Book picks similar to
Ripley's Believe It or Not! by Ripley Entertainment Inc.


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Beyond bizarre


Varla Ventura - 2010
    Arranged into 13 chilling chapters like Haunted Hollywood, Blood Red Crosses and Gross Anatomy: Hospital Horrors, Bride of Bizarre, and Tales from the Cryptids, Beyond Bizarre tackles everything from female pirates and creepy candy stripers to psychic predictions and virgin shark birthsand much, much more.A word of warning: this book is not for the faint of heart!

Panati's Extraordinary Endings of Practically Everything and Everybody


Charles Panati - 1989
    From famous presidents to frightening epidemics, from ancient extinctions to vanished vogues, from bizarre last wills to the death styles of the rich and renowned, The Browser's Book of Endings presents the amusing, the surprising, and the generally little-known stories behind the terminations of practically everything and everybody. Illustrated with more than 100 drawings, diagrams, and archival photographs, with an extensive reference list and index, this is the most readable and complete compendium of deliciously trivial and profound facts about history's endings.

Contrary to Popular Belief: More than 250 False Facts Revealed


Joey Green - 2005
    Isn’t it time you knew the honest-to-goodness truth? We’ve all come to believe hundreds of “false facts”—myths that we’ve blindly accepted as truth, misconceptions that we’ve ignorantly retold to others—Contrary to Popular Belief provides an instant remedy for your pounding head full of misinformation, giving you quick relief with enlightening and entertaining facts.Inside you’ll learn:George Washington was not the first president of the United States.Leap year does not occur every four years.The ostrich does not bury its head in the sand.Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb.Ship captains cannot perform marriages at sea.Sound does not travel at the speed of sound.The needle on a compass does not point to the North Pole.Leonardo da Vinci did not paint the Mona Lisa.And more than two hundred other bits of conventional “wisdom” that are completely bunk.

The Encylopedia of Immaturity


Klutz - 2007
    The Encyclopedia of Immaturity contains more than 300 entries: How to Skip a Stone, How to Do a Wheelie, How to Hang a Spoon from Your Nose, How to Really Annoy Your Older Sibling Have fun

No Place for the Weak: A True Story of Deviance, Torture and Social Cleansing (Ryan Green's True Crime)


Ryan Green - 2021
    

Strange Stories, Amazing Facts


Reader's Digest Association - 1975
    But TrueSome Sample chapters from the book are:Was Atlantis a legend or fact?The building of the Great Pyramid of CheopsHistory of the can opener

Guinness World Records 2015


Guinness World Records - 2014
    The 2015 edition showcases the very best of the most recent world records, with new subjects as diverse as castles, 3D printing, the search for alien life and the latest developments in AI and robotics. Plus, the Flashback features offer a look back at the archives to bring you the best of the classic and iconic records from the past 60 years. Meanwhile, the Gallery spreads present the best GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS photography across themed topics such as giant musical instruments, wacky vehicles and animals in action. And look out for details of how readers can become record-breakers themselves.See it 3D! - The latest edition of our FREE Augmented Reality app brings the book to life with more exciting and interactive digital content, including a 3D animation of the tallest man who ever lived – Robert Wadlow, who reached the towering height of 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in). Plus, you will be transported to an underwater submarine so that you can dive with creatures as exotic as the great white shark! Also, you will encounter the world’s most venomous spider – get closer and it will surprise you! Download the new app now to experience a whole new dimension of records.

The Book of Extraordinary Deaths: True Accounts of Ill-Fated Lives


Cecilia Ruiz - 2018
    Beginning in the seventh century BC with the unusual death of Draco and journeying chronologically to the present day, Ruiz's playfully sinister giftbook illustrates and describes the infamous deaths of these unfortunate souls. From stories of the hot-air balloon duel that claimed a Frenchman's life to the fatal wardrobe malfunction of famed dancer Isadora Duncan, The Book of Extraordinary Deaths is a uniquely clever and gorgeously rendered meditation on life's ironies and mysteries. With Ruiz's witty descriptions and rich, captivating illustrations, her characters come to life on the page even as they shuffle off this mortal coil.

The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half-Baked Heroes from Comic Book History


Jon Morris - 2015
    So prepare yourself for such not-ready-for-prime-time heroes as Bee Man (Batman, but with bees), the Clown (circus-themed crimebuster), the Eye (a giant, floating eyeball; just accept it), and many other oddballs and oddities. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The League of Regrettable Superheroes will appeal to die-hard comics fans, casual comics readers, and anyone who enjoys peering into the stranger corners of pop culture.

Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library


New York Public Library - 2019
    Have you've ever wondered if you can keep an octopus in a private home? Do you spend your time thinking about how much Napoleon's brain weighed? If so, Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers is the book for you. The New York Public Library has been fielding questions like these ever since it was founded in 1895. Of course, some of the questions have left the librarians scratching their heads..."In what occupations may one be barefooted?""What time does a bluebird sing?""What does it mean when you're being chased by an elephant?""What kind of apple did Eve eat?""How many neurotic people are there in the U.S.?"In Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers, the staff of the NYPL has dug through the archives to find thoughtful and often witty answers to over one hundred of the oddest, funniest, and most whimsical questions the library has received since it began record-keeping over seventy-five years ago. One of The New Yorker's best-known and beloved illustrators, Barry Blitt, has created watercolors that bring many of the questions hilariously to life in a book that answers, among others, the question "Does anyone have a copyright on the Bible?"

An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned But Probably Didn't


Judy Jones - 1987
    Now this instant classic has been completely updated, outfitted with a whole new arsenal of indispensable knowledge on global affairs, popular culture, economic trends, scientific principles, and modern arts. Here's your chance to brush up on all those subjects you slept through in school, reacquaint yourself with all the facts you once knew (then promptly forgot), catch up on major developments in the world today, and become the Renaissance man or woman you always knew you could be! How do you tell the Balkans from the Caucasus? What's the difference between fission and fusion? Whigs and Tories? Shiites and Sunnis? Deduction and induction? Why aren't all Shakespearean comedies necessarily thigh-slappers? What are transcendental numbers and what are they good for? What really happened in Plato's cave? Is postmodernism dead or just having a bad hair day? And for extra credit, when should you use the adjective continual and when should you use continuous? An Incomplete Education answers these and thousands of other questions with incomparable wit, style, and clarity. American Studies, Art History, Economics, Film, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Science, and World History: Here's the bottom line on each of these major disciplines, distilled to its essence and served up with consummate flair.

National Geographic Kids Ultimate Weird but True: 1,000 Wild Wacky Facts and Photos


National Geographic Kids - 2011
    With a colorful, metallic cover, a kid-friendly design, and a wacky sense of humor, this stunning book will give kids a winning combination of smarts and fun. Flip through these boldly-designed pages and you’ll find hundreds of snack-size stories about weird animals, space vacations, wacky inventions, freaky weather, amazing feats, wild extreme sports, and more. You’ll discover:·       A real-life Spider-Man man who scales skyscrapers with his bare hands·       A fish that plays soccer·       A $150,000 diamond-studded cupcake·       A man who makes himself invisible·       An upside-down house·       A hotel shaped like a giant beagle·       Tornadoes of fire·       A mouse that hitched a ride on a frog’s back·       A dog that can read·       A motorcycle shaped like hamburger·       A 13-foot-tall pink poodle·       Millions of red crabs·       A white alligator·       A robot that can do your grocery shopping, and much more…·       Plus, cool illustrations, and "Ultimate Secret Revealed" features that explain the strange truth behind the most mind-bending facts, such as how it’s possible to convert peanut butter into a diamond and how frogs can fall from the sky

Mental Floss Presents Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide to History's Naughtiest Bits (Mental Floss Presents)


Will Pearson - 2005
    The brainiac team at "mental_floss", creators of the hit magazine and last year's Condensed Knowledge, have scoured the darkest, dirtiest corners of history and the globe to gather this ultimate collection of the bad stuff you're not supposed to know and you certainly never learned in school.Organized by theme, with chapters for each of the seven deadly sins, the book includes feuds, plagiarists, hoaxes, lies, schemes, scandals, evil dictators, mob bosses, acts of revenge, angry queens, cannibals and much more, all organized into bite-sized—albeit foul-tasting—lists (i.e."The Fascist Style Guide: Five Dictator Grooming Tips", “Four Biblical Girls Gone Wild" and “Three Delicious Animals We Charbroiled Into Extinction."). It's the perfect way to add some spice to a dull conversation and proves that learning can be not only easy, but exquisitely sinful.

The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament


Brendan Powell Smith - 2011
    His wonderfully original sets are featured on his website, Bricktestament.com, but for the first time 1,500 photographs of these creative designs—depicting the Old Testament from Earth’s creation to the Books of Kings—are brought together in book format. The Holy Bible is complex; sometimes dark, and other times joyous, and Smith’s masterful work is a far cry from what a small child might build. The beauty of The Brick Bible is that everyone, from the devout to nonbelievers, will find something breathtaking, fascinating, or entertaining within this collection. Smith’s subtle touch brings out the nuances of each scene and makes you reconsider the way you look at Legos—it’s something that needs to be seen to be believed.

Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections


Stephen Biesty - 1992
    There's something new to find with every look at the extraordinarily detailed illustrations, depicting the insides of a steam train, a coal mine, a castle, the Queen Mary, and more. Full color.