The man who convinced America to adopt a national anthem through a cartoon

Art · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Robert Ripley was an American cartoonist who turned bizarre trivia into a global empire. At his peak, he reached 60 million daily readers, outpolling Franklin Roosevelt in popularity. His influence was so profound that a single panel he drew effectively forced the United States government to officially adopt a national anthem.

Born in 1890 in Santa Rosa, California, Robert Ripley began his career as a sports cartoonist. After moving to New York City in 1913, he launched his signature feature, "Believe It or Not!," in 1918. The series, which showcased oddities and strange facts, became a massive cultural phenomenon. By the 1930s, Ripley was earning half a million dollars annually, a salary that rivaled Hollywood icons like James Cagney and Gary Cooper.

Ripley’s reach extended far beyond the printed page. He was a prolific traveler, claiming to have visited 201 of the 235 countries recognized at the time. His obsession with the exotic led him to build "Odditoriums" in cities like Chicago and New York, and he pioneered unusual broadcasting techniques, including live radio shows from the bottom of the Grand Canyon and underwater. He even employed a full-time polyglot researcher, Norbert Pearlroth, to verify his claims.

Perhaps his most enduring legacy is the official status of "The Star-Spangled Banner." In 1929, Ripley published a cartoon asserting that the United States had no official national anthem, dismissing the song as a "vulgar old English drinking song." The resulting public outcry was so intense that it prompted Congress to act. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed the bill that finally established the song as the national anthem.

Despite his fame, Ripley’s life was filled with contradictions. He was a world traveler who feared flying and a boat owner who could not swim. He maintained a 28-room mansion on his own private island, BION Island, where he kept exotic pets like a 28-foot boa constrictor. When he died in 1949 at age 59, he left behind a legacy that transformed how Americans consumed trivia and pop culture.

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