- History's Newsstand Blog - http://blog.rarenewspapers.com -

FACT or fiction? Ol’ Rip still alive after being entombed for 30+ years…

Blog-3-3-2016-Eastland-Texas-Ol-RIPEastland, Texas surged into the national spotlight in early 1928 when a time capsule, which had been entombed in the cornerstone of the old courthouse, was opened during the courthouse’s demolition. To everyone’s surprise out came a horned-toad lizard – still alive after 31 years! Hoax or not, a tour of the now legendary reptile included a visit to Washington, D.C. to meet President Calvin Coolidge. More can be read about Ol’ Rip via Wikipedia [1]. The image shows the report of his “unearthing” which appeared in the New York Times dated February 20, 1928 [2]. Sadly, he would not survive another 12 months as he died of pneumonia on January 19, 1929 as reported in the New York Times of the following day [3].