Ripley's Believe it or Not!

When I was a kid, or tyke perhaps, all I ever read was The Guinness Book of World Records and the Ripley's Believe it or Not! books. I liked facts and random stuff. A lot. I can pretty much still recite every record from the '88 world record book. Well, not really. But I liked it.

Well this year, I'm more than pleased to report that a two page spread (!) about the one red paperclip story is in Ripley's latest book: Ripley's Believe it or Not! ...The Remarkable Revealed



I'm in there among some pretty awesome stuff:
High school student’s best friend: Read about an amazing Welsh corgi who "understands" calculus! (pg. 122)

Relaxed Lizards: Meet 11-year old Lily Capehart who has the uncanny ability to hypnotize lizards. The lizards become so relaxed she is able to dress them up in outrageous outfits! (pg. 238)

All Tied Up: A true professional in the field of escapology, Dean Gunnerson is always dreaming up the next big escape. Whether he is entombed in wet cement or dangling upside down over the Grand Canyon – he continues to “push the envelope”! (pg. 130-131)

“Car Hurdler”: Jeff Clay was the winner of the 2006 Dear Mr. Ripley Contest. This Georgia man can perform the astonishing feat of hurdling – length-ways – over a car! Clay, who hurdles in the correct style of track athletes, also hurdles cars width-ways, and once jumped 101 cars that were lined up inside a track stadium in 38 minutes. (pg 152-153)

Butt its Art!: Avant-garde “butt print” artist Stan Murmer creates quite a stir with his unusual painting technique. (pg. 52)

And: Did you know....
* Jack Kerouac wrote the classic novel On The Road in 20 days, typing it onto a 119ft-long scroll!
* In 2006, a half-eaten egg salad sandwich from Britney Spears was posted on e-Bay by an unscrupulous waiter. The sandwich sold for $500.
* There are approximately 300 reported cases of New Yorkers bitten by rats in an average year. However, some 1,500 citizens are bitten annually by fellow New Yorkers!

Yep! A good year to be in Ripley's!