Norbert Pearlroth (May 7, 1893 – April 14, 1983) was a Polish-born American professional researcher and polyglot, and the primary researcher for the Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoon panel from 1923 until 1975.

As Ripley's sole researcher, he worked ten hours a day, six (sometimes seven) days a week at the Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library Main Branch. The library estimated that Pearlroth examined some 7,000 books every year. "Everyone has always believed that all of this information was found wandering the world," said Pearlroth's son, Arthur. "But it was really found on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue at the Main Library." He never ate lunch; at noon he headed to the library, where he worked through the afternoon and evening, taking half an hour for dinner, returning home when the library closed at 10 pm. He sometimes worked on Sundays if he fell behind in locating items. His deadline was on Friday, and he always worked several weeks in advance. This routine continued for 26 years, interrupted only when he accompanied Ripley on several of his exotic and highly publicized world journeys.

By the 1940s, Believe It or Not! had approximately 80 million readers worldwide. After Ripley's death on May 27, 1949, King Features Syndicate purchased the rights to the panel, and Pearlroth continued researching it for another 26 years, contributing exactly 24 items each week. He worked virtually without recognition for 52 years, although he is credited as "Research Director" in Ripley's Believe It or Not! 50th Anniversary Edition.

In addition to his work for Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Pearlroth also wrote a weekly column, "Your Name", for the Jewish Post of New York, answering reader inquiries about the origins of Jewish surnames. The newspaper claimed that his column received more mail than any other feature that the Jewish Post published, and that none of his interpretations of Jewish names had ever been refuted.

He died on April 14, 1983, at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday.

References

  • CNN: "New York Public Library reopens reading room"