Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 315
October 3, 2018
Smokejumpers: The People Who Skydive Into Wildfires
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Many people think skydiving is already crazy enough, but for another brand of thrillseeker, they have to up the ante and skydive into the remote wilderness—which is also on fire. This might be one of the most extreme stunts in the world, but it’s just another day on the job for a smokejumper.
Smokejumpers have a relatively simple job description. They jump out of airplanes, and into wildfires. Their task on the ground is anything but easy, however. They must lug hundreds of pounds of firefighting equipment through a smoldering landscape to try and put out remote fires.
The practice began in 1937. A fire in Wyoming had burned for two days before anybody had even noticed. The unchecked fire eventually exploded into a firestorm, killing 15 firefighters, and injuring 38 more. There was no way for heavy vehicles and equipment to reach the blaze before it was wildly out of control. That’s when wildlife officials got the idea to drop forestry workers out of airplanes into these remote regions to contain fires before they became unmanageable.
Since then, smokejumpers have been trained and equipped to hit blazes using minimal gear in the most dangerously isolated places. The jump itself can mean landing with injuries in a place where medivac can take days. One firefighter was impaled by a tree during a jump, leaving his crew another emergency to deal with. Once on the ground, the physical challenge is demanding, as everything—including water has to be carried in. The plane drops gear and supplies, but a smokejumper can still face miles of hiking wearing packs in excess of 130 pounds.
These firefighters are trained to use brush tactics to fight blazes. They can’t afford to haul in enough water to put a fire out directly. Instead, they create fire breaks and down trees to stop the fire from spreading. This work is hard and dangerous. The smokejumpers have to dig trenches and fell trees. Once the fire burns itself out, they gather their gear and hike to an extraction point where they can be picked up.
October 2, 2018
Mysterious Origins Of The Ekoi Skin Mask
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
The inhabitants of southeast Nigeria and western Cameroon—largely known as the Ekoi for their shared spoken language—carved intricate wooden masks that they covered in strips of skin.
These masks could tower a few feet tall and weigh a few dozen pounds. Small masks were common and worn on the face for rituals and protection, but larger ones were either worn as headdresses or carried on long poles as a type of totem. Skin marks could have multiple faces and horn-like protrusions representing hair. The mask shown here has three faces and 12 horns in total, making it one of the most intricate masks created.
Though a skin mask could take almost any form, they were always covered in skin. Though animal skin was commonly used, some masks have been found to be covered in human skin. The horns of the mask are wrapped in thin strips, while single pieces were stretched over the faces.
The origins of this tradition are veiled in mystery, though members of the elusive Leopard Cult are thought to have begun the unique practice. The Leopard Cult was a secret society active in the 17th-century. Its members were known for wearing leopard skins, and renowned as fierce warriors and sometimes ferocious slave traders.
Though Leopard Cult rituals remain shrouded in mystery, it is known that they held ceremonies for killing fierce animals. Rumors have even circulated about them conducting ritual killings, with some suggesting them as the source for human skin masks.
Despite the original intentions of the Leopard Cult, the Ekoi quickly made skin masks their own. The intricate totems were traded across Africa. Shamans would carry the masks to preside over rituals, believing they protected them from the forces of evil spirits.
October 1, 2018
The Real-Life Caped Crusader Of Jackson, Michigan
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Villains anywhere near Michigan beware: Captain Jackson is out here, and he’s ready for battle.
This middle-aged man, decked out in a cape and cowl, has been fighting crime alongside local law enforcement for decades. Some think he’s a real hero. Others? Well, they think he’s a bit looney.
But Captain Jackson, whose sidekick is his daughter CrimeFighter Girl, says he’s been sanctioned by local police to help report crime and promote the city. He’s been featured in a French photo project on real-life superheroes, and on the nationally-syndicated talk show “Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers.”
Ripley’s sat down with him to discuss his origin, what he’s been able to do and how the public has reacted to him.
RIPLEY’S: Tell me a little about your history, and why you decided to help your local law enforcement? How long have you been doing this?
CAPT. JACKSON: I began this on Nov. 11, 1999, by calling into a local radio station, almost as a joke, and proclaiming myself to be Captain Jackson, Crimefighter, and that I came to Jackson to help rid the community of crime. To my surprise, over the next few days other people began to call in asking about me. Having grown up in the Detroit area where there were “beat cops,” those who would get to know their neighborhoods, and Jackson having none, I had the idea of Neighborhood Watch-type patrolling.
RIPLEY’S: How have the local folks responded to your participation? Specifically, the law enforcement officials and the local population as well?
CAPT. JACKSON: From the beginning, and to my surprise, the majority of the people I met were very positive about my intentions. Even the local police gave me encouragement almost from the beginning. Even to this day, if I see a crime and report it to 911, they seem to give my calls priority.
RIPLEY’S: How did you come up with the idea for the costume?
CAPT. JACKSON: First of all, it’s a UNIFORM, and it really wasn’t my idea. My idea was to dress like a typical 1940’s detective like Sam Spade. However, people continued to call into the local radio show, and many assumed that with a name like Captain Jackson I must wear a cape, cowl, and mask, so I gave them what they wanted. And while my first uniform looked ridiculous, I was greeted with positive enthusiasm from the public. It wasn’t long before my 9-year-old daughter, Crimefighter Girl, joined. A year and a half later, out of the blue at a major downtown event, The Queen of Hearts (in full uniform herself) approached me and asked to join our cause, and hence The Crimefighter Corp was born.
RIPLEY’S: What do you do for your day job?
CAPT. JACKSON: Yes I have a day job, but we don’t talk about that. While I have no idea how many people know my true identity, whenever I’m on patrol I’m only addressed as “Captain Jackson,” probably out of respect for what we have done for the community.
RIPLEY’S: What is a typical couple of hours like for Captain Jackson?
CAPT. JACKSON: It varies. I still work all the large events such as monthly car shows and occasionally do my regular patrols (checking doors, doing bar checks, etc.)
RIPLEY’S: Lastly, what has been your biggest adventure or contribution since you’ve been doing this?
CAPT. JACKSON: As far as “adventure,” like a regular police officer, the job usually consists of mostly boredom. Oh, I’ve run into my share of petty criminals, nuts, drunks weirdos, etc., but anymore that is few and far between. As far as contributions, that would be working with the local citizens, business owners and police to turn the downtown loop area (at the time I started it was the center of the “hood”) into the most crime-free district in the city (according to police chief Ervin Portis in a public statement made in late 2004). Since then, just our presence on the streets seems to remind bad guys that downtown is not the area to commit criminal activities.
In an essay written in 2004, Captain Jackson described his role like this:
“As I tell people, this is a very DANGEROUS job. We deal with the same SCUM that the police do, and our lives are at risk every time we are on the street. Regardless, the community does depend on us, both for protection as well as PR.”
“Believe me, I didn’t ask for this job,” he continued. “It’s just something that happened to me one day. Five years ago I just wanted to make a difference. I wanted to bridge the ever-growing gap I saw between the police and the citizenry.
“And am I really a ‘Super Hero?’ By definition, yes,” he wrote. “Do I enjoy this title? No. I’ve always preferred ‘Independent Crime Fighter.’ Regardless, myself and my two sidekicks Crimefighter Girl and The Queen of Hearts have become known as Jackson, Michigan’s true Super Heroes. But in reality, it’s the local citizens, and police we work with every day that deserve such a title.”
By Ryan Clark, contributor for Ripleys.com
September 30, 2018
The Half House Of Toronto Is Still Standing
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In a town with intriguingly built structures like the Cube House, the Elephant House, and the Doll House, it could be said that nothing is as odd as the appropriately-named Half House.
Built sometime in the late 19th century, a Victorian-era row house was constructed on St. Patrick Street in the middle of Toronto. The house was one of six identical and connected homes on what was then called Dummer Street, and they were numbered like this: 52 1/2, 54, 54 1/2, 56, 58, and 60.
It seemed as if the planners were predicting the future. Because when the rest of the buildings were torn down, only one remained: 54 ½—which really just looks like half of a building anyway.
Built between 1890 and 1893, the street was originally blighted with poverty. But over the next five decades, developers bought up most of the structures and the roads were given new names. Owners complained of the aggressive tactics used to obtain the properties, as one told the local newspaper he had received as many as 300 requests in a year.
Little by little, each of the houses were demolished as owners gave in and sold. But one owner—the Valkos family at 54 ½ St. Patrick—never did.
So, when the time came, developers tore down the surrounding (and connected) properties, which meant they literally sliced and diced, disconnecting the 54 ½ property from the rest, giving it a look like one whole house had been cut in two.
And it was all a very dangerous undertaking. Because of load-bearing walls dividing the neighbors’ bedrooms, it was said that just one miscalculation on the part of the demo team could have resulted in the destruction of the Half House as well.
It also wasn’t a perfect job. The owners at the time—Emily Brown, daughter of the Valkoses, and her husband—wrote letters to city officials complaining that rain would seep into their homes due to the demolition. There were also arguments over the insulation, as well as the finish on the outside of their home.
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But when it was all said and done, only one structure remained—theirs.
By 1975, The Village by the Grange Housing Project opened just next to the Half House, giving it another odd appearance—a half of a house next to a full housing project. And that’s the way it has stayed for decades.
Emily Brown eventually moved into a nursing home in 2012, and she sold the property to Albert Zikovitz, who worked in an adjacent office building. Brown passed away last year at the age of 82. Neighbors said the Browns were well-known and liked throughout the neighborhood.
Today, the building is still privately owned and vacant, still looking like some kind of casualty from a messy divorce. The current assessed value, according to city officials, is $648,000.
City officials confirmed with the local newspaper that demolitions of semi-detached houses can still be carried out today, providing the right permits are issued, walls are repaired and insulated, and basements are waterproofed.
No matter what, it’ll still look like a job that’s half-finished.
By Ryan Clarke, contributor for Ripleys.com
September 29, 2018
September 28, 2018
Rare Two-Headed Copperhead Snake Found In The Wild
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[September 23-29th, 2018] A two-headed snake, very rude seal, and Robert Ripley in sandwich form.
Adrift for 49 Days
A 19-year-old Indonesian man, who spent 49 days adrift at sea, has finally been rescued. The teenager had taken shelter in a fishing hut when a storm broke it off its moorings, sweeping him out to sea. The makeshift wooden hut was his only means of survival for over a month. Reportedly, several ships passed him by, either failing to notice his distress or refusing to help. Finally, a passing ship decided to investigate, bringing him aboard. According to the Indonesian consulate, he is in healthy condition.
Tear-Drinking Moth
Researchers have captured rare footage of a moth sucking the tears from a sleeping bird’s eye. Moths and butterflies are known to seek out sodium and other nutrients in any sources they can find, sopping them up with their proboscises. More commonly found “puddling” on the ground to extract the nutrients from the soil, researchers have occasionally observed them slurping on animal eyeballs.
Seal Slapped Kayaker With Octopus
Fisherman and sailor stories sometimes seem unbelievable, but this lucky (?) kayaker has proof for his. While kayaking in New Zealand, Taiyo Masuda captured video of his friend receiving a surprise smack in the face by a seal with an octopus. They aren’t sure if it was an intentional prank or just an unintended consequence of the seal trying to get a better hold of the wriggling cephalopod.
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