MINI BELIEVE IT OR NOT –

Nike’s famous slogan, “Just Do It,” was inspired by the last words of Gary Gilmore, a murderer on death row.

  • Gary Gilmore demanded the death penalty as punishment for his crimes
  • His execution by firing squad took place on Jan 17, 1977
  • Dan Wieden, founder of the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, said he was inspired by Gilmore’s last words when he was coming up with Nike’s famous slogan in 1988
  • Gilmore’s last words were “Let’s do it”

MINI BION EXTRAS

  • The largest shoes Nike ever made were size 23 for college basketball player Brad Millard. Even Shaquille O’Neal’s shoes are only size 22
  • Nike got its name from the Greek goddess of victory: Nike
  •  Mexican prisoner, Juan Ramirez Tijerina, tried to escape jail by packing himself into his girlfriend’s suitcase
  • Geese patrol Sobral prison in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to alert guards to prisoner disturbances

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.