Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 430
January 28, 2017
January 27, 2017
January 26, 2017
Ear Earrings and Ring-Finger Finger Rings
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
The hottest fashion of 2017? Ear earrings. Definitely. These earrings are exact silicon replicas of artist Nadja Buttendorf’s actual ears.
She’s also made the ears in numerous shades of skin tone so that anyone can go for four ears, though we think mismatching might be fun too.
The Finger Ring
Hexadactylism is a soft spot here at Ripley’s so we’re excited to find a way for anyone to enjoy the six-fingered lifestyle.
This finger is another replica of Buttendorf’s own left ring-finger.
MINI BION
“BIONs” – short for Believe It or Not – is the word we use at Ripley’s to refer to anything that is unbelievable and worthy to become part of Ripley’s lore and collection.
January 25, 2017
Ketchup Was Once Used as Medicine
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ketchup was used as medicine
In 1834, Dr. John Cooke Bennet added tomatoes to ketchup. Previously, ketchup had been a concoction of fish or mushrooms.
The addition of tomatoes meant it added a a plethora of vitamins and antioxidants to the sauce.
He claimed his recipe could cure:
Diarrhea
Indigestion
Jaundice
Rheumatism
He had pill salesman, Archibald Miles, make his sauce into extract of tomato pills.
The Ketchup Wars
Once Dr. Bennet’s pills hit the market, brigades of copycats began selling their own tomato-based pills.
Unfortunately, some of these copycats simply sold laxatives with no trace of tomatoes. They also made wild claims that their pills could cure everything from scurvy to mend bones.
Due to the false claims, the ketchup medicine empire collapsed in 1839.
January 24, 2017
Mont Saint Michel: The Fortress on the Sea
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
The castle of Mont Saint Michel sits off the French coast of Normandy. It has stood as a bastion against invaders and as a holy destination for pilgrims for over 1000 years.
Entirely surrounded by water at high tide with only a small land bridge appearing during low tide, the castle’s natural fortifications have kept it safe from numerous military assaults.
Even if an army attacked at high tide, they had only one path to the castle, which was well fortified and could easily last until the high tide returned. As the water rose, the attacking forces would be cut off from supplies, reinforcements, and retreat as they drowned.
Abbey, Fortress, & Prison
The Mont thrived as an abbey, being mostly lead by church appointed leaders.
During the 1800s it was converted from a fortress into a prison, the same geographical features that kept intruders out, also helped keep prisoners in.
The surrounding salt marshes also made perfect land for grazing sheep, giving them a saltier taste than more continental mutton. Today the Mont is better known for its 143-year-old omelet restaurant where the price of one omelet starts at $80.
Inspiring
The Castle has also inspired numerous fictional castles including Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings, the lost City of New Londo in Dark Souls, and appears in the Assassin’s Creed games.
January 23, 2017
Licki Brush Is a Weird Way to Harass Your Cat
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Licki brush allows you, as a pet owner and theoretical member of human society, to lick your cat.
Just in case you were tired of all the furballs you got licking your cat without a prosthetic tongue, PDX Pet Design has engineered the finest tool in the cat licking industry.
Licking is Believing
While you might find this gadget immediately revolting, the company claims there are many benefits to licking your cat.
“Cats groom each other as a form of social bonding,” they explain. By licking your cat, you are not just bonding with your pet, but also soothing yourself in a process they describe as meditative.
Bond With Your Cat, Like a Cat
Now, before you completely eschew the practicality of the Licki Brush, we’re sure it’s a good tool at preventing furballs – if you are someone who already licks their cat.
MINI BION
“BIONs” – short for Believe It or Not – is the word we use at Ripley’s to refer to anything that is unbelievable and worthy to become part of Ripley’s lore and collection.
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