Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 476
June 27, 2016
June 26, 2016
June 25, 2016
June 24, 2016
Operation Acoustic Kitty was a CAT-astrophe
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In the 60s, the CIA tried to use cats to spy on the Kremlin and Soviet embassies. The operation was called Project Acoustic Kitty.
In an hour-long procedure, a vet implanted a microphone into a cat’s ear, and a radio transmitter in its skull
A wire was weaved through the cat’s hair
They tried to train the cat to then go and sit by whoever they wanted to record
The cat wasn’t very interested in doing as it was told
The plan was scraped and resulted in a $20 million loss
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.
Ray Ewry Beat Polio to Become Olympic Gold Medalist
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Ray Ewry contracted Polio as a child and was confined to a wheelchair. It was thought that he might become paralyzed, but he went on to become one of the most successful Olympians ever.
He overcame his illness with his own exercise routine
He went on to attend Purdue university and became captain of their track and field team
We won 8 Olympic gold medals in the standing high jump and long jump competitions
His 8 gold medals made him the most successful Olympian until Michael Phelps beat him
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.
Unboxing Puppy Portraits Made of Real Dog Hair!
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In This Episode
Remember a couple of week ago when we tangled you up in the creepy custom of human hair wreaths and shed some light on modern day hair art? We shaved the best for last—Fido’s follicles.
Today: Dog Hair Portraits
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Depending on how big the project is, Jean’s art can require the hair from just one groom or, as in the case of her sculptures, several!
Jean Ford of Orlando, FL is a commercial artist and professional dog groomer. Marrying these skills, she has created a truly unique and bizarre kind of portraiture. Using the shaved hair from her own pet pups, Jean creates dog hair portraits and even three-dimensional sculptures!
Scrubbed, Shaved and Saved
First, Jean washes and grooms the dog and places the cut hair in a plastic bag. Once she finds the perfect reference photo of the pup, one that show its personality, she sketches it onto the canvas and paints the background. Then, very small bundles of hair, sometimes barely as wide as a finger, are glued down and trimmed.
Who wore it best? To see Jean’s work in person, visit Ripley’s Orlando, Amsterdam, Jeju Island, or Myrtle Beach Odditoriums!
More Canine Creations
Victoria Pettigrew also hated the thought of simply throwing her dog’s hair away. Instead, she decided to spin her pet’s trimmings into yarn!
When her beloved 16-year-old Lhasa Apso dog, Karly, died in 2001, she spun her fur and knitted it into a small scarf. Now customers send hair from their dogs and cats to her company—VIP Fibers of Denton, Texas—and she spins it into yarn before sending it back to them as maybe a pair of mittens, a scarf, a blanket, a pillow, or, for the more daring, a fun-fur bikini.
Dog fur is up to 80 percent warmer than sheep’s wool, but has to be thoroughly cleaned so that when the yarn gets wet, it does not smell like a wet dog.
First the hair is washed in shampoo, then it is put through a process that removes the enzymes that cause odor, and finally it is soaked in softener and conditioner.
Victoria also spins yarn from alpacas, rabbits, horses, and even hamsters, although it may need several years’ fur collection to create a hamster blanket!
Victoria spinning with only the finest material, 100% pure “canine cashmere”!
How much fur does it take to make a sweater?
How much fur does it take to make a sweater? The general rule of thumb is 2.5 pounds of raw fiber for a basic, large sweater. However, Victoria does not recommend making an entire sweater from 100 percent “canine cashmere,” as dog hair is up to 80 percent warmer than wool. A sweater constructed completely from dog hair would simply be too warm to wear!
In the 19th Century, Currency Printed on Walrus Skin was Legal
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
From 1816 to 1867 Alaskan parchment scrip was a currency printed on walrus skin and accepted at certain places in Alaska.
The Russian Colonization of the Americas lasted from 1732 to 1867
The Russian Empire laid claim to Northern Pacific Coast territories in the Americas
In 1816, the Russian-American Company was given a monopoly over the Alaskan colonies
The RAC issued currency, and it was the only currency they would accept at their stores
The currency was first printed on thick card stock, then parchment, then walrus skin
The walrus skin notes lasted longer in the harsh Alaskan climate
Mini BION Extras
The name “walrus” means – whale horse
Walrus tusks sometimes weigh as much as 20 pounds
The walrus has a skull so thick it can butt through 6 inches of ice
A walrus in its natural habitat eats while standing on its head
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: In the 19th Century, Currency Printed on Walrus Skin was Legal
Take the Plunge in the Devil’s Swimming Pool
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Perched on top of Africa’s Victoria Falls is the Devil’s Swimming Pool, a natural, hair-raising infinity pool just inches from the 360-foot drop.
The Devil’s Swimming Pool is only safe during dry months (Sept-Jan) when the river’s water level is low
It is possible to walk along the lip of the falls
You can jump into the pool and then the current pushes you to the edge
You can sit on the low rock wall and look over the edge of the falls
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.
June 23, 2016
Another Update From Stein Shows the bad and the good
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Hi to my Ripley’s followers on my 40th day! Warm, humid, overcast, just had a rain shower, but sun trying to get through and charge my batteries. Life here has challenges in addition to rowing 10-12 hours daily. The salt and humidity, rolling and sprays affect the electronics especially. I spend a lot of time taking things apart, cleaning or replacing contacts. My satellite phone is a victim from my main knock-down on 9th June. I had another small one 19th June and enough water got in to make a real mess of my mattress and bedding. In spite of me having one hand on the hatch handle! It happens so fast, I could not tell from the noise of wave until bang, splash! So more mattress had to be cut off and discarded. The hand-held VHF two-way radio is water-proof, but the base to charge it is not, so now that is malfunctioning. I have, from some canvas, made a curtain in front of the area of main switches and panels. That seems to work well!
But there are good, easier days, too. Yesterday was one super one, I have just reported it on Facebook. 13th June was also a highlight when yacht “Rozinante II” with skipper Bjørn Jordan visited! He is sailing from New York back to Norway. A meeting like that out at sea is very rare and became a bit emotional. He is an old friend responsible for a similar, almost unbelievable encounter in 1997 when I was rowing to Barbados with my friend Arvid! We chatted on the VHF, in fact we were sometimes just shouting to each other, his crew filmed and photographed. As I did. So hope they put some out on Fb when he gets to the Azores shorty. Less than 200 nm before I cross the Grand Banks SE Newfoundland. Looks unavoidable with its infamous fog and fishing boats. About 2070 nm to my finish, total straight distance is about 2900 nm, so I am getting there, slowly!
Source: Another Update From Stein Shows the bad and the good
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