Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 469
July 22, 2016
Bardsey Island Features 20,000 Graves and Four Residents
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Bardsey Island, off the coast of Ireland, has no paved roads, indoor toilets, or an electric grid, but it does have 20,000 graves and only four year-round residents.
It’s the British version of Colma, CA
The island was once a religious hub of Britain
Locals say that if you dig anywhere on the island, you’ll hit a body
It was once thought that those who have died on the island would never go to hell
While Bardsey Island was once a hub of religious and political activity, now it is home to more sheep and seals than humans
by David Medcalf via Wikimedia
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.
Source: Bardsey Island Features 20,000 Graves and Four Residents
July 21, 2016
Scientists Believe Human Beings Nearly Went Extinct
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
With roughly 7.4 billion people on earth today, it might be hard to believe that human beings were once an endangered species.
Scientists estimate that 1.2 million years ago, only 18,500 early humans were breeding
Evidence of this small population size was initially noticed because of the lack of genetic variation in humans
In comparison, when the chimpanzee population hit a low in 2010, they still had a population size of 21,000
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.
People are Quitting Their Jobs to Pokémon Go
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Pokémon Go is the only thing anyone is talking about these days. Whether you find it as addicting as others, or you want nothing to do with it, the game is everywhere. My friends had a loud argument about this game for over an hour last week. Passions are high, and people can’t get enough of the little pocket monsters. But how far is too far? While we here at Ripley’s do not condone people walking off cliffs to catch a Pokémon, we can’t help but appreciate Tom Currie quitting his job to travel and play the game.
Tom Currie
Tom is 24 years old, and before his Pokemon adventure, he was working as a barista and bartender at a restaurant. Like most people, he felt the need for an adventure and wanted to shake things up. Unlike most people, he did something about it.
I called my boss, handed in my resignation and set off to travel around New Zealand catching Pokémon.
And now, he’s taking roughly two months to travel around New Zealand via the InterCity bus line.
Via Tom Currie’s Facebook page
He’s already changed his job title on his Facebook page to Pokémon Trainer. He’s well on his way to catching each of the 150 pocket monsters available. My only question is what will he do when the makers of the game inevitably release an update with even more Pokémon?
Not Alone
If you fall more into the anti-Pokémon crowd, then quitting your job to go travel and play a game might sound a bit off. But for others who have fallen into the Pokémania, it’s perfectly normal. In fact, it’s starting to become so commonplace that Tom isn’t the only person to have done it.
Syed Muktasid had a stable job as a graphic designer before he decided to give it up and Pokémon Go all over the place.
Syed is cataloging his travels on Facebook and his YouTube channel.
With at least two people already in the news for having left work to play the wildly popular game, the question remains, how many more people might join them in the future? People have tweeted us to say they’re planning on quitting their jobs, and we’ve got an official stance on that point.
We only endorse this if you have a nest egg to cover expenses. Please #PokemonGO and #RipleysGO responsibly. https://t.co/a4tPdPw515
— Believe It or Not! (@Ripleys) July 17, 2016
We reached out to Tom Currie on Facebook to extend an offer to him to drop by our Surfer’s Paradise location and see if he couldn’t catch something rare. Sadly, he said he didn’t think he could make it that far, but if you’re anywhere nearby one of our locations, remember to stop by and try to catch ’em all. We’re still running a contest where the rarest Pokémon caught in one of our ODDitoriums can win $5,000, and once a day we’re randomly giving away $100.
We hope that Tom and Syed are having fun and staying as safe as possible on their journeys. Everyone make sure you Pokémon Go responsibly!
July 20, 2016
The Moon Experiences Regular Moonquakes
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Studying data collected in the 70’s, scientists discovered that the moon has regular moonquakes.
Between 1969 and 1972, Apollo astronauts placed seismometers on the moon
Scientists discovered there are four different types of moonquakes
Deep quakes are caused by tides and happen about 700 km below the surface
Vibrations from the impact of meteorites
Thermal quakes are caused by the expansion of crust when it first reaches the sun after two weeks of lunar night
And shallow quakes that happen 20-30 km below the surface
The quakes can register up to a 5.5 on the Richter scale and last longer than 10 minutes
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.
The World’s Underwater Space Graveyard
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Have you ever wondered what happens when a spacecraft launched into space shuts down and begins falling toward Earth? They don’t just drop randomly; otherwise, the thousands of satellites, landing modules, experimental spacecraft, and space stations would be coating us with debris every week.
The rocket scientists at NASA, however, have long thought about the problem of re-entering spacecraft and have a designated space graveyard.
Just like space, the depths of the spacecraft cemetery are too deep for sunlight to reach making their final resting place dark and cold, much like their former homes in space
Where is it?
Located 2,500 miles off the coast of New Zealand, the spacecraft graveyard lies in what’s officially called the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area (SPOUA).
SPOUA has been designated as entirely void of human life; it contains no islands and very few shipping lanes. Scientists determined it is the least likely place for an incoming spacecraft to harm a human being.
Within the SPOUA also lies Point Nemo, the exact place on Earth that is farthest from any land mass. Point Nemo is not only the home of Jules Verne’s enigmatic Captain Nemo but also H.P. Lovecraft’s sunken city.
Point Nemo
At the Bottom
We sent a lot of stuff into space during the Cold War, and a lot has come back down. Among the 263 space vessels crashed between 1971 and 2016, a few notable crashes stand out.
The biggest is Russia’s 15-ton Mir space station that was deorbited by the Russian space program. Mir isn’t the only Russian space station in the graveyard. Three Salyut military space stations also sit at the bottom. These secret Russian satellites were once disguised as research vessels but were eventually uncovered to be testing facilities for experimental space weapons.
Nemo and Cthulhu aren’t all that keeps the downed spacecraft company, however. Fleets totaling nearly 200 robotic supply ships have also been sunk in the SPOUA. The ships originated mostly from Russia and used to refuel and resupply space stations.
Damage sustained by the Mir Space Station before reentry
Other Space Graveyards
The Pacific isn’t the only resting place for old and broken down spacecraft; various space agencies also use what’s called a “Graveyard Orbit.” They push the objects far away from Earth where they won’t interfere with currently used satellites.
Not every spacecraft is decommissioned on purpose. Many satellites and experimental spacecraft have simply burned up in the atmosphere (don’t assume all this space junk makes it to the graveyard whole) but sometimes pieces make it all the way through the atmosphere and crash on land.
The following object, for example, is a fuel cell from a Russian satellite. Because it was made almost entirely from titanium, it survived a 3000°F fall into Australia and is now on display in our London odditorium.
Russian satellite fuel cell
The Amazing Nest of the Sociable Weaver
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
The Sociable Weaver Bird of South Africa builds one of the largest and most complicated nests of any bird, and they often house up to 300 birds at a time.
Sociable Weavers build their nests in trees or on electric poles strong enough to hold them
They’re one of only a few types of bird that build compound community nests
Many birds of different generations will live there
Because of the nest’s size, they have a kind of natural climate control
The central chambers retain heat for nighttime roosting, while the outer rooms maintain a temp of 7-8° C (46.4° F)
By Mike Peel via Wikimedia
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.
Billy Burke’s Amazing Toothpick Carnival
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Great art can be found even in the most unlikeliest of places. In the case of Billy Burke’s breathtaking toothpick carnival, the unlikely place was a prison basement.
William Jennings-Bryan Burke was born in 1909, but he was better known as Billy Burke in later years. He was a very active and restless child. His nature got him in trouble as a teenager and young adult. This trouble would follow him into adulthood and eventually land him in Folsom Prison on May 19, 1928.
For a lot of people, going to prison would be the low point of the story, but for Billy Burke, that’s where his story really takes off.
While doing his time, Billy’s restless nature would peak up again. On the one hand, it led to a number of different escape attempts. Some of them were even successful. But on the other hand, Billy’s time in prison resulted in him finding a new hobby: woodworking.
At first, he took up whittling and carried a small knife to carve things out of blocks of wood. When he saw a small toothpick model of the Eiffel Tower on a bottle of glue, Billy was hooked and knew what his new passion should be.
Photo credit: www.toothpickcarnival.com
Toothpick Carnival
As a child growing up in Southern California, Burke was in love with carnivals. He’d spend his days at carnivals and amusement parks so that his parents would have to go and drag him home at the end of the day to make sure he didn’t miss supper.
This love never left him, and when he decided to start making toothpick models, carnivals made the most sense.
Burke’s toothpick Carnival is truly a marvel to behold. Complete with bathrooms, concession stands, roller coasters, Ferris wheel, and even little people, everywhere you look there’s something new to see.
Photo credit: www.toothpickcarnival.com
Recognizing his talent, the warden at Folsom gave Burke permission to work on his carnival in the prison basement. He even collected toothpicks to give to Burke in spite of the fact that they were considered contraband.
In a move that was surely unprecedented at the time, the warden would bring guests into the prison to view Burke’s creation. He charged them admission for the opportunity, and would then give all of the proceeds to Burke.
Photo credit: www.toothpickcarnival.com
When he got out of prison, Burke continued building toothpick carnivals and would take them around to actual amusement parks. He never charged any extra money to view them, but when he was done, he’d sometimes have the carnival purchase his creation so that he could afford the fare home.
Burke was clearly a man who did what he loved because he loved to do it and for no other reason. And because of his passion and his exceptional talent, his creations will live on for an eternity.
Photo credit: www.toothpickcarnival.com
Photo credit: www.toothpickcarnival.com
Photo credit: www.toothpickcarnival.com
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