Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 301
December 14, 2018
Letter To Santa Found After 120 Years
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[December 9-15th, 2018] A diamond ring found in the sewers, festive pothole, and spirit of Christmas past.
Have A Heart
A Southwest flight bound for Austin, Texas, from Seattle, Washington, had to turn around mid-flight after some very important cargo was left on the plane. The captain announced that a human heart meant for transplant in Seattle had been left aboard. With only a few hours of viability left, it had to be returned immediately. Passengers were horrified by the negligence but admitted that not turning back would have been heartless.
Diamond In The Rough
Paula Stanton was heartbroken when she accidentally flushed her diamond ring down the toilet nine years ago. She’d done so by accident while cleaning. Though she never thought she’d see it again, the ring actually didn’t travel very far. That’s what caused a city worker to find it while doing sewer maintenance outside her home. She had mentioned it to Ted Gogol—the city worker—a few years prior, a story he remembered when he spotted something shining in the filth.
Festive Freeway
Reaching their wit’s end waiting for transportation officials to fill a pothole on their local street, residents of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, decided to fill the void with some holiday spirit. Believe it or not, the pothole was big enough to fit a Christmas tree inside, so that’s just what an anonymous resident did. After spotting the fully-decorated tree, workers quickly covered the hole and announced plans to fix it soon.
Left To Chance
In a stunning demonstration that every single vote counts, Moxie, Arkansas, city council candidate Cliff Farmer needed just one more vote to secure victory. Sadly, the council-man-to-be himself skipped voting for himself in the election. In the end, the race was tied, and according to city law was then decided by a roll of dice, which Farmer lost to his opponent Becky Linebaugh.
120-Year-Old Letter To Santa
Workers at a Canterbury thrift store were surprised to find a story of Christmas past hidden inside a donated book. The letter was dated December of 1898 and was addressed to Santa Claus. The note’s author—then five-year-old Marjorie—asks for toy ducks and chickens, a canvas stocking, piece of ribbon, and a ball for her cat, Kittykins.
Advice On How To Live Over 100 From One Of The Oldest People On Our Planet: Art Janssen
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Something in the Santa Rosa WaterRobert Ripley was born in Santa Rosa, California, in 1890. He was equal parts explorer, reporter, artist, and collector—a seeker of the strange who challenged America to believe the unbelievable. But today, 100 years after “Believe It or Not!” became a household phrase, there is another Santa Rosa native who is truly unbelievable—109-year-old Art Janssen.
At 109, Art is vivacious, with a sharp memory. He has served as mayor, served our country at war and serves up quite a bit of laughs when recounting his younger years. Art likes to say he intends to live to 132 and can’t wait for his San Francisco Giants to start spring training in February.
But how does one live a long life? Watch this week’s episode of Cool Stuff Strange Things above for the inside scoop from Art!
Beyond over the Hill
Art is one of the oldest people on our planet. Nearly all of the oldest people on Earth are female, with the world’s most senior being nearly 116 years from Japan. America’s oldest man, a fellow WWII veteran, only has a few years on Art at 112.
Believe it or not, Jeanne Calment of Arles, France, lived to be 122 years old—achieving the longest lifespan in history. Born in 1875, a year before Alexander Graham Bell even made the first successful telephone call. Calment attributes her long life to a healthy appetite—two pounds of chocolate a week!
Bonus BION! Britain’s two oldest men in 2018—Alf Smith, from Perthshire, Scotland, and Robert Weighton, from Hampshire, England—both celebrated their 110th birthday on March 29, having been born on the same day in 1908.
Show me the Receipts, Rip!
In one of his most disputed cartoons, Robert Ripley asserted that Li Yung of China was the oldest man who had ever lived, dying at the age of 254. He was said to outlive 38 wives and was a great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather—that’s 11 greats!
This dubious 1944 cartoon panel immediately sparked thousands of letters demanding proof. Do you believe it?
Cheers to Stranger Years
As Ripley’s Believe It or Not! celebrates its 100th year anniversary, we hope to meet many other inspiring individuals, like Art, who exemplify that age is simply a number, from 103-year-old marathon runner Ida Keeling, who is still running circles around her competition, to 85-year old hockey goalie Bill Parsley and Miss Kittie, who at 70 has no intention on handing up her BMX helmet!
Make sure to catch Art and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. The parade premiers on the CW December 14th at 8pm/7pm CT.
Know of anyone else defying the odds of age? Let us know at www.ripleys.com/submit-bions/!
Source: Advice On How To Live Over 100 From One Of The Oldest People On Our Planet: Art Janssen
The Strange But True History Of Robert Ripley
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Born LeRoy Robert Ripley in Santa Rosa, California, the small-town boy who would eventually be called the Modern-Day Marco Polo cultivated a curiosity for the weird and wonderful from a young age. Enchanted by California’s Chinese communities, and honing his skill at illustrations, Ripley made the move to the big city drawing sports cartoons for the New York Globe.
Though a talented sports reporter, Ripley found himself without a new sports story one winter day. Instead, he compiled the most interesting and unbelievable sports feats he had come across in all his years. On December 19, 1918, the first Believe It or Not! cartoon—and the beginnings of Ripley’s entertainments empire—were born.
In just a few short years, Ripley’s cartoon and “Believe It or Not!” catchphrase took the world by storm. Not satisfied with the quaint curiosities he found at home, he set out abroad writing a travel journal of his around-the-world expedition in 1922.
By 1929, people weren’t satisfied with just a cartoon in their daily newspaper, so Ripley published his first book. Simply titled Believe It or Not!, this tradition lives on to this day—with titles published every year!
The 1930s proved to be Ripley’s most exciting years yet. He began a long and illustrious radio career, broadcasting believe-it-or-nots straight into people’s homes. He traveled the world, telling folks about his weird and interesting discoveries from remote islands and then-unknown cities. In 1933, he joined in at the World’s Fair, opening the very first Odditorium—a place where people could marvel at the artifacts Ripley had collected, as well as people with amazing and unbelievable talents.
Voted the most popular man in America, Ripley made successful forays into television and film while continuing to show people how unbelievable the world they all lived in was.
Sadly, Robert Ripley died on May 27, 1949, after suffering a heart attack while on the set of his television show. His impact is still felt throughout the world today. Just one year after his death, the first permanent Odditorium was opened in St. Augustine, Florida. Today, over 100 attractions are spread across the world for families to explore the odd.
In 1980, Jack Palance once again brought the world of Believe It or Not! into peoples homes with a television show, and so did Dean Cain in 2000. Now, 100 years later, Ripley’s cartoon has been published daily and is the longest-running cartoon in history. With attractions, books, television shows, and the strange stories on Ripleys.com, Robert Ripley’s affection for things beyond belief remain strong today and into the future!
You can travel like Robert Ripley by entering Ripley’s 12 Weirds of Christmas contest. Enter every day for a chance to win more prizes. If you win one day, you also win all of the prizes from previous days!
Start off strong with a 100-Year Merch Pack! It includes an adorable hoodie-clad bear, commemorative enamel pin, a pen containing the cartoon that started it all, and a collectible holiday ornament! Better yet, you’re always entered for the grand prize, a trip for two to the VIP New Year’s Party at Times Square in New York City!
Good luck, and may your holidays be EERIE and bright!
December 13, 2018
Is Xmas A Secular Way To Say Christmas?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Or Not
In today’s world many misconceptions have been perpetuated—becoming modern day “facts”—when, in reality, myths and hearsay have taken over. Sorry to burst your bubble, but in this weekly column, Ripley’s puts those delusions to the test, turning your world upside down, because you can’t always…Believe It!
Today
: “Xmas” is not a politically correct version of Christmas.
It’s December. Imagine you’re sitting down to write a few quick greeting cards before dashing out the door to do some last-minute holiday shopping. You scribble “Merry Xmas!” in the cards and hop to. Unfortunately, some people might find this rude or even anti-religious.
According to Dictionary.com, this shortened version of the word Christmas is often considered offensive, usually by Christians who believe the mention of Jesus Christ is being scrubbed out of the holiday. These individuals feel the holiday has already become too secular and that calling it Xmas instead of writing out or saying the full word Christmas is just another attempt to remove Christ from this special day.
The truth is Xmas isn’t a secular, disrespectful way to say Christmas. In fact, the X itself stands for Christ and has been used as a way to shorten the word Christmas since at least the year 1021.
X = Chi
The X in Xmas actually stands for the Greek letter X or chi. Chi is the first letter in the word Christ when written in Greek: Χριστός. So, the truth is Christ really hasn’t been removed from the term when it is shortened to Xmas. Instead, this is simply a form of reverent shorthand.
The chi ro shows up in Christian imagery around the world./Fabio Pozzebom/ABr
Still don’t believe? Consider the fact that a scribe from the 11th century is regarded as the first person to have written the abbreviation, at the time being XPmas (the P standing for rho, the second letter in the word Christ when written in Greek). The scribe was probably trying to conserve parchment, which was expensive, and over time, XPmas was simply shortened to Xmas.
Before that, Constantine the Great, who was Emperor of Rome during the early 4th century, created a military banner using XP to symbolize belief in and connection to Christ. Even now, you might still see the XP symbol in churches or carved onto religious statues. Furthermore, the word Christmas itself is also an abbreviation for the term Christ’s mass. Kind of takes the steam out of the whole irreverent argument, huh?
Grammatical Reverence
But let’s put religion aside for a moment and ask ourselves: is it even grammatically correct to use the term Xmas? Well, different disagree, but many are instead focused on the other common grammatical issues associated with the holiday, such as adding an unnecessary possessive to one’s last name or capitalizing merry in the phrase “Wishing you a merry Christmas.”
All in all, you’re probably covered, both grammatically and religiously, if you choose to use the term Xmas rather than writing out Christmas. Some people might get offended, sure, but now you know the full story. Therefore, why risk the hand cramp?
Putting the X Back in Xmas
In general, there is nothing sacrilegious about using the term Xmas, even though some people find fault with it. If someone you know does, it might be a good idea to gift them with a Greek language book as their present for this year’s holiday.
By Julia Tilford, contributor for Ripleys.com
Singapore’s 15-Story Car Vending Machine
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Dreaming of the matchbox cars he had as a child, Gary Hong, the manager of Autobahn Motors made a car vending machine to remind him of the many boyhood hours he spent imaging he was driving his dream car. He now owns the 15-story car vending machine in Singapore.
The structure is filled with Ferraris, Bentleys, and other high-end cars. With 60 to choose from in total, customers use a touch-screen display on the street to choose vehicle they want. Then, a complex array of platforms and gears delivers it to them on the ground in just a couple of minutes. Though the brightly lit cars dominating the skyline give them a unique appeal, Hong says the design also helps him deal with limited real estate in the busy city.
From conga-dancing dogs and bicycling ballerinas, to hair-raising feats of strength and death-defying motorcycle stunts, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! A Century of Strange! is sure to delight readers of all ages. With over 1,200 weird-but-true stories from around the world and 256 pages of wild and wonderful photography, this year’s collection of all things odd is not-to-be-missed.
Don’t miss out on being an ODDthority on everything strange, get your copy on Amazon today!
December 12, 2018
December 11, 2018
Quack Medical Shock Machine From 1899
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Believe It or Not!, in the early 1900s, it was popularly believed that small doses of electricity could cure many ailments, from rheumatism to baldness. Shock machines, like this one, were often bought by ailing persons so they could administer their own treatment without calling for the local doctor.
To “take the medicine,” handles were placed on the ailing part of the body, then the patient’s body was used as a conductor as electric current passed between the probes. Prominent at a time when electricity was hard to come by, these shock machines usually generated their own, or came with a battery. Existing far before the AA battery was standard, devices like the Sibley Voltamp came with a custom battery. Models with generators included a handle that would be cranked to stimulate current.
The tempting nature of these devices to sick and ailing people remained strong for some time, however. With easy to use instructions, a treatment they could feel, and grandiose promises of a cure, people in desperate need of medical attention were often bereft of skepticism and easily hoodwinked into anything that promised relief. One of the ways medical officials were able to destroy such machines, was by finding that they did not have an appropriate level of instruction on the use of the device, and could thus receive a court decree to destroy it. Quacks, however, were quickly able to combat this by ensuring the instructions were printed right on the machine.
Despite their popularity, shock machines eventually fell out of favor as regulators made them harder to make, and people finally started listening to real doctors. The mild shocks produced by the machine itself were harmless, but—as with any quack device—the real damage resulted in illnesses going without treatment. When a woman in Chicago refused breast cancer surgery in favor of using a shock machine, the device responsible was brought to court. Despite being defended by an education director and chiropractor, the court eventually found the manufacturer at fault, issuing the maximum fine of $1,000.
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