Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[December 2-8th, 2018] Thigh-highs are timeless, a robotic accident, white reindeer, and some silly seals.
Thanks to the efforts of a nine-year-old Dane Best of Colorado, one town’s ban on a beloved Christmas tradition has come to an end. The town of Severance banned throwing rocks or missile of any kind about a century ago. Best, however, fought for his right to bear snowballs in front of the town board, eventually winning a full overturn of the snow fight ban for himself and his fellow townsfolk.
An estimated 30 Amazon employees were treated for blindness and restricted breathing in New Jersey after a fulfillment center robot seems to have accidentally burst a can of bear spray. The spray, which is a super-concentrated form of pepper spray meant to deter bears sent 24 workers to the hospital, with one in critical condition. Thankfully, however, all are expected to be released soon.
Believe it or not, thigh-high boots were also a winter fashion item 500 years ago. Archaeologists surveying the River Thames found a skeleton from the 15th century. Scientists suspect he met an untimely end, as it’s unlikely he would have been buried in such an expensive pair of footwear at the time. To keep his feet warm and dry, they even found bits of moss stuffed into the soles.
As Mads Nordsveen walked through the snow in northern Norway, he spotted an incredibly rare white reindeer walking in the mountains. The creature walked up, posed for a few photos, then hopped away. Though not an albino, reindeer with stripped pigment are considered omens of good luck in Scandinavia.
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Scientists in the Hawaiian Monk Seal Program thought they had a truly unique experience earlier this year pulling a two-foot-long eel from the nose of a juvenile monk seal. Little did they know the species would be facing an epidemic of comical facial features. Researchers aren’t sure why this keeps happening, but chalk it up to youngsters just getting into trouble.
