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Robert LeRoy Ripley (December 25,1890 - May 27, 1949) was an entrepreneur, anthropologist and cartoonist who created the world famous Ripley's Believe It or Not! series.
Biography Born in Santa Rosa, California, he was an aspiring professional baseball player until he was injured in 1913, the same year his first cartoon appeared in a newspaper. Ripley visited 198 countries throughout his lifetime, all the while collecting information about strange oddities to appear in his columns and cartoons. Because of his journeys, many dubbed him the "modern Marco Polo". In 1949, Ripley began televising a special. He only completed a mere thirteen episodes, however, as he became incapacitated by severe health problems, and even before these he had passed out during the filming of his final show. His health became worse, and on 27 May, at the age of 58, he succumbed to a heart attack. His ideas and legacy live on in a company which bears his namesake, which airs national television shows, and features publications of Ripley's so-called "oddities". He is buried in his hometown of Santa Rosa. The Church of the One Tree, a church built entirely from the wood of a single 300 foot tall redwood tree, and made popular by Ripley, stands on the north side of Juilliard Park in downtown Santa Rosa. Some called Ripley a liar, and accused him of exaggerating, but Ripley, throughout the years and in his claims, gave appropriate sources, and also claimed to be able to "prove every statement he made". Trivia Ripley is to be the focus of Believe It or Not, a film scheduled for release in 2009. Jim Carrey is signed on to play him. Robert supposedly died while Taps was being played over radio broadcast. Chronology | ||||||||
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