Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
[May 31-June 6, 2021] Decapitated remains, a toddler genius, and a bear-fighting teen—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Archaeologists from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) were excavating Knobb’s Farm in Somersham, England when they discovered 17 decapitated bodies buried in three Roman cemeteries on the property.
Based on their positioning, the bodies are believed to have been victims of judicial executions with many of their heads placed near their feet or in a position indicating that they were kneeling when they died.
With the bodies dating back to at least 410 AD, it’s no surprise that the remains were not in the best condition. Even so, the skeletons did not indicate any signs of trauma or defensive injuries—aside from their heads being removed, that is.
The number of bodies discovered is considered “exceptionally high,” even for Roman cemeteries, where other excavations have resulted in 2.5–6.1% of decapitated bodies. This excavation produced a whopping 33%.
While we may never know exactly what took place at the site, researchers have deduced that “the practice cannot have been a mistake” and have theorized that the bodies belonged to criminals or people who brought shame to their families.
In the past week and a half, two families separated by 1,600 miles experienced the same mysterious happening as large chunks of ice crashed into their homes.
On the morning of May 19, homeowners in a Palm City, Florida, neighborhood greeted the day with a large piece of ice slamming onto their rooftop, leaving a sizable hole before falling to the ground. Floridians are fairly familiar with ice falling from the sky, but anything larger than golf ball–sized hail is definitely a noteworthy occurrence.
Only a week later, about 1,600 miles away, Elk Mound, Wisconsin resident Ken Millermon woke up to a 12.6-pound hunk of ice flying into his bedroom from above, landing only inches away from where he was sleeping.
Millermon got lucky, as he “would’ve probably been out, kicked the bucket” if it had shifted just a little bit.
In both instances, the source of the icy boulders remains a mystery, as the National Weather Service didn’t detect any storm clouds that would have caused hail in the areas.
A WI man says this 12lb ice chunk flew through his roof and into his bedroom Tuesday morning. He says had he been a couple inches to his left, he would have died. Researchers at @UWEauClaire are working to figure out what exactly crashed through Ken Millermon’s roof. @kare11 pic.twitter.com/qII1B89sjZ
— Sharon Yoo (@SharonKARE11) May 28, 2021
A Los Angeles toddler has officially joined the ranks of the world’s smartest people, becoming the youngest member of Mensa, America’s oldest IQ society.
While most two-year-olds spend their days playing with toys and throwing tantrums, Kashe Quest spends hers reading full sentences, learning Spanish, identifying states, and learning the periodic table.
“She’ll wake up on a Saturday and say, ‘I wanna do elements,’ or, ‘I wanna do states,’ so whenever she’s leaning into it, we’re just there to support her,” said parents Sukhjit Athwal and Devon Quest.
With an IQ score of 146, Quest’s IQ is close to 50 points higher than the United States average of 98. For reference, Elon Musk has an IQ of 155, and Bill Gates is sitting pretty at 160.
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A California teen gave no paws when rescuing her beloved dogs from the claws of an annoyed mama bear, shoving the bear into submission.
Hailey Morinico, 17, bear-ly had time to think when she saw her dogs bolt out of her family’s Bradbury, California, home to yap at a trio of black bears walking along the fence outside their house.
While the baby cubs ran away from the pups, their mama wasn’t having it and began swiping at the dogs below. Morinico saw what was happening and ran to the rescue, shoving the bear off the fence.
“I go over to the bear. I look it in the eyes, and the first thing I think to do is push it, push a bear, push an apex predator, man,” Morinico recalled in a TikTok video.
Morinico pushed just hard enough for the bear to lose its balance and fall off the fence, giving her enough time to grab her precious pooch and run back to the safety of their home, escaping with nothing more than a sprained finger and a banged-up knee.
Though she may have saved the day, Morinico does not advise using her tactic if put in the same situation.
“Do not push bears. Don’t do what I did. You might not have the same outcome.”
@bakedlikepieMy cousin Hailey yeeted a bear off her fence today and saved her dogs. How was your Memorial Day?! (WTF?!) ##ohno ##badass ##brave ##fight ##bear♬ Oh No – Kreepa
An 11-year-old pianist dressed as an alligator has been giving lonely lemurs at a Thailand zoo something to look forward to with weekly performances in their habitat.
Seenlada Supat has been spending her quarantine keeping the animal residents of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo occupied with her piano performances.
Each week, Supat puts on an alligator costume to blend in with the lemurs, meerkats, hippos, and zebras who make up her audience.
Supat’s medley of Thai folk and pop songs has been a hit with the lemurs, who often join her in tickling the ivories by jumping on the keyboard.
“I don’t mind; it’s as if they’re playing music with me,” said Supat, who enjoys helping the animals relax while offering some company since the zoo’s attendance is low due to COVID-19.
The lemurs’ amusement has been infectious, with Zoo director Tawin Rattanawongsawat noting that other animals are reacting as well, saying, “They became curious while others appeared to be enjoying the music.”
Watch this young musician give these zoo lemurs some entertainment. This Thailand zoo has seen a 70% drop in visitors, leaving the park empty and animals lonely. 11-year-old Seenlada Supat said playing for the animals gives her a chance to overcome stage fright
pic.twitter.com/sAIVOabh0J
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 3, 2021
By Meghan Yani, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source: Child Pianist Cheers Up Lonely Lemurs While Dressed As Alligator
