Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 76
July 20, 2022
July 19, 2022
The Universe’s Heartbeat Detected Light-Years Away
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Astronomers in North America have detected a persistent and inexplicable radio signal emitted from a galaxy many light-years away. Unlike other fast radio bursts (FRBs), which exude robust radio wave bursts for little more than a few milliseconds, the new FRB lasts roughly 1,000 times longer!
Moreover, the astronomers who have listened to the phenomenon report that the radio wave bursts follow a clear, periodic pattern repeating every 0.2 seconds. In essence, it sounds an awful lot like the galaxy’s heartbeat.
What else do you need to know about the cosmic version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Heartbeat Song”? Here’s the scoop on this strange pulse and the mysteries surrounding its origins.
A Fascinating Signal With an Underwhelming NameIt’s safe to say this periodic and persistent radio wave has fascinated the astronomical world. But despite the strange nature of its so-called “heartbeat,” scientists have bestowed upon it a less than stellar name: FRB 20191221A. The underwhelming title aside, the mystery around said space noise remains as obscure as a black hole.
The source of the sound lies light-years away in a distant galaxy. Sure, this smacks of the premise of a sci-fi flick. But astronomers don’t know much else. Some scientists have hypothesized it could be the result of a magnetar or radio pulsar. Magnetars and radio pulsars are two different types of neutron stars, meaning they’re composed of rapidly spinning, extremely dense collapsed giant star cores.
A Magnetar, Pulsar on Steroids, or Cosmic Clock?Daniele Michilli of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research explains, “There are not many things in the universe that emit strictly periodic signals. Examples that we know of in our own galaxy are radio pulsars and magnetars, which rotate and produce a beamed emission similar to a lighthouse. And we think this new signal could be a magnetar or pulsar on steroids,” per Fox6 Milwaukee.
Surprisingly, some astronomers even think that FRB 20191221A could be used to create a type of deep space clock. Monitoring the source as it moves away from the Earth and the frequency of bursts could help scientists firm up figures on the rate at which the universe is expanding.
More Than a Million Times BrighterWhile examining the pattern of radio bursts from FRB 20191221A, Michilli and his team noticed similarities between emissions from magnetars and radio pulses in the Milky Way Galaxy. And like the new FRB, those in our neck of the woods pulse as each star rotates. (Magnetars exude extreme magnetic fields, and radio pulsars put off radio waves.)
But that’s where the similarities end. FRB 20191221A looks more than one million times brighter. What’s the reason for this? Nobody knows for sure. But Michilli has ventured a guess, stating the star may have ejected a series of super bright bursts for some unknown reason while typically appearing more like the radio pulsars or magnetars found in our galaxy.
FRBs Remain ElusiveFRBs represent a relatively new area of astronomical study. Astronomers scoped out the first recorded FRB in 2007. Since the initial eureka moment, hundreds of FRBs have been identified, and the vast majority fall into the one-off category. But a rare few repeat. In 2020, astronomers found the first FRB with consistent emanations. Its source was unknown but approximately 500 million light-years away. Oddly enough, it pulsed in four-day episodes, repeating every 16 days.
Only one thing’s for sure, FRBs still have many secrets to give up. Michilli notes, “[We’ve] now detected many FRBs with different properties. We’ve seen some that live inside clouds that are very turbulent, while others look like they’re in clean environments. From the properties of this new signal, we can say that around this source, there’s a cloud of plasma that must be extremely turbulent” (via the McGill Reporter). Scientists hope future monitoring of FRB 20191221A will yield some of its secrets, including a better guesstimate of the “heartbeat’s” source.
By Engrid Barnett, 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!
July 18, 2022
July 17, 2022
July 16, 2022
Up Close & Peculiar With Admiral Motti Collectibles
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Today: Admiral Motti Collectibles
Here at Ripley’s, we’re no strangers to unusual and intriguing artifacts. Today, we are diving into our collection from a galaxy far, far away. In honor of Richard LeParmentier’s birthday, we are taking a look at some collectibles from his iconic role as Admiral Motti! LeParmentier’s role is best remembered as the man that was force choked by Darth Vader and believe it or not, the team at Ripley’s was able to obtain LeParmentier’s original script!
Diving into the original Star Wars script uncovers early ideas that were eventually changed and even annotations made by LeParmentier himself for his role as Admiral Motti! Ripley’s team was also able to obtain a number of iconic photographs with some legendary galactic heroes. Tell us what you think about some of the early Star Wars ideas that were eventually scrapped or modified! We hope you enjoy these rare collectables, straight from the Ripley’s Vault!
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!
July 15, 2022
Florida County Quarantined to Avoid Disease-Spreading Snails
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
A new kind of quarantine is in effect in Pasco County, Florida, as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) acts fast to eradicate an incredibly slow intruder—the Giant African Land Snail, or GALS.
Since first being spotted by a community gardener in New Port Richey in late June, the invasive mollusks have taken over New Port Richey, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Despite putting in a rapid-fire plan to kill the creatures, the FDACS has collected more than 1,300 sticky slugs from 29 out of nearly 500 properties surveyed, with the vast majority still kickin’.
Snailed ItThese GALS aren’t your average slugs; in fact, they’re considered one of the world’s most dangerous! Along with feasting on over 500 different plants, these pests wreak havoc on soil, paint, and stucco; they can also carry a parasite called rat lungworm, which causes meningitis. Fortunately, these big guys measure anywhere from two to eight inches long, making them fairly easy to spot.
Due to the imminent threat of human harm, state officials enacted a quarantine order for Pasco County residents to protect them until the FCADS pest control department could survey the region and devise a plan of attack. The unit quickly began treating the land with bait pesticides, but there’s only so much they can do to prevent the rapid spread of these incredibly fertile snails.
The Giant African land snail.
Snail FailAt only four months old, one single snail can lay thousands of eggs at once. They’re also surprisingly mobile for being so sluggish, clinging to vehicles and trash to migrate long distances. Even when they’re not on the move, they can hunker down in the soil, surviving up to a year in an “inactive” state!
While it’s unclear exactly how the snails made their way to Florida’s west coast, this isn’t the first time the GALS have touched ground in the state. In the 1960s, a religious cult smuggled the species from Africa to Miami to be used as part of a “healing ritual,” in which cult leader Charles Stewart advised his followers to drink the poisonous snails’ mucus, resulting in a lot of violently ill people. Rather than admit fault, Stewart blamed public outcry over the infestation on jealousy from Miami’s resident occult Santeria practitioners.
We Shell OvercomeThe state’s agriculture department is optimistic about its potential to eradicate the snails, with commissioner Nikki Fried saying, “We have done it twice before, and we will do it again — it is not a question of if, but when.”
Considering the most recent eradication was less than a year ago in Miami-Dade County, we’re confident that their team will be able to figure it out, freeing Pasco residents from the threat of meningitis just in time to enjoy the end of summer.
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!Source: Florida County Quarantined to Avoid Disease-Spreading Snails
July 14, 2022
Obscure American Girl Doll Memes Explained
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
We need an American Girl doll who deep dives into every weird story she comes across on the internet. Oh wait, that’s us!
Unless you’ve spent the last months off the grid somewhere in the mountains or the middle of the Sahara, you’ve likely witnessed the rapid resurgence of America’s favorite dolls in the form of memes.
Take a quick look through Instagram and you’ll find several American Girl stan accounts, but none more popular than @hellicity_merriman, the brainchild of 27-year-old digital strategist Barrett Adair and her anonymous sidekick.
Origins of “We Need an American Girl Doll Who…”The duo began posting general AG-themed memes to a niche audience back in February 2022 but recently catapulted into the mainstream with their adaptation of “We need a Disney princess who…”-style memes of years past featuring hot takes on modern politics, commentary on Zellennial culture, outfit report cards, and obscure historical references that didn’t make it into the pages of your favorite doll’s books.
While OG Horse Girl Felicity Merriman gave us a glimpse of American Revolution drama and Kirsten Larsen taught us about pioneer times (and flower crowns), we’d pay big money for an American Girl who danced ’til she dropped during the Dancing Plague of 1518.
Unfortunately, these quirky girlies can’t be found in stores, but their stories can still be told! Grab your doll of choice and hunker down as we go behind the memes into some of the strange happenings American Girl missed out on.
The Great Michigan Pizza Funeral of 1973
Credit: @hellicity_merriman
There’s no use crying over spilled marinara — unless you’re holding a funeral for approximately 30,000 botulinum-filled frozen pizzas.
In January 1973, employees of Ohio’s United Canning noticed their mushroom tins were looking a little bloated. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the swollen cans were contaminated with the botulism-causing bacterium. The FDA implemented a mass recall on all products containing the funky ‘shrooms, including Papa Fabbrini’s Frozen Pizzas.
On March 5, dozens of people, including the company’s owner Mario Fabbrini and then-governor William G. Milliken, gathered at an Ossineke, Michigan, farm to bid farewell to the dearly departed pizza pies as pickup trucks lined up to dump them into an 18-foot grave.
Fortunately for Fabbrini, all was not lost for his American Dream. He served attendees mushroom-free slices after marking the botched batch’s final resting place with a two-toned garland made of red gladioli for his family’s sauce and white carnations for the cheesy goodness.
Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876
Credit: @hellicity_merriman
While stories about fish, frogs, crabs, and other creatures falling from the skies have been noted for millennia, one historic downpour has a bit more meat to its story.
On March 3, 1876, a housewife near Olympia Springs, Kentucky, was spending a sunny day making soap on her farm when enough chunks of meat to “fill a horse wagon” started raining down from the heavens.
There was no question that the event occurred after the woman’s husband, Allen Crouch, maintained that the meat fell around her “like large snowflakes.” Harrison Gill, who visited the next day, noted seeing large, spoiled pieces of flesh covering the property and sticking out of fences.
Despite studies of preserved pieces of flesh from the event and two men of questionable tastes swinging by to sample the fallen meat, its actual source remains unconfirmed to this day.
The best theory running, however, is that rather than an animal self-destructing in the sky, it’s likely that the meat shower resulted from a spooked vulture vomiting up its lunch. Delicious!
Learn more about the meat-eorlogic mystery!
Erfurt Latrine Disaster of 1184
Credit: @hellicity_merriman
Of all the ways to go, we doubt death by excrement is high on anyone’s list.
In July 1184, King Heinrich VI called upon nobles near and far to gather at St. Peter’s Church, located in Erfurt’s Petersburg Citadel (in modern-day Germany), in an effort to solve a land dispute between Ludwig III, the Landgrave of Thuringia, and Conrad of Wittelsbach, Archbishop of Mainz.
While Henry VI was busy assessing the weight of the conflict, he forgot to factor in the strength of the church floors, which collapsed from the mass of body weight and chainmail worn by attendees, plunging 60–100 of Europe’s elite into the latrine below, where they drowned in a pit of monk poop.
History’s biggest potty debacle didn’t flush away Europe’s troubles, though, as the three key players weren’t among those who drowned. They had migrated to another room to debate privately when the infrastructure crumbled.
Winston Churchill Silenced by Suffragette
Credit: @hellicity_merriman
The year was 1908, and 34-year-old Winston Churchill had a lot to say while hitting the campaign trail to regain his seat in Parliament — but Irish suffragette Mary Maloney wasn’t having any of it.
The Women’s Freedom League activist followed Churchill around Dundee, Scotland, for a full week demanding that he apologize for remarks he made against the women’s suffrage movement.
In a true “if you can’t say anything nice” moment, Winny refused to apologize, to which Maloney responded by ringing a large hand bell, drowning him out every time he tried to give a speech.
Churchill ultimately gave up, saying, “If she thinks that is a reasonable argument, she may use it. I don’t care. I bid you good afternoon.”
Pig War of 1859
Credit: @hellicity_merriman
An American, a Brit, and a pig meet up on an island…
In what sounds like the setup for a truly awful joke, the scenario above was actually the beginning of a 13-year-long war with our neighbors to the north. Buckle up, because this one’s a doozy.
In 1846, the U.S. and Britain signed the Oregon Treaty, officially determining the 49th parallel as the U.S./British-American (now Canadian) border between the Rocky Mountains and Pacific coastline. Only one issue remained — the line cut straight through a cluster of islands off the coast of Vancouver, specifically the strategically important San Juan Island, which sat at the mouth of the channel.
The simple solution was mutual sovereignty with people from both countries settling in and living peacefully. That is, until June 15, 1859, when a wandering British-owned pig got a hankering for potatoes and picked the wrong farm to snack from.
American farmer Lyman Cutlar saw the pig destroying his crops and shot it in a fit of rage. When the pig’s owner, Charles Griffin, confronted Cutlar about the murder, it did not go well.
Despite Cutlar offering Griffin $10 for his impulsive decision, Griffin reported Cultar to British authorities. American locals were not impressed and called in the might of the U.S. Military for protection via a petition that landed on openly anti-British general and commander of the Department of Oregon William S. Harney’s desk.
On July 27, 1859, Harney sent 66 men from the U.S. 9th infantry to San Juan.
In response, British Columbia’s governor, James Douglas, sent three British warships to the channel leading to a month-long stand-off during which both sides increased their military presence.
When Admiral Robert L. Baynes, Commander-in-Chief of the British Navy and the Pacific arrived on the scene, Douglas requested for troops to land on the island and engage with the U.S. infantry. A natural voice of reason, Baynes responded that he would not “involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig.”
In the meantime, higher-ups at the nation capitols had gotten wind of the escalating situation and were equally confused over how a single pig could cause such a ruckus. The nations immediately began negotiating, quickly deciding that neither side would have a presence of over 100 men on the island until a more formal agreement could be made, with the British taking the north side of the island and Americans in the south.
That formal agreement took a bit longer than anticipated, and it wasn’t until 1872 that an international commission determined that the island would fall entirely under U.S. control.
These days, both camps can still be found at the San Juan Island National Park, which marks the only U.S. national park where a foreign flag is hoisted as a sign of friendship (and perhaps as a reminder that no pig is worth a war).
Thanks for the Meme-ories
Of course, we couldn’t resist making a couple American Girl doll memes of our own! We think these gals would be right at home next to Samantha Parkington and Kit Kittredge. After all, many of the folks we’ve featured have overcome challenging obstacles in pursuit of their dreams — much like American Girl doll characters.
Let us know which obscure historical references or bizarre facts have shown up in your favorite memes that you’re dying to know more about!
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!Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog
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