1 00:00:08,542 --> 00:00:10,625 [mysterious music] 2 00:00:13,417 --> 00:00:15,166 We've featured some of the wildest 3 00:00:15,167 --> 00:00:17,541 life-and-death stories ever told, 4 00:00:17,542 --> 00:00:20,666 but these, the most outlandish of them all, 5 00:00:20,667 --> 00:00:24,708 like a frequent flyer whose trip took a serious detour. 6 00:00:25,542 --> 00:00:28,707 - One minute, Vesna's doing her flight attendant duties 7 00:00:28,708 --> 00:00:30,207 at 33,000 feet. 8 00:00:30,208 --> 00:00:32,375 The next minute, a bomb goes off. 9 00:00:33,583 --> 00:00:36,249 The plane is blown into multiple pieces. 10 00:00:36,250 --> 00:00:38,791 Passengers are getting sucked out of the aircraft, 11 00:00:38,792 --> 00:00:41,416 and it begins to take a free fall. 12 00:00:41,417 --> 00:00:44,791 - Or a high-stakes showdown in midair. 13 00:00:44,792 --> 00:00:47,624 - They're going to shoot at each other in hot air balloons 14 00:00:47,625 --> 00:00:49,291 over the city. 15 00:00:49,292 --> 00:00:51,207 - It's pretty much guaranteed that at least one of them, 16 00:00:51,208 --> 00:00:53,124 probably both of them, are going to die. 17 00:00:53,125 --> 00:00:54,332 [gun blasts] 18 00:00:54,333 --> 00:00:56,624 - How about the one where a beloved pet 19 00:00:56,625 --> 00:00:58,666 becomes a deadly projectile? 20 00:00:58,667 --> 00:01:01,249 - The dog is getting closer and closer to this balcony. 21 00:01:01,250 --> 00:01:03,417 - It falls the 13 floors. 22 00:01:04,708 --> 00:01:06,207 [claps] [horn honks] 23 00:01:06,208 --> 00:01:09,124 - These are the most shocking dances with death. 24 00:01:09,125 --> 00:01:12,999 So strange, they are truly unbelievable. 25 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,292 [dramatic music] 26 00:01:24,875 --> 00:01:26,291 In the early 1900s, 27 00:01:26,292 --> 00:01:29,499 one man sets out to change the future of flight 28 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:32,999 and ends up forever leaving his mark on aviation history. 29 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,292 [tense music] 30 00:01:37,167 --> 00:01:41,499 - Franz Reichelt is an Austrian tailor living in Paris. 31 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:43,374 He makes dresses for a living, 32 00:01:43,375 --> 00:01:47,250 but his real passion is this new, budding field of flying. 33 00:01:48,917 --> 00:01:50,707 - In 1903, the Wright brothers 34 00:01:50,708 --> 00:01:54,291 take their first heavier-than-air powered flight, 35 00:01:54,292 --> 00:01:58,457 and everyone is aviation crazy, especially the French, 36 00:01:58,458 --> 00:02:01,249 'cause the French also invented the hot air balloon. 37 00:02:01,250 --> 00:02:04,874 - [Kavitha] In 1910, flying is extremely dangerous. 38 00:02:04,875 --> 00:02:08,166 He sees all of these pilots dying in these test flights, 39 00:02:08,167 --> 00:02:09,625 so he wants to do something to help out. 40 00:02:11,292 --> 00:02:13,874 And up until this time, parachuting technology 41 00:02:13,875 --> 00:02:17,416 has really only been used for jumping out of balloons 42 00:02:17,417 --> 00:02:19,082 and very high altitudes. 43 00:02:19,083 --> 00:02:22,541 So there's this push to find new parachute technology, 44 00:02:22,542 --> 00:02:25,416 much lighter weight, for pilots themselves 45 00:02:25,417 --> 00:02:27,832 to be able to jump out at lower altitudes 46 00:02:27,833 --> 00:02:31,499 when they're taking these test flights around the country. 47 00:02:31,500 --> 00:02:33,707 - [Dan] Coincidentally, a French aviation organization 48 00:02:33,708 --> 00:02:35,499 offers a hefty prize 49 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:38,374 to anyone who can create a smaller chute. 50 00:02:38,375 --> 00:02:40,957 - So, Franz decides to enter this contest 51 00:02:40,958 --> 00:02:46,082 and take his expertise as a tailor, using silk and rods, 52 00:02:46,083 --> 00:02:49,916 and he ends up developing a wingsuit. 53 00:02:49,917 --> 00:02:51,541 - It looks like a Batman suit. 54 00:02:51,542 --> 00:02:55,333 It looks like something out of a futuristic superhero movie. 55 00:02:56,333 --> 00:02:57,916 - [Dan] More peculiar than his design 56 00:02:57,917 --> 00:02:59,832 is his method for testing it. 57 00:02:59,833 --> 00:03:02,624 He puts it on a dummy and tosses it from the window 58 00:03:02,625 --> 00:03:04,625 of his fifth-floor Paris apartment. 59 00:03:07,375 --> 00:03:10,916 Unsatisfied with the results, Franz decides 60 00:03:10,917 --> 00:03:13,541 there's only one way to truly know if it works. 61 00:03:13,542 --> 00:03:16,124 [tense music] 62 00:03:16,125 --> 00:03:17,541 - [Kavitha] He puts on his own wingsuit 63 00:03:17,542 --> 00:03:20,167 and climbs out of his fifth-floor window, 64 00:03:22,083 --> 00:03:24,166 and he breaks his leg. 65 00:03:24,167 --> 00:03:25,249 - But Franz is onto something. 66 00:03:25,250 --> 00:03:27,207 He goes, "Ah-ha-ha-ha, 67 00:03:27,208 --> 00:03:30,332 I didn't give my wingsuit enough time 68 00:03:30,333 --> 00:03:33,999 to gather enough air to create resistance. 69 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,374 I need to go higher." 70 00:03:35,375 --> 00:03:37,957 Luckily, he's in Paris, and at this point in time, 71 00:03:37,958 --> 00:03:41,583 the tallest structure on Earth is the Eiffel Tower. 72 00:03:42,875 --> 00:03:46,374 - He starts petitioning the Paris police to allow him 73 00:03:46,375 --> 00:03:50,082 to throw winged dummies off of the Eiffel Tower 74 00:03:50,083 --> 00:03:52,916 as part of a test for his new suit. 75 00:03:52,917 --> 00:03:55,582 - [Dan] Surprisingly, not only do the French authorities 76 00:03:55,583 --> 00:03:59,041 grant permission, but it becomes big news. 77 00:03:59,042 --> 00:04:02,791 - Franz is so excited to show the world this wingsuit. 78 00:04:02,792 --> 00:04:05,457 He puts out a press release that he has found the solution 79 00:04:05,458 --> 00:04:08,374 of aviation safety. 80 00:04:08,375 --> 00:04:12,249 - [Dan] On the cold morning of February 4th, 1912, 81 00:04:12,250 --> 00:04:16,291 Franz arrives at the Eiffel Tower, sans dummy. 82 00:04:16,292 --> 00:04:20,124 - It's Franz himself, dressed in his wingsuit. 83 00:04:20,125 --> 00:04:21,541 Everyone goes, "Where's the dummy?" 84 00:04:21,542 --> 00:04:23,832 and he goes, "There is no dummy." 85 00:04:23,833 --> 00:04:28,124 - [Dan] From this moment on, Franz Reichelt becomes known as 86 00:04:28,125 --> 00:04:29,791 "The Flying Tailor". 87 00:04:29,792 --> 00:04:31,124 - His friends are pleading with him, 88 00:04:31,125 --> 00:04:32,457 "You're not gonna do this, are you? 89 00:04:32,458 --> 00:04:34,874 You're not gonna actually do this yourself?" 90 00:04:34,875 --> 00:04:37,457 But Franz is convinced the suit will work, 91 00:04:37,458 --> 00:04:39,541 and he's gonna prove it. 92 00:04:39,542 --> 00:04:42,374 - [Austin] Franz is leaning forward on the edge 93 00:04:42,375 --> 00:04:44,792 of the parapet of the Eiffel Tower. 94 00:04:46,667 --> 00:04:48,707 - [Kavitha] He hesitates for about 40 seconds. 95 00:04:48,708 --> 00:04:50,249 He seems to actually have second thoughts 96 00:04:50,250 --> 00:04:51,917 for the first time in this story. 97 00:04:53,208 --> 00:04:55,374 But then Franz sees the crowd below him, 98 00:04:55,375 --> 00:04:58,082 and he waves and he says, "A bientot," 99 00:04:58,083 --> 00:04:59,875 which means, "I'll see you soon." 100 00:05:01,542 --> 00:05:02,999 And then he jumps. 101 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,250 [uneasy music] 102 00:05:07,500 --> 00:05:10,874 - [Dan] The parachute never fully opens. 103 00:05:10,875 --> 00:05:16,041 Two seconds after jumping, Franz hits the ground and dies, 104 00:05:16,042 --> 00:05:17,749 leaving a six-inch-deep, 105 00:05:17,750 --> 00:05:20,541 Franz-shaped imprint in the ground. 106 00:05:20,542 --> 00:05:21,874 - [Yohuru] This is the genius of madness. 107 00:05:21,875 --> 00:05:23,874 When it works, we celebrate those people 108 00:05:23,875 --> 00:05:25,582 who are willing to push through as heroes, 109 00:05:25,583 --> 00:05:28,041 and when it fails, it's very easy to dismiss them 110 00:05:28,042 --> 00:05:29,624 as being crazy. 111 00:05:29,625 --> 00:05:32,624 - [Dan] While Franz Reichelt's leap ends in tragedy, 112 00:05:32,625 --> 00:05:36,374 60 years later, another fall makes history 113 00:05:36,375 --> 00:05:39,082 with a far more surprising outcome. 114 00:05:39,083 --> 00:05:41,499 [airplane engines roaring] 115 00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:43,791 - This particular day in 1972, 116 00:05:43,792 --> 00:05:48,124 Flight 367 takes off, bound for Copenhagen, 117 00:05:48,125 --> 00:05:51,499 aboard which is a 23-year-old flight attendant 118 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:54,874 by the name of Vesna Vulovic. 119 00:05:54,875 --> 00:05:56,041 - One minute, 120 00:05:56,042 --> 00:05:59,832 Vesna's doing her flight duties at 33,000 feet. 121 00:05:59,833 --> 00:06:01,457 The next minute, a bomb goes off. 122 00:06:01,458 --> 00:06:03,541 [explosion blasts] 123 00:06:03,542 --> 00:06:05,792 The plane is blown into multiple pieces. 124 00:06:07,625 --> 00:06:09,874 Passengers are getting sucked out of the aircraft, 125 00:06:09,875 --> 00:06:11,958 and it begins to take a free fall. 126 00:06:13,333 --> 00:06:15,707 This took place in the '70s during the Cold War, 127 00:06:15,708 --> 00:06:18,958 and some sources say that this was a briefcase bomb. 128 00:06:21,292 --> 00:06:24,124 - [Dan] It's unclear who is responsible, 129 00:06:24,125 --> 00:06:25,707 but what is certain is Vesna 130 00:06:25,708 --> 00:06:27,667 is not supposed to be on this plane. 131 00:06:28,875 --> 00:06:31,333 She's not even supposed to be a flight attendant. 132 00:06:32,458 --> 00:06:34,166 - She has chronic low blood pressure, 133 00:06:34,167 --> 00:06:35,666 and that should disqualify her 134 00:06:35,667 --> 00:06:37,874 from that kind of an occupation. 135 00:06:37,875 --> 00:06:39,999 - Because you could potentially pass out 136 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,458 when you get to altitude. 137 00:06:42,708 --> 00:06:46,624 - [Dan] But Vesna is so determined to get her dream job, 138 00:06:46,625 --> 00:06:49,000 she figures out a workaround for her medical exam. 139 00:06:50,125 --> 00:06:51,541 - Vesna is quite ingenious. 140 00:06:51,542 --> 00:06:54,124 She really only needs to have normal blood pressure 141 00:06:54,125 --> 00:06:55,624 during the time of screening. 142 00:06:55,625 --> 00:06:58,541 - In order to bypass this screening, 143 00:06:58,542 --> 00:07:01,042 she drinks five or six cups of coffee, 144 00:07:02,542 --> 00:07:04,707 jacks her blood pressure up, jacks her heart rate up, 145 00:07:04,708 --> 00:07:06,624 goes in, passes the test. 146 00:07:06,625 --> 00:07:08,541 - [Dan] And there is another reason 147 00:07:08,542 --> 00:07:11,792 why Vesna should not be on this specific flight. 148 00:07:13,375 --> 00:07:15,707 It's supposed to be her day off. 149 00:07:15,708 --> 00:07:17,624 - It was actually meant to be someone else's shift, 150 00:07:17,625 --> 00:07:20,291 but Vesna decides, "Hey, it's going to Copenhagen. 151 00:07:20,292 --> 00:07:22,707 It's a city I've always wanted to see. 152 00:07:22,708 --> 00:07:24,041 I'll take the shift 153 00:07:24,042 --> 00:07:26,374 even though it's not supposed to be mine." 154 00:07:26,375 --> 00:07:29,542 And it turns out to be a fateful decision. 155 00:07:30,583 --> 00:07:32,124 - [Jason] When the bomb goes off, 156 00:07:32,125 --> 00:07:33,541 [explosion blasts] 157 00:07:33,542 --> 00:07:36,582 Vesna happens to be behind the drink cart, 158 00:07:36,583 --> 00:07:40,082 and as the plane starts taking a free fall, 159 00:07:40,083 --> 00:07:44,374 the cart pins Vesna to the back of the aircraft. 160 00:07:44,375 --> 00:07:47,249 At this point, Vesna loses consciousness, 161 00:07:47,250 --> 00:07:48,542 and she's passed out. 162 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:51,791 - She free-falls 33,000 feet. 163 00:07:51,792 --> 00:07:54,582 That's six miles, pinned between the food cart 164 00:07:54,583 --> 00:07:56,999 and the fuselage of the plane. 165 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,582 - [Dan] It may be the first time that airplane food 166 00:07:59,583 --> 00:08:00,916 saves someone's life, 167 00:08:00,917 --> 00:08:03,916 but the unlikely circumstances continue. 168 00:08:03,917 --> 00:08:08,624 - Vesna is traveling from 33,000 feet in a dead free fall. 169 00:08:08,625 --> 00:08:10,499 [air whooshing] 170 00:08:10,500 --> 00:08:13,207 So this is gonna take her about three minutes 171 00:08:13,208 --> 00:08:15,124 until she hits the ground. 172 00:08:15,125 --> 00:08:17,999 - And during that time, she's still in the tail section. 173 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,666 This forms a kind of rigid cage around her 174 00:08:21,667 --> 00:08:23,999 that will somewhat protect her, 175 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,624 and the tail section has a surface area 176 00:08:26,625 --> 00:08:30,499 which will slow down the descent to some extent. 177 00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:32,791 It is like the world's worst parachute. 178 00:08:32,792 --> 00:08:35,833 - [Dan] Then, another unbelievable coincidence. 179 00:08:38,125 --> 00:08:41,874 - [Adam] The wreckage lands at such an angle 180 00:08:41,875 --> 00:08:45,874 that she doesn't really absorb all the impact, 181 00:08:45,875 --> 00:08:47,582 and she's alive. 182 00:08:47,583 --> 00:08:49,791 She fell over 33,000 feet without a parachute 183 00:08:49,792 --> 00:08:52,541 in a damaged airplane that had been ripped apart by a bomb, 184 00:08:52,542 --> 00:08:54,041 and is alive. 185 00:08:54,042 --> 00:08:56,207 [dramatic music] 186 00:08:56,208 --> 00:08:58,957 - [Chris] She has a skull fracture, a cerebral hemorrhage, 187 00:08:58,958 --> 00:09:01,541 she has multiple fractured vertebrae, 188 00:09:01,542 --> 00:09:03,874 she has both legs that have been fractured, 189 00:09:03,875 --> 00:09:06,166 and a fractured pelvis as well. 190 00:09:06,167 --> 00:09:08,041 This is actually quite amazing 191 00:09:08,042 --> 00:09:10,167 that this is all that she has injured. 192 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:13,499 - [Adam] People theorize that, essentially, 193 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:15,041 her low blood pressure 194 00:09:15,042 --> 00:09:16,832 is what keeps her heart from exploding. 195 00:09:16,833 --> 00:09:18,916 It's like an underfilled water balloon; 196 00:09:18,917 --> 00:09:21,124 had she had normal blood pressure 197 00:09:21,125 --> 00:09:23,707 with that rapid depressurization of the cabin 198 00:09:23,708 --> 00:09:26,207 and the impact with the Earth, 199 00:09:26,208 --> 00:09:29,874 that easily could have made her heart explode in her chest. 200 00:09:29,875 --> 00:09:33,499 - [Dan] While she miraculously survives the impact, 201 00:09:33,500 --> 00:09:36,041 she needs immediate medical attention. 202 00:09:36,042 --> 00:09:39,249 - Somehow, the first person to come along 203 00:09:39,250 --> 00:09:42,624 to check out the wreckage, they hear her screaming. 204 00:09:42,625 --> 00:09:44,332 They see her. 205 00:09:44,333 --> 00:09:48,499 - And it so happens that he is a former World War II medic, 206 00:09:48,500 --> 00:09:51,082 and he's seen a lot of battlefield trauma. 207 00:09:51,083 --> 00:09:54,499 So he's able to take care of Vesna until help arrives 208 00:09:54,500 --> 00:09:56,292 and she's brought to a hospital. 209 00:09:58,292 --> 00:10:03,249 - Vesna is in a coma for a few weeks after the accident. 210 00:10:03,250 --> 00:10:08,624 When she finally awakes, she's partially paralyzed. 211 00:10:08,625 --> 00:10:10,874 - [Jason] 10 months after the accident, 212 00:10:10,875 --> 00:10:14,041 Vesna actually regains her ability to walk, 213 00:10:14,042 --> 00:10:16,374 and for the rest of her life, she's got a limp. 214 00:10:16,375 --> 00:10:19,041 But the fact that she's now walking less than a year later 215 00:10:19,042 --> 00:10:20,208 is unbelievable. 216 00:10:21,625 --> 00:10:23,874 - Vesna's plunge lands her in the history books 217 00:10:23,875 --> 00:10:30,707 with a world record no one is in a hurry to break. 218 00:10:30,708 --> 00:10:32,749 - Of all the dangers you might watch out for 219 00:10:32,750 --> 00:10:35,874 on a quiet walk, this one isn't on anyone's list. 220 00:10:35,875 --> 00:10:37,332 Our tale begins, fittingly, 221 00:10:37,333 --> 00:10:41,374 high up on an apartment building's unluckiest floor. 222 00:10:41,375 --> 00:10:43,667 [mysterious music] 223 00:10:45,583 --> 00:10:48,041 - In Buenos Aires in 1988, 224 00:10:48,042 --> 00:10:51,332 the Montoya family has this apartment on the 13th floor. 225 00:10:51,333 --> 00:10:54,541 Their son is playing with the pet poodle, Cachi. 226 00:10:54,542 --> 00:10:55,957 - And the son throws the ball 227 00:10:55,958 --> 00:10:58,666 towards the open door to the balcony, 228 00:10:58,667 --> 00:11:01,332 and the dog goes bounding after it. 229 00:11:01,333 --> 00:11:04,166 - As it is getting closer and closer to this balcony, 230 00:11:04,167 --> 00:11:06,292 the dog tries to stop. 231 00:11:07,625 --> 00:11:10,707 The dog does not. 232 00:11:10,708 --> 00:11:14,332 - Cachi falls the 13 floors, 233 00:11:14,333 --> 00:11:17,624 which is heartbreaking if you are an animal lover. 234 00:11:17,625 --> 00:11:18,874 - [Matthew] At that very moment, 235 00:11:18,875 --> 00:11:20,916 a 75-year-old woman named Marta Espina, 236 00:11:20,917 --> 00:11:22,874 she's walking around her neighborhood 237 00:11:22,875 --> 00:11:25,207 doing some shopping, and then all of a sudden... 238 00:11:25,208 --> 00:11:30,457 - [claps] Cachi falls directly onto the head of Marta. 239 00:11:30,458 --> 00:11:32,082 They both die. 240 00:11:32,083 --> 00:11:33,916 - [Matthew] The impact constitutes, essentially, 241 00:11:33,917 --> 00:11:36,832 a blunt-force trauma to the head. 242 00:11:36,833 --> 00:11:39,166 [siren wailing] 243 00:11:39,167 --> 00:11:42,541 - [Dan] But the tragic chain of events doesn't end here. 244 00:11:42,542 --> 00:11:45,291 - [Holly] Another woman named Edith is across the street, 245 00:11:45,292 --> 00:11:46,916 happens to see this. 246 00:11:46,917 --> 00:11:50,041 Immediately, her good Samaritan intent kicks in. 247 00:11:50,042 --> 00:11:51,541 She jumps up to run across the street 248 00:11:51,542 --> 00:11:52,582 to check on this woman. 249 00:11:52,583 --> 00:11:53,874 - [Sami] And she... 250 00:11:53,875 --> 00:11:55,249 [horn honks] [tires screeching] 251 00:11:55,250 --> 00:11:57,417 [claps] Gets hit by a bus. 252 00:11:58,792 --> 00:12:01,499 So now you have Cachi the poodle, you have Marta, 253 00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:02,667 you have Edith. 254 00:12:03,875 --> 00:12:06,916 - [Holly] There is a third person, a man who apparently 255 00:12:06,917 --> 00:12:09,041 has just come out the pharmacy with his prescription, 256 00:12:09,042 --> 00:12:11,041 sees all of this play out. 257 00:12:11,042 --> 00:12:13,124 - It's too much for him to take. 258 00:12:13,125 --> 00:12:15,874 He has a heart attack, and he dies there on the spot. 259 00:12:15,875 --> 00:12:20,499 The fourth casualty of Cachi the poodle's game of fetch. 260 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:22,041 [pensive music] 261 00:12:22,042 --> 00:12:25,374 - The odds of death by poodle are pretty slim, 262 00:12:25,375 --> 00:12:27,874 but nothing like what Shenandoah National Park Ranger 263 00:12:27,875 --> 00:12:29,916 Roy Sullivan is up against. 264 00:12:29,917 --> 00:12:33,541 It all starts during a thunderstorm in 1942. 265 00:12:33,542 --> 00:12:35,874 As Roy takes shelter in a fire tower, 266 00:12:35,875 --> 00:12:37,541 it's hit by lightning. 267 00:12:37,542 --> 00:12:40,250 [thunder crashing] 268 00:12:41,875 --> 00:12:44,249 - And after eight lightning strikes on that tower, 269 00:12:44,250 --> 00:12:47,208 it's now ablaze, and Roy has to escape. 270 00:12:49,167 --> 00:12:50,957 Well, on his way down the tower, 271 00:12:50,958 --> 00:12:52,624 [thunder crashing] 272 00:12:52,625 --> 00:12:54,166 he's struck. 273 00:12:54,167 --> 00:12:57,999 It burns through his shoe, yanks off his toenail, 274 00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,957 but he lives through it. 275 00:12:59,958 --> 00:13:01,207 - When you are struck by lightning, 276 00:13:01,208 --> 00:13:02,832 [thunder crashes] 277 00:13:02,833 --> 00:13:06,374 an extremely large amount of electrical current 278 00:13:06,375 --> 00:13:09,874 flows through your body, to the ground. 279 00:13:09,875 --> 00:13:13,041 This is potentially lethal for most people. 280 00:13:13,042 --> 00:13:15,124 - [Dan] The odds of being struck by lightning 281 00:13:15,125 --> 00:13:19,041 are just one in 15,300, pretty low. 282 00:13:19,042 --> 00:13:21,750 But Ranger Roy is about to defy those odds, 283 00:13:23,042 --> 00:13:24,166 again. 284 00:13:24,167 --> 00:13:26,207 [dramatic music] 285 00:13:26,208 --> 00:13:29,457 - He is driving his pickup truck during an electrical storm, 286 00:13:29,458 --> 00:13:34,041 and a tree adjoining his truck is struck. 287 00:13:34,042 --> 00:13:35,499 [thunder crashing] 288 00:13:35,500 --> 00:13:38,874 The lightning rebounds into the cab of his truck, 289 00:13:38,875 --> 00:13:41,458 setting his eyebrows and hair afire. 290 00:13:43,042 --> 00:13:45,791 - [James] But twice is apparently not enough for Roy. 291 00:13:45,792 --> 00:13:47,249 [thunder crashing] 292 00:13:47,250 --> 00:13:49,541 The third time, lightning bounces off of a transformer 293 00:13:49,542 --> 00:13:53,499 and strikes him, but this time it leaves its mark. 294 00:13:53,500 --> 00:13:57,207 It's a Lichtenberg figure, so-called, across his back 295 00:13:57,208 --> 00:13:59,999 in the shape of a lightning bolt. 296 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,999 - [Dan] Roy is now tied with a man named Walter Summerford 297 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,207 as the only known people who have been struck by lightning 298 00:14:05,208 --> 00:14:08,291 three times, for at least two years. 299 00:14:08,292 --> 00:14:10,124 That is, until... 300 00:14:10,125 --> 00:14:12,291 - [James] Roy's struck again! 301 00:14:12,292 --> 00:14:13,874 Fourth time. 302 00:14:13,875 --> 00:14:15,666 This time, it sets his hair on fire, 303 00:14:15,667 --> 00:14:17,500 and he's got to put that out. 304 00:14:18,875 --> 00:14:21,874 He takes a wet cloth, pats it on his head, 305 00:14:21,875 --> 00:14:23,375 and puts his hair out. 306 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:26,832 - So now Roy, 307 00:14:26,833 --> 00:14:29,749 the most-struck-by-lightning man on Earth, 308 00:14:29,750 --> 00:14:33,624 travels everywhere with a can of water at the ready 309 00:14:33,625 --> 00:14:37,041 just in case he is struck and set upon fire again. 310 00:14:37,042 --> 00:14:39,582 - [Dan] Unfortunately, that can of water 311 00:14:39,583 --> 00:14:40,958 is going to come in handy. 312 00:14:42,292 --> 00:14:44,499 - He's driving down a mountain road. 313 00:14:44,500 --> 00:14:47,957 He sees evidence of a lightning storm on the horizon. 314 00:14:47,958 --> 00:14:49,207 [thunder crashing] 315 00:14:49,208 --> 00:14:51,166 He flees in the other direction. 316 00:14:51,167 --> 00:14:53,082 - He starts driving away as quickly as possible, 317 00:14:53,083 --> 00:14:54,666 can of water at the ready, 318 00:14:54,667 --> 00:14:58,707 appearing to be at a safe distance from the ominous cloud 319 00:14:58,708 --> 00:15:00,499 that he feels is following. 320 00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:02,999 He emerges from his pickup truck, 321 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,124 only to be struck again. 322 00:15:05,125 --> 00:15:07,791 Hair on fire, eyebrows on fire, can of water over the head. 323 00:15:07,792 --> 00:15:09,874 Roy was prepared this time. 324 00:15:09,875 --> 00:15:12,874 - It's the same show all over and over again. 325 00:15:12,875 --> 00:15:14,249 [thunder rumbling] 326 00:15:14,250 --> 00:15:16,999 - [Dan] Incredibly, Roy is struck two more times, 327 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,374 the last after he leaves what already was for him 328 00:15:20,375 --> 00:15:22,291 a dangerous job. 329 00:15:22,292 --> 00:15:25,666 - When Roy finally retires from the park service, 330 00:15:25,667 --> 00:15:29,041 his seventh and final time happens while he is at leisure. 331 00:15:29,042 --> 00:15:30,541 [thunder crashing] 332 00:15:30,542 --> 00:15:32,957 He gets struck while fishing. 333 00:15:32,958 --> 00:15:36,124 - Roy, in short, is a miracle man. 334 00:15:36,125 --> 00:15:38,166 The chance of being struck by lightning 335 00:15:38,167 --> 00:15:42,749 seven different times is one out of 10 336 00:15:42,750 --> 00:15:44,416 to the 28th power. 337 00:15:44,417 --> 00:15:48,041 The chances of being struck and surviving seven times 338 00:15:48,042 --> 00:15:50,999 put the odds even further off the margins. 339 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,124 And it would be considered impossible 340 00:15:54,125 --> 00:15:58,541 but for the fact that it happens to Roy Sullivan. 341 00:15:58,542 --> 00:16:01,499 - [Dan] Even his own wife isn't safe around him. 342 00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:04,374 - It's no surprise that his wife would be dismayed 343 00:16:04,375 --> 00:16:07,249 because when she's hanging clothes one day, 344 00:16:07,250 --> 00:16:08,916 when he's 100-some feet away, 345 00:16:08,917 --> 00:16:11,124 [thunder rumbling] 346 00:16:11,125 --> 00:16:13,082 she herself gets struck by lightning. 347 00:16:13,083 --> 00:16:14,499 [thunder crashing] [wife shouts] 348 00:16:14,500 --> 00:16:18,166 - [Dan] Surprisingly, she doesn't file for divorce. 349 00:16:18,167 --> 00:16:20,374 - The way Roy chooses to deal with this 350 00:16:20,375 --> 00:16:24,749 attraction that he has for things that kill anybody else, 351 00:16:24,750 --> 00:16:26,749 is he decides to own it. 352 00:16:26,750 --> 00:16:29,874 He becomes the Guinness World Record holder 353 00:16:29,875 --> 00:16:31,124 for the number of lightning strikes 354 00:16:31,125 --> 00:16:32,957 that someone can live through. 355 00:16:32,958 --> 00:16:34,582 He gives lectures. 356 00:16:34,583 --> 00:16:39,249 He has the artifacts from when he's been struck. 357 00:16:39,250 --> 00:16:44,166 He essentially becomes the human lightning rod for real. 358 00:16:44,167 --> 00:16:47,207 - His superhuman ability is that he shows us 359 00:16:47,208 --> 00:16:49,416 that the word "impossible" 360 00:16:49,417 --> 00:16:53,041 should be used very sparingly, if at all. 361 00:16:53,042 --> 00:16:55,207 - Turns out lightning does strike twice. 362 00:16:55,208 --> 00:16:58,125 And in Roy's case, five more times after that. 363 00:17:01,917 --> 00:17:03,541 - St. Petersburg, Florida, 1951, 364 00:17:03,542 --> 00:17:06,874 a widow named Mary Reeser is having dinner with her son. 365 00:17:06,875 --> 00:17:09,249 She then tells him it's time for a nap. 366 00:17:09,250 --> 00:17:13,541 What happens next is, well, unbelievable. 367 00:17:13,542 --> 00:17:15,583 [mysterious music] 368 00:17:17,417 --> 00:17:19,791 - Mary Reeser gets home one night to her apartment, 369 00:17:19,792 --> 00:17:23,374 plops down in her overstuffed upholstered easy chair, 370 00:17:23,375 --> 00:17:24,832 pops a couple of sedatives 371 00:17:24,833 --> 00:17:26,332 'cause she's trying to get some rest, 372 00:17:26,333 --> 00:17:28,000 passes out, and goes to sleep. 373 00:17:31,708 --> 00:17:37,166 - 8:00 a.m. the next morning, her landlord, Pansy Carpenter, 374 00:17:37,167 --> 00:17:38,582 smells some smoke. 375 00:17:38,583 --> 00:17:40,791 So she goes, and she touches the doorknob, 376 00:17:40,792 --> 00:17:42,291 and it's too hot to touch. 377 00:17:42,292 --> 00:17:45,499 So she fears, rightfully so, that there's a fire inside. 378 00:17:45,500 --> 00:17:46,666 [knocking] 379 00:17:46,667 --> 00:17:48,374 - The police department is immediately called, 380 00:17:48,375 --> 00:17:50,666 and they show up, and when they open the door, 381 00:17:50,667 --> 00:17:53,250 they see something that they've never seen before. 382 00:17:54,125 --> 00:17:56,417 [tense music] 383 00:17:57,500 --> 00:17:59,082 - Very little is left of the chair, 384 00:17:59,083 --> 00:18:00,792 just some springs and some debris. 385 00:18:02,167 --> 00:18:05,374 There's a pile of ash where Mary was sitting. 386 00:18:05,375 --> 00:18:09,624 One of her feet is completely intact, still in the slipper. 387 00:18:09,625 --> 00:18:11,499 - Stranger still, 388 00:18:11,500 --> 00:18:14,333 nothing else in the apartment has caught fire. 389 00:18:15,875 --> 00:18:21,166 A pile of newspapers, feet away, completely untouched. 390 00:18:21,167 --> 00:18:23,499 Light switches on the wall are melted, 391 00:18:23,500 --> 00:18:25,832 but the outlets on the bottom are still operational 392 00:18:25,833 --> 00:18:27,416 and perfectly intact. 393 00:18:27,417 --> 00:18:29,082 - [Victor] The pictures are on the walls. 394 00:18:29,083 --> 00:18:30,499 The floor, perfectly fine. 395 00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:31,791 The ceiling, no smoke damage. 396 00:18:31,792 --> 00:18:35,750 And yet, Mary Reeser, burned to a crisp, gone. 397 00:18:37,042 --> 00:18:42,624 - [Dan] So what caused Mary Reeser to suddenly go poof? 398 00:18:42,625 --> 00:18:44,832 - For a human body to be fully cremated, 399 00:18:44,833 --> 00:18:48,416 you have to be in a fire that is upwards of 3,000 degrees 400 00:18:48,417 --> 00:18:50,874 for upwards of three hours. 401 00:18:50,875 --> 00:18:53,041 Perhaps she lit a cigarette, 402 00:18:53,042 --> 00:18:56,207 the cigarette lit her clothes on fire, and she burned. 403 00:18:56,208 --> 00:19:00,041 Yet somehow, fire didn't spread to any other apartment. 404 00:19:00,042 --> 00:19:02,791 No one smelled smoke, saw smoke. 405 00:19:02,792 --> 00:19:06,374 - There's just no way that any household fire 406 00:19:06,375 --> 00:19:09,541 would be able to consume a human being that way. 407 00:19:09,542 --> 00:19:12,291 - [Dan] Even more bizarre, Mary's skull is found, 408 00:19:12,292 --> 00:19:14,291 but it's mysteriously smaller. 409 00:19:14,292 --> 00:19:17,041 - In a normal cremation setting, 410 00:19:17,042 --> 00:19:19,207 the human skull is going to crack. 411 00:19:19,208 --> 00:19:21,249 - In her case, the skull shrinks down 412 00:19:21,250 --> 00:19:24,291 to the size of a baseball. 413 00:19:24,292 --> 00:19:26,125 - Now, doesn't that sound suspicious? 414 00:19:27,125 --> 00:19:29,041 - The authorities begin to wonder, 415 00:19:29,042 --> 00:19:31,582 is there some Soviet weapon at play? 416 00:19:31,583 --> 00:19:34,916 So the FBI begins investigating this. 417 00:19:34,917 --> 00:19:36,457 - [Dan] It's so perplexing, 418 00:19:36,458 --> 00:19:40,041 it makes it all the way up to Director J. Edgar Hoover. 419 00:19:40,042 --> 00:19:41,582 - [Matthew] He looks at this case, 420 00:19:41,583 --> 00:19:44,624 and he's so concerned that he actually lets the president, 421 00:19:44,625 --> 00:19:47,957 Harry S. Truman, know about this case going on in Florida. 422 00:19:47,958 --> 00:19:51,041 He employs his top forensic anthropologist at the time, 423 00:19:51,042 --> 00:19:52,791 Wilton Krogman. 424 00:19:52,792 --> 00:19:56,416 - [Dan] Wilton Krogman is a pioneer in the forensics field 425 00:19:56,417 --> 00:19:59,374 and the most qualified man in the country to solve the case. 426 00:19:59,375 --> 00:20:01,166 - He shows up to the scene, 427 00:20:01,167 --> 00:20:02,624 and he has no idea what's going on. 428 00:20:02,625 --> 00:20:06,416 How does a skull shrink in a fire? 429 00:20:06,417 --> 00:20:08,791 That's not a thing that's supposed to happen. 430 00:20:08,792 --> 00:20:11,374 - [Dan] Desperate, the FBI entertains a number 431 00:20:11,375 --> 00:20:13,124 of strange possibilities. 432 00:20:13,125 --> 00:20:15,707 [tense music] 433 00:20:15,708 --> 00:20:17,707 - Now, a lot of people speculate foul play 434 00:20:17,708 --> 00:20:21,249 and that someone had come in and doused Mary 435 00:20:21,250 --> 00:20:23,583 with kerosene and set her alight. 436 00:20:25,333 --> 00:20:27,082 - All the associated things that you would have 437 00:20:27,083 --> 00:20:29,374 inside of an arson case with an accelerant, 438 00:20:29,375 --> 00:20:30,374 all the samples that were collected 439 00:20:30,375 --> 00:20:32,207 and sent to the laboratory, 440 00:20:32,208 --> 00:20:34,041 none of it comes back with any sort of traces 441 00:20:34,042 --> 00:20:35,250 of accelerant in it. 442 00:20:36,542 --> 00:20:38,957 - The next theory the FBI investigates 443 00:20:38,958 --> 00:20:40,916 comes from an anonymous tip. 444 00:20:40,917 --> 00:20:42,749 - An anonymous person calls up 445 00:20:42,750 --> 00:20:45,416 and says that a fireball came in through the window, 446 00:20:45,417 --> 00:20:47,292 lights Mary on fire. 447 00:20:49,083 --> 00:20:50,874 [explosion blasts] 448 00:20:50,875 --> 00:20:53,707 - Gave an official statement, said, "I seen it. 449 00:20:53,708 --> 00:20:56,207 A fireball came in her window and hit it." 450 00:20:56,208 --> 00:20:58,542 [tense music] 451 00:20:59,708 --> 00:21:03,374 Generally speaking, fireballs don't fly through windows. 452 00:21:03,375 --> 00:21:06,124 - What it could be is another unexplained phenomenon 453 00:21:06,125 --> 00:21:08,499 of ball lightning, which is controversial. 454 00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:10,041 It may or may not exist. 455 00:21:10,042 --> 00:21:12,874 I mean, how much credence do we put into anonymous tips? 456 00:21:12,875 --> 00:21:15,374 I mean, right there, we think it's a little bit of BS. 457 00:21:15,375 --> 00:21:17,624 - [Dan] Is it possible the most likely explanation 458 00:21:17,625 --> 00:21:20,916 is also the most unbelievable: 459 00:21:20,917 --> 00:21:23,457 spontaneous human combustion? 460 00:21:23,458 --> 00:21:26,874 - Spontaneous human combustion is an idea that someone 461 00:21:26,875 --> 00:21:29,249 just, all of a sudden, bursts into flames, 462 00:21:29,250 --> 00:21:31,374 and it only impacts the individual, 463 00:21:31,375 --> 00:21:33,624 and it doesn't impact anything else. 464 00:21:33,625 --> 00:21:37,624 - Spontaneous combustion does happen in nature. 465 00:21:37,625 --> 00:21:40,041 With hay bales, you have wet and dry hay. 466 00:21:40,042 --> 00:21:41,541 The wet hay's still alive, 467 00:21:41,542 --> 00:21:43,707 going through its respiration process, 468 00:21:43,708 --> 00:21:46,541 taking in carbon dioxide, pumping out oxygen, 469 00:21:46,542 --> 00:21:48,124 and this creates heat. 470 00:21:48,125 --> 00:21:50,124 So you'll have hay bales that just spontaneously combust. 471 00:21:50,125 --> 00:21:51,874 [flames whooshing] 472 00:21:51,875 --> 00:21:55,541 - [Dan] The question is, could this also happen to humans? 473 00:21:55,542 --> 00:21:59,582 Shockingly, there have been roughly 200 recorded cases 474 00:21:59,583 --> 00:22:02,832 of spontaneous human combustion in history. 475 00:22:02,833 --> 00:22:07,874 - In 1470, there is an Italian knight in Milan 476 00:22:07,875 --> 00:22:13,082 who, after a night of drinking, according to witnesses, 477 00:22:13,083 --> 00:22:15,707 begins to actually belch up flame. 478 00:22:15,708 --> 00:22:20,124 And finally, his entire body combusts, 479 00:22:20,125 --> 00:22:22,457 seemingly from within. 480 00:22:22,458 --> 00:22:24,041 - [Dan] But in Mary's case, 481 00:22:24,042 --> 00:22:28,541 the FBI is unwilling to list spontaneous human combustion 482 00:22:28,542 --> 00:22:30,874 as the official cause of death. 483 00:22:30,875 --> 00:22:34,207 What they come up with isn't any less strange. 484 00:22:34,208 --> 00:22:37,207 - So, the belief is that Mary succumbed 485 00:22:37,208 --> 00:22:39,874 to something known as the wick effect. 486 00:22:39,875 --> 00:22:42,707 In essence, the body is an inside-out candle. 487 00:22:42,708 --> 00:22:46,166 The clothing is the wick that catches flame, 488 00:22:46,167 --> 00:22:49,874 but the combustible hydrocarbons found in human fat 489 00:22:49,875 --> 00:22:51,917 literally served to fuel the fire. 490 00:22:53,542 --> 00:22:55,707 - Because she's an overweight woman that was also a smoker, 491 00:22:55,708 --> 00:22:59,374 the FBI suggests that the cigarette burns her nightgown, 492 00:22:59,375 --> 00:23:01,416 which causes her to go up in flame. 493 00:23:01,417 --> 00:23:03,791 Because she's a heavier woman, that leads to the fire 494 00:23:03,792 --> 00:23:06,916 continuing to burn for a longer period of time. 495 00:23:06,917 --> 00:23:09,707 - [Dan] Not everyone accepts this answer. 496 00:23:09,708 --> 00:23:12,457 - There are lots of problems with this theory. 497 00:23:12,458 --> 00:23:14,416 The first of which is that millions of people 498 00:23:14,417 --> 00:23:16,499 fall asleep with lit cigarettes, 499 00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:20,041 and they don't usually end up cremated. 500 00:23:20,042 --> 00:23:21,666 - So people are thinking, 501 00:23:21,667 --> 00:23:26,041 "Why would you not wake up if you are currently on fire?" 502 00:23:26,042 --> 00:23:29,874 - Even with sedatives, there's still a great likelihood 503 00:23:29,875 --> 00:23:33,166 that a person would start thrashing around. 504 00:23:33,167 --> 00:23:35,541 Spontaneous human combustion, 505 00:23:35,542 --> 00:23:38,666 it's the last place investigators want to go, 506 00:23:38,667 --> 00:23:40,416 but sometimes they're forced to go there 507 00:23:40,417 --> 00:23:43,000 in the absence of any other explanations. 508 00:23:45,625 --> 00:23:48,416 - I think it's a damn strange world. [laughs] 509 00:23:48,417 --> 00:23:50,249 I never take anything off the table 510 00:23:50,250 --> 00:23:51,457 until we're absolutely certain. 511 00:23:51,458 --> 00:23:53,499 [intense music] 512 00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:55,957 - The forensic anthropologist hired by the FBI 513 00:23:55,958 --> 00:23:59,374 has this to say: "Were I living in the Middle Ages, 514 00:23:59,375 --> 00:24:02,083 I'd mutter something about black magic." 515 00:24:05,958 --> 00:24:08,624 - Some leaders face war, famine, or political unrest. 516 00:24:08,625 --> 00:24:11,541 For one 16th-century Austrian mayor, 517 00:24:11,542 --> 00:24:14,374 the real threat is right under his nose. 518 00:24:14,375 --> 00:24:16,667 [pensive music] 519 00:24:18,458 --> 00:24:20,666 - It's the 16th century, and Hans Steininger 520 00:24:20,667 --> 00:24:24,416 is the immensely popular mayor of Braunau am Inn. 521 00:24:24,417 --> 00:24:25,666 Everyone loves him. 522 00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:28,374 He's elected for six consecutive terms, 523 00:24:28,375 --> 00:24:31,041 but that's not what he's famous for. 524 00:24:31,042 --> 00:24:33,457 - Hans is a sight to see. 525 00:24:33,458 --> 00:24:36,874 He has a beard that's 4 1/2 feet long. 526 00:24:36,875 --> 00:24:40,041 Now, when it gets to the end, it forks. 527 00:24:40,042 --> 00:24:43,582 It's so long, it reaches all the way to his feet. 528 00:24:43,583 --> 00:24:46,082 - [Dan] Mayor Hans even has his suits custom-made 529 00:24:46,083 --> 00:24:48,332 to keep his beard neatly rolled up 530 00:24:48,333 --> 00:24:50,416 and tucked into his breast pocket. 531 00:24:50,417 --> 00:24:54,541 Braunau am Inn flourishes under his leadership for decades, 532 00:24:54,542 --> 00:24:58,792 until one day, when things get a little hairy. 533 00:24:59,792 --> 00:25:03,958 - [Hakeem] September 28th, 1576, all mayhem breaks out. 534 00:25:05,083 --> 00:25:09,291 The town of Braunau am Inn catches fire. 535 00:25:09,292 --> 00:25:11,541 It's 1576. 536 00:25:11,542 --> 00:25:13,707 There's no such thing as a fire engine yet. 537 00:25:13,708 --> 00:25:16,207 There's no such thing as a fire department. 538 00:25:16,208 --> 00:25:20,874 Now, the mayor has an emergency that he has to handle. 539 00:25:20,875 --> 00:25:24,874 - Atop a really long staircase, Hans surveys the scene, 540 00:25:24,875 --> 00:25:27,874 and he just sees his entire town in flames. 541 00:25:27,875 --> 00:25:30,791 So, to go save the town and direct the rescue efforts, 542 00:25:30,792 --> 00:25:34,499 he takes off running straight down the stairs. 543 00:25:34,500 --> 00:25:36,041 However, in his haste, 544 00:25:36,042 --> 00:25:40,874 he forgets to tuck his beard into his little beard pocket. 545 00:25:40,875 --> 00:25:44,749 - [Hakeem] Almost immediately, his 4 1/2-foot beard 546 00:25:44,750 --> 00:25:46,207 tangles up in his feet, 547 00:25:46,208 --> 00:25:49,832 and he's just tumbling down these concrete stairs. 548 00:25:49,833 --> 00:25:52,457 - [Austin] Tip over top, over tip, over top, 549 00:25:52,458 --> 00:25:54,457 into the town square. 550 00:25:54,458 --> 00:25:56,166 - [Dan] By the time he reaches the bottom, 551 00:25:56,167 --> 00:25:57,874 his neck is broken. 552 00:25:57,875 --> 00:26:00,541 - This is probably the first time 553 00:26:00,542 --> 00:26:02,041 in the history of the world 554 00:26:02,042 --> 00:26:05,916 a mayor has been killed by his own beard. 555 00:26:05,917 --> 00:26:07,874 - [Dan] But the people of Braunau am Inn 556 00:26:07,875 --> 00:26:11,874 find an unbelievable way to honor the mayor's legacy. 557 00:26:11,875 --> 00:26:15,541 - Hans may have been lost that day, but not his beard. 558 00:26:15,542 --> 00:26:18,541 His beard is snipped off before he's buried 559 00:26:18,542 --> 00:26:20,207 and is kept by his family 560 00:26:20,208 --> 00:26:22,582 and passed down from generation to generation 561 00:26:22,583 --> 00:26:26,666 until finally, in the 20th century, 1919, 562 00:26:26,667 --> 00:26:29,249 the beard is bequeathed to the city. 563 00:26:29,250 --> 00:26:34,332 - And to this day, it is in a 4 1/2-foot-long glass box, 564 00:26:34,333 --> 00:26:38,208 embalmed for everyone to remember Mayor Hans Steininger. 565 00:26:39,792 --> 00:26:42,249 - A beard may have brought one man down, 566 00:26:42,250 --> 00:26:46,207 but centuries later, another man takes a much sharper blow. 567 00:26:46,208 --> 00:26:48,250 [tense music] 568 00:26:50,917 --> 00:26:54,916 - Phineas Gage is a 25-year-old railroad worker 569 00:26:54,917 --> 00:26:57,916 in the town of Cavendish, Vermont. 570 00:26:57,917 --> 00:27:02,833 - Phineas is a professional, hardworking, brilliant citizen. 571 00:27:03,750 --> 00:27:05,999 - His specialty is explosives. 572 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,541 'Cause they need to lay down railroad track, 573 00:27:07,542 --> 00:27:09,541 you have to blow up a lot of rock, 574 00:27:09,542 --> 00:27:12,166 and so he's the guy that sets the charge. 575 00:27:12,167 --> 00:27:14,582 - [Mitch] As part of Phineas's job, 576 00:27:14,583 --> 00:27:18,041 he has a 3 1/2-foot iron bar 577 00:27:18,042 --> 00:27:20,291 that he uses to tamp down the gunpowder. 578 00:27:20,292 --> 00:27:22,166 [hammer tapping] 579 00:27:22,167 --> 00:27:24,582 - [Austin] But it's very, very, very dangerous work 580 00:27:24,583 --> 00:27:26,541 because it's black powder, 581 00:27:26,542 --> 00:27:29,166 and black powder can go off like that. [snaps] 582 00:27:29,167 --> 00:27:31,374 [tense music] 583 00:27:31,375 --> 00:27:35,292 - He strikes the rock just so with his rod, creates a spark. 584 00:27:36,500 --> 00:27:40,208 [explosion blasts] [debris clattering] 585 00:27:46,208 --> 00:27:49,624 - That tamping iron essentially became the bullet. 586 00:27:49,625 --> 00:27:52,000 [tense music] 587 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,332 - [Edward] It shoots upward, and it goes right into his cheek, 588 00:27:56,333 --> 00:27:57,917 [Phineas yells] 589 00:27:58,042 --> 00:28:01,416 passes behind his left eye, and then out the top of his head 590 00:28:01,417 --> 00:28:03,250 through the frontal left lobe. 591 00:28:05,042 --> 00:28:08,457 It flies 80 feet away from the explosion. 592 00:28:08,458 --> 00:28:10,749 [metal clinking] 593 00:28:10,750 --> 00:28:15,082 - Everyone is absolutely certain the man is dead. 594 00:28:15,083 --> 00:28:19,749 To the shock of his crewmates, he stands up, 595 00:28:19,750 --> 00:28:22,707 starts walking around, asking what happened. 596 00:28:22,708 --> 00:28:25,207 He doesn't seem particularly alarmed. 597 00:28:25,208 --> 00:28:30,208 Because the tapered end of the bar exits his skull, 598 00:28:31,208 --> 00:28:33,124 he is spared greater brain damage 599 00:28:33,125 --> 00:28:35,207 than he otherwise would've suffered. 600 00:28:35,208 --> 00:28:37,999 - [Dan] Doctors manage to stop the bleeding, 601 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:42,124 but they wonder, what are the long-term consequences? 602 00:28:42,125 --> 00:28:45,999 - Phineas was known as an easygoing, 603 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,416 likable guy before his injury. 604 00:28:48,417 --> 00:28:52,999 The person who returns to the railroad crew 605 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:56,166 is argumentative, abrasive. 606 00:28:56,167 --> 00:28:59,207 - He's irritable, short-tempered, impulsive, 607 00:28:59,208 --> 00:29:01,874 and he's kind of a jerk to everybody around him. 608 00:29:01,875 --> 00:29:05,499 - He's prone to alcoholism and violence, 609 00:29:05,500 --> 00:29:08,375 and we could say definitively, these are two different people. 610 00:29:09,792 --> 00:29:12,374 - Gage becomes kind of a medical curiosity, 611 00:29:12,375 --> 00:29:15,166 and people are wondering how then on Earth he survives, 612 00:29:15,167 --> 00:29:18,207 and also, what is it that has changed his personality? 613 00:29:18,208 --> 00:29:20,708 And it's really, in some ways, the beginning of neuroscience. 614 00:29:21,750 --> 00:29:23,666 - The way the rod goes through his brain, 615 00:29:23,667 --> 00:29:25,916 it pierces an area of the brain 616 00:29:25,917 --> 00:29:29,041 that controls emotional responses. 617 00:29:29,042 --> 00:29:30,666 - [Brian] The frontal lobes. 618 00:29:30,667 --> 00:29:33,041 Frontal lobes are really super important 619 00:29:33,042 --> 00:29:35,207 for behavioral control. 620 00:29:35,208 --> 00:29:38,374 When Phineas severely damages his frontal lobes, 621 00:29:38,375 --> 00:29:41,374 it's like a brake has been taken off of 622 00:29:41,375 --> 00:29:43,249 his behavioral regulator. 623 00:29:43,250 --> 00:29:46,166 And it is not uncommon with patients 624 00:29:46,167 --> 00:29:49,041 that have frontal lobe damage that they act impulsively. 625 00:29:49,042 --> 00:29:51,332 They can act aggressively. 626 00:29:51,333 --> 00:29:53,082 - Prior to this, people thought personality 627 00:29:53,083 --> 00:29:54,874 was sort of like an extension of your soul. 628 00:29:54,875 --> 00:29:57,166 It was some sort of ethereal part of you 629 00:29:57,167 --> 00:29:59,582 that, you know, you had to work on all the time, 630 00:29:59,583 --> 00:30:02,207 as opposed to something that literally came out of synapses 631 00:30:02,208 --> 00:30:04,208 and cells and things in your brain. 632 00:30:05,542 --> 00:30:08,832 - What I find fascinating about the Phineas Gage case 633 00:30:08,833 --> 00:30:12,082 is that 175 years later, 634 00:30:12,083 --> 00:30:15,332 scientists are still studying his case. 635 00:30:15,333 --> 00:30:19,082 He is that important in the history 636 00:30:19,083 --> 00:30:21,999 of our understanding of the human brain. 637 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,082 - [Dan] What eventually becomes of Phineas Gage? 638 00:30:25,083 --> 00:30:28,166 - Because of the changing character 639 00:30:28,167 --> 00:30:30,749 that transpires in Phineas, 640 00:30:30,750 --> 00:30:34,082 he can no longer get along on crew work, 641 00:30:34,083 --> 00:30:37,041 and he actually finds work driving a stagecoach 642 00:30:37,042 --> 00:30:39,958 in South America, in the nation of Chile. 643 00:30:40,958 --> 00:30:43,832 - Phineas Gage continues to turn heads to this day. 644 00:30:43,833 --> 00:30:46,582 His skull and the iron bar that passed through it 645 00:30:46,583 --> 00:30:48,374 are on permanent display 646 00:30:48,375 --> 00:30:55,957 at the Countway Library of Medicine at Harvard University. 647 00:30:55,958 --> 00:30:57,457 - We're all familiar with the old saying, 648 00:30:57,458 --> 00:30:59,041 "Pride goeth before a fall." 649 00:30:59,042 --> 00:31:02,207 But in the case of one very confident safety expert, 650 00:31:02,208 --> 00:31:04,999 this expression becomes quite literally true. 651 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,041 [pensive music] 652 00:31:07,042 --> 00:31:10,124 - Garry Hoy is a highly regarded Toronto lawyer 653 00:31:10,125 --> 00:31:13,249 who specializes in building safety and compliance. 654 00:31:13,250 --> 00:31:16,541 On top of that, he also has a degree in engineering. 655 00:31:16,542 --> 00:31:19,500 This is a guy that absolutely loves his job. 656 00:31:21,167 --> 00:31:24,624 - July 9th, 1993, and Garry Hoy 657 00:31:24,625 --> 00:31:27,707 is there at the Dominion Tower skyscraper in Toronto 658 00:31:27,708 --> 00:31:29,541 for an office party. 659 00:31:29,542 --> 00:31:34,041 It's a welcome party for young, college soon-to-be grads 660 00:31:34,042 --> 00:31:37,416 applying for apprenticeships at his law firm. 661 00:31:37,417 --> 00:31:40,332 - [Sami] Because he is so passionate about building safety 662 00:31:40,333 --> 00:31:42,041 and about engineering structures, 663 00:31:42,042 --> 00:31:44,999 he wants to showcase the resilience 664 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,874 of the windows of the building. 665 00:31:47,875 --> 00:31:49,957 - His offices are the 24th floor, 666 00:31:49,958 --> 00:31:53,374 and he decides to show them his party trick. 667 00:31:53,375 --> 00:31:55,374 [suspenseful music] 668 00:31:55,375 --> 00:31:57,416 - So he tells everybody to step back, 669 00:31:57,417 --> 00:31:59,707 and they give him room. 670 00:31:59,708 --> 00:32:03,000 He backs up and starts running. 671 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:08,500 - [Sami] He launches himself at this window. 672 00:32:10,375 --> 00:32:12,082 - And he bounces right off of it, 673 00:32:12,083 --> 00:32:14,582 and he says to everyone, to a round of applause, 674 00:32:14,583 --> 00:32:17,374 cheers, and laughs, "Look how strong that glass is." 675 00:32:17,375 --> 00:32:19,457 - Feeling the high of the crowd's reception 676 00:32:19,458 --> 00:32:22,667 to his party trick, he goes, "I'm gonna do it again." 677 00:32:23,625 --> 00:32:26,374 - [Dan] Garry backs up, and he sprints at full speed 678 00:32:26,375 --> 00:32:30,874 towards the shatterproof window, 24 stories above Toronto. 679 00:32:30,875 --> 00:32:32,332 [window thuds] 680 00:32:32,333 --> 00:32:34,041 - [Chris] The window doesn't shatter. 681 00:32:34,042 --> 00:32:37,957 - However, the glass and its entire frame 682 00:32:37,958 --> 00:32:41,041 separate from the side of the skyscraper. 683 00:32:41,042 --> 00:32:44,374 And now, Garry, to his surprise, is riding 684 00:32:44,375 --> 00:32:48,249 a full, intact pane of skyscraper glass 685 00:32:48,250 --> 00:32:50,417 down to the ground of Toronto. 686 00:32:54,375 --> 00:32:56,417 - [Holly] Unfortunately, he's killed. 687 00:32:57,708 --> 00:32:59,291 But he's right! 688 00:32:59,292 --> 00:33:03,874 His windows are actually as resilient as he always claimed. 689 00:33:03,875 --> 00:33:06,707 He just isn't taking into account the frame, 690 00:33:06,708 --> 00:33:08,249 which is the failure point, 691 00:33:08,250 --> 00:33:11,041 and that was the ultimate demise. 692 00:33:11,042 --> 00:33:12,999 - [Dan] Garry proved that showing off 693 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,416 can have deadly consequences. 694 00:33:15,417 --> 00:33:18,374 But our next story takes that idea even higher, 695 00:33:18,375 --> 00:33:23,374 as two men in 19th-century Paris risk everything for love. 696 00:33:23,375 --> 00:33:25,166 [tense music] 697 00:33:25,167 --> 00:33:28,124 - So we're in Napoleonic France, 1808, in Paris. 698 00:33:28,125 --> 00:33:30,041 We have a famous dancer at an opera house. 699 00:33:30,042 --> 00:33:32,541 A gorgeous lady, Mademoiselle Tirevit, 700 00:33:32,542 --> 00:33:35,624 and two gentlemen are desperately in love with her. 701 00:33:35,625 --> 00:33:37,916 - So one guy, Monsieur Grandpre, 702 00:33:37,917 --> 00:33:39,749 decides to get her an apartment in the city 703 00:33:39,750 --> 00:33:41,832 so that he can visit her there. 704 00:33:41,833 --> 00:33:44,249 But this plan backfires when he realizes 705 00:33:44,250 --> 00:33:47,416 that he's not the only gentleman caller visiting her. 706 00:33:47,417 --> 00:33:50,874 There's a second man named Monsieur Le Pique. 707 00:33:50,875 --> 00:33:55,999 So Monsieur Grandpre challenges Monsieur Le Pique to a duel, 708 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,624 a real, to-the-death duel. 709 00:33:59,625 --> 00:34:02,082 - [Dan] But this isn't going to be a regular duel. 710 00:34:02,083 --> 00:34:04,291 No, they plan something much bigger, 711 00:34:04,292 --> 00:34:06,124 something much more chic. 712 00:34:06,125 --> 00:34:08,374 - They're going to shoot at each other 713 00:34:08,375 --> 00:34:11,249 in hot air balloons over the city. 714 00:34:11,250 --> 00:34:13,249 - [Dan] And not just at each other. 715 00:34:13,250 --> 00:34:14,957 The goal of this high-stakes game 716 00:34:14,958 --> 00:34:17,082 is to shoot down the opponent's balloon. 717 00:34:17,083 --> 00:34:19,374 - So this dancer must be very special 718 00:34:19,375 --> 00:34:21,207 because it's pretty much guaranteed 719 00:34:21,208 --> 00:34:23,457 that at least one of them, probably both of them, 720 00:34:23,458 --> 00:34:25,207 are going to die. 721 00:34:25,208 --> 00:34:28,957 - They schedule this hot air balloon duel for a month out, 722 00:34:28,958 --> 00:34:32,166 and you would think, having a month to reflect on this plan, 723 00:34:32,167 --> 00:34:35,166 somebody would've come to their senses. 724 00:34:35,167 --> 00:34:36,707 - [Greg] But no one's head cools down. 725 00:34:36,708 --> 00:34:38,916 No one thinks to themselves, "Maybe this isn't a great idea." 726 00:34:38,917 --> 00:34:41,250 No, they all go forward with it. 727 00:34:42,250 --> 00:34:45,082 - [Dan] On May 3rd, 1808, it's showtime. 728 00:34:45,083 --> 00:34:47,207 As the crowd gathers in the Tuileries Gardens 729 00:34:47,208 --> 00:34:48,916 just next to the Louvre Museum, 730 00:34:48,917 --> 00:34:52,666 most people think they're watching a simple balloon race 731 00:34:52,667 --> 00:34:54,333 until they see the guns. 732 00:34:55,333 --> 00:34:56,916 - [Kavitha] And this isn't even the strangest 733 00:34:56,917 --> 00:34:58,541 part of this story yet. 734 00:34:58,542 --> 00:35:01,541 Dueling, it's common practice to have a second man with you. 735 00:35:01,542 --> 00:35:04,207 But in this case, you need to find 736 00:35:04,208 --> 00:35:06,207 someone who is such a good friend 737 00:35:06,208 --> 00:35:07,374 that they're willing to get 738 00:35:07,375 --> 00:35:09,374 into this hot air balloon with you, 739 00:35:09,375 --> 00:35:12,416 knowing that they will likely also die. 740 00:35:12,417 --> 00:35:15,625 So that's gotta be a really strong friendship. 741 00:35:16,875 --> 00:35:18,207 - [Dan] As the balloons lift off, 742 00:35:18,208 --> 00:35:20,707 the mostly unsuspecting crowd begins to cheer. 743 00:35:20,708 --> 00:35:22,832 [uneasy music] 744 00:35:22,833 --> 00:35:26,207 Now nearly 2,000 feet above the city of lovers, 745 00:35:26,208 --> 00:35:27,749 the duel begins. 746 00:35:27,750 --> 00:35:31,207 But first, they must follow the code duello. 747 00:35:31,208 --> 00:35:32,541 - This isn't like a Western; 748 00:35:32,542 --> 00:35:34,707 you don't have two guys standing there, 749 00:35:34,708 --> 00:35:36,999 both ready to draw, and they do what they want. 750 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:38,874 The code duello sets very specific rules 751 00:35:38,875 --> 00:35:40,749 for how a duel is conducted. 752 00:35:40,750 --> 00:35:43,332 - The most important part of this code to note 753 00:35:43,333 --> 00:35:45,749 is that the man who accepts the challenge 754 00:35:45,750 --> 00:35:47,249 gets to shoot first. 755 00:35:47,250 --> 00:35:49,207 So in this case, because Grandpre 756 00:35:49,208 --> 00:35:51,291 extended the challenge to Le Pique, 757 00:35:51,292 --> 00:35:53,125 Le Pique gets the first shot. 758 00:35:55,208 --> 00:35:56,832 - He doesn't have to hit Grandpre; 759 00:35:56,833 --> 00:35:59,875 he only has to hit this large, floating balloon. 760 00:36:01,083 --> 00:36:02,541 [gun blasts] 761 00:36:02,542 --> 00:36:04,707 - But Le Pique, who had a month to practice this, 762 00:36:04,708 --> 00:36:05,750 totally misses. 763 00:36:07,125 --> 00:36:09,957 - That now gives Grandpre the opportunity to fire his shot, 764 00:36:09,958 --> 00:36:13,541 while Le Pique has to just stand there in his little basket 765 00:36:13,542 --> 00:36:17,124 and pray that his opponent is as bad a shot as him. 766 00:36:17,125 --> 00:36:19,291 [tense music] [gun blasts] 767 00:36:19,292 --> 00:36:20,832 His shot rings true, 768 00:36:20,833 --> 00:36:23,207 it blasts a hole through the hot air balloon. 769 00:36:23,208 --> 00:36:25,666 The balloon deflates, just as you can imagine. 770 00:36:25,667 --> 00:36:29,874 Le Pique and his second both fall like rocks from the sky, 771 00:36:29,875 --> 00:36:31,208 and are dead. 772 00:36:32,250 --> 00:36:34,499 - There's a certain romance in dying for love 773 00:36:34,500 --> 00:36:37,207 by bullet in a hot air balloon. 774 00:36:37,208 --> 00:36:40,166 But being the unlucky friend along for the ride, 775 00:36:40,167 --> 00:36:41,833 not quite as poetic. 776 00:36:45,542 --> 00:36:47,207 - Swimming alone in the middle of the ocean 777 00:36:47,208 --> 00:36:49,207 can be a risky endeavor, as one man 778 00:36:49,208 --> 00:36:51,666 in the early 1960s can certainly attest to. 779 00:36:51,667 --> 00:36:53,416 [tense music] 780 00:36:53,417 --> 00:36:55,374 - By 22 years old, Australian Rodney Fox 781 00:36:55,375 --> 00:36:57,707 is already a spearfishing legend. 782 00:36:57,708 --> 00:37:01,791 In 1963, he's determined to hold onto his local title. 783 00:37:01,792 --> 00:37:05,666 - He is free diving without a tank, taking deep breaths, 784 00:37:05,667 --> 00:37:08,582 and combing the reefs off of Aldinga Beach 785 00:37:08,583 --> 00:37:11,457 in search of exotic fish. 786 00:37:11,458 --> 00:37:13,041 - [Dan] What Rodney doesn't realize 787 00:37:13,042 --> 00:37:16,707 is that he is also being hunted. 788 00:37:16,708 --> 00:37:18,208 [Rodney screams] [water splashing] 789 00:37:18,375 --> 00:37:20,208 - [Edward] Suddenly, he's slammed from the side. 790 00:37:21,208 --> 00:37:22,624 His spear gun is knocked from his hand. 791 00:37:22,625 --> 00:37:24,333 His mask is torn from his face. 792 00:37:25,875 --> 00:37:29,249 His first thought is that he's been struck by a submarine. 793 00:37:29,250 --> 00:37:30,874 - Rodney isn't sure what's happening, 794 00:37:30,875 --> 00:37:33,666 but what he does know is that he's moving through the water 795 00:37:33,667 --> 00:37:37,166 faster than he's ever moved in his life. 796 00:37:37,167 --> 00:37:39,166 Rodney feels an intense pressure 797 00:37:39,167 --> 00:37:41,749 from his hip to above his shoulder, 798 00:37:41,750 --> 00:37:45,499 and all the air just suddenly expelled from his lungs. 799 00:37:45,500 --> 00:37:48,416 Then very quickly, he realizes 800 00:37:48,417 --> 00:37:51,291 that he's in the mouth of a great white shark. 801 00:37:51,292 --> 00:37:53,374 [dramatic music] 802 00:37:53,375 --> 00:37:54,624 - [Edward] He's weakened by the loss of blood 803 00:37:54,625 --> 00:37:55,874 and also the lack of air. 804 00:37:55,875 --> 00:37:57,582 So he reaches for his diver's knife 805 00:37:57,583 --> 00:38:00,500 and begins jabbing the shark near his eyes, near his gills. 806 00:38:01,917 --> 00:38:04,625 Incredibly, he actually feels the shark letting him go. 807 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:08,374 - [Dan] Most would try to flee from the shark, 808 00:38:08,375 --> 00:38:10,833 but quick-thinking Rodney goes on the offensive. 809 00:38:12,042 --> 00:38:15,207 - [Thor] Rodney rushes toward the shark and bear hugs it, 810 00:38:15,208 --> 00:38:20,499 wrapping his bloody arms around its great, sandpaper-y belly. 811 00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:23,874 This is similar to a tactic used by seals. 812 00:38:23,875 --> 00:38:26,499 When they're attacked by great white sharks, 813 00:38:26,500 --> 00:38:28,582 they crowd close to its midsection 814 00:38:28,583 --> 00:38:31,582 to stay away from its deadly jaws. 815 00:38:31,583 --> 00:38:33,999 - Now the shark wants to get rid of Rodney, 816 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,457 so it shakes him off. 817 00:38:35,458 --> 00:38:39,375 And once free, Rodney is going for the surface. 818 00:38:40,667 --> 00:38:42,874 - He looks down as he's kicking his way to the surface, 819 00:38:42,875 --> 00:38:45,374 and through the bloody murk of the water, 820 00:38:45,375 --> 00:38:47,874 he can see the shark is coming at him. 821 00:38:47,875 --> 00:38:50,249 - The shark goes in for another bite. 822 00:38:50,250 --> 00:38:53,374 But to Rodney's surprise, the shark doesn't bite him. 823 00:38:53,375 --> 00:38:56,749 It goes for the bag of fish that he has speared. 824 00:38:56,750 --> 00:38:58,749 - [Dan] This may sound like a lucky break, 825 00:38:58,750 --> 00:39:01,207 but the bag of fish is still attached to him. 826 00:39:01,208 --> 00:39:03,249 - [Thor] So when the shark takes off, 827 00:39:03,250 --> 00:39:05,332 Rodney is dragged by the bag 828 00:39:05,333 --> 00:39:08,124 back down toward the ocean floor. 829 00:39:08,125 --> 00:39:12,499 By some last-minute miracle, the line snaps on its own, 830 00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:15,917 and Rodney is free to swim toward the surface. 831 00:39:16,958 --> 00:39:18,417 [Rodney gasps] 832 00:39:18,542 --> 00:39:20,416 - Rodney breaks the surface and begins to gulp air, 833 00:39:20,417 --> 00:39:23,124 and he sees that a boat is bearing down on him. 834 00:39:23,125 --> 00:39:26,207 And it turns out that the blood that is pouring out of Rodney 835 00:39:26,208 --> 00:39:29,249 has created essentially a dye marker to locate him. 836 00:39:29,250 --> 00:39:31,874 - [Dan] As Rodney is pulled onto the boat, 837 00:39:31,875 --> 00:39:34,749 the only thing holding him together is his wetsuit. 838 00:39:34,750 --> 00:39:36,874 - He is in terrible condition. 839 00:39:36,875 --> 00:39:40,041 There's this giant bite mark going from his shoulder 840 00:39:40,042 --> 00:39:43,999 all the way down to his hip, and his organs are hanging out. 841 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:48,082 Every rib on the left side of his body is cracked, 842 00:39:48,083 --> 00:39:50,749 and his lung is punctured. 843 00:39:50,750 --> 00:39:53,416 - It takes almost 500 stitches 844 00:39:53,417 --> 00:39:55,291 to put Rodney back together again. 845 00:39:55,292 --> 00:39:56,542 But he survives 846 00:39:56,708 --> 00:39:59,375 and fights his way back to a full recovery. 847 00:40:00,333 --> 00:40:01,582 - [Edward] Rodney's massive scar 848 00:40:01,583 --> 00:40:03,416 becomes the stuff of spearfishing legend. 849 00:40:03,417 --> 00:40:05,666 Some say the encounter inspired Peter Benchley 850 00:40:05,667 --> 00:40:07,750 when he was writing the book "Jaws." 851 00:40:08,958 --> 00:40:12,457 - 2,000 years before Rodney's unbelievable encounter, 852 00:40:12,458 --> 00:40:14,874 another man is attacked by an animal, 853 00:40:14,875 --> 00:40:18,332 not exactly known for its predatory instincts. 854 00:40:18,333 --> 00:40:20,625 [tense music] 855 00:40:22,042 --> 00:40:26,374 - Aeschylus is a famous Greek playwright. 856 00:40:26,375 --> 00:40:31,416 He is the Shakespeare of ancient Greek tragedies. 857 00:40:31,417 --> 00:40:34,874 He restructures how Greek plays work, 858 00:40:34,875 --> 00:40:37,582 and he makes them more fun and more interesting. 859 00:40:37,583 --> 00:40:40,499 He wins awards and contests all the time. 860 00:40:40,500 --> 00:40:44,583 He is prolific and an absolute genius. 861 00:40:45,542 --> 00:40:47,374 - [Dan] But one sunny afternoon, 862 00:40:47,375 --> 00:40:49,541 something happens that seems like the plot 863 00:40:49,542 --> 00:40:51,749 in one of his own stories. 864 00:40:51,750 --> 00:40:55,749 - So one day, Aeschylus is in the southern coast of Sicily 865 00:40:55,750 --> 00:40:59,416 in a town called Gela, sitting on a rock 866 00:40:59,417 --> 00:41:02,791 gazing upon the ocean, 867 00:41:02,792 --> 00:41:07,082 when all of a sudden a really hard object 868 00:41:07,083 --> 00:41:08,542 hits him on the head. 869 00:41:09,708 --> 00:41:12,207 - It turns out that there's a hungry eagle 870 00:41:12,208 --> 00:41:13,624 that has been fortunate enough 871 00:41:13,625 --> 00:41:16,041 to obtain a nice-sized tortoise, and it's flying about 872 00:41:16,042 --> 00:41:18,624 because it wants to find a nice big rock 873 00:41:18,625 --> 00:41:20,291 so that it can drop it 874 00:41:20,292 --> 00:41:22,957 and have the tortoise shell crack open, and it can feast. 875 00:41:22,958 --> 00:41:25,541 Unfortunately for him, our playwright Aeschylus 876 00:41:25,542 --> 00:41:27,707 suffers from male-pattern baldness. 877 00:41:27,708 --> 00:41:30,957 So from the sky, from the eagle's perspective, 878 00:41:30,958 --> 00:41:36,374 his nice shiny scalp appears to be the perfect rock. 879 00:41:36,375 --> 00:41:38,666 - Aeschylus goes down in history, 880 00:41:38,667 --> 00:41:40,624 not only as the father of tragedies, 881 00:41:40,625 --> 00:41:43,457 but also as the only human being 882 00:41:43,458 --> 00:41:45,916 known to have died from falling tortoise. 883 00:41:45,917 --> 00:41:47,707 [mysterious music] 884 00:41:47,708 --> 00:41:50,916 - Whether it's dog falls, free falls, or freak accidents, 885 00:41:50,917 --> 00:41:52,874 they all have one thing in common: 886 00:41:52,875 --> 00:41:55,791 they're the very best life-or-death stories 887 00:41:55,792 --> 00:41:58,458 ever told on "The UnBelievable".