A Childhood of Endless Curiosity
Born in 1890, Robert L. Ripley grew up in Santa Rosa, California. He had an insatiable curiosity for the world and a passion for the strange. Ripley began his career as a sports cartoonist but quickly shifted his focus to the bizarre and unusual.
The Birth of “Believe It or Not!”
In 1918, while working for the New York Globe, Ripley found himself out of ideas for his usual sports cartoon. As a result, he pieced together a collage of sports oddities, and Believe It or Not! was born. It was an instant success, and Ripley soon expanded the scope to include human, animal, historical, and scientific oddities. His work brought the world gems like two Ukrainians who slapped each other’s faces for 36 hours and a man named Ab C. Defghi.
A Life of Exploration and Showmanship
Ripley traveled the globe, visiting over 200 countries, always on the lookout for the strange and peculiar. His travels took him around the world, and even into a rattlesnake pit during his radio show. He interviewed a parachutist while free-falling from two miles high—just one example of his extreme dedication to his craft.
An Unstoppable Drive for the Unusual
Though rarely introspective, Ripley once confided in a friend that his relentless ambition left him restless. He wrote, “My work is never done, and peace of mind I never have.” Despite this, Ripley enjoyed his adventurous life and left behind a legacy that continues to celebrate the world’s oddities through books, museums, and shows.
The Man Who Made the World’s Oddities Famous 🌎
A Childhood of Endless Curiosity
Born in 1890, Robert L. Ripley grew up in Santa Rosa, California. He had an insatiable curiosity for the world and a passion for the strange. Ripley began his career as a sports cartoonist but… pic.twitter.com/c8UQJx9Vfu— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TBBOB2) August 20, 2024