Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 423
March 11, 2017
March 10, 2017
March 9, 2017
Food Carvings by Japanese Artist Gaku
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Japanese artist Gaku has mastered the art of food carvings.
Though we are fairly familiar with America’s fruit-carving traditions, the exquisitely detailed and geometric shapes Gaku carves take the practice to another level.
March 8, 2017
Quaker Guns: the Pacifist’s Cannon
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
During the Revolutionary Wat, Colonel William Washington had managed to push British forces to retreat. Low on soldiers and artillery himself, he was unsure how to finally corner the Loyalists and force a surrender.
While the British barricaded themselves in a barn, Washington had his troops secretly dress a log to look like a cannon.
Pointing it at the door with wry determination he shouted, “Come out, or I’ll fire!”
After a few tense moments, the bluff worked, and British commander Banastre Tarleton surrendered.
The day was won, and not a shot had to be fired. The quaker gun soon became a favorite military trick.
March 7, 2017
Rhea the Featherless Bird – AKA Naked Birdie
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Rhea, the featherless bird, is an adopted lovebird with Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD). The disease attacks the bird’s hair follicles, causing their feathers to fall off and keeps them from growing back.
It wasn’t until two years after Rhea was born that she lost all of her feathers.
Ever the animal enthusiast, Isabella Eisenmann adopted Rhea without a second thought.
“I just knew this was meant to be.”
It was love at first sight for the lovebird, and the two are inseparable.
The Naked Birdie
Isabella keeps the world up to date with Rhea’s antics, running both a Facebook and Instagram page. Isabella has even made some Rhea merchandise.
There you can see Rhea modeling all kinds of sweaters and outfits that keep her warm in the absence of her feathers.
In addition to the sweaters, Isabella keeps her apartment at 75˚ F and has Rhea’s cage equipped with heaters.
The naked bird keeps herself moisturized by preening, but cannot fly without her feathers.
Instead, she hops and jumps to get around.
PBFD
There is no treatment or cure for the disease, but Rhea makes regular trips to the vet. All the love and attention she has received, however, has much improved her quality of life. She even laid eggs!
Rhea doesn’t seem to be bothered by her PBFD, and is enjoying life in her new home.
March 6, 2017
Secret Nazi Base “Treasure Hunter” Found in Arctic
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In late 2016, a group of Russian explorers stumbled upon a secret relic of Word War II. The secret base Schatzgräber—“Treasure Hunter”—is located in the remote wastes of the Arctic, just 620 miles from the North Pole.
Publicly, it was a weather monitoring station, but, during the war, it also served as a waypoint for German U-boats.
Hitler ordered the base’s construction in 1943, but no one had proof the base existed. For decades it was thought to be nothing more than a wartime myth.
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Treasure Hunter
Some researchers speculate the Nazis were using the station’s sophisticated meteorological equipment to research the locations of Nordic artifacts to be used in Nazi propaganda.
The base was abandoned when Russian teams arrived, and only empty munitions, fuel canisters, and documents were found (no Thor’s Hammer).
The Nazis abandoned the base after eating tainted polar bear meat that infected them with roundworm. Unable to continue their work, they were retrieved via U-boat and taken back to Germany.
Though no one is exactly sure what transpired within the confines of this hidden base, a group of preserved paper documents was recovered from the site, but no information on their contents has been made available.
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