Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 491
May 11, 2016
Switzerland’s Unbelievable Pet Ownership Laws
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In Switzerland, it is illegal to own only one guinea pig because they’re social animals prone to loneliness.
Switzerland’s pet ownership laws don’t stop at guinea pigs
Dog owners are also required to take a series of classes before getting a furry friend
People who own one indoor cat are required to let it outside, or give it a window from which it can see another cat, or else they have to get a second feline companion
Fish owners are required to produce full day/night cycles for them with the tank lighting
Sick fish cannot be flushed down the toilet; special chemicals must be used for euthanasia
The country even has companies that will rent out guinea pig companions to people who’s pet has recently lost their friend
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.
May 10, 2016
Update on Bart the Zombie Cat
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Bart clawed himself out of his own grave after his owners mistook him for dead and buried him.
Since then he’s been living at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Bart’s been in foster care while a custody issue between the Humane Society and his owners is being settled
It’s reported that he’s sweet, loving, and very playful cat
His popularity has spread since his story broke a year ago and he regularly gets visitors interested in meeting him
You can keep up with Bart’s playful life by following the updates on his blog
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: Update on Bart the Zombie Cat
Real-Life Underwater Cities to Rival Atlantis
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Summer is upon us, and that means summer vacations. While we always suggest you visit a Ripley’s ODDitorium near you during your downtime, we were thinking about a few other options for the jet-setting family.
Because most people seem drawn to the water to cool down during those hot summer months, perhaps you’d want to visit an underwater river.
If none of those destinations are up your alley, perhaps you’d rather go someplace from legend. While the lost city of Atlantis might not be a viable option, these underwater cities offer very close substitutes.
Shi Cheng, the Lion City
Shi Cheng was a city in the Zhejiang Province in China. It got its name (Lion City) from the nearby mountain Wu Shi Mountain (Five Lion Mountain).
The city was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-200), and it stood proudly until the 1950s. In 1959, the entire valley was flooded to create the Xin’an River Dam project.
The area is now known as Qiandao Lake, or Thousand Island Lake (not the one in the Sierra Nevada), and the result is a beautiful vista of light blue water dotted with small islands.
But the real wonder of this location is found beneath the surface. The entirety of Lion City remains intact submerged at a depth of 85-131 feet depending on where in the city you go.
Kept safe from the wind and sun, the city remains preserved in the still water of the lake. With a scuba tank and some flippers, you can be transported back in time into this beautiful cityscape.
Heracleion
The city of Heracleion was discovered by Franck Goddio in 2000. Before that, no one even knew it was missing; no one was looking for it.
In ancient times, around the 12th century BC, Heracleion was an Egyptian port city that rivaled Alexandria in size and importance. Stories from the Greek historian Herodotus mention figures such as Helen of Troy and Hercules visiting the city.
Heracleion joined the ranks of underwater cities around the 8th century AD, but no one’s sure what caused the sinking.
Goddio’s accidental discovery of the city led to a lot of its treasures being excavated and placed in museums, but the site is still worth a visit.
Reschensee
The towns of Graun and Reschen are a bit different from the other underwater cities on this list. For starters, the towns were demolished before the purposeful flooding of the area.
Much like the Lion City, Graun and Reschen were the victims of a power company wanting to build a dam and generate some seasonal power. The residents of the city tried to put up a fight, and the second world war delayed the construction of the dam, but eventually plans went forward, and the area was flooded.
Before the project began, a total of 163 houses were demolished, and all that remains is the “campanile,” or bell tower, of Graun’s 14th-century church tower visible above the water line.
With the city lying in ruins at the bottom of the lake, there may not be much to see when diving in the Reschensee, assuming diving is even allowed at the location, but that’s alright because the lake might be a better sight winter than in summer. When the lake freezes over, you can walk right up to the tower suspended within it.
May 9, 2016
Urban Cricket Farm Erected in New York Docks
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
A cool new structure on New York docks looks like an art installation but is actually an environmentally-friendly urban cricket farm.
The crickets are meant to be eaten
The cricket farm will provide a great source of protein without the environmental impact of a beef or chicken farm
The crickets are being fed orange peels, apple cores, and lime rinds in an effort to see how that changes their taste
Harvesting insects for food requires 300 times less water than raising cattle, pigs, and chickens
For more info on Terreform One, check out their website, and for more info on the cricket farm, click here
Ferrets Saved a Y2K Concert
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In 1999, for a concert in the UK welcoming in the new millennium, a group of highly trained ferrets were used to lay cable through small tunnels under the stage.
Using tiny nylon harnesses, the cables were rigged up to the ferrets which were then encouraged down the tunnel entrance using meat
Organizers found it impossible to use rods to push the cables
The tiny tunnels twisted and turned around underground
MINI BION EXTRAS
Ferrets have been domesticated since about 3000 BCE—500 years longer than the house cat.
The U. S. Space Command in Colorado used a ferret to help rewire a new computerized command center.
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: Ferrets Saved a Y2K Concert
Voyage Sets Sail Test
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
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Source: Voyage Sets Sail Test
Waffle House Has a Record Label
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley’s likes to shed light on extraordinary things that are generally found ordinary or a common. And to those ends, what can be more commonplace than Waffle House?
Granted, Waffle House is a staple of the South, so it may not be too common for our Yankee readers, but you can’t drive very far in the South without seeing that telltale yellow sign. And yet there’s still some question about exactly how much we really know about this longstanding breakfast establishment.
For example, did you know Waffle House has been in operation since 1955? The restaurant has made a name for itself by ensuring it’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They even have a plan in place to stay open during natural disasters!
But most surprising of all might be the fact that Waffle House has its own record label!
Waffle Records
Waffle Records has been in effect since the mid-1980s. Contrary to what you may assume, it’s not just about advertising; it’s about ambiance.
It’s about our food. It’s about our people. It’s about the things that happen if you just sit in a Waffle House and listen to the conversations around you. -Shelby White, Head of Waffle Records
You can get a good glimpse of what Waffle Records is trying to achieve by listening to one of their most popular songs, “There are Raisins in My Toast.”
We’re not trying to get played on the radio. If anyone wants to play it, that’s great, but it’s all about inside the restaurant.
It’s good that the people behind Waffle Records have kept their expectations low since I don’t think they’ll be rocketing up the Billboard 100 charts anytime soon. But making art for art’s sake is often its own reward.
The songs were originally recorded with the intention of being pressed into vinyl and placed in Waffle House jukeboxes across the country. Now’s it’s all digital, of course, but Waffle House’s dedication to the old school diner atmosphere means you can still find the music available to be played at any location.
In the event you aren’t at a Waffle House anytime soon, here are a few examples of their songs. But I warn you, if you listen to them on an empty stomach, you might be filled with the desire to head to your nearest Waffle House and get breakfast.
Source: Waffle House Has a Record Label
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