Believe It Or Not

Episode 401

COCKROACH MOUTH

Meet a man who stuffs cockroaches in his mouth. John LaMedica will put nine poisonous Madagascar cockroaches into his mouth to set a new world record, removing all 9 still alive.

SPEED STACKING

Emily Fox has the fastest time in stacking plastic cups. Speed stacking is a competition in which kids race to stack plastic cups, using 40 different motions in less than 8 seconds. Her 2 little brothers are also in the top ten. Website: speedstacks.com

From the archive: PORTABLE HELICOPTER

In 1962 this helicopter was developed by the United States military. It could be assembled in five minutes, but unfortunately it wasn't sturdy enough for combat situations. Only three were ever made. "Half Pint" weighs 330 pounds and is about 3 meters long, and a similar one was seen in a James Bond movie

HAIR HUNGER

This teenager chewed on her hair since she was a small child. The parents of Kirna Devi thought nothing of their daughter's tendency to chew on her hair until doctors removed a wad of hair from her stomach which weighed 3 pounds. The 9-inch long brick-sized mass took the shape of the stomach and had to be surgically removed. She has vowed never to eat hair again

CONJOINED TWIN SISTERS

Sisters Lori and Reba are conjoined twins who are joined at the head. Doctors said they would only live a few weeks, but they are now 41 years old and have managed to live normal lives. Reba is a country singer; Lori was a hospital worker until she quit to help support her sister's singing career. Surgical separation is not an option because it could result in death for one or both

SURFING CAT

Sweetie the cat surfs the waves of Hawaii’s famed Waikikii beach with her owners.

BABY SHAQ

This 12-year-old boy looks like an adult. He is 6'8" tall and weighs 301 pounds. He plays basketball in junior high and idolizes Shaquille O'Neal. Ripley's surprises him by introducing him to Shaq! Then a pre-game pass for a Lakers game.

BIKINI CARDS

These aren't your ordinary baseball trading cards. These women dressed in their favorite sports garb. Models such as Traci Bingham, Gina Lee Nolin and Pin-Up Queen Cindy Margolis have appeared on Bench Warmer Trading Cards, which cost $3 new and can fetch up to $500 per collection at auction.

From the vault: TRIAL CHAIR

This carved wood chair is the centerpiece of tribal justice in Ghana, West Africa. At a trial, the accuser and the accused were forced to sit side by side during the proceedings. Whoever was eventually declared a liar was immediately beheaded, right where he sat.

Episode 402

RECORD BOARD-BREAKER

Atlanta resident Mike Reeves not only attempts to break 500 one-inch wooden boards with his bare hands, he does it competing against a chainsaw. Can he break all the boards before the chainsaw cuts through them in under a minute? In a previous attempt years ago, he broke his hand

HOMEMADE MONORAIL

Kim Pedersen is so obsessed with monorails that he built one in his backyard! It took him six years to build his monorail, which can hold one passenger.

CLOCK TOWER TREE

Miraculously, this tree has been growing without soil or water for 132 years and- believe it or not- it’s rooted on the roof of a clock tower!

BEAUTY BUFFET

In the city of Calabar in Southern Nigeria, girls that are of age to marry are fattened from six months to a year because it makes them more desirable to a husband. Bassey Effion is going through the fattening process, where she eats all day, from 5 am to sunset.

THE GRAY LADY

Rosemary Jacobs was given nose drops as a child in New York to help her congestion from colds. The nose drops contained silver, and, after 3 years of use, caused her skin to turn gray. Flakes of silver were embedded in the surface of her skin, and her unique disease has been diagnosed as Argyria. There have been 300 such cases worldwide, though the ingredient is still used in diet products

FROM THE VAULT: Golfball Eating Alligator

What makes this specimen unbelievable is what was found inside this gator’s gut: the apparent cause of its death was a diet that included over 200 indigestible golf balls!

From the archive: OLD-TIME JET SKI

In 1956, inventors came up with this unique design that allowed people to skim over waves, and even challenge each other in races around a makeshift course in the ocean. This 1956 watercraft called the Water Skipper paved the way for the modern jet-ski.

GHOST RIDER

Braedon Black jumps from one motorcycle to another while racing at 80 mph. He and his partner ride on two separate motorcycles, and, when the time is right, Braedon gets off his motorcycle and jumps to his partner's, where he holds onto the back seat. He then catches up to his original bike, called the Ghost Rider trick, and jumps back on. No relation to the daredevil motorcycle movie Ghost Rider

GORILLA EYE SURGERY

Romina suffered from cataracts and had a very hard time seeing. Cataract surgery has helped 22 year old Romina see clearly for the first time, but believe it or not, Romina is a gorilla.

FLIP SHIP

The crew of this ship lives through a Titanic-like experience every time they go out to sea. Their captain intentionally flips the vessel into a vertical position!

GIANT FOOT

Jose Areyana was born with a disease that caused his foot to become five times its normal size. He underwent corrective surgery, and his foot is now 75 percent smaller. Now he’s a star soccer player for his University.

SNAKE BABE

Maria Gara is a model who loves snakes. She lives with 40 animals, and to create more awareness about snakes she poses with them in pictures.

BUFFALO BIKINI

Ruth Huffman, an American designer, is making bikinis out of buffalo hair!

From the vault: ELEPHANT FOOT HUMIDOR

This elephant's foot is a piece from the original Ripley’s collection circa 1930. It is a humidor, the preferred container for storing cigars. At the time, some locals used elephant feet as cooking pots.

This week's links, Spot the Not: www.USmint.gov (where they make it)
www.coinsite.com (they resell it)

Episode 403

GREAT ROPE ESCAPE

In New York City, Gregg Valentino, the man with the world's biggest biceps, ties up Michael Griffin with 200 feet of rope. Michael twists and contorts his body to attempt his escape from the rope.

OPEN-OCEAN SNOWMOBILE

Alexander Karason is going to ride his snowmobile on water! He is going to travel across 15 miles from his home town straight into the open ocean and back again!

POWER PLANK

This is the Power Plank, the world's first motorized snowboard. This 170 pound monstrosity can power "up" a snow covered mountain as well, maxing out at about 45 mph! Website: www.powerplank.com

ASH BATH

The Vaishnava are a group of holy men in India who try to live in complete isolation from the rest of the world. They are not allowed contact with other human beings, including marriage or even shaking one another's hands. Believe it or not, in order to keep the spirit of someone who has died alive after a member of the tribe is cremated, they bathe in the ash of the cremated body.

MOUNTAIN STILT HIKERS

Ryan Hamilton and Colin Tschida climb to the top of Harney Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota, an elevation of 7,231 feet, on stilts!

SCALPLESS IN INDIA

Seven-year-old Roopavani Jaggannathan, like any child, loves going to the fair. However, while standing next to a Ferris wheel, her long hair was caught on one of the cages. She was trapped while the ride went through several rotations. Eventually, she lost her entire scalp. Doctors immediately operated, and Roopavani is successfully recovering.

DOGGLES

These are goggles for your dog...or "doggles". Created for the pooch that loves to stick its head out the car window. Website: www.doggles.com

SURVEILLANCE MAPS

The year is 1945, and the United States Military is using life-sized surveillance maps to spy on the enemy, right down to the last rice paddy! Watch as artists at an undisclosed California studio precisely piece together the actual topography of the areas surrounding Tokyo. Clusters of trees are even indicated on the blueprint. But this elaborate effort was soon outdated and eventually replaced by newer, high-tech surveillance techniques.

ELEPHANT DENTISTRY

Believe it or not, after cracking his massive tusk, Spike the elephant had to endure a painful root canal, which left him with with tusks of steel... literally. Doctors perform an emergency root canal and secure steel caps onto the elephant's tusks.

FLYING CAR

When Ed Sweeney was a teenager, he took a ride in a flying car called the Aerocar. Fifty years later, he bought one of the original Aerocars and renovated it. Now he drives and flies it on special occasions and spends most nights and weekends building an Aerocar 2000 similar to the one flown in the James Bond movie "The Man With The Golden Gun." Website: www.eaa.org

NAKED HOUSE-PAINTER

Nicole Moore paints houses in the nude for up to $45 per square foot. Her specialty is smearing paint on various parts of her skin to create "imprints" for a faux textured wall on indoor rooms.

From the vault: GIANT SHOE

This is the shoe of the world's tallest man, Robert Wadlow. A nail inside infected his foot and he died from gangrene

Episode 404

MR. BACKWARDS

In Charlotte, N.C., Roger Riddell (57), also known as "Mr. Backwards," rides his motorcycle backwards. He will try to break his own record by jumping 60 feet, over six cars, backwards! No, the 425 pound Harley-Davidson doesn't have rear-view mirrors and yes, he has broken many bones in his career

LANDMINE OBSESSION

Aki Ra travels around the world collecting landmines. He travels through war-ravaged Cambodia, searching for and defusing them by hand so he can add them to his collection of thousands! And there are an estimated five million of them in Cambodia from the war

REAL-LIFE BAM-BAM

Josh Campo is only 7 years old and weighs only 65 pounds, but he's a record-breaking weightlifter. He will prove his ability to lift weights and will go up against an adult weightlifter by lifting 144 pounds, more than double his own weight! Without any encouragement from his parents, while in kindergarten, he saw and lifted a barbell weighing 80 pounds

HOBBLING HORSE

Barnaby, a 12-year-old horse, had a blood clot, and nine inches of his leg had to be removed. Normally, a horse this age would just be put down, but was given a second chance when- believe it or not- he received the only prosthetic leg for a horse in the world! Unlike dogs and cats, horses cannot balance on three legs if they lose the use of one

TONGUE TAILOR

With limited medical care in her village, teenager Sapna Goel contracted polio at a young age. She cannot use her arms or legs, but still manages to paint and sew all by herself on a hand-crank manual sewingmachine. She threads a sewing needle with her tongue!

STRETCHABLE STEWARDESS

In order to satisfy the height requirement to be a flight attendant for most airlines, Emma Richards decided to stretch her 4'7" frame to 5'1". Doctors broke her femurs and inserted a device that literally lengthens her bones! The head of Virgin Airlines wrote a letter that she was mad to do such a thing but offered a job interview when she's 19 years old

From the vault: WORLD’S SMALLEST BOOK

A German company with a miniature printing press is responsible for this leather-bound book the size of a match-head. Website: WWW.DIE-GESTALTEN.DE

FLOATING RUNWAY

Believe it or not, the British Admiralty built runways entirely floating on water! Bi-planes could take off and land on this airstrip in an emergency situation. Unfortunately, the airstrip wasn't durable enough.

CATWOMAN

This Texas woman, Katzen (27), wanted to be a cat. She tattooed her face and body, and has even implanted whiskers into her upper lip.

SNAKEBABE

Believe it or not, Maria Gara is known as the Snake Babe because she takes seductive portraits with huge snakes! Postponed from episode 402. Website: www.SNAKEBABE.com "This Is the Official Website of America's Sexiest Magician, Fire Eater and Snake Handler, Maria, The SnakeBabe of Las Vegas. The guest area is free of XXX adult porn, however it does contain links to sites containing materials of adult nature," nude models, etc. Please do not go beyond the main page if you are under 18.

From the vault: HISTORICAL HAIR

Robert L. Ripley's vault has the most valuable lock of hair in the world. Certified, authenticated and currently valued at $50,000 dollars, this bleach blonde lock of hair was snipped off by the mortician who assisted in embalming the body of Marilyn Monroe and saved from the trashcan by his wife!

Episode 405

HUMAN CANNONBALL RETURN

Human cannonball Ermes Zamperla overshot an inflatable cushion by 50 feet, crashing head-first into the ground at almost 70 mph. He suffered head injuries, broken feet, a crushed vertebra, and several hairline fractures. Ripley's is there as he gets back into the cannon for the first time since the 2002 accident, with an ambulance standing by.

TAXIDERMY ART

Tia Resleure inherited her uncle's collection of taxidermy animals. She now stuffs dead animals and pets herself, and creates works of 19th-century art with them. Her website: aCaseOfCuriosities.com

BEETLEJUICE TOWN

Peter and Sally Lee are so obsessed with their English hometown that they're recreating every building in miniature in their home like in the movie Beetlejuice. Each piece can take between 1,200 and 2,000 hours to create from scratch. The buildings are now on display in a hall downtown which includes a miniature of the hall containing tiny versions of the same buildings!

FASTER PASTOR

Reverend Paul Sinclair is the only minister who transports the coffins of his "late" parishioners to their final resting place in the sidecar of his motorcycle, believe it or not.

RUBBER GIRL

Fourteen-year-old Santoshi Kumari has a rare medical condition which has prevented her from growing. Because of the rare medical condition this 14-year-old is just over 2 feet tall. This disease has also caused the bones of her body to become brittle and elastic allowing her a range of motion that is impossible in normal people.

2x4 SURVIVOR

Ryan Lane was impaled through the stomach by a 2x4 when his car crashed into a fence pole at 90 mph. He lost a kidney and suffered nerve damage. Believe it or not, he lived to tell every waking moment of his agonizing story!

MICROCHIP DOG

Bambi Lesne implanted a microchip into her Pomeranian puppy, Pooh Bear. Pooh Bear disappeared one day and Bambi spent years calling police stations and veterinarians all over Florida. However, six years later, she received a call from the local Humane Society. They found Pooh Bear almost 2-thousand miles away, thanks to a microchip!

INFLATABLE FOREHEAD

Believe it or not, Jerome Abramovitch changes the shape of his head by injecting his forehead with saline solution. It wears off after about 2 hours, the solution absorbed by his body

PEOPLE DRYER

Brian Trim was tired of drying off his kids after they went swimming, so he equipped a large room with infrared lamps that produce a warm air flow that can reach 104 degrees. In three minutes or less, you're as dry as if you had been lying out on a Caribbean beach.

From the vault: TATTOOED BATS

Mexican artist Enrico Angelis Ramos paints exclusively on the bodies of animals, in this case, the outstretched wings of preserved bats.

This week's links, Spot The Not: Kegclub.com
Bumperdumper.com

Episode 406

WORM FEAST

Gatlinburg, Tenn., native Mark Hogg will be buried to his nose in an acrylic cylinder filled with thousands of live slimy nightcrawlers. And believe it or not, he will attempt to eat his way to freedom in one hour. He learned this skill while taking survival training in the military. Mark will attempt to beat his own record for the Guinness Book of Records! Website: Guinnessworldrecords.com

DR. DRIBBLE

Believe it or not, Joseph Odhiambo can dribble six balls simultaneously. He is going to attempt a new Ripley's record of juggling three basketballs while trying to make 39 layups in one minute at Grand Canyon University.

TYPEWRITER PORTRAITS

Guruprasad Vanalkar will create an amazingly accurate, life-sized, colored portrait of host Dean Cain — using only a typewriter! Colors come from adding dye to ordinary typewriter ribbon

COWBOY CRAZY

England resident Steve Smart is so obsessed with the American Wild West that he dresses up as a cowboy and has even built a full Western town and a ponderosa ranch in his own backyard. The town is complete with a dude ranch, saloon, bank, general store and even a sheriff's station. He wanted to visit a Western town in America, but cowboys in the old west didn't fly and neither does he!

SLEEP STANDING UP

Mihai Jarpen does everything standing up: Eating, traveling, watching television, riding public transit, even sleeping. He hasn't sat down for more than three years.

ARM GROWS NOSE

Dr. Peter Ayliffe of Scotland reconstructs the face of Madina Yusaf from Nigeria, a woman severely disfigured by a flesh-eating disease, by growing a new nose on her arm. Madina suffers from a gangrenous disease called Noma, and much of her face, including her lip and one eyelid, has been eaten by bacteria.

From the archive: SYNCHRONIZED FIREFIGHTERS

In 1951 Rome, these firefighters were so well-trained that they did their practice exercises in-synch.

COOL TOAD PRODUCTS

Two British guys came up with a unique way to battle the amphibious assault in Australia and make money.
Toad Products, made out of Toad leather.

HI-TECH CAT DOOR

Boris Tsikanovsky has invented a cat door to prevent his cat from dragging dead rats into his home. Boris is a computer programmer and he has invented image-recognition software that takes a snapshot of his cat and determines if it has anything in its mouth using face recognition software.

NAKED BODY ART

This model may look like she is wearing clothes, but she is actually naked. She is wearing a top that is painted on by Joanne Gair and will walk through a hotel lobby to see if anyone notices

From the vault: CONE HEAD SKULL

Yes, this is an actual cone head. This elongated skull is result of an ancient practice called head binding, that begins as a child and continues through adulthood. This one's from about 500 A.D.

This week's Ripley's Believe It Or Not links: TheWoodsTechnique.com
Hairmax.com

Episode 407

BAREFOOT SKI & DRIVE

Tony Castro of Lake Havasu, Ariz., will make his second attempt to drive his ski boat while barefoot water skiing at the same time. He can also ski on his bare hands

PIG-MAN FARMER

Arne Braut wears a pig mask to better interact with his pigs. He claims that the pigs respond to him better when he wears the mask.

GIRLS ON NAILS

Anna Kinison attempts to lie down on a bed of 4 eight-inch nails while a female friend stands on top of her. Each sharp nail will have to support over 60 pounds of their combined weight, so paramedics are standing by

CHRISTMAS OBSESSION

Andy Park is so obsessed with Christmas he's been celebrating it every day for over 10 years!

BALLOON SCULPTURE

Larry Moss and Royal Sorell have created a 40-foot-tall sculpture of two soccer players out of small party balloons, with the help of 42 other people from ten countries and thousands of balloons. The sculpture took 80 hours to complete. It's the largest in the world, made out of 40,781 small party balloons!

BIRD SPIT SOUP

One of the world's most rare and valued soups is made of "bird spit." These birds, called swiftlets, nest in the high cliffs of Thailand. Each nest can fetch up to $1,000 per pound. This soup from birds' nests is such a valued delicacy that harvesters risk their lives to climb nearly three stories using bamboo ladders, scaling deadly cliffs to get its main ingredient! The nest sites are even guarded by soldiers to prevent poaching Worldwildlife.org

FLAME HAIRCUT

Pietro Santoro uses a small flame instead of a pair of scissors to cut hair. Pietro, a renowned Washington, D.C., hair stylist, uses a dripless candle and a comb to guide the fire instead of scissors! It's a method used in his native Sicily, and it leaves his customers with fuller hair and more body for just $35

LIMBLESS LADY

Adriana Curtis doesn't let her handicap of being born without arms get in her way. She is a successful computer technician and is getting married. Adriana was born without arms, but not without hands. She's proven doctors wrong by living a normal life, all while using her hands, which are attached at her shoulders! She tells curious kids that God made special people and she's one of them, "Can't is just a challenge word"

From the archive: 22-YEAR-OLD BOMB

In 1967, telephone workers in the western town of Cataborn, West Germany, stumbled upon a two-ton bomb which had sat, undisturbed, since World War 2.

LEOPARD LARRY

In order to transform himself into his favorite animal, Larry Da Leopard from Austin, Texas, has covered his body in 665 tattoos in ten years. Larry is not your typical family man. This about to be father of two has covered his body with spotted tattoos as he transforms himself into a Leopard!

PAINTED HANDS

Painter Michael Thomas is able to transform your hands into exotic animal works of art! Today, this model's leg and foot will become a pink flamingo, and hands into a wise owl

From the vault: HUMAN SKULL VASE

This exotic looking tea or coffee pot from Tibet was crafted out of a human skull.

DOG BRACES

K-C is fitted with a special pair of braces. K-C had to have braces put on his teeth to correct his painful overbite-- believe it or not-- K-C is a dog!

MANNEQUIN MAKER

Model Amy Peterson is going to live forever. Well, at least her likeness will. Michael Zadowicz, head mannequin-maker at Patina V factory in Los Angeles, has chosen her to be the model for a new mannequin.

This week's Believe It Or Not link: Final meals (Texas)

Episode 408

BELLY BUTTON OPENER

Joel Freeborn is a human bottle-opener. With only the use of his belly button, Joel will attempt to open eight bottles in one minute.

FRISBEE ASHES

Ed Headrick is the father of the modern Frisbee and one of the innovators of disc golf. His dying wish was to be cremated and for his ashes to be molded and cast into the flying disc he loved so much to give to his family and friends. Website: www.discraft.com

MATCHSTICK APARTMENT

Istvan Kalincsak has covered every square foot of his apartment with matches

LEGAL INSANITY

In Walnut, California, it is illegal to wear a mask without a permit, though probably not enforced on Halloween

LINGERIE SHARK DIVE

An all-female SCUBA-diving club will brave the ice-cold waters off the coast of South Africa to swim with ragged-tooth sharks, wearing only their lingerie. The club, called "Mystic Blue," is planning the dive to raise money for a children's charity. Believe it or not, the women will do this wearing no protective gear

SENIOR SKIER

Mary Murphy wants to set the world record for water-skiing 62-miles from Long Beach to Catalina Island and back. And Mary is 84 years old! Someday she hopes to ski Key West to Cuba and back

BONE FURNITURE

Suciu Nicolae is a gravestone carver by day and enjoys building furniture in his spare time. However, his day job is not so different from his hobby. Suciu uses discarded animal carcasses in his furniture making, and has built everything from bed frames to rocking chairs from the bones of dead animals for years. Believe it or not, he has decorated his entire home with them!

HARDWARE STORE BRACE

Stuart Young suffers from Apert Syndrome, a disease that disfigured his face and fused his fingers and toes together. With a little ingenuity, doctors built a titanium and stainless steel frame to stretch Stuart's bones into a more natural configuration. Believe it or not, instead of spending thousands of dollars, technicians and surgeons reshaped Stuart's entire face using a brace made of nuts, bolts and wires from a local hardware store -- costing $22.50!

PLANE CRASHER

In 1948, Tommy Walker, one of the original Flying Tigers, attempted a maneuver sure to stun the audience, risking his very life by intentionally crashing his plane into a concrete wall. He claimed that it was a good way to retire older planes.

MINI MOO

Dustin Pillard selectively breeds his cows so that they grow to a maximum height of just three feet tall. His 50 tiny bovines are small enough to make great house pets, and are just as healthy as their larger counterparts.

FASTEST BARBER

The Fastest Barber in the World can complete a haircut in 1 minute, 13 seconds...and it's a good one! He'll take the Ripley's Challenge and see how many haircuts he can do in just one hour!

PAINTBALL CATCHER

Anthony Kelly of Australia is a six-time black-belt champion and has uncanny reflexes. He tries to break his own world record by catching 23 paintballs in 2 minutes. Shot from 60 feet away, each paintball is traveling at a speed of 230 feet per second and must be caught without breaking in just a fraction of a second.

Website: Paintballusa.org

SEXIEST SHOWGIRL OUTFIT

Ripley's scours Las Vegas to find the most scantily clad showgirl on the Strip.

From the vault: DOG ARMOR

Like their armored masters, dogs of medieval times wore armor to protect themselves in battle.
This is a replica of ancient dog armor to protect them on the battlefield.

Episode 409

FOIL BOARDING

In search of a new challenge, surfing legend Laird Hamilton combines a hydrofoil with a surfboard to create a brand-new water sport apparatus he calls the Foil Board. Believe it or not, Laird is the only person to ever create a surfboard that allows him to surf 2 feet above the water! Website: Airchair.com

BLIND SKIER

Snow skier Bart Bunting is a competitive skier who reaches speeds up to 60 mph and -- believe it or not -- has one thing that sets him apart from most other enthusiasts — he's blind. Yet, using a guide, he's able to enjoy his passion for skiing, something that Australian ski coach Steve Bova shows isn't easy to do when he is blindfolded for a run down the slope.

UNDERWATER BIKE

Believe it or not, SCUBA diver and long-distance bicyclist Wolfgang Kulow invented a bike made of lead that allows him to ride for more than 2.5 miles across the floor of Baltic Sea — a world-record-setting trip that took him three hours and fifteen minutes.

INDIAN BONE-EATING RITUAL

Residents of a rural village in India honor a Hindu god by eating the bones of a deceased ancestor in order to bring the dead closer to eternal peace -- believe it or not -- these people dig up bodies and chew on human bones!

FASTEST FINGERS

After discussing how he uses his skills to help police catch thieves red-handed, pickpocket Bob Arno from Sweden demonstrates his prowess on unsuspecting victims -- he can take your tie off your neck without you even knowing it!

GLADIATOR SCHOOL

In Italy, a dedicated group of men that includes doctors, engineers and architects keeps the ancient traditions alive through meticulous reenactments at the Institute of the Art of Combat. Regular guys shed their jeans and become Roman gladiators, complete with real hand-made weapons, historically accurate armor and flesh wounds. And Ripley's is there to see this ancient sport come to life!

MEDICAL CUPPING

Relying on a controversial, 2,000-year-old procedure from ancient China, Burton Goldberg allows the fluids inside his body to be sucked out through his skin in order to cleanse his system of pain-producing toxins. Believe it or not, people are still using the ancient Chinese art of cupping to remove blood from their bodies!

From the archive: INSTANT BANANA PEEL

In 1967, police departments tested a riot-control substance that made streets too slippery for anyone to stand. This invention dubbed "instant banana peel", is a powder which becomes slippery when water is added. But police weren't interested, fearing lawsuits from injured people

TOUR BUS PULL

In Daytona Beach, Fla., world record-holding strongman John Wooten pulls a 20-ton Ripley's Believe it or not Tour bus thirty feet in less than 30 seconds!

WINKIE'S ROLLING PIN

Winky the Tortoise lost her back leg in an accident. Believe it or not, her leg was replaced with a special designer wheel! A compassionate craftsman fashioned the wheel to allow the three-legged tortoise a chance at living a more normal life.

CHECKERED MAN

Having suffered his entire life with a condition that has left him without some major muscle groups, Matt Gone finds a way to be proud of his body by tattooing himself with a series of complex checkerboard patterns. Matt loves checkered patterns so much that not only is his whole apartment decorated like a checker board, he's tattooed his entire body using the familiar pattern as well. Website: www.mattgone.com

RECORD PARASAIL

Believe it or not, former Miss Galaxy and sports enthusiast Kim Lyons aims to set a world record by staying aloft on a parasail for eight grueling hours in the air without a break!

CROC TEETH DENTURES

In South Africa, professional crocodile-handler Bobby Blackburn relies on dentures made of crocodile teeth to help calm the dangerous carnivores with his toothy grin

This week's Believe It Or Not link: LondonAquarium.co.uk

Episode 410

CROSSBOW DOMINO

Archer Hans Moretti will shoot an apple off his own head by shooting six crossbows in a domino effect. One arrow will hit another in a chain reaction until the final will hit the apple resting on his own head.

 Hans Moretti catches rifle bullet in his teeth......Penn & Teller both catch bullets in their teeth

SNOWMOBILE BACKFLIP

World-class snowboarder Jim Rippey made snowmobile history by doing the impossible...the world's only complete back-flip on a 500 pound snowmobile! Believe it or not, he's going to do it again and Ripley's will be there! A previous attempt by another snowmobiler resulted in a broken back
It took more than one attempt and some bruises

TOAST PORTRAITS

Maurice Bennett creates life-size portraits -- out of thousands of pieces of toast! His latest creation: a life-size portrait of Ripley's host Dean Cain composed of 3,248 pieces of toast!

PUPPY RESCUE

A three-alarm fire engulfs a home in Fort Worth, Texas, and as firefighters rush into the burning home to check for survivors and assess the damage they notice something in a corner. Believe it or Not, what they find is a mother dog protecting her 5 puppies from the blaze that no human would have survived. The puppies were wet, but unharmed.

GODDESS OF GARBAGE

Carol Tanzi is the Goddess Of Garbage. Using items like old radiators, wheel rims, old toilet paper rolls, take-out containers and garbage cans, Carol practices interior design with items she finds in California dumpsters and recycling plants. See her decorate a principal's office with recent finds for only two hundred dollars!

SURGICAL SOUVENIR SURVIVOR

After abdominal surgery to remove a large tumor, Donald Church started to feel intense pain in his chest and stomach; doctors couldn't figure out what was causing it. Believe it or not, a CAT-scan from a local clinic revealed that a 13-inch steel retractor was left behind inside his body!

From the archive: INSTANT WINDSHIELD

In 1967, this inflatable windshield was introduced. It was made to easily replace a cracked windshield.

ARTIFICIAL VISION

Jens lost his vision in a series of accidents. Believe it or not, with the help of Dr. William Doebelle, he is able to see again through bionic sunglasses connected by a computer cable into his brain. Using light sensitive electrodes, this revolutionary device allows Jens to see. He can walk through a park and actually see his surroundings!

INFLATABLE SURFBOARD

Jim Weir has invented the world's first inflatable surfboard. When the board is deflated, it's about the size of a briefcase and can travel with you anywhere!

From the vault: HALF ELEPHANT HALF PIG?

The Van Etten family has kept this pig that appears to have an elephant's trunk, elephant ears, tusks and feet. The grandfather cherished the item in 1938 so much that it was inherited by the son and will be passed on.

Episode 411

WORLD'S LARGEST RUBBER BAND BALL

Tony Evans of Wales (UK) has created the world's largest ball of rubber bands, weighing 2,600 pounds and composed of six million rubber bands. In a Ripley's exclusive, the ball will be dropped 6,000 feet from an airplane over the Kingman desert in Arizona to see if it will bounce!

SKYDIVE WORLD RECORD

Believe It or Not, three hundred skydivers from around the world will try to jump from 14 different airplanes at an altitude of 20,000 feet — all at the same time, to create the largest group-skydiving world record.

WHEELCHAIR CLIMB

Paralympic athlete Jeff Adams will climb the 1,776 stairs of Toronto's CN tower -- the world's tallest freestanding structure -- in, believe it or not, his wheelchair! It is not motorized; he will use only his arms and hands

CANAL VAULTING

A 300-year-old Dutch tradition has been turned into a competitive sport as players vault themselves high in the air to cross ancient Dutch canals!

WORLD'S TALLEST STILTWALKER

Jeff Jay will break the record for walking on the tallest pair of stilts, which elevate him more than 60 feet above ground! A miss-step could mean falling 6 stories to the concrete sidewalk below

OCTAGON BIKE
Believe it or not, Roger Dumas has built an octagon shaped double-decker pedal-powered cycle!

NAKED BLADERS
There is a group of rollerblading babes who take to the streets of San Francisco wearing nothing but their skates!

HELICOPTER SURVIVORS
During the filming of the world's largest rubber band ball drop, a Ripley's helicopter crew crashes into a pair of power lines and miraculously survives. Paramedics on the Ripley's bus were first to the crash scene

This week's Ripley's Believe it or Not link: Dayoopers.com

Episode 412

MOUNTAIN BIKE SPEED RECORD

Believe it or not, Eric Barone will break a land speed world record on a bicycle, by pedaling downhill at an unbelievable 107 miles per hour. This amazing feat is performed by rushing down the side of Cerro Negro, an active volcano in Nicaragua. The temperature inside is 390 degrees, so he will bicycle down the outside. After breaking the previous record of 81 mph, the bicycle breaks apart at over 100 mph! Website: www.swri.org/4org/d20/d20home.htm

SAND MAN

To prove his natural healing methods, Dr. Hari Kumar of India will pour sand into his open eyes in an attempt to show humans are one with the earth!

MINI MOZART

Seven-year-old Noah Gray-Cabey is an accomplished concert pianist, even though he cannot read sheet music. He learns complex pieces by memory alone.

From the WW2 archive: ARMY TROOP SLED

The year is 1945 and American soldiers in Italy come up with this makeshift sled as a safer way to cross the battlefield. It's a torpedo tube cut in half which can protect up to 12 soldiers at a time from land mines.

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMAL

Officer B.Y.R.D. works with the Los Angeles Police Department teaching kids about public safety by playing basketball, driving a toy car and riding a bicycle. B.Y.R.D. is a 28-year-old blue-and-gold Macaw parrot.

SNAKE EATS STOMACH

Dave Weathers was bitten by a cobra, whose poison actually ate a hole into his stomach. He recovered fully, but he was left with a hole in his stomach the size of a softball. Filmed by: zoocrewproductions.com

DODGE TOMAHAWK

The Dodge Tomahawk, a motorcycle built by two enthusiasts, is equipped with the engine of a Dodge Viper and can reach speeds up to 300 mph. This may very well be the baddest hog to ever hit the highway, powered by a 500-horse power V-10. The idea for this four wheeled missile came from two motorcycle enthusiasts who thought it might be cool to put a viper engine on a bike. They've been told that at top speed, the driver would not be able to hang onto the bike!

FACE BREAKER

Jim Guercio, Mike Miller and Paul Rogers face off in this Ripley's Challenge to see which man can break more slabs of wood across his forehead in 30 seconds.

Naked News

In this unbelievable update these risqué female reporters are updating their own show by bringing some beefcake into the broadcast!

FROM THE VAULT: Ripley's Mummy

This petrified body was displayed in the window of an Arizona souvenir shop to attract business before Ripley's obtained it. 100 hundred years ago arsenic was used as a preservative that's why he's aged so well.

This Week's Ripley's Believe It Or Not "Spot The Not" link:

The Duck Tape Club

Episode 413

SKATEBOARD LOOP

Believe it or not, Bob Burnquist is the only skateboarder in the world who can perform The Loop of Death, a skateboard loop open at the top!

WHIZ KID

Abby Julo is a political whiz. She knows the names of all 43 U.S. presidents, and more than 50 world leaders — and she's only 4 years old! Watch as she quizzes adults on the sidewalk outside

BUFFALO DUNG DELICACY

As a source of protein, some people in Thailand eat the flies and larvae that live inside buffalo patties.

BACKWARDS LEG BOY

Ten-year-old Patrick German is no different from his friends — except that his left leg and foot literally were turned backwards in surgery to save his life.

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMAL

Ripley's goes to Orlando, Florida, on its continuing search for America's most unbelievable animal, including a cat born with Mickey Mouse on its side and a dog that took a bullet from a mugger by jumping in front of the gun.

CAMERA CAR

Believe it or not, this one-of-a-kind van created by Harrod Blank has over 2000 cameras and light meters! His animated website: CameraVan.com

From The Archive: ELECTRIC BIKE

In 1967 Russel Win invented this electric scooter that went 30 mph, but the batteries were too expensive.

RATTLESNAKE BATH

Two challengers risk their lives by seeing who can lie in a bathtub filled with the greatest number of deadly rattlesnakes. Then something goes wrong and snakes begin rattling their tails in both tubs halting the contest, but did it still break the previous record?

From the vault: DINOSAUR EGG

This rock formation is actually a nest of dinosaur eggs at least 100 million years old found in China.

Episode 414

VERTICAL PLANE STALL

Believe it or not, Kirby Chambliss is the only pilot in the world who can defy gravity and bring his plane to a vertical standstill like a cobra! After successfully flying through a 9 foot wide cave in China called Heaven's Gate, he crashed due to mechanical failure. Will it happen this time?

WAKEBOARD WONDER

Phillip Soven is the world's youngest professional wake-boarder, winning awards since age 7. He's only 14 years old now and is the only person in the world who can do a front toe-side roll while spinning blind 540 degrees in mid-air.

TOE COCKTAIL

As a rite of passage in the Yukon, one must consume a cocktail that actually contains a severed human toe! All one must do is let the toe touch one's lips to become a part of this Yukon tradition that boasts more than 16,000 members from around the world!

BOOMERANG EGG

Barnaby Ruhe is so accurate with a boomerang, he can throw it and hit an egg sitting on top of his own head.

LEGLESS MARATHON MAN

Bob Wieland lost his legs in Vietnam, but he still completed the Los Angeles Marathon — over 20 miles on his hands!

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMAL

This week Ripley's goes to San Francisco, California on their continuing search for America's most unbelievable animal, including a team of frisbee dogs and a live dog that was hit by a car, shot and put in a bodybag freezer for 2 hours!

FORWARD-FLIP SLAM-DUNK CHALLENGE

Competitors face off in this Ripley's Challenge to see who can do the most forward-flip slam-dunks.

AVALANCHE BACKPACK

This unique bag is designed to keep a skier floating on top of the snow as it settles, to avoid being buried alive. It can literally save the life of a person caught in an avalanche.

From the archive: HOWARD HUGHES HELICOPTER

This massive 14-ton chopper called the Flying Crane was powerful enough to carry 100 passengers in 1952 but used too much fuel to go into mass production.

From the vault: BLOOD ART

Mahesh Yadav, an Indian pacifist, paints portraits of world leaders in his own blood as an appeal for world peace.

Episode 415

1st aired 8-27-03

MOUNTAIN BOARD JUMP

Jason Lee has designed a mountain board that allows him to set a distance-jump world record over a pit of alligators. Website: Gatorfarm.com

YOUNGEST SAILOR

Fifteen-year-old Sebastian Clover crossed the Atlantic by himself in a sailboat in only 25 days, making him the youngest sailor to ever sail the Atlantic Ocean solo. Website: www.okspain.org

CHILD MARRIAGE

Two people in India are getting married and believe it or not, they haven't even reached the age of ten!

NOSE BUBBLE

Grandmother Joyce Samuels can blow a bubble twice the size of her head — through her nose, a world record!

WACKO JACKO WANNABE

Emmanuel De Reyghere (28) of Belgium is so obsessed with Michael Jackson that he's transforming himself to look exactly like the pop star with 9 plastic surgery operations, so far.

World's Most Unbelievable Animal

This week Ripley's goes to Dallas, Texas on their continuing search for America's most unbelievable animal, including a dog that dances with Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, and a Golden Retriever that has taught himself to hold up to 5 tennis balls in his mouth!

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Jet Helicopter

Believe it or not, this historic army chopper set speed records in 1967 with its 500 horsepower jet engine rocketing at 302 miles per hour!

Hot Dog Eating Contest

In the ultimate eating challenge, Boyd Bulot and Joe Menchetti will go head to head to see who can eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes!

FROM THE VAULT: Whale Ear Drum

This fossilized eardrum of a blue whale weighs in at about 1 and a half pounds. The bone allows whales to communicate over 100 miles underwater!

This Week's Ripley's Believe It Or Not link: insectlore.com

Episode 416

POCKET BIKE SPEED RECORD

Jonathan Law sets a new speed record on a pocket bike, the smallest racing motorcycle in the world.

HUMAN BEEHIVE

Sixteen-year-old Mallika Seth of India covers her body with 100,000 stinging bees and has been doing it since age 7.

NOSE PULL

To teach their children strength and agility, these native Alaskan women sit back-to-back with a piece of a string around their faces and pull as hard as they can. A tribal elder will serve as judge

PARAGLIDE HANGER

Tim Nelson flies his paraglider into a spiral dive while his wife hangs from a rope 15 feet below him without a parachute. Website: gypsyflights.com/paraglider_adventures

PROSTHETIC JAW

Sixteen-year-old Mandy Kemp is the first person to ever receive a prosthetic jaw after being born without one. Website: www.umcsn.com/media/article

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMAL

This week Ripley's goes to San Antonio, Texas, on its continuing search for America's most unbelievable animal including a former border patrol dog who lives for frisbees.

GIANT WEB

Millions of tiny spiders spun a giant 60-acre web on a farmer's field in Canada. Website:
www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/animals/millions_of_tiny_spiders

POOL SHARK

Jeremy Jones and Johnny Archer compete in this Ripley's Challenge to find out who can clear two pool tables apiece the fastest, with only one minute on the clock!

From the archive: TRICYCLE CAR

In 1945, the automotive industry unveiled its latest creation: The American three-wheel car got 41 mpg but was so small it looked unsafe to buyers and never went into production.

From the vault: CRIMINAL ART

You won't believe what this artist creates his criminal art from!

Episode 417

BALLOON SKYWALKER

Mike Howard will walk a 20 foot long plank 5 inches wide from one hot-air balloon to another - 5000 ft. above the ground without a parachute!

CHILD SUPERMODEL

Gerren Taylor is the fashion industry's hottest new face. But believe it or not, this top runway model is only 12-years-old!

WORLD'S LARGEST LASSO

Believe It or Not, Kimberly Mink will surround a herd of twenty steer using 78 feet of rope, creating the world's largest lasso!

RAIN RITUAL

Believe it or not, these women in India live day to day with their own wrists bound together hoping for rain in their drought-ridden village. Just after filming this, it rained

MICROPHONE STAND BABY

Jessie Wickham survived being impaled on a microphone stand and believe it or not, she was almost 9 months pregnant!

FLY POWERED AIRPLANE

It's no ordinary paper airplane, this is the latest in insect aviation...a "fly powered" airplane! Website: Flypower.com, no relation to the movie The Fly

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMAL

This week Ripley's goes to Ocean City, Maryland on their continuing search for America's most unbelievable animal, including a dog who can stand with all 4 feet in a Tupperware sandwich keeper!

SANDCASTLE QUEEN

Believe it or not, this amazing artist uses the beach as her canvas and the sand as her medium to build enormous castles with incredible detail!

SKATEBOARD LONG JUMP

Danny Way will attempt to shatter the skateboard distance record by jumping an unbelievable 65 feet!

From the vault: CHINESE EXORCISM SWORD

A dagger made from rare coins that the warriors of "wu" used to exorcise demons in 18th century China.

Episode 418

BILLBOARD HUMAN CRAZY STRAW

George McArthur is the world's first human neon sign. He loops 47 feet of surgical tubing like a pretzel, through his nose and out his mouth.

SURFING SISTERS

Carissa and Cayla Moore surf "Pipeline," the most powerful and dangerous waves on Hawaii's north shore. The sisters are only 10 and 5 years old, respectively.

TREE BABIES

In the village of Dumka, India, a herd of wild elephants demolished everything in sight while Duli Maharani gave birth on a man-made platform 25 feet above ground, in a tree.

SCORPION EATER

Brad Beyers and Adam Beardon have been best friends for life. But tonight, they face off to see which of them can fill his mouth with the most poisonous scorpions. The final score will come from the hospital Emergency Room!

MAN WITH TWO HEARTS

Castelio Campos is the only person in the world who has two hearts. He was diagnosed with a serious lung condition and a weak heart. A heart surgeon theorized that Campos might survive if he had two functional hearts — and it worked.

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMAL

St. Augustine, Fla., resident Deborah saved a three-legged panther named Onyx from an animal breeder — and from bone cancer. Website: BigCatRescue.org

ARMADILLO BASKET

Check out this basket made of armadillo shell.

ENGLISH CANE GUN

See an English walking cane that doubles as a gun.

Episode 419

BILLBOARD WATER HOTEL

Tim Yarrow is locked in a dunk-tank and tries to spend at least one full day underwater without coming up for air. But an attempt to cool down the water in the hot sun with blocks of ice at hour 14 results in a trip to the hospital

EXTREME SKATEBOARD KIDS

Mitchie Brusco is only 6 years old and is already a top professional skateboarder. Nicknamed "Little Tricky," Mitchie is the youngest skater ever to appear in the Gravity Games.

ELEPHANT MAN FEET

Lee McGuire was born with malformed feet, which made it almost impossible for him to walk — until a special medical procedure reshaped his feet.

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMALS

Wisconsin Dells, Wis., native Roman Piska is a 3-year-old snake-handler - the youngest in the world.

METAL MOSQUITO

Jim Opasik creates animal structures out of junk that he collects from flea markets. His website: jimopasik.com

From The Archive: UPHILL MOTORCYCLE

In 1958, in Modesto, Calif., motorcyclists try to climb a hill whose grade at one point steepens to almost 70 degrees, nicknamed Hospital Canyon.

WING HANGER

Eve Rockney tries to hang between two bi-planes 5,000 feet in the air at 90 mph. At any point, the planes could fly too close together and crush him or fly too far apart and force him to let go. And the first attempt doesn't go as planned...

NAKED MENU

At the Bellview Restaurant in Germany, the menus are painted on the bare skin of the waiters and waitresses.

LONG-TAILED ROOSTER

Roosters in Japan have been known to grow tail feathers almost 40 feet long. Website: Longtail-fowl.com

Episode 420

DOUBLE DIRT BIKE BACKFLIP

Mike Metzger is the only motocross rider in the world who can perform two consecutive backflips, a trick that put others in the hospital.

BABY RUTH

Pitcher Anthony Ippolito Jr. can throw a baseball nearly 40 mph — and he's only 2 years old!

JUMP ROPE UNICYCLE

Chad Marquette jumps rope while standing on a nine-foot-tall unicycle above a concrete sidewalk

REED CITY

The indigenous Totora Indians use boats made from reeds, have houses made from reeds, and even live on Lake Titicaca aboard floating islands — which are made entirely of reeds. Website: wikipedia.org/Uros

THE TOP LADY

She can throw a spinning top onto a hoop suspended in mid-air

LIVER BABY

Baby Nhlahla of South Africa was born after developing inside her mother's liver. She's only the fourth baby to ever survive such a pregnancy. The baby is now named "luck" in the Zulu language

From the vault: INFLATABLE CHURCH

Michael Gill has invented an inflatable church complete with an altar and an organ.

FROM THE ARCHIVE

A tight-rope walking pet goat in 1931

HUMAN CHAIN ESCAPE

Scott Hammell attempts to free himself from a straight jacket wrapped in 50 feet of steel chain, while hanging by his ankles dangling below a hot-air balloon over a mile above New Mexico

BODY SUSHI UPDATE

The exotic dining experience that first aired on Ripley's is taking the country by storm. Now, Hollywood's elite are paying $700 a plate for body sushi.

THE PAIN STATION

Losing on this video-game invented by two German college students is a pain, literally

MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMALS

A lizard, a pet pig, a cowboy chimp, the chicken man, and rescued dogs including one that swallowed a tennis ball - removed after a month lodged inside

From The Vault

A combination gun and battle-ax, made obsolete by the French bayonet

Episode 421

BILLBOARD LEGO MAN

Eric Harshbarger will create a mosaic of Dean Cain out of 36,000 Lego pieces that will cover one-quarter of the Ripley's billboard

THIGH MASTERS

Personal trainers Steve Carrier and Herman King compete in this Ripley's Challenge to see which man can break the most Louisville Slugger baseball bats over his thigh.

SPEED CLIMBING KID

Tori Allen can climb a rock wall faster than many adult men, and the spider-woman is just 14 years old. Her personal training includes one-finger pull-ups. Next? El Capitan in Yosemite

BEETLE BOY

A 13-year-old in India has been excreting winged beetles in his urine. Fly eggs have been hatching inside his body and are being expelled when he urinates

SCISSORS IN STOMACH

This woman lived 21 years in India with a pair of scissors in her stomach that she never knew was there

WORLD'S MOST UNBELIEVABLE ANIMALS

In Niagara Falls, NY, Julia Smilly has a pint-sized horse named Peanut that can fit in a doghouse - the world's smallest stallion at 19 inches high. And a poodle that knows over 1,000 tricks

TOOTHPASTE COLLECTION

Dr. Valkopolkov of Saginaw, Mich., has collected 800 tubes of toothpaste, including toothpastes flavored with Starkist tuna or scotch whiskey

BIGGER RUBBER BAND BALL (update)

Since Ripley's aired its segment on the World's Largest Rubber Band Ball, Billy and Sammy Kishek of San Francisco have worked tirelessly to create a ball that weighs an estimated 2,700 pounds and is nearly 15 feet in circumference containing $15,000 worth of rubber bands

From the archive: BOAT SURFING

People who can't make it to the beach ride a surfboard tied to a boat to simulate waves in 1964

SWIMMING WITH SHARKS

This underwater artist will paint the portrait of nearby sharks in open ocean

SKULL DRUM

This drum from Tibet is made from the skulls of a husband and wife, and its skin is...

Website link for this episode: Lego Portraits

Episode 422

(last of series)

BREATH-HOLD CHALLENGE

Mandy-Rae Cruikshank and Jessica Wilson face off in this Ripley's Challenge to see which woman can hold her breath underwater the longest. They're both expert "free divers" who don't use SCUBA gear or air tanks. The current record is 13 minutes and 42.5 seconds, set by Robert Frost in 1959

WORLD'S TALLEST KID

Vika Sopol is 17 years old and 8 feet tall

From the archive: KNIFE-THROWING MAMA

Nouella Gallagher tosses kitchen knives at a wooden board in 1950 — with her small children standing in front of it

From the vault: CAFFEINATED SOAP

Shower Shock soap provides the caffeine boost of one cup of coffee per shower. Website: thinkgeek.com/caffeine

HEAD BINDING

On Tomman Island in the South Pacific, a person with a finely elongated head is thought to be smarter, of higher status, and close to the world of the spirits. To achieve this "conehead" effect, heads are bound with a soft bandage and woven basket for approximately the first six months starting at birth. Website: www.amonline.net.au/bodyart/shaping/headbinding

ACUPUNCTURE DARTS

Instead of gently applying acupuncture pins, Masahiko fires them with a blow-dart gun. No other acupuncturists have adopted his technique

USC STUDENT IMPALED

Danielle Dauenhauer was skewered alive after falling from her two-story apartment onto a wrought iron fence. Released from the hospital 20 hours later, doctors say that she could have been killed if the fence hadn't been there since she was falling head-first toward a sidewalk, though she says it earned her a new nickname: shiskabutt

JET MAN

A man plans to turn himself into 220-mph jet-powered man flying over the English Channel with the world's most powerful jet-pack, just like Ironman

EARTHQUAKE RESTAURANT

Disaster Cafe in Spain simulates an earthquake every 15 minutes to provide its guests the experience of surviving a 7.9 natural disaster

Unbelievable Animals: BIPEDAL BEAGLE

Faith was born with deformed front legs, but she hasn't let that slow her down. This brave beagle walks upright, on her hind legs, like her humans!

SONOGRAM PORTRAITS

These hand-colored portraits based on sonograms of babies go for as much as $800 each

THE MAN WITH NO HANDS

After an accident with fireworks, Pedro's forearms were each split into 2 giant fingers to replace his hands. He now eats, fishes and drives a truck

BIKINI METER MAIDS UPDATE

The bikini beauties patrolling the streets of Australia have become so popular that they now have a gift shop and are looking for more bikini-clad meter maids. Website: www.abc.net.au/goldcoast

From the vault: GATOR RATTLE

Maori tribesmen stuff alligator's paws to create a rattle and show their superiority over the dangerous animal & the sea

SPOT THE NOT

World's First Pet Cemetery Petcem.com

Los Angeles & Hollywood Pet Cemetery lapetcemetery.com

Coon Dog Cemetery Coondogcemetery in Alabama

Ripley Homepage
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Check out Area 51 plus the previous 50 Areas

Here's a joke you can play on a know-it-all: ask them if they would rather have $100 or a penny a day for a month, doubled. This riddle has been around for many years so they will probably choose the latter, but note the wording. A penny a day for a month, doubled, would be 1 cent times 30 days times two, or 60 cents! Here's a 31-day list of how much you would make if it doubled every day for 31 days

During Hurricane Ike, the worst one of 2008, a church in Crystal Beach, Texas, provided sanctuary for several people and an African lion from the local zoo. As of 2008, about one fifth of the world's population was unable to read or write in any language.
In old England, fruitcake was so prized that it was the traditional cake used for weddings. But Italians don't like it: a joke possibly 100 years old says that the recipe for fruitcake was given to an English nun by the devil disguised as a black cat.
Eracleara, Italy, has banned sand castles.

A bank in Vernal, Utah, was built entirely with bricks sent by mail in 1916 because teamsters charged more per pound to deliver them by wagon than the cost in U.S. postage! Women have no trouble believing this one: on 11/16/09, Eric Steward of Yaas, Australia, got lost when he went out to get a newspaper and drove 370 miles before stopping to ask for directions

Mosquitoes are not native to Hawaii. They were brought there in a barrel of tepid water by Captain Cook after a run-in with native warriors on a previous visit. And parts of Hawaii that used to be quiet at night are now covered with thousands of frogs per acre descended from a pair that hitch-hiked in on potted plants.

In New Zealand, the 2009 Mitsubishi pickup trucks are promoted as "hardy, versatile units" and come with a free premium: a goat. The current tax rate on businesses in the Congo is 230% according to the World Bank

There has never been a single known attack on humans in the wild by an orca, the "killer whale." In fact, Jacques Cousteau was filming a pod of orcas when a great white shark showed up. All the divers were ordered out of the water and the next thing they knew, a pair of orca swam up to the side of the Calypso, with the shark in one's mouth. Cousteau remarked that it looked like a proud cat showing off a mouse it just caught.

The Pliosaur roamed the oceans millions of years ago and were up to 50 feet long, with a toothy snout large enough to bite a car in half. The Glass Catfish of the Orient has a transparent body, revealing its bones and spine. A microcalorimeter used at the University of Montreal can measure the temperature of a fly's breath. There are at least a million different species of insects in the world. This is "morse code" in morse code -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. .

The old toll bridge between New York and City Island was built in 1873 of timber salvaged from the 90-gun battleship "North Carolina." In Egypt a Pasha named Mohammed Ali was aware that some men avoided the draft by blinding themselves in one eye, so in 1840 he formed two infantry regiments of one-eyed soldiers: he died insane in 1849 but the regiment lasted another 50 years.

The human skeleton continues to grow until age 25 when the collarbone finishes maturing, and insurance companies charge higher rates to drivers under the age of 26 because they are more immature and have more accidents. Rev. Darrell Best of Shelbyville ILL, has built a mobile wedding chapel on the chassis of a 1942 fire truck.

Swans have more feathers than any other bird, the official count on one was 25,216 feathers. Emperor WU TI ruled China 47 years until 449 AD, though he left the throne to become a Buddhist monk 3 times; the final time he could not be persuaded to return and died a monk. Judge Abraham Fuller (1729-94) was opposed to debt and when a physician came to write out his death certificate, the doctor's fee was already clenched in the dead man's hand. A man in the Bhamta tribe of India cannot marry until he has been arrested at least 14 times. Peppered Moths of England have become darker over the last 100 years to blend in with buildings darkened by pollution in order to escape birds. The 10-Gulden banknote issued in 1849 in Baden, Germany, had its face design repeated on its back in reverse to protect against counterfeiting.

A monkey skull stuffed with cotton is displayed outside homes in the Lushai Hills of Burma to scare away strangers. Annie Smith Peck was not only the 1st American woman to climb the Matterhorn, she was an active Alpinist until age 82. The official barge used by the kings of Oudh, India, were the shape of a giant fish, the royal family's emblem. The arm & torch of the Statue of Liberty were completed in time to exhibit at the 1876 Centennial Fair in Philadelphia - the rest of the statue was not erected for years. In 1965, Southern Pacific Railroad put microphones at the Mountain View (CA) railroad crossing to activate automated crossing gates when they heard the horn of an approaching train

In 1839 when a passenger train derailed, every able-bodied man was expected to help get it back on the track. So when President Van Buren's train derailed near Lockport, NY, he saw no reason to exempt himself and pitched in so that he could continue campaigning! The world's first iron bridge was the An-Chi Bridge at Chao-Hsien, Hopei Province, China. The town of Bristol is in both Tennessee and Virginia, with Main Street on the border, and 2 separate state postal zip codes on either side.

America's shortest commercial railroad was once the Warwick Railway, 9/100ths of a mile long connecting Cranston and Bellefonte in Rhode Island. It was acquired by the Providence & Worcester Railroad in 1980. Some of the giant stones that comprise Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain (UK) are a type found only in southwestern Wales, 156 miles away. The first computer internet network was set up during the Cold War so that the Pentagon could communicate instantly with missile silos. In a study of 566 children at the Henry Ford Hospital of Detroit, children under the age of 12 months exposed to pets are 50% less likely to develop pet allergies later

Japan's famous Mount Fuji, 60 miles from Tokyo, is still classified as an active volcano, though it hasn't erupted since 1707. Many more Italians live near or on Mt. Vesuvius now than did when Pompeii was buried by an eruption, though steam still comes out of it to this day
The first railway in the USA was built in 1795 to transport building materials up Beacon Hill in Boston for construction of the State House; horses were used for pulling the wagons on wooden rails. The stars and bars on railroad Conductor's uniforms stood for something: a bar or stripe 5 years, a star meant 25 years of service, a star and bar/stripe 30 years, a star and 2 bar/stripes 35 years, etc.

The St. Louis Arch was designed by a man who was conducting weather-control research during WW2, leading to an urban myth that the Arch causes major storms to avoid St. Louis. Devil's Tower, seen in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, is less than 100 miles from Mount Rushmore; Teddy Roosevelt declared it America's first national monument in 1906. Beer gets its color from the malted barley. The first railroad locomotive to exceed 100 miles per hour was New York Central #999, which covered a mile of track in 32 seconds on 5/10/1893, a record that held for almost 8 years. The first coast-to-coast railway journey by a single train was in May, 1870, and took 8 days from Boston to San Francisco, compared to weeks or months by wagon train.

Some sellers on eBay have each listed over a Billion dollars of items for sale at a time, though not all of it sold. Montpelier, Vermont, has the smallest population of any state capital in the USA. Chicago is known as "The Windy City" but Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, is actually the windiest city in the USA according to the U.S. Weather Service. Chicago is the 15th windiest. Not surprisingly, Juneau, Alaska, gets the most annual snow of any state capital.

Denver is known as the "Mile High City." In fact, the 13th step of the Denver Capital Building is exactly one mile above sea level. The oldest building in existence is the Barnenez of France, built in 4850 BC. During WW1 some ships loaded with munitions exploded in Nova Scotia, Canada, devastating the town of Halifax in the biggest man-made explosion before Hiroshima. Utah is the only state with a capital consisting of more than one or two words: Salt Lake City. Red wine from Australia or Chile contains more alcohol by volume than red wine from Europe, up to 16%

Mild-tasting Tilapia is the most popular fish in America after salmon and tuna, it was named Tilapia Niloticus by Aristotle and means Fish Of The Nile. Before learning to cook, Julia Child was a spy for the OSS and CIA starting in 1942; she had been turned down by the WACs as too tall. The inventor of Vaseline petroleum jelly ate a spoonful of it every day but eating it never caught on. Peanuts contain a tiny amount of carbon so scientists successfully made a tiny diamond out of peanut-butter. The Manchineel of Latin America is so poisonous that even standing under it can kill you, its sap was used by natives for poison tip arrows.

In 1933, the NY Times reported that a 256 year old man had died in China. The Chinese government produced documents congratulating him on his 150th and 200th birthdays, having been born in 1677 according to records found in a central province. A prisoner in Willich, Germany, mailed himself out of prison in a FedEx box of laundry in 2008. A woman in Maryland who helped design a bomb-disposal robot used it as ring bearer at her wedding. In Australia an 18-inch venomous snake got under a patient's bed on Christmas Eve, 2012, but had to be euthenized when it got tangled in the bed's mechanism

Yellowstone National Park was created by a super-volcano 640,000 years ago with a caldera 30 x 45 miles wide, its heat still causes water geysers to erupt. A Bristlecone pine tree in California is estimated to be over 5000 years old. William Herschel, discoverer of Uranus, also believed that there was life on the surface of the Sun. The Molotov Cocktail, flamable liquid in a bottle with a lit rag thrown at an enemy, was originally used by Finland against invading Russians, then by Russians against invading Germans in WW2

Need to keep ants out of your pet's dish or kitchen trash? Draw a circle around it on the floor with chalk, ants won't cross the chalk line. For this and 400 other tips on how to keep away insects and rodents without chemicals or traps, see Ripley's Believe It Or Not sponsor's $19.95 book advertised during episodes on Chiller TV.
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