HARTSELLE, AL (SSAI) – On February 28, 2009 at precisely 2:28:09pm, 25 Sword Swallowers around the world swallowed over 1200 inches of steel swords at Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums worldwide for International Sword Swallowers Awareness Day. That's over 100 feet of solid steel! Believe it or Not!

Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) President Dan Meyer proclaimed "International Sword Swallowers Awareness Day" to raise awareness of sword swallowers around the world. The day was co-sponsored by Ripley Entertainment, who together with SSAI, invited SSAI member sword swallowers to put on sword swallowing demonstrations at Ripley's Believe It or Not! locations around the world.

Why do sword swallowers need a day of awareness? "We sword swallowers risk our lives every time we swallow a sword, but many people don't believe it's real, or they think the art has died out," explains Meyer, a sword swallower and Ripley's Believe It or Not! himself. "We established this day for SSAI members to promote this ancient art that is being carried on by a few dozen surviving practitioners -- to honor veteran performers, to raise awareness of the medical contributions sword swallowers have made to the fields of medicine and science, and to correct misconceptions and educate the public and medical professionals by putting on demonstrations for medical facilities and the media around the world."

Why did Ripley's co-sponsoring the day? "Because it's great entertainment," said Tim O'Brien, VP of Communications for Ripley Entertainment Inc. "Sword swallowers and Ripley's go way back to the very first Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium, set up at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. There, three performers, two of which were ladies, mesmerized huge crowds. Ripley's has been home to sword swallowers around the world ever since."

On February 28th sword swallowers performed worldwide, with some attempting to set individual or small group records, while others performed at Ripley's Believe It or Not! locations around the world. "Normally most of us perform alone," Meyer said. "By SSAI hosting 'International Sword Swallower's Day' each year, it gives us a chance to all work together to be part of something much bigger, and performing at Ripley's Odditoriums helps bring us all together."

On February 28th, SSAI sword swallowers performed at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditoriums around the world. Highlights at Ripley's locations included performances by the husband and wife sword swallowing team Tyler Fyre and Thrill Kill Jill at the Ripley's Ocean City MD; sword swallowers Murrugun, Malakai, and the world's tallest sword swallower, George the Giant, at the Ripley's in Hollywood CA; the world's youngest sword swallower, Erik Kloeker with his brother Travis Fessler along with Chris Steele in Gatlinburg TN; Charon Henning, Alex Kensington, and Ted Campbell in Orlando FL, Riley Schillaci at Ripley's Niagara Falls, SSAI's President Dan Meyer at the Ripley's Piccadilly Square in London, England, Ricardo Padilla at the Ripley's in Guadalajara, Mexico, veteran sword swallower Red Stuart who swallowed a total of 50 swords at once at the Ripley's in Atlantic City, and the largest gathering of female sword swallowers ever at the Ripley's Odditorium in Times Square New York with a total of 10 sword swallowers swallowing at once including 5 female sword swallowers: Natasha Veruschka, Heather Holliday, Lady Aye Ilise Carter, Allison Cheevers - and 5 male sword swallowers: Todd Robbins, Keith Nelson, Fred Kahl, Harley Newman, Brett Loudermilk, and local Ripley's showman Donny Vomit. Other SSAI sword swallowers who joined in around the world included Fakiren Orthae (Martin Lundström) who swallowed a sword in the snow in Stockholm Sweden, and Helmut Hellmood Hellmurto who swallowed a sword while suspended upside down with the Circus of Horrors in Wales UK.

All Ripley's performances took place on 2/28/09 at precisely 2:28:09pm local time. The event was covered by media around the world including CNN, Fox News, BBC, Telegraph, and others. The feat is being considered for a "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" cartoon, and for possible inclusion in the next "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" book.

"It's a huge honor for us to carry on the great tradition of sword swallowers who have performed at Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums over the years," Meyer explains. "In light of this, SSAI is sending an open invitation to all sword swallowers worldwide to contact us and join us in swallowing swords at Ripley's Believe It or Not museums and other locations on the February 28th, 2010!"

Since some sword swallowers perform charitable work for the medical community during February "National Swallowing Disorders Month", SSAI encourages all sword swallowers who are not near a Ripley's Believe It or Not! location to perform medical demonstrations at local medical facilities throughout the day each year to help raise awareness of esophageal cancer, dysphasia, GERD, and other upper gastro-intestinal and swallowing disorders. Sword swallowers also perform at hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages for those who would otherwise have difficulty getting to theaters to see live performances. "Sword swallowers who participate in these activities find them rewarding," explains Meyer. "Each year on February 28th, many people get the opportunity to witness sword swallowing first-hand who would otherwise not have a chance to experience it."

"Many of us have been entertaining for years, and we love our work," explains Meyer. "'Sword Swallowers Day' is a great opportunity for us to show the medical community and the rest of the world what we really do, and performing at Ripley's locations is an honor for us!"

The art of sword swallowing began over 4000 years ago in India, and requires the practitioner to use mind-over-matter techniques to control the body and repress natural reflexes to insert solid steel blades from 15 to 25 inches down the esophagus and into the stomach. With the demise of the traveling circus sideshow over the past several decades, there are currently less than a few dozen full-time professional sword swallowers actively performing the art of sword swallowing around the world today.

About the Sword Swallowers Association International
The Sword Swallowers Association International, founded in 2001 to preserve and promote the art of sword swallowing, is comprised of sword swallowers from around the world and maintains a site with general information on sword swallowing for the general public at www.swordswallow.com.

About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 74 attractions in 13 countries. In addition to its 32 Believe It or Not! museums, the Orlando-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, that runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Medical Facts and Trivia about Sword Swallowing – Believe it or Not!

• Sword Swallowing is a 4000 year old art that originated in India around 2000 BC.
• The average person swallows about 600 times per day – 350 while awake, 200 while eating, and about 50 times while asleep.
• The average swallow uses 50 pairs of muscles and can take from 3-23 seconds to complete.
• Sword swallowers use mind-over-matter techniques to repress the gag reflex in the back of the mouth, the peristalsis reflex in the throat, and the retch reflex in the stomach to "swallow" solid steel blades from 15-30 inches in length.
• Sword swallowing can take from 2 years to 7 years to learn, and even after years of practice, some people never learn to master it.
• SSAI reports that there are on average between 5-7 serious sword swallowing related injuries reported around the world each year that require medical attention and hospitalization, with dozens more that go unreported each year.
• Treatment of sword swallowing injuries can cost from $50,000-$80,000 per injury.

HARTSELLE, AL (SSAI) – On February 28, 2009 at precisely 2:28:09 pm, Sword Swallowers around the world will attempt to swallow over 480 inches of steel swords at Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums worldwide for International Sword Swallowers Awareness Day. That's over 40 feet of solid steel! Believe it or Not!

Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) President Dan Meyer proclaimed “International Sword Swallowers Awareness Day” to raise awareness of sword swallowers around the world. The day is co-sponsored by Ripley Entertainment, who together with SSAI, is inviting SSAI member sword swallowers to put on sword swallowing demonstrations at Ripley's Believe It or Not! locations around the world.

Why do sword swallowers need a day of awareness? “We sword swallowers risk our lives every time we swallow a sword, but many people don't believe it's real, or they think the art has died out," explains Meyer, a sword swallower and Ripley's Believe It or Not! himself. "SSAI established this day to promote this ancient art that is still being carried on by a few dozen surviving practitioners, to honor veteran performers, to raise awareness of the medical contributions sword swallowers have made to the fields of medicine and science, and to correct misconceptions and educate the public and medical professionals by putting on demonstrations for medical facilities and the media around the world.”

Why is Ripley's co-sponsoring the day? “Because it's great entertainment,” said Tim O'Brien, VP of Communications for Ripley Entertainment Inc. “Sword swallowers and Ripley's go way back to the very first Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium, set up at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. There, three performers, two of which were ladies, mesmerized huge crowds. Ripley's has been home to sword swallowers around the world ever since.”

On February 28th sword swallowers will perform worldwide, with some attempting to set individual or small group records, while others will perform at Ripley's Believe It or Not! locations around the world. "Most of us normally perform solo," Meyer says. "By SSAI hosting 'International Sword Swallower's Day', it gives us a chance to all work together to be part of something much bigger, and performing at Ripley's Odditoriums helps bring us all together."

On February 28th, SSAI sword swallowers will perform at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditoriums in Ocean City MD, Hollywood CA, Orlando FL, Gatlinburg TN, Niagara Falls, New York City, and London, England. Highlights at Ripley's locations will include performances by SSAI's President Dan Meyer in London, the world's tallest sword swallower, George the Giant in Hollywood, the world's youngest sword swallower, Erik Kloeker and with his brother Travis Fessler in Gatlinburg, and the largest gathering ever of female sword swallowers in New York City. All Ripley's performances will take place on 2/28/09 at precisely 2:28:09pm local time. At the end of the day, sword swallowers will submit reports of their activities to SSAI for review and to be submitted for consideration as a possible “Ripley's Believe It or Not!” cartoon.

“It's a huge honor for us to carry on the great tradition of sword swallowers who have performed at Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums over the years,” Meyer explains. “In light of this, SSAI is sending an open invitation to all sword swallowers worldwide to contact us and join us in swallowing swords at Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums and other locations on the 28th!"

Since some sword swallowers perform charitable work for the medical community during February “National Swallowing Disorders Month”, SSAI is encouraging all sword swallowers who are not near a Ripley's Believe It or Not! location to perform medical demonstrations at local medical facilities throughout the day to help raise awareness of esophageal cancer, dysphasia, GERD, and other upper gastro-intestinal and swallowing disorders. Sword swallowers will also perform at hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages for those who would otherwise have difficulty getting to theaters to see live performances. “Sword swallowers who participate in these activities find them rewarding,” explains Meyer. “On February 28th, many people will have the opportunity to witness sword swallowing first-hand who would otherwise not have a chance to experience it."

“Many of us have been entertaining for years, and we love our work,” explains Meyer. “'Sword Swallowers Day' is a great opportunity for us to show the medical community and the rest of the world what we really do, and performing at Ripley's locations is an honor for us!”

The art of sword swallowing began over 4000 years ago in India, and requires the practitioner to use mind-over-matter techniques to control the body and repress natural reflexes to insert solid steel blades from 15 to 25 inches down the esophagus and into the stomach. With the demise of the traveling circus sideshow over the past several decades, there are currently less than a few dozen full-time professional sword swallowers actively performing the art of sword swallowing around the world today.

About the Sword Swallowers Association International
The Sword Swallowers Association International, founded in 2001 to preserve and promote the art of sword swallowing, is comprised of sword swallowers from around the world and maintains a site with general information on sword swallowing for the general public at www.swordswallow.com.

About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 74 attractions in 13 countries. In addition to its 32 Believe It or Not! museums, the Orlando-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, that runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Medical Facts and Trivia about Sword Swallowing – Believe it or Not!

• Sword Swallowing is a 4000 year old art that originated in India around 2000 BC.
• The average person swallows about 600 times per day – 350 while awake, 200 while eating, and about 50 times while asleep.
• The average swallow uses 50 pairs of muscles and can take from 3-23 seconds to complete.
• Sword swallowers use mind-over-matter techniques to repress the gag reflex in the back of the mouth, the peristalsis reflex in the throat, and the retch reflex in the stomach to "swallow" solid steel blades from 15-30 inches in length.
• Sword swallowing can take from 2 years to 7 years to learn, and even after years of practice, some people never learn to master it.
• SSAI reports that there are on average between 5-7 serious sword swallowing related injuries reported around the world each year that require medical attention and hospitalization, with dozens more that go unreported each year.
• Treatment of sword swallowing injuries can cost from $50,000-$80,000 per injury.

The medical community is abuzz - there's been a breakthrough.

You flip on the TV. Sure, you've seen them before, but there's something about press conferences you find irresistible. The throng of eager reporters, the normally reclusive scientists clad in impeccably pressed, pure white lab coats, exhibiting an air of exuberance befitting their first public sighting in five years. You're not sure what's up, but you can tell it's going to be big.

Pan left.

An intruder. A middle-aged man sporting a growth of whiskers smiles mischievously. He steps into the light, tosses back a cape, revealing a red and navy pirate outfit. Though flashy, the swashbuckler's colorful costume stands out in stark contrast to the sterile scientific environment of black and white. He draws a 3-foot sword from his scabbard, tilts back his head, and plunges the length of the blade down his throat.

The scientists erupt in wild applause.

Science and swords may seem an odd pair. But, without the contribution of sword swallowers, we may not have some of today's most critical diagnostic tools. Sword swallowers rigorously train themselves to ignore the body's natural gag reflex, making them the perfect test subjects.

February 28, 2009 is International Sword Swallower's Awareness Day. In their honor, and to gain insight into their medical contributions, let's take a closer look at the development of the endoscope.

Today's flexible endoscopes are widely used by physicians to visually inspect various internal aspects of the body, including the esophagus, the nasal passage, the colon, and the respiratory tract. Man's interest in getting a look inside the human body dates back centuries, and a prototype of an endoscope was discovered in the ruins of Pompeii.

But it was not until 1868 that a physician first peered through an endoscope directly into a human stomach. Eureka! Dr. Adolph Kussmaul, a renowned German physician, developed several innovative diagnostic procedures. But, when it came to fashioning a functioning endoscope, the challenge seemed beyond his reach.

He'd read of the development, by Antoine Jean Desormeaux in France, of a small tube to examine the urinary tract and bladder. He began work on a similar design for studying the stomach, but his progress soon faltered. Then, the hand of fate swept in. His assistant, while enjoying a pint at a local inn after a hard day's work, was captivated by the evening's performer – a sword swallower.

He gulped down his pint and raced back to tell Dr. Kussmaul what he'd witnessed.

Kussmaul quickly set about designing a prototype based on the sword swallower's act. He meticulously sketched out the specifications - a rigid 18-inch stainless steel tube, one-half inch in diameter. He'd illuminate it with an external alcohol-turpentine lamp, like Desormeaux. He took the drawings to an instrument maker, a skilled craftsman, and the resulting endoscope was perfect.

Kussmaul's device was revolutionary. Interest in peering into the very core of the human body spread quickly, and he was asked to demonstrate the endoscope in Freiburg at a meeting of the Society of Naturalists. But, how could he possibly do so? Where would he find someone capable of serving as a test subject? Yes, of course – he would take the sword swallower along.

This rudimentary beginning laid the foundation for the modern, flexible endoscope. Dr. Kussmaul and his sword-swallowing associate toured extensively, giving demonstrations at leading hospitals, and soon even Desormeaux was using an endoscope to examine esophageal disorders.

Men of steel. In 1894, sword swallower Chevalier Cliquot swallowed 14 swords at one time, stunning the physicians at New York's Metropolitan Throat Hospital so much, that one doctor impulsively rushed in and removed the swords at once, causing lacerations that left the performer incapacitated for months. In the 1930s Delno Fritz made the ultimate sacrifice for science. He died of complications from testing a bronchialscope. During the testing a screw came loose and lodged in his lung, resulting in pneumonia and his untimely demise.

Today there are less than a few dozen surviving sword swallowers left actively performing around the world. Gone are the days of the traveling sideshows where they plied their dangerous craft. Gone are the acts of daring that tantalize all, traumatize the young, and terrify the fainthearted. Gone are the magical days of covering one's face, not daring to look, but being unable to turn away.

Or, are they?

February 28, 2009 is International Sword Swallower's Awareness Day. Dan Meyer, Executive Director of the Sword Swallower's Association International (SSAI), said the day is being held in conjunction with February's National Swallowing Awareness Month.

"We sword swallowers have been risking our lives to perform the ancient art of sword swallowing for over 4000 years, but many people don't believe it's real, or they think that the art has died out," Meyer explained. "We have chosen this day to honor veteran sword swallowers, to raise awareness of the medical contributions that sword swallowers have made to the fields of medicine and science, and to correct misconceptions about the art by performing for medical facilities and the media around the world."

Meyer and his co-author Dr. Brian Witcombe are the recipients of the 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine. The Ig Nobel Prizes are presented each year at Harvard for discoveries that, "first make people laugh, and then make them think." They won the award for their article, "Sword Swallowing and its side effects," published in the British Medical Journal in 2006. The pair will make presentations at scientific events during the 2009 British Ig Nobel Tour in March, bring a bit of swashbuckler's magic to the otherwise scholarly gatherings.

If you listen carefully, you might hear the "schwing" of a sword being pulled from its scabbard…
And if you look closely, you may recognize a mischievous smile behind a hilt protruding among the white labcoats…

Science and swords… perhaps not such an odd pair after all…

To learn more about the art and science of sword swallowing, or to inquire about a demonstration on the 28th, visit the Sword Swallower's Association International website at www.swordswallow.org or contact the SSAI.

Medical History of Sword Swallowing over the past 140 years
1868 - Dr. Adolph Kussmaul enlists a sword swallower to develop the first rigid endoscope in Freiburg, Germany. Kussmaul was so pleased with his success that he took the sword swallower with him to perform demonstrations in various clinics, and later enlisted other sword swallowers due to their ability to voluntarily relax the cricopharyngeal muscle and form a straight line from the pharynx to the stomach, allowing passage of the rigid endoscope.

1894 – Doctors at the Metropolitan Throat Hospital in New York are amazed when sword swallower Chevalier Cliquot swallows 14 swords at one time. When the sword swallower appeared to be in pain, Dr. G.B. Hope rushed forward and yanked out the swords at once, causing lacerations in the esophagus and injuring the performer, leaving him incapacitated for months. After recovery, Cliquot performed lectures for doctors at the Rush Medical College in Chicago, and the University of Liverpool in England, among other places.

1897 - Dr. Stevens, a Scottish physician, conducts experiments on digestion by enlisting a sword swallower to swallow metallic tubes pierced with holes filled with pieces of meat. After a length of time, the sword swallower disgorged the tubes and the doctor observed the degree of digestion that had taken place. This sword swallower also showed the doctors to what extent the pharynx could be stretched, resulting in the invention of the tube of Faucher, the esophageal sound, lavage, and illumination of the stomach by electric light.

1906 – Dr. Cremer performs first esophageal electrocardiogram on a sword swallower in Wales

1908 - In an article in the American Journal of Medical Sciences, Dr. Hald reports his observations in esophagoscopy in a sword swallower. The esophagus had been largely distended due to the sword swallower's practice, and the cricoidean zone of the pharynx was patent and larger than normal. There was an excoriation on the posterior wall of the cricoid cartilage. Surprisingly, the patient could not support the examination any better than other subjects, his esophagus apparently accustomed to flat foreign bodies, but not to cylindrical ones.

1930s – Sword swallower Delno Fritz dies of pneumonia developed as a result of a screw that came loose and lodged in his lung while testing a bronchialscope for doctors in Pennsylvania.

December 2006 - The British Medical Journal publishes the first international medical study on sword swallowing entitled "Sword Swallowing and its side effects". Results of the findings show that sword swallowing injuries are most likely to occur when multiple swords are swallowed, when performing unusual feats beyond the scope of a “regular” sword swallow, or after a previous minor injury when tissue is tender and swollen.

October 2007 - The 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded to sword swallower Dan Meyer, Executive Director of SSAI, and his co-author Dr. Brian Witcombe, SSAI Medical Advisor, at Harvard University in October for their paper "Sword swallowing and its side effects".

March 2009 - Sword swallowing will be featured on the 2009 Ig Nobel Tour of the UK at Imperial College, Newcastle Science Centre for Life, and other locations around the UK as part of National Science and Engineering Week sponsored by the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

For 'Sword Swallower's Day' on February 28th, sword swallowers around the world will perform medical demonstrations for doctors, nurses and patients at hospitals, medical centers and universities to dispel myths about the art, to raise awareness about contributions sword swallowers have made to the fields of medical science, and to honor veteran sword swallowers, with some performers attempting to set individual and small group records. When the day is over, participating sword swallowers submit reports to SSAI for review and consideration for an SSAI group record.

The art of sword swallowing began over 4000 years ago in India, and requires the practitioner to use mind-over-matter techniques to control the body and repress natural reflexes in order to insert solid steel blades from 15 to 25 inches down the esophagus and into the stomach. With the demise of the traveling circus sideshow over the past several decades, there are currently less than a few dozen full-time professional sword swallowers actively performing the ancient but deadly art of sword swallowing around the world today.

The Sword Swallowers Association International, founded in 2001 to preserve the art of sword swallowing, is comprised of sword swallowers from around the world and maintains a site with general information on sword swallowing for the general public at www.swordswallow.com.

To schedule a local sword swallower for a medical demonstration, interview or other appearance in your area for International Sword Swallowers Awareness Day on February 28th, contact SSAI at ssai@swordswallow.org.

To schedule a sword swallowing lecture during the 2009 Ig Nobel UK Tour in conjunction with National Science and Engineering Week (March 6-15, 2009), contact Marc Abrahams at +1(617) 491-4437 or e-mail marca@improbable.com