MINI BELIEVE IT OR NOT –
When Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico in 1519, he sank his own ships to ensure his crew would follow him inland.
- In 1518, Cortés was ordered to explore the interior of Mexico
- At the last minute, Velázquez changed Cortés’ orders
- Cortés ignored his new orders and decided to do what he wanted
- This decision was an act of mutiny, and some of his crew weren’t fully in agreement
- Worried that his crew might desert him, Cortés scuttled his ships and left the men no choice but to follow him
MINI BION
“BIONs” – short for Believe It or Not – is the word we use at Ripley’s to refer to anything that is unbelievable and worthy to become part of Ripley’s lore and collection.
[…] Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes famously destroyed his ships upon arriving in the New World, so his soldiers had no easy out and had to focus on victory. While that story is partly apocryphal (he didn’t burn the ships, merely scuttled them), the concept is clear: to really focus on rectifying a relationship, you have to try. A lot. And you’re a lot more likely to apply yourself and sell out on your relationship when you don’t have other options. […]