Robert Ripley, the cartoonist, explorer, reporter, adventurer, illustrator, collector and seeker of the odd and unusual, lived a life that can only be summed up by the statement he himself created:
"Believe It or Not!"
NEW YORK CITY / CBS News / December 20, 2008
What began 90 years ago with Robert Ripley publishing "Champs and Chumps," a comic strip featuring odd sports facts, evolved into the ever wide-ranging "Ripley's Believe It or Not," which notes things strange and bizarre. Dave Price took a look back, on The CBS Early Show Saturday Edition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before a successful two-decade run on the radio, Ripley was well-known for his cartoon strip, which depicted a combination of little-known facts and strange oddities from his global adventures.
And because people simply couldn't believe sketches of things such as unusual body piercings of some African women, Ripley began documenting his claims on film.
Those films soon became a source of education and entertainment.
Ripley was most fond of his adventures in Asia. Sure, he'd show you the Great Wall of China, but revealing a temple made from broken porcelain dishes proved equally appealing to his fans.
Still, for many, seeing didn't necessarily mean believing. Ripley took great pride in being called a liar, and built an empire on that burden of proof.
Though Ripley died during his first season on television in 1949, his work carries on to this day.
There are Ripley's museums and "odditorioums" all over the world, and the one in New York's Times Square is the largest and newest in North America.
There, you'll find an array of oddities, artifacts and artwork, such as a painting made of -- laundry lint!
My personal favorite would have to be the painting of Abraham Lincoln on the back of a fly!
Believe it ... or not! Ripley would be proud.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc.
December 21, 2008
USA: Ripley's Is 90 -- Believe It Or Not!
.
Robert Ripley, the cartoonist, explorer, reporter, adventurer, illustrator, collector and seeker of the odd and unusual, lived a life that can only be summed up by the statement he himself created:
"Believe It or Not!"
NEW YORK CITY / CBS News / December 20, 2008
What began 90 years ago with Robert Ripley publishing "Champs and Chumps," a comic strip featuring odd sports facts, evolved into the ever wide-ranging "Ripley's Believe It or Not," which notes things strange and bizarre. Dave Price took a look back, on The CBS Early Show Saturday Edition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before a successful two-decade run on the radio, Ripley was well-known for his cartoon strip, which depicted a combination of little-known facts and strange oddities from his global adventures.
And because people simply couldn't believe sketches of things such as unusual body piercings of some African women, Ripley began documenting his claims on film.
Those films soon became a source of education and entertainment.
Ripley was most fond of his adventures in Asia. Sure, he'd show you the Great Wall of China, but revealing a temple made from broken porcelain dishes proved equally appealing to his fans.
Still, for many, seeing didn't necessarily mean believing. Ripley took great pride in being called a liar, and built an empire on that burden of proof.
Though Ripley died during his first season on television in 1949, his work carries on to this day.
There are Ripley's museums and "odditorioums" all over the world, and the one in New York's Times Square is the largest and newest in North America.
There, you'll find an array of oddities, artifacts and artwork, such as a painting made of -- laundry lint!
My personal favorite would have to be the painting of Abraham Lincoln on the back of a fly!
Believe it ... or not! Ripley would be proud.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc.
Robert Ripley, the cartoonist, explorer, reporter, adventurer, illustrator, collector and seeker of the odd and unusual, lived a life that can only be summed up by the statement he himself created:
"Believe It or Not!"
NEW YORK CITY / CBS News / December 20, 2008
What began 90 years ago with Robert Ripley publishing "Champs and Chumps," a comic strip featuring odd sports facts, evolved into the ever wide-ranging "Ripley's Believe It or Not," which notes things strange and bizarre. Dave Price took a look back, on The CBS Early Show Saturday Edition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before a successful two-decade run on the radio, Ripley was well-known for his cartoon strip, which depicted a combination of little-known facts and strange oddities from his global adventures.
And because people simply couldn't believe sketches of things such as unusual body piercings of some African women, Ripley began documenting his claims on film.
Those films soon became a source of education and entertainment.
Ripley was most fond of his adventures in Asia. Sure, he'd show you the Great Wall of China, but revealing a temple made from broken porcelain dishes proved equally appealing to his fans.
Still, for many, seeing didn't necessarily mean believing. Ripley took great pride in being called a liar, and built an empire on that burden of proof.
Though Ripley died during his first season on television in 1949, his work carries on to this day.
There are Ripley's museums and "odditorioums" all over the world, and the one in New York's Times Square is the largest and newest in North America.
There, you'll find an array of oddities, artifacts and artwork, such as a painting made of -- laundry lint!
My personal favorite would have to be the painting of Abraham Lincoln on the back of a fly!
Believe it ... or not! Ripley would be proud.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc.
