With his believe it or not, comic strip, Robert Ripley challenged the limits of what millions

of people would accept throughout the middle of the 20th century.

One thing you shouldn't believe, though, is that Ripley came up with all of these amazing

items by himself.

No, that credit is due to one of the very greatest unsung writers and researchers who got every

last item from the New York Public Library.

Please believe it or not is coming up next on Skeptoid.

You're listening to Skeptoid for Brian Dunning, this is guest host Jeff Wagg from Skeptoid.com.

Robert Ripley, believe him, or not.

Robert Ripley has come to the American Consciousness once again, some 65 years after his death.

A book by Neil Thompson and a PBS special tell the tale of a gangly kid with a talent

for cartooning who made it big with a little help from Randolph Hearst.

But the basic question remains, can we actually believe it or not?

Ripley got his start as a cartoonist reporting on sports.

He'd pick one event from the night's contest and recreate it in a single cartoon panel.

One day when he couldn't find anything to focus on, he wrote a panel called Champs and

Chumps that featured several small illustrations, each with a few words explaining something

about them.

They seemed tame by today's standards.

RP Williams made a running high kick of 10 feet 2 inches, New London, Connecticut, 1905.

Ed Lamy brought jumped on ice 25 feet 7 inches, Sarenak Lake 1913.

J. Darby of England jumped backwards 12 feet 11 inches with weights.

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