"Ripley's Believe It or Not!" has been presenting the incredible and the unusual in illustrated form since Robert Ripley's first "Champs and Chumps" comic was published in the New York Globe on Dec. 19, 1918. From there, Ripley set off to search the world for more incredibly hard to believe but undeniably true stories to draw—traveling to 201 countries in 35 years.

Today, artist Kieran Castaño is the eighth cartoonist to take up the pen of this legacy panel. Castaño resides in Central Florida with his bird Rosie and pup Trini—who can often be spotted in his work.

Supporting Castaño is Ripley’s Research Team, committed to finding the strangest stories, fact-checking sources, and filtering through the hundreds of weekly submissions that help bring this all-true cartoon to life. To submit your own "Believe It or Not!" fact, click here! 

Did you know the Ripley’s cartoon has changed history in more ways than one? In a 1929 panel, Robert Ripley pointed out that America had no national anthem, which led to legislation making the "Star Spangled Banner" the county’s official anthem!