Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Celebrates 25 Years of 'Fin-tastic' Memories!
Places

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Celebrates 25 Years of 'Fin-tastic' Memories!

A quarter-century of marine magic, family fun, and an all-new exhibit!

Spark Your Sense of Curiosity

Get lost in a vortex of weird and wonderful stories from Ripley's!

The Latest

Americans Invented the Automobile, Right?
Vintage & Historical
Engrid Barnett

Americans Invented the Automobile, Right?

From 6th-century sailing chariots to Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled carriage, think again.

Swimming After You Eat? Yes, You Can.
Science & Technology
Engrid Barnett

Swimming After You Eat? Yes, You Can.

Rumors of after-meal cramping have been greatly exaggerated.

Ramses II: The Mummy Who Had To Get a Passport
Vintage & Historical
Colton Kruse

Ramses II: The Mummy Who Had To Get a Passport

They didn’t want him getting kidnapped!

McDonald’s Food Doesn’t Rot… Or Does It?
Food
Ripley's Believe It or Not!

McDonald’s Food Doesn’t Rot… Or Does It?

Under the same conditions, homemade burgers won't decompose either.

The Strange but True History of Robert Ripley
Vintage & Historical
Colton Kruse

The Strange but True History of Robert Ripley

Dubbed the modern-day Marco Polo and once voted the most popular man in America, Robert Ripley's legacy is over 100 years old!

Most Read

Check out trending stories and discover that truth is always stranger than fiction!

Vintage & Historical

Endurance Shipwreck Found 106 Years After Antarctic Sinking

The water's frigid temperatures kept the ship in remarkable condition.

Endurance Shipwreck Found 106 Years After Antarctic Sinking

People

The Uncanny Case of the Jim Twins, Two Estranged Twins Who Led Identical Lives

They unknowingly forged lives as identical as their DNA.

The Uncanny Case of the Jim Twins, Two Estranged Twins Who Led Identical Lives

People

The Medical Mystery of Tarrare, a Cannibalistic French Spy

Tarrare was the walking manifestation of one of the seven deadly sins as he prowled the cobbled streets of 18th-century Paris indulging his endless hunger.

The Medical Mystery of Tarrare, a Cannibalistic French Spy

Read More Ripley's

Take things to the next level! Ripley’s twentieth edition annual book is full of all-new, all-true stories from around the world.

Dare to Discover book
Buy Now

Our Picks

We’re surrounded by the weird and the wonderful everyday – it never gets old – but these are the stories we just can’t seem to stop thinking about

Science & Technology

Believe It or Not! Total Solar Eclipse Captured for Ripley’s Exhibit Collection

Converging art and astronomy, artist uses the power of the sun to create piece for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Believe It or Not! Total Solar Eclipse Captured for Ripley’s Exhibit Collection

Vintage & Historical

Up Close With Ripley's Legendary Fertility Statues

Acquired more than 25 years ago, the iconic statues have become a must-see.

Up Close With Ripley's Legendary Fertility Statues

Animals

Meet Cheddar, the One-in-30-million Orange Lobster

Named after Red Lobster's iconic Cheddar Bay Biscuits®, this unique lobster is an incredibly rare find!

Meet Cheddar, the One-in-30-million Orange Lobster

Animals

Watch the Trained Rats and Cats of Cirque du Sewer

The show with acro-cats and acro-rats!

Watch the Trained Rats and Cats of Cirque du Sewer

Vintage & Historical

Those Four Small Words Can Be Attributed To A 100-Year-Old Cartoon

Believe It or Not! turns 100!

Those Four Small Words Can Be Attributed To A 100-Year-Old Cartoon

Ripley's Daily Cartoon

Ripley's has been presenting the incredible and the unusual in illustrated form since 1918. Believe It or Not!, it is the longest running syndicated cartoon in history!

Today's cartoon

A territorial pileated woodpecker has damaged over 25 vehicles in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Yesterday's cartoon

Saying "please" and "thank you" to ChatGPT costs millions of dollars in electricity.

June 10, 2025

Refried beans aren't fried twice - the name comes from the Spanish "refritos," meaning "well-fried," not "fried again."

June 9, 2025

In 2025, the world's tallest dog, Reginald the Great Dane, met the shortest, Pearl the Chihuahua, for a playdate in Idaho.

Sunday cartoon! - June 8, 2025

Snails lay eggs from a hole in their necks!

June 7, 2025

When ripe, the squirting cucumber sprays a stream of sticky liquid containing its seeds.

June 6, 2025

It takes two weeks to manufacture an Atomic Fireball, and it is composed of at least one hundred layers of candy.

June 5, 2025

Contagious yawning is more common among close friends and family, likely due to higher levels of empathy and emotional connection.

June 4, 2025

In 2025, 17-year-old Max Budgen from the U.K. created a 1,300-page hand-drawn flipbook.

June 3, 2025

Bali has more than 20,000 Hindu temples.

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Swirling Pinstripe backdrop
Ripley's Cartoon of the Day

June 12, 2025

Cartoon of the Day

A territorial pileated woodpecker has damaged over 25 vehicles in Rockport, Massachusetts.

Ripley's Cartoon of the Day

Robert Ripley began the Believe It or Not! cartoon in 1918. Today, Kieran Castaño is the eighth artist to continue the legacy of illustrating the world's longest-running syndicated cartoon!

Read More Cartoons