By Wellons Communications
Now with news links!
Great news! Ripley’s new Seeing is Believing book has some stories in the Chicago area. The book came out earlier this month, and Illinois is represented well with its share of strange and unusual stories in the book.
Here are the stories:
* Beer Coffin
Bill Bramanti had a coffin specially built to resemble a huge can of his favorite beer. The 67-year-old paid $2,000 to resemble Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
* School Bus Driver Changes Name
Steve Kreuscher filed a petition to change his name to “In God We Trust” because he was worried that the phrase might be removed from U.S. currency.
* Cat with Four Ears
Valerie and Ted Rock own a cat with four ears. Yoda has two extra flaps behind his normal ears, probably a genetic mutation
* Edible Menu
The menu at Moto restaurant is edible. Chef Homaru Cantu printed edible menus and customers can even flavor their soups by ripping up the menu and adding it to their dish.
* Brothers Randomly Met
Lewis Manilow, 81, and Jack Shore, 82, who lived only six blocks apart, met randomly in 2008 and then discovered they were brothers.
* Giant Cheesecake
In June 2008, bakers at Eli’s Cheesecake World created a 2,000-lb, three-tiered cheesecake.
* Bacon-Flavored Chocolate
Chocolatier Katrina Markoff creates unusual-flavored bars of candy, including curry and bacon, which sold out in England in November 2008.
* Hidden Skeletons
A house changed hands three times between 2006 and 2008 before someone finally examined a bedroom and discovered the skeletons of a man and his dog.
* Church Conversion
A real estate agent, George Michael, converted his $3-million home into a church in 2007.
* Holding Breath Underwater
In 2008, David Blaine held his breath underwater for an astounding 17 minutes, 4 seconds.
* Mass Pillow Fight
No fewer than 3,872 fans took part in a pillow fight at the end of a Kane County Cougars baseball game in July 2008.
Posted on September 28, 2009