American Experience

S27E01 Ripley: Believe It or Not

During the Great Depression, Robert Ripley turned his fascination with the strange into a wildly successful career. His *Believe It or Not!* empire grew from newspaper cartoons to radio, film, and TV, making him an unlikely American celebrity. Audiences were drawn not only to his bizarre discoveries but also to Ripley himself—an eccentric, globe-trotting playboy. This is the story of the man behind the famous phrase, and a look at why we still can’t resist his enduring challenge: “Believe it — or not!”