Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 394
August 20, 2017
August 19, 2017
August 18, 2017
Locals Have Been Tending to the Uffington White Horse for 3,000 Years!
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Dotted across the English countryside is a number of stark white horses carved into the sides of hills. They measure hundreds of feet long and are best viewable from overhead. The oldest of these white mares is the Uffington White Horse.
Dated 3,000-years-old by archaeologists, the Uffington Horse is believed to be the stallion that started this trend. The Celts clearly used it as a landmark, and crude depictions of it even show up on Iron Age coins.
The origin of the Uffington Horse is entirely lost to time, though other chalk carvings—like the Cern Abbas Giant—have been related to fertility or some other religious idol. Researchers aren’t even sure the Uffington carving was even meant to represent a horse. Some theorize it could be a saber-toothed tiger or a deer.
What puzzles scientists even more is why people would make something almost impossible to view without some sort of aerial transportation. The horse is so iconic from the air that, believe it or not, it had to be covered up during World War II to keep German fighter pilots from using it as a navigation aid.
Seventeen similar horses have survived to modern times, but many more are known to have existed. It became fashionable for wealthy landowners in the 18th and early 19th century to carve their own versions of chalk horses into hillsides on their land. Lost figures have either been overgrown or worn away due to lack of upkeep.
18th century Westbury White Horse. CC Chris Downer
Chalk carvings like the Uffington Horse require constant upkeep to keep grass from overtaking it, or the chalk from fading away. What makes the Uffington White Horse’s 3,000-year lifespan unbelievable, is that people have kept it up all this time.
The United Kingdom’s National Trust has taken over protection of the horse and uses volunteers to help re-chalk the horse a few times a year.
Sheep grazing near the chalk. CC Ethan Doyle
Source: Locals Have Been Tending to the Uffington White Horse for 3,000 Years!
The Mysterious and Window-Rattling Windsor Hum
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Across the river from Detroit is the Ontario town of Windsor. Ever since 2011, residents of this peaceful city have begun noticing a low rumbling sound, and they say it’s getting louder.
Mike Provost, a “Windsor Hum Tracker,” has a series of recorders set up in his back yard—each facing a different cardinal direction. He records night and day, refreshing them every 24 to 48 hours, hunting the cause of this window-shaking, wall rattling hum.
“Hard pulsing/pounding going since 3:45 pm yesterday, Sunday, it is now 10:08 am. West Windsor, Hillcrest and Chappell area.” -Hum entry by Mike Provost
What Does It Sound Like?
Reports of the Windsor Hum have described it as everything from bassy Barry White Music to the sound of Star Trek’s Enterprise going warp speed.
The low, pulsating sound mimics the noise of an engine idling, with varying intensity. The sound grew so loud in 2012, that 22,000 people called in to voice their concerns about the hum. Residents worry it may be affecting their health, or undermining the integrity of their homes.
Many people blame the hum for nausea, headaches and anxiety.
Conspiracy Theories
Ideas about the sound’s origin range from U.F.O.s to secret underground tunneling. A 1,500-member Facebook group was even started to find the source of the hum, and a PH.D. thesis was written trying to translate the mysterious tone into music.
As concern mounted, the Canadian government finally commissioned an investigation of the hum. The team wasn’t able to nail down the exact cause of the sound, but they identified a likely culprit.
“It’s like chasing a ghost.” -Conlin Novak, the team’s lead researcher
They think the hum originated from a U.S. Steel mill across the Detroit River from Windsor. Zug Island is a steel manufacturing plant that’s been described as the “Area 51” of Detroit.
Access to the plant is restricted, and the entire compound is under Homeland Security protection. While the island’s blast furnaces are audible from the river, no one has been allowed in the plant to investigate.
Zug Island, CC Tara via Flickr
Despite being audible from 7.5 miles away from Zug Island, the company has stonewalled the Canadian government’s inquiries to investigate.
As the sound continues to drone on, with no end in sight, people in Windsor have started to feel the noise all the time, sometimes questioning whether they’re making it up some of the time or not.
Other Hums
Windsor isn’t the only place plagued by mysterious and loud “hums.” Persistent low frequencies have been recorded in Auckland, New Zealand, and across the United Kingdom and Europe. Three deaths in the U.K. have even been linked to anxiety over an unexplained “hum.”
Cognitive behavioral experts have suggested using counter-frequency therapy to help people perceive the sound as soothing rather than stressful in order to deal with these mysterious sounds.
August 17, 2017
75 Years Later, a Missing Swiss Couple Is Found
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Believe it or not, a couple that wandered into the icy Alps 75 years ago has recently been found.
On August 15, 1942, shoemaker Marcelin Dumoulin and his wife Francine, a teacher, went for a trek on the Tsanfleuron Glacier to feed their cattle. Today, the glacier reaches 8,580 feet above sea level and its terrain is just as rugged and cold. It was this frozen mountain that took their lives, leaving behind seven children, only to be found once almost all of those children had already passed away.
Found After 75 Years
A ski resort worker found the bodies of Marcelin and Francine near a ski lift for Les Diablerets Resort. Locked in an embrace, their belongings and skin were well preserved by the cold. Police were easily able to date the bodies thanks to their World War II era clothing, but it required further DNA testing to prove they were indeed the parents of Marceline Udry-Dumoulin and her 6 siblings.
As glaciers melt, finds like this have become more common in the Alps. The melting ice even revealed a book carried by the Swiss couple.
Police also uncovered a frozen pocket watch.
Among other belongings found, this World War II era glass bottle.
Funeral
After 75 years of searching for their parents, and two weeks awaiting confirmation from DNA test results, the Swiss couple’s remaining children were finally able to hold a funeral for their mom and dad. Many of the Dumoulin’s grandchildren were also in attendance.
August 16, 2017
How To Cheat the Total Eclipse Time Limit
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
If you haven’t heard, a total solar eclipse will be visible from North America on August 21st. Ripley’s Gatlinburg and Myrtle Beach locations fall along the path of totality, meaning they will be some of the most optimal places to view the eclipse.
While eclipses happen fairly often, the United States won’t see another total solar eclipse until 2024—a long time to wait for an event that lasts only a few minutes! The longest predicted viewing period for the moon’s transit in front of the sun this time is just two minutes and 40 seconds.
Cheating the Time Limit
According to mathematical astronomy, the longest total solar eclipse can be viewed from the ground is a little over 7 minutes. One eclipse chaser wanted more.
Donald Liebenberg is a veteran eclipse-chaser, part of a subculture that travels around the world to follow and view eclipses whenever visible. Having seen 26 eclipses in his lifetime, you’d think he might be bored by now, but David attests that each and every eclipse is special—one journey in particular was truly unbelievable…
In June of 1973, an eclipse was scheduled to pass over North Africa. THis time, David and a team of astronomers found a way to view the eclipse for an unprecedented 74 minutes! That’s over 10 times longer than science, theoretically, will allow!
The team enlisted the help of France’s prototype Concorde jet program to fly at supersonic speeds, following the total eclipse as it moved over the earth. Special holes had to be cut into the top of the jet for observation. Everything had to work perfectly—they only had one chance to get it right. Cruising at an altitude of 60,000 feet and traveling over twice the speed of sound, the mission was a success, and the whole crew walked away with the ability to say they had seen an eclipse longer than anyone else in the world!
Eclipse Science
Because eclipses happen only every several years, and—when they do happen—it is only for a few moments, scientists and eclipse enthusiasts scramble to make the most of these rare and awe-inspiring events. Greatly important to scientific study, the ability to see the sun’s wispy atmosphere, known as the corona, combined with a rare opportunity to observe stars during the day, has been a pivotal part in proving many scientific theories.
Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity even relies on his voyage to view an eclipse in the jungles of Brazil in 1919!
Beyond Science
Eclipses aren’t just for scientists. Modern eclipse viewers have described the eclipse with an almost primordial reverence. Something about the sky going black and the disturbance of the steadfast sun drives not just people to look up in awe, or even break out in hoots and hollers, but also is accompanied by a stillness in the animal kingdom, as birds return to their nests, and mammals grow confused at the early nightfall.
This blotting out of the sun was seen as dangerous and a terrible omen by many ancient cultures. Chinese folklore tells the tale of a dog someday eating the sun, spurring the tradition to beat pots and pans at the sky and firing cannons to “scare the dog off” during eclipses. Many other cultures mirror this mythology with other creatures thought to be consuming the sun during an eclipse.
The Mystical dog, Tiangou, being driven away by an archer.
Monday’s Eclipse
Remember, you can your eclipse viewing experience extra special by visiting a Ripley’s Gatlinburg or Myrtle Beach locations. Both locations will be offering a FREE pair of glasses for viewing the eclipse with each ticket purchase and will be offering limited edition shirts to commemorate the event. If you can’t make it, stay tuned to our Snapchat where we’ll be providing LIVE coverage of the solar eclipse!
August 15, 2017
SHATTER YOUR SENSES: YOU WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES…
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Filled with remarkable photos and shocking stories, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses! is the newest book in the bestselling series from Ripley Publishing—so incredible you won’t believe your eyes…or ears…or nose!
With over 1,500 all new—and all true—stories to immerse yourself in, Shatter Your Senses! is not just an acquired taste. With sections like Animals, Pop Culture, People, and Beyond Belief, there is something interesting for every reader—guaranteed to inform, entertain, and inspire.
The dress Marilyn Monroe wore is now the world’s most expensive dress purchased at auction, and it has a new home with Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Learn all about the dress in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses!
First Look
Take a sneak peek before Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses! hits shelves August 29th:
SEE the world’s most expensive dress ever sold at auction, worn by starlet Marilyn Monroe and covered in over 6,000 rhinestones!
TASTE the freaky foods featured—from starfish skewers on the streets of Beijing to Australia’s witchetty grub!
FEEL the heat as you read about Taiwan’s traditional fire fishing!
SMELL the fresh air—which is sold to tourists in Guangdong Province, China, by the bag!
HEAR the crowds roar as performers like AcroBritt, Short E. Dangerously, Captain and Maybelle, and Hammer Head take the stage in Ripley’s Exclusive interviews, showcasing their unbelievable talents!
What is this mysterious pattern on the ocean floor? Find out in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses!
Sensing You Want More?
Visit the blog weekly for a feature from the 2018 annual, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses! and follow us on social media for a chance to win a copy, among other unbelievable prizes!
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses! hits shelves August 29th!
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