Firsts, records and oddities from the Garden State.
A century ago, Bob Ripley was a sports cartoonist with the New York Globe. In those days, photographs were expensive and didn't translate well to the print processes of the time. Cartoonists filled the void by sketching athletes and situations to illustrate articles or general topics to fill out the pages.
On Dec. 19, 1918, Ripley sat down at his drawing board and began to sketch some athletic endeavors that he'd kept in a notebook of clippings. Most were unusual achievements and records; he titled the cartoon "Champs and Chumps" and sent it along to his editor.
Various sources credit the unnamed editor with coming up with the title that would go down in history, but ripleys.com says that Ripley himself offered the alternative title ...
... "Believe it or Not."
Ripley traveled the world finding his odd and amusing facts and starred in both a radio program and a series of short films. He died in 1949 while in a studio rehearsing for his television show, but, the brand has carried on decades after his death. "Ripley's Believe it or Not" ran on television from 1982 to 1986 and again from 2000 to 2003.
And, the cartoon is still printed; in fact, it's currently drawn by New Jersey native and Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts graduate John Graziano.
MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey
Meanwhile, Guinness World Records celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2015. The "ultimate authority in record breaking achievements" started when the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver, attended a shooting party in County Wexford, Ireland. He argued with his hosts about the fastest game bird in Europe.
Unable to find the answer in any book, Beaver had the idea for a promotion for the brewery based on the idea of settling pub arguments. The rest, as they say, is history.
Here's a gallery of items from New Jersey history that might have caught Mr. Ripley's eye or may very well have found a place in Guinness World Records. Be sure you have captions enabled for all the information about each photo.
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.