrel, and a pig.
The beauty behind owning these animals is that they can, and do, come in all different shapes and sizes and yet never fail to provide people with the emotional support they are looking for. As Anten puts it, licensing ESAs is, “…a love of animals and people, and what animals do for people. Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s not an issue, it’s really these outliers. Nobody says anything about my dog, but everybody thinks about the peacock.”
By Kristin Hugo, contributor for Ripleys.com
Kristin Hugo is a science journalist with writing in National Geographic, Newsweek, and PBS Newshour. She’s especially experienced in covering animals, bones, and anything weird or gross. When not writing, Kristin is spray painting and cleaning bones in her New York City yard. Find her on Twitter at @KristinHugo , Tumblr at @StrangeBiology , and Instagram at @thestrangebiology .
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: Emotional Support Animals Can Be Any Wonderfully Wacky Species
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