The Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum is an absolute must when visiting New York City. Situated in the heart of Times Square this unique attraction opened its doors in 1939, and has been entertaining guests ever since with Robert Ripley’scollection of rare artifacts and thrilling interactive exhibits.
The museum is open daily from 9 am – 1 pm, and tickets can be purchased both online and at the door. NYC can become a costly affair with all its cool attractions, so make sure you save a buck or two by purchasing your tickets online.
Here is a sneak peek of some of the wonders you can find in there. But be warned make sure you set aside a good few hours to take it all in, as the facts below only just scratch the surface of the 500 unique and engaging exhibits.
You have to SEE IT to BELIEVE IT.
AFRICA>SARA DISK – WEARERS
The women of the Sara Tribe in Chad, Africa, have their lips pierced when young, and as they grow older, they insert wooden plates in them to make them unattractive to raiders. Believe it or Not.
ECUADOR & PERU> SHRUNKEN HEADS
The practice of head shrinking has been documented in the northwestern region of the Amazon rainforest by the Jivaroantribes, specifically those found in Ecuador and Peru. Shrunken heads were specially prepared and used for trophies, rituals, or trade purposes. Each human head undergoes an in-depth shrinking process and once completed can fit into an average-sized hand. Believe it or not…
This was by far the most interesting attraction to me, and still plays over in my mind today. This inspired me to write a separate blog post for this one. Read more here> www.kzaravisual.com
CUBA> THE MAN WHOSE EYES CAN BE DISLOCATED
Avelino Perez Maos of Baracoa, Cuba, could dislocate his eyes out of their sockets at will.
TEXAS>THE WORLDS MOST UNUSUAL MAN
Eric Sprague of Austin, Texas, has had his entire body tattooed with green scales! In addition, he has had surgical Teflonimplants put into his forehead, and he has had his tongue split in two, all part of his gradual transformation into the world’s only “Lizard Man.”. Starting in the late 1990’s Erik has spent over 700 hours having his body tattooed green based on a design of his own creation. When asked what he plans to do when he is 100% green, Erik says he is contemplating having a tail grafted onto his spine.
WORLD TOILET DAY
……. takes place on November 19th each year!
HEREDITARY TONGUES
I bet you didn’t know this . . . .
AMERICA> HALF-SIZED MAN LIVES TILL AGE 79.
Born along with a perfectly normal twin brother in 1911, Johnny Eck’s torso ended where his hips should have been!
Although doctors doubted he would survive past infancy, half-sized Johnny lived a full life, becoming an honor student, musician, composer, bandleader, movie actor, painter, race car driver, and performer, before passing away at the age of 79.
ZIMBABWE > THE PHANTOM OF THE SAVANNA
Called Twiga Mweupe or the “Phantom of the Savanna” by a local tribesman, this rare Albino giraffe was taken from theGonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe Africa in 2004. Measuring nearly 17″ tall it was only the third recorded albino giraffe in history and the first since 1969.
ILLINOS> STAND IN WADLOW’S SHOES
Also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, Robert was an American who became famous as the tallest person ever recorded in history. Robert reached 2.72m in height and weighed 199kg at his death at age 22. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to hyperplasia of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He showed no indication of an end to this growth even at the time of his death.
Robert became a celebrity after his 1936 U.S. tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus. In 1938, he did a promotional tour with the International Shoe Company (since 1966 called INTERCO). They provided him with his shoes free of charge. Examples still exist in several locations throughout the U.S., including Snyder’s Shoe Store of Ludington and Manistee, Michigan, and the Alton Museum of History and Art.
I dare you to stand in his shoes! I am a size 4, and his size – is 37AA
TENNESSEE> HIS HAND WAS AFOOT
This is a life-sized cast of Willie Camper’s 1-foot-long hand! This mountain of a man from Memphis, Tennessee, could literally hold a dozen eggs in each hand – unscrambled!
SOUTH AFRICA, THE CROCODILE MAN
Bobby Blackburn of South Africa wears dentures made of crocodile teeth!
A crocodile nature preserves ranger by trade, Me. Blackburn, reports the teeth are sharp enough to cut through even the thickest piece of his favorite meat. You guessed it, crocodile!
IOWA> THE MULE-FACED WOMAN
Could this be the ugliest woman in the world? Billed as “the Mule-Faced Woman”, she had numerous proposals of marriage! She finally accepted one and had a normal son, who grew up and became her professional manager.
There might just be hope for us!
SRI LANKA> PACHYDERMS AND PANTIES
In the 19th Century elephants at the Sacred Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka, actually wear lace panties and are never permitted to appear in public with bare legs.
VIRGINIA> THE BEARDED WOMAN
If you think her beard is long, you should see her legs!
CHINA> CHINESE SNAKE WINE
This fine wine hails from a restaurant in Guangzhou, China, that serves snake, and nothing but snake! Beyond this wine’s “full-bodied” reptilian bouquet, the locals imbibe it because it’s believed to cure insomnia, glaucoma, arthritis, and rheumatism.
WHEN IS IT OPEN:
365 DAYS A YEAR, 9 am – 1 pm
WHERE TO FIND THEM:
234 West 42nd StreetNew York, NY 10036
GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM:
(212) 398-3133
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST:
Door cost: $29,95 (plus tax)
Online: $23,96 (plus tax)
READ MORE HERE:
http://www.ripleysnewyork.com/
hashtag #RipleysNY & handle @RipleysNY
Images by Chantelle Flores