Robert LeRoy Ripley (December 25, 1890 – May 27, 1949)

Cartoonist, and armature anthropologist Robert Ripley first called his cartoon
feature, originally involving sports feats, Champs and Chumps, and it premiered
on December 19, 1918, in the New York Globe (above). He began adding items not related to sports, and in October 1919 he changed the title to Believe It or Not. When
the Globe folded in 1923, Ripley moved to the New York Evening Post. The popular franchise was later adapted into a wide variety of formats, including radio, television,
a chain of museums, and a book series.

August 1, 2003