Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 73
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The Choker: An Ancient Accessory Worn By Royalty And Prostitutes Alike
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
A staple in the world of fashion, the choker was an absolute must-have for ’90s gals. These bad boys were featured in nearly every opening scene of The Amanda Show, regular costume changes on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and of course, completed every butterfly-clip hairdo worn by Hilary Duff on Lizzie McGuire.
But before becoming the stretchy plastic necklaces you’re familiar with, chokers started as more than a fashion statement. They were symbolic tokens of mockery, healing, protection, and status — that’s right, not just a way to show off your inner Avril Lavigne. Everyone from royalty to prostitutes are said to have rocked the choker trend at one point or another!
Chokers and Ancient EgyptWe’ve seen iterations of the choker as early as the ancient Egyptians. Pharaohs and queens wore the high-class version of this necklace — hammered with gold or strung with pearls and diamonds. But of course, folks of lesser status wanted to join in on the trend and settled for simple red ribbons adorned around their necks. These chokers weren’t just used as an outfit accessory, however. The ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians believed the jewelry had healing powers.
In ancient Egypt, men and women wore elaborate collars and necklaces like these. They were often decorated with floral motifs and protective symbols pic.twitter.com/TKQ3VrfKBl
— British Museum (@britishmuseum) March 3, 2018
Gold was known to symbolize the skin of the sun god, which connected with the life-giving powers of the Nile River. To utilize the healing magic of this material, the Egyptians wore chokers on the parts of their body that needed the most protection: the neck, wrists, and head.
Each emblem worn at this time offered a different protection to the wearer. Authors Bob Brier and Hoyt Hobbs break down some of these amulets in their book, Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians, stating that something like a hippopotamus charm might be worn as a call for protection from the goddess of childbirth.
More Than FashionWhile the ancient Egyptians leaned on chokers for their amuletic ability, women in 1790s England wore theirs as a token of contempt and lack of respect for the French, as well as tribute to those who lost their lives. During the French Revolution, there were an abundance of beheadings, and so to show their disdain for the gruesome ending as well as respect for those who fell victim to the guillotine, red chokers were tied around the necks of women.
Later, chokers pivoted to becoming a staple for queens and royalty of the Renaissance era. It’s said that throughout her life from 1844 to 1925, Alexandra of Denmark was quite the trendsetter with her favorite piece of jewelry — the choker. Said to have been influenced by her many trips to India, she favored the wider chokers that were eventually dubbed as “dog collars.” She preferred the thicker piece of jewelry to cover a scar on her neck from a thyroid surgery. Of course, everyone wanted to look like the Princess, so they created their own iterations adorned with embellishments and jewels.
Alexandra of Denmark in her signature choker. Via Wikimedia Commons.
The strangest part about this era, though, was that not only were royal women rocking a choker, but so were local prostitutes. In the 1860s, there’s evidence through paintings and historical depictions that prostitutes were known for wearing a red ribbon around their neck – an “on-a-budget” choker if you will. It just goes to show: every lady loves a choker!
The Iconic StapleWith the 1920s quickly approaching, chokers made their brief stint in the Art Deco era. Throughout the roaring ’20s they were beaded, pearled, or ribboned — less of that might-actually-choke-you look we know today and more like just a short necklace. Fading in and out of style over the years, chokers certainly hit their stride in the 1990s.
Once the ladies of the ’90s got their hands on this trend, it was game over. Though not elegantly adorned with fancy jewels and gems, the chokers of the Christina Aguilera age had their moment, for sure. From red carpet appearances to television shows to lining the shelves at Spencer’s and Claire’s, there’s not a ’90s gal (or guy) in sight who didn’t have at least one of these plastic bad boys. Even rock stars like Mick Jagger and Davie Bowie experimented with the dog collar look, adding that element of grunge we know and love today.
From their healing powers to their moment of protest to prostitutes and Limited Too, chokers have certainly made their way around the block. Were you a part of their trendsetter circuit? Tell us all about your choker closet staple in the comments below!
By Steph Distasio, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!Source: The Choker: An Ancient Accessory Worn By Royalty And Prostitutes Alike
Cat Food-Inspired Restaurant To Open In New York
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Pizza! Bagels! Cheesecake! Street meat! When it comes to New York City dining, it’s hard to make a bad choice. The food-famous city may be known for its classics, but its latest restaurant plans to become the cat’s meow by featuring a fancier feast inspired by felines!
Good Taste is Easy to RecognizeYou may know Fancy Feast for their famous commercials depicting the gourmet brand as an elite product favored by the upper crust of the cat world. Last week, the company announced it will bring the same feline dining experience to humans for a limited engagement.
The cat’s out of the bag! We’re excited to introduce our pop-up dining experience, Gatto Bianco. Join us and enjoy an exclusive tasting menu for humans inspired by our Medleys recipes. Reservations open August 4th at noon ET! https://t.co/eYlbKQxa2N pic.twitter.com/yQp8Q0ZM6Q
— FancyFeast (@FancyFeast) August 3, 2022
The two-day pop-up, “Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast,” will provide curious cats of the human purr-suasion with an “Italian-style trattoria and culinary experience” inspired by the brand’s original recipes.
Like any New York restaurant opening worth its press, the pop-up intends to have a guest appearance by the fluffy Persian star of the long-running advertisements.
A Five Paw Pop-Up
You rang? pic.twitter.com/qTjb0ZC7JO
— FancyFeast (@FancyFeast) April 1, 2022
The West Village pop-up will be open August 11 and 12 and feature dishes concocted by Fancy Feast’s in-house chef, Amanda Hassner, in collaboration with Cesare Casella, a Michelin Star-winning chef you may recognize from Iron Chef America or Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
Piggybacking off the success of 2021’s Fancy Feast cookbook, Gatto Bianco’s recipes will litter-ally be inspired by the brand’s Medleys line of cat food, which features flavors that admittedly do sound tasty, like turkey florentine, beef ragu, and wild salmon primavera.
There’s no need to line up fur-ever for your chance to see what the fluff is about; the eight-seater pop-up began taking reservations through OpenTable on August 4.
By Meghan Yani, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
August 4, 2022
Immortal Jellyfish: The Secret To Cheating Death?
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
There is a group of very tiny, translucent jellyfish known by the scientific name Turritopsis dohrnii that lives in oceans around the world, and they’ve earned a powerful nickname due to their ability to reverse the aging process. They are considered immortal because when they’re injured, stressed, or experience some type of assault, they have the ability to regress into a polyp stage and then grow again back into an adult jellyfish!
Aging in ReverseTheir transformation is similar to the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in which (spoiler) an elderly Brad Pitt becomes younger and younger until he turns into a baby. This is why the creature is sometimes referred to as the Benjamin Button jellyfish.
Smaller than a pinky fingernail, these jellyfish reabsorb their tentacles and sink to the ocean floor into a cyst-like state when they get sick or damaged, according to London’s Natural History Museum. Within 36 hours, they transform into a polyp before turning back into a jellyfish. This process is known as cellular transdifferentiation. Essentially, the jellyfish create brand-new bodies, and they can recreate this process over and over again, making them “immortal.”
A Looping LifecycleMost people picture jellyfish as floating balloons with tentacles trailing behind them, but that’s their second stage of life. Before turning into the sea creatures we’re familiar with, jellyfish are larvae that attach themselves to rocks and other ocean elements. Then they turn into polyps before becoming baby jellyfish. The ability for Turritopsis dohrnii to decay and then become new jellyfish from the polyp stage is “one of the most amazing discoveries of our time,” scientist and Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Service Director Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin told BBC Earth.
The immortal jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii, can revert to an adolescent phase after reaching maturity, theoretically living forever. pic.twitter.com/sdgppe8KqH
— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) February 12, 2019
Experts believe the species initially lived in the Mediterranean Sea before traveling to other parts of the world via cargo and cruise ships, which pump ballast water in and out during their journeys. These tiny jellyfish likely got caught up in the process, probably experienced some stress along the way, and were able to reverse their life cycles when they reached their new destinations. They are very small and can be hard to see, which may have also helped them spread into various populations around the globe. The good news is that they don’t adversely affect their environments like some invasive species do.
However, their extraordinary ability doesn’t make the little jellies impervious to certain threats, such as fish and turtles who enjoy making them into tasty meals. Sea slugs and crustaceans also prey on them. They cannot escape death entirely.
Luckily for us, these sea creatures potentially have the ability to advance human medicine. Japanese scientist Shin Kubota, who has studied these jellyfish for decades, made a bold claim, telling the New York Times, “Turritopsis application for human beings is the most wonderful dream of mankind.” He added that once the scientific community figures out exactly how the jellyfish are able to age in reverse “we will evolve and become immortal ourselves.”
By Noelle Talmon, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
August 3, 2022
Fantasy Forest Discovered Inside 630-Foot-Deep Sinkhole
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
The word “sinkhole” strikes fear in many — the very thought of the Earth’s land collapsing right below your feet sending a shiver down the spine. However, one recently discovered sinkhole in southern China is less like a nightmare and more like a fairytale.
About 630 feet underground (a little under two football fields deep!), this sinkhole is home to an entire forest, complete with towering 131-foot-tall trees and species previously unknown to science.
To put it in perspective, the average sinkhole runs 11 feet under the Earth’s surface. This forest-filled crater in China was about 57 times that!
A Hole Lot of UnknownThe massive hole was found in May near Ping’e village of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and is one of 30 found in the area! This region’s karst landscape is pretty in nature but also causes breakthroughs in Earth’s foundation, which ultimately results in these enormous sinkholes.
A giant sinkhole with an ancient forest inside found in China
A team of Chinese scientists has discovered a giant new sinkhole with a forest at its bottom. The sinkhole is 630 feet deep, according to the Xinhua news agency. pic.twitter.com/Qlv7dgg0NU
— Archaeology News Online Magazine (@Archaeology_Mag) May 16, 2022
This type of karst land is created from dissolution of bedrock. According to Live Science, lightly acidic rainwater mixes with carbon dioxide as it meets the soil, overflowing bedrock cracks and eventually turning these cracks into tunnels and chasms. These tunnels and chasms then collapse, causing gaping holes in the land.
The Deep-Rooted DetailsUpon discovery of the 630-foot sinkhole, a group of spelunkers lowered down into the empty space. The experts measured that it was approximately 1,000 feet in length and 490 feet in width and found it was far from empty.
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Low and behold, there were three cave entrances and an entire forest full of ancient trees that majestically filled the open air. One of the scientists noted that the undergrowth rooted in the sinkhole floor could reach shoulder-level on a human. Tons of green plants lined the walls.
The Benefits of SinkholesBesides the mystery and beauty (and sometimes horror) of sinkholes, they do serve a greater purpose. Like this one, they can be a sanctuary for biodiversity and life. Karst sinkholes in particular are part of a larger system of aquifers — underground stores of water that provide freshwater too hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, the open nature of sinkholes leaves them susceptible to pollution, especially solid waste.
Here’s hoping this newly discovered sinkhole remains in its beautiful, pristine condition for many years to come, proof that underground forests don’t just exist in fantasy movies, books, and shows.
By Sam McCormack, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON! Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!Source: Fantasy Forest Discovered Inside 630-Foot-Deep Sinkhole
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