Robert Ripley - Biography, Trivia, Chronology

Illustrator, cartoonist, and writer, born in Santa Rosa, California, USA. He began as a tombstone polisher, worked on newspapers in San Francisco (1909–13), and moved to New York City to work for the Globe (1913). He changed his first name and began his Believe It or Not! cartoons of oddities (1918). His syndicated feature made him wealthy, and he lived on an island in Long Island Sound he called Bion, an acronym of Believe It or Not!.

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.

In 1949, Ripley began televising a special.

Ripley's ideas and legacy live on in a company which bears his namesake, Ripley's Entertainment, which airs national television shows and features publications of Ripley's so-called "oddities".

Some called Ripley a liar and accused him of exaggerating, but Ripley, throughout the years and in his claims, gave appropriate sources.

Trivia

Ripley is to be the focus of Believe It or Not, a film scheduled for release in 2009.

Chronology

1890 Born in Santa Rosa, California on Christmas Day 1901 Receives his formal education 1906 Becomes a semi-pro in baseball and sells first artwork 1908 Quits baseball briefly to support mother and sells first cartoon to Life 1909 Moves from the San Francisco Bulletin to the San Francisco Chronicle 1912 Creates his last drawing for the San Francisco Chronicle and moves to New York that winter 1913 On January 2, writes his first comic for the New York Globe and tries out for the New York Giants, but an injury ends his baseball hopes 1914 Takes his first trip to Europe 1918 On December 19, publishes Champs and Chumps in the New York Globe 1919 Marries Beatrice Roberts 1920 Takes his first solo trip to Europe to cover the Olympics, held in Antwerp, Belgium 1922 On December 3, takes first trip around the world; the Globe is replaced by the New York Post 1925 Writes travel journal, handball guide 1926 Becomes New York handball champion and writes book on boxing score 1929 On July 9, William Randolph Hearst's King Features Syndicate features Believe It or Not! in seventeen papers worldwide 1930 Begins an eighteen-year run on radio and a nineteen-year association with show producer Doug Storer; Hearst funds Ripley's travels around the world, where Ripley records live radio shows from underwater, the sky, caves, snake pits and foreign countries 1931 Releases movie shorts for Vitaphone, second book of Believe it or Not! 1932 Takes trip to the Far East 1933 First Odditorium opens in Chicago 1934 Does the first radio show broadcast simultaneously around the world and purchases 28-room home in Mamaroneck, New York 1935 Odditorium opens in San Diego 1936 Odditorium opens in Dallas; the 30th anniversary of Believe it or Not! is celebrated at a New York costume party 1949 Ripley dies on May 27, shortly after thirteenth telecast of first television show and is buried in Santa Rosa;