Ripley's Believe It Or Not - "Incredible Professor"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode Date: December 7, 2025

Episode Theme & Purpose

This brief episode of Ripley's Believe It Or Not delivers a fascinating historical anecdote in the classic style of radio's golden age. The main story centers on the incredible appointment of Diego de Torres, an unconventional professor at the University of Salamanca, highlighting how truth can be stranger than fiction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Strange Historical Artifact (00:42)

• Topic: The story opens with an unusual tale about a silver cup shaped like a fleur de lis, bequeathed to Neuchatel, Switzerland in 1657 by Ori Second.
• Insight: This cup was gifted to commemorate an event 40 years prior when Ori Second was offered the cup filled with poisoned wine by the citizens of Neuchatel.

2. The “Incredible Professor” – Main Feature (01:02)

• Topic: The primary story highlights the history of the University of Salamanca in Spain, one of the world's oldest universities, and the eccentric appointment to its chair of mathematics.
• Insight: For 150 years, the position went unfilled due to its notoriously high academic standards.
• Twist: The vacancy was finally filled by Diego de Torres, whose "only qualification for the post was his experience as a highway robber, a dancer, and a bull fighter."
• Moral/Takeaway: This tale exemplifies Ripley’s theme that reality is often more peculiar than fiction.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Silver Cup Story:

  “A silver cup shaped like a fleur de lis was bequeathed to the city of Neuchatel, Switzerland in 1657 by Ori second to commemorate the fact that 40 years before, its citizens had offered him the cup filled with poisoned wine. Believe it or not.”
  — Narrator (00:42)

• On the Incredible Professor:

  “…the chair of mathematics was vacant because of the extraordinarily high standards it demanded from its teachers. The vacancy was finally filled by the appointment of Diego de Torres, whose only qualification for the post was his experience as a highway robber, a dancer and a bull fighter. A Believe it or not.”
  — Narrator (01:02)

Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:42: Ripley’s introduction and the tale of the poisoned cup in Neuchatel
• 01:02: Main segment: The University of Salamanca and the appointment of Diego de Torres as professor

Tone & Style

The episode maintains the iconic, slightly theatrical radio narration of classic Ripley's Believe It Or Not episodes, drawing listeners in with intrigue and marvel at the quirky corners of history.

Note:
This summary omits advertisements and repeated sponsor messages, focusing solely on the historical anecdotes presented by the narrator.