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‐in front of nail‐biting crowds.
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00:00:05,255 --> 00:00:07,549
A miraculous survival
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00:00:07,633 --> 00:00:10,469
in a mile‐high death trap.
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00:00:10,511 --> 00:00:15,349
And a jail break that defies
impossible odds.
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00:00:16,517 --> 00:00:20,145
What is it about the act of
escaping captivity
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00:00:20,229 --> 00:00:21,730
that fascinates us?
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00:00:21,813 --> 00:00:25,150
Is it because we have
an innate fear
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00:00:25,234 --> 00:00:27,528
of being trapped
against our will?
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00:00:27,611 --> 00:00:31,281
Or could it be that we all
possess a collective desire
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00:00:31,365 --> 00:00:34,409
to run away
and change our lives?
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00:00:34,493 --> 00:00:36,828
Well...
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that is what we'll try
and find out.
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00:00:40,874 --> 00:00:46,043
THE UNXPLAINED - SEASON 2
EP - 9 - The Greatest Escapes
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00:01:01,019 --> 00:01:04,439
A little‐known
25‐year‐old Hungarian magician
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and escape artist by the name
of Harry Houdini
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00:01:07,859 --> 00:01:11,655
makes an astonishing debut
at the Orpheum Opera House,
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00:01:11,738 --> 00:01:15,617
one of the country's premier
vaudeville theaters.
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The great Harry Houdini!
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Houdini's father was a rabbi
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and when he lost his job
in Appleton, Wisconsin,
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the family moved to Milwaukee
and later to New York.
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And it was there he met a friend
who had a mutual interest
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in magic and they formed an act
and they took the name Houdin
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and they added an "I"
to the end: Houdini.
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00:01:45,147 --> 00:01:49,276
And that was really the
beginning of his magic career.
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Houdini would come to town
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and he would challenge
police officers and locksmiths
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to bring their best locks.
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He would put himself in these
locks and he would escape them
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00:01:58,201 --> 00:02:01,455
onstage in front of
a live audience.
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Houdini's real power and his
gift was his‐his showmanship,
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00:02:05,959 --> 00:02:10,881
his presentation, his ability
to mesmerize an audience,
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00:02:10,964 --> 00:02:12,716
to connect with them.
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00:02:12,799 --> 00:02:16,386
Because here was this
small immigrant man
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00:02:16,470 --> 00:02:18,639
that conquered all his fears,
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that could do things
that nobody else could do.
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00:02:21,516 --> 00:02:25,145
And so, he would have this power
over his audiences
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00:02:25,187 --> 00:02:29,107
in a way that's never been
achieved since.
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00:02:32,944 --> 00:02:34,488
Over the course of his career,
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00:02:34,571 --> 00:02:38,075
Houdini performed thousands of
death‐defying escapes.
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00:02:38,158 --> 00:02:40,911
But of all his astounding feats,
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one was considered more
dangerous and more impossible
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than the rest.
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00:02:49,169 --> 00:02:51,630
Houdini depended on
publicity stunts to draw people
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to the vaudeville theater
to see him.
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The greatest of those
publicity stunts
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was "the overboard box escape."
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00:02:57,552 --> 00:03:00,514
He started it in 1912
in New York.
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00:03:00,597 --> 00:03:04,476
He announced that he would
be doing this escape from a pier
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00:03:04,559 --> 00:03:08,105
and a massive crowd assembled
to watch this.
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00:03:08,188 --> 00:03:10,482
And Houdini showed up
with his assistants,
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with the reporters,
with his packing crate.
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00:03:12,693 --> 00:03:14,820
And the police also showed up
and they said,
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"You can't do that.
There's laws against that."
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Houdini decided to
rent a tugboat on his own
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out to the middle of
the East River.
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00:03:24,955 --> 00:03:27,332
There they started the process
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00:03:27,416 --> 00:03:29,292
of locking him up
in the handcuffs,
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00:03:29,376 --> 00:03:32,796
locking him up in the leg irons,
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00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:35,215
tying him up
with the heavy rope,
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00:03:35,298 --> 00:03:39,428
putting him inside this
escape‐proof wooden crate.
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00:03:40,595 --> 00:03:43,849
Nailing the lid on so it
couldn't be opened.
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00:03:43,932 --> 00:03:45,559
And even that wasn't enough.
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00:03:45,642 --> 00:03:51,231
Then they tied the packing crate
up with this heavy, strong rope.
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00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,738
Because the box had a number of
air holes all around it
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00:03:57,821 --> 00:03:59,781
and because it was weighted
on the outside
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00:03:59,865 --> 00:04:01,324
with 180 pounds of iron,
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00:04:01,408 --> 00:04:03,326
it would quickly sink
into the water.
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00:04:03,410 --> 00:04:05,036
The water would go inside
of the box
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00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,496
and, of course, Houdini with it.
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00:04:06,580 --> 00:04:08,248
Everyone who worked
with him knew
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00:04:08,331 --> 00:04:09,666
that it was a dangerous feat.
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00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:11,894
The story was that they used to
hold their breath with him
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00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:13,336
because they used to anticipate
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00:04:13,420 --> 00:04:15,464
how long he would be
under the water.
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00:04:17,799 --> 00:04:19,134
And about a minute later...
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00:04:20,802 --> 00:04:24,473
...suddenly Houdini would bob
to the surface free,
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00:04:24,514 --> 00:04:28,351
completely free of the box
and the handcuffs.
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00:04:28,435 --> 00:04:30,288
And what's amazing about
the overboard box escape
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00:04:30,312 --> 00:04:32,814
is that when the box was
hauled up, it was still locked.
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00:04:32,898 --> 00:04:34,399
It was still nailed shut.
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00:04:34,483 --> 00:04:37,569
And when it was opened up,
the handcuffs were found inside,
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00:04:37,652 --> 00:04:39,237
also closed.
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00:04:41,573 --> 00:04:45,952
How did he escape
from this wooden packing crate
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00:04:46,036 --> 00:04:47,662
into the river
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00:04:47,704 --> 00:04:50,999
and nothing was touched,
nothing was damaged?
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All in less than 60 seconds.
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00:04:53,502 --> 00:04:55,796
That is beyond belief.
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00:04:57,506 --> 00:05:00,801
It was indeed beyond belief.
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00:05:00,842 --> 00:05:03,386
Over the next several years,
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00:05:03,470 --> 00:05:05,472
Houdini would repeat
this incredible escape
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00:05:05,555 --> 00:05:09,935
countless times, and for
audiences all over the world.
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00:05:10,018 --> 00:05:14,314
How did he do it?
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00:05:14,356 --> 00:05:16,149
It was such a great escape
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00:05:16,233 --> 00:05:19,986
and it mystified audiences
everywhere.
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00:05:20,070 --> 00:05:21,988
But Houdini had his skeptics.
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00:05:22,072 --> 00:05:24,157
They wanted to expose him.
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00:05:24,241 --> 00:05:25,992
They wanted to explain
how he did it.
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00:05:26,076 --> 00:05:27,911
They figured Houdini
would sneak in
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00:05:27,994 --> 00:05:31,665
during the middle of the night
and‐and cut a little trap door,
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00:05:31,748 --> 00:05:35,085
or have an escape panel that he
could get out of it some way
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00:05:35,168 --> 00:05:37,420
that nobody knew about.
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00:05:37,504 --> 00:05:39,631
Let's just say for the sake
of argument
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00:05:39,714 --> 00:05:42,217
that he did use short nails
or trick knots
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00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:44,052
to escape his contraption.
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00:05:44,135 --> 00:05:47,264
How is it possible that he
got out of his handcuffs,
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00:05:47,347 --> 00:05:48,598
out of his leg irons,
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00:05:48,682 --> 00:05:52,227
put the box back together again,
tied it all back up,
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00:05:52,310 --> 00:05:56,439
all within 57 seconds
while holding his breath?
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00:05:56,523 --> 00:06:00,569
Houdini would invite anyone
on stage to examine the nails,
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00:06:00,652 --> 00:06:02,946
to handle the nails,
to put in your own nails.
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00:06:03,029 --> 00:06:04,823
And you might also suggest,
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00:06:04,865 --> 00:06:08,326
was Houdini ever in the packing
crate in the first place?
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00:06:08,410 --> 00:06:10,829
He was in that these
had holes in them,
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00:06:10,912 --> 00:06:13,498
and he would poke his finger out
and they would see
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00:06:13,540 --> 00:06:15,917
and even as he would be raised,
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00:06:15,959 --> 00:06:20,130
he would poke a little
American flag or something out.
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00:06:20,171 --> 00:06:23,466
So you could see from the time
that it went under the waves,
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00:06:23,508 --> 00:06:26,386
that there was someone inside
that‐that packing crate.
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00:06:26,469 --> 00:06:29,431
While there are many theories,
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00:06:29,514 --> 00:06:31,016
no one knows for certain
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00:06:31,099 --> 00:06:36,855
how Houdini pulled off his
overboard box escape.
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00:06:36,938 --> 00:06:40,692
Even master escape artists‐‐
many of whom spent decades
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00:06:40,775 --> 00:06:43,445
studying Houdini's tricks
and techniques‐‐
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00:06:43,528 --> 00:06:46,406
are still trying
to figure it out.
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00:06:46,489 --> 00:06:50,076
Often with deadly results.
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00:06:51,995 --> 00:06:55,999
Many people
have died doing this escape.
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00:06:56,082 --> 00:06:57,500
I mean, I was one of them.
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00:06:57,584 --> 00:07:00,879
I'm‐I'm living proof of
how dangerous this escape is.
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00:07:00,962 --> 00:07:04,424
In 1983, I decided to do
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00:07:04,507 --> 00:07:07,093
my variation
of the Houdini packing crate.
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00:07:09,012 --> 00:07:10,639
I got all chained up and locked,
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00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:12,974
I got put into a wooden coffin,
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00:07:13,058 --> 00:07:14,976
the lid was nailed on,
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00:07:15,060 --> 00:07:16,895
it was wrapped and chained,
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00:07:16,978 --> 00:07:22,400
and then the coffin was lowered
into an icy river in Canada.
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And I didn't escape.
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00:07:26,237 --> 00:07:28,156
I couldn't get out.
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00:07:29,741 --> 00:07:33,662
I was underwater
for nearly four minutes.
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00:07:33,703 --> 00:07:37,415
They pulled the coffin out
and my cold lifeless body
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00:07:37,499 --> 00:07:39,417
was still inside that coffin.
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00:07:41,294 --> 00:07:45,799
It was only the dedicated
paramedics that were on standby
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that saved my life.
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00:07:47,092 --> 00:07:51,805
I was a very lucky
young escape artist on that day.
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00:07:52,847 --> 00:07:54,975
For nearly a
century since his death,
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00:07:55,058 --> 00:07:57,310
magicians have tried and failed
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00:07:57,394 --> 00:08:00,146
to figure out just how
Harry Houdini
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00:08:00,230 --> 00:08:03,441
managed this incredible escape.
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00:08:03,525 --> 00:08:06,611
But there are some who believe
that the reason
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00:08:06,695 --> 00:08:08,822
for their failure is simple:
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00:08:08,863 --> 00:08:11,282
they never considered
that Houdini
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00:08:11,366 --> 00:08:14,786
was capable of performing
"real magic."
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00:08:16,663 --> 00:08:18,724
One of Houdini's great friends
was Arthur Conan Doyle,
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00:08:18,748 --> 00:08:20,208
the author of Sherlock Holmes.
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00:08:20,291 --> 00:08:23,128
Conan Doyle believed
very strongly in spiritualism
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00:08:23,169 --> 00:08:24,838
and he saw a number of things
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00:08:24,921 --> 00:08:28,550
that he considered evidence that
Houdini was actually a psychic
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00:08:28,633 --> 00:08:31,302
and was dematerializing
out of his escapes.
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00:08:31,386 --> 00:08:32,971
He always chided Houdini
that he should
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00:08:33,013 --> 00:08:35,432
be honest with his audience
and tell them
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not only that
he has these powers,
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but that these powers exist
for everyone to share.
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Sir Arthur firmly believed that
Houdini was supernatural
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00:08:45,942 --> 00:08:48,987
and he could not be talked out
of this by Houdini.
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But Houdini went out of his way
to say,
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"There was nothing supernatural
about my feats.
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My brain is the key
that sets me free."
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00:08:56,953 --> 00:08:59,497
That was what Houdini would say
over and over again.
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00:09:01,082 --> 00:09:06,004
"My brain is
the key that sets me free."
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00:09:06,087 --> 00:09:08,882
Could the secret to Houdini's
incredible feats
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00:09:08,965 --> 00:09:13,303
really have been revealed
in that simple phrase?
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Did the magician have such an
incredible control over his mind
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that he could command his body
to perform the impossible?
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00:09:21,519 --> 00:09:23,313
We may never know.
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00:09:23,396 --> 00:09:26,149
On October 31, 1926,
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Harry Houdini died of a ruptured
appendix at the age of 52,
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00:09:30,945 --> 00:09:33,656
taking many of his secrets
to his grave.
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00:09:33,740 --> 00:09:36,618
But whether his astounding
escapes were made possible
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00:09:36,701 --> 00:09:38,286
by clever devices,
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00:09:38,369 --> 00:09:41,039
impressive physical skill,
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00:09:41,122 --> 00:09:44,459
or what some might call
"real magic,"
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Harry Houdini remains
the most mysterious,
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and unexplained,
magician in history.
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00:10:02,018 --> 00:10:04,437
After ten years
of Fidel Castro'sSHATN:
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00:10:04,521 --> 00:10:06,106
tightfisted Communist rule,
186
00:10:06,189 --> 00:10:10,110
the island nation's economy
is in chaos.
187
00:10:10,193 --> 00:10:12,654
Food shortages,
188
00:10:12,737 --> 00:10:15,740
and a government‐mandated
seven‐day workweek,
189
00:10:15,824 --> 00:10:18,493
only serve to heighten
the Cuban people's
190
00:10:18,576 --> 00:10:21,329
sense of desperation
and despair.
191
00:10:23,123 --> 00:10:25,750
Many attempt to flee Castro's
oppressive regime,
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00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:30,964
only to be caught,
imprisoned or killed.
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00:10:33,049 --> 00:10:36,636
But for 17‐year‐old
Armando Socarras,
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00:10:36,678 --> 00:10:40,056
the chance for freedom
and a better life
195
00:10:40,140 --> 00:10:43,852
are worth the risk.
196
00:10:43,935 --> 00:10:46,396
The political climate
in Cuba, 1969,
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was at the peak
of the oppression.
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00:11:30,190 --> 00:11:31,983
The plan was indeed dangerous.
199
00:11:32,025 --> 00:11:34,903
If they were caught,
it meant prison or worse.
200
00:11:34,986 --> 00:11:38,489
If they weren't,
they might die trying.
201
00:11:38,531 --> 00:11:40,825
But after some
careful reconnaissance,
202
00:11:40,867 --> 00:11:45,079
Armando believed that he and his
friend could pull it off.
203
00:11:45,163 --> 00:11:48,750
And on the morning
of June 4, 1969,
204
00:11:48,833 --> 00:11:52,629
their bold plan
would be put into action.
205
00:11:54,923 --> 00:12:00,136
Iberia Flight 904 was scheduled
to depart Havana at 6:30 p. m.,
206
00:12:00,220 --> 00:12:04,224
arriving in Madrid, Spain
nine hours later.
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00:12:04,307 --> 00:12:08,436
The DC‐8 airplane was already
taxiing to the end of the runway
208
00:12:08,519 --> 00:12:12,148
when Armando and his friend
crawled through the tall grass
209
00:12:12,232 --> 00:12:15,944
bordering the runway,
ready to make a break for it.
210
00:13:33,688 --> 00:13:36,357
Lodged inside the wheel well,
211
00:13:36,441 --> 00:13:38,526
and dangerously outside
212
00:13:38,609 --> 00:13:40,737
the pressurized sections
of the airplane,
213
00:13:40,820 --> 00:13:43,031
Armando began falling
out of consciousness
214
00:13:43,114 --> 00:13:49,245
as the air outside screamed by
at nearly 600 miles an hour.
215
00:13:49,329 --> 00:13:51,039
Normally the cruising altitude
216
00:13:51,122 --> 00:13:53,708
on a trip as far
as Havana to Madrid,
217
00:13:53,791 --> 00:13:57,211
you'd probably be up
around 37 to 39,000 feet.
218
00:13:57,295 --> 00:14:00,798
At 37,000 feet, for somebody
who has just experienced
219
00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,634
a rapid decompression, your time
of useful consciousness
220
00:14:03,676 --> 00:14:06,387
is as little as eight seconds.
221
00:14:06,471 --> 00:14:09,390
At that altitude, you're going
to be around temperatures
222
00:14:09,474 --> 00:14:12,518
that are in ‐45 to ‐50 degrees
Fahrenheit.
223
00:14:25,365 --> 00:14:27,241
Nine hours
after taking off in Havana,
224
00:14:27,325 --> 00:14:31,621
Iberia Flight 904
landed in Madrid.
225
00:14:31,704 --> 00:14:33,831
And as the captain
stood on the tarmac
226
00:14:33,915 --> 00:14:36,000
saying goodbye
to his passengers,
227
00:14:36,084 --> 00:14:40,129
Armando's unconscious body
fell from the wheel well
228
00:14:40,171 --> 00:14:43,091
onto the ground
with a sickening thud.
229
00:15:28,052 --> 00:15:30,513
Incredible as it seems,
for Armando,
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00:15:30,596 --> 00:15:36,436
surviving in a mile‐high death
trap was, indeed, possible.
231
00:15:36,519 --> 00:15:38,938
But how?
232
00:15:39,021 --> 00:15:42,483
Medically, you're not dead
until you're warm and dead.
233
00:15:42,567 --> 00:15:46,988
Armando was found without
vital signs, he was hypothermic.
234
00:15:47,071 --> 00:15:50,741
I think what happened is because
of the severe hypothermia,
235
00:15:50,825 --> 00:15:53,619
his cardiac function decreased.
236
00:15:53,703 --> 00:15:57,457
The blood flow to the brain
and organs decreased.
237
00:15:57,540 --> 00:16:00,501
There are reports and cases
of people being found
238
00:16:00,585 --> 00:16:02,170
in the snow and ice,
239
00:16:02,253 --> 00:16:06,591
frozen without any vital signs,
that have made a full recovery.
240
00:16:06,674 --> 00:16:10,303
There's a thing
called the mammalian response.
241
00:16:10,386 --> 00:16:13,264
If we reach certain
cold temperatures,
242
00:16:13,347 --> 00:16:17,477
our bodies shut down
instead of degrading and dying.
243
00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:19,020
It just goes into hibernation.
244
00:16:19,103 --> 00:16:20,855
Well, this is what happened
to Armando.
245
00:16:20,938 --> 00:16:23,858
When he gets up
to the 30,000‐foot atmosphere
246
00:16:23,941 --> 00:16:25,568
and he has no air to breathe,
247
00:16:25,651 --> 00:16:29,197
or just a tiny amount of air,
he goes into hypothermia
248
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:30,990
and then when the plane lands,
249
00:16:31,032 --> 00:16:34,911
his body starts to warm up
and then he comes back to.
250
00:16:34,994 --> 00:16:41,334
Could Armando's amazing
story of survival really be attributed
251
00:16:41,375 --> 00:16:45,379
to the act of being frozen
and then defrosted back to life?
252
00:16:45,463 --> 00:16:51,135
Or might there be another
even more profound explanation?
253
00:17:13,616 --> 00:17:17,620
Was Armando's life
saved by the simple act of falling asleep?
254
00:17:17,703 --> 00:17:20,915
There are many who will tell you
that it's the very lack of fear
255
00:17:20,998 --> 00:17:23,584
and panic
that can help us to survive
256
00:17:23,668 --> 00:17:26,379
even in the most
life‐threatening situations.
257
00:17:26,462 --> 00:17:31,175
In any case, Armando
successfully cheated death
258
00:17:31,259 --> 00:17:33,886
and lived to tell his story.
259
00:17:33,970 --> 00:17:37,223
Not unlike the story
of a man who escaped
260
00:17:37,306 --> 00:17:39,892
not high above the Earth
in an airplane,
261
00:17:39,976 --> 00:17:44,146
but from deep underwater
in a submarine.
262
00:17:55,324 --> 00:17:58,387
As World War II rages throughout Europe,
GEORGE MALCOLMSON: When it struck the mine,
263
00:17:58,411 --> 00:18:02,164
British Royal Navy
submarine HMS Perseus
264
00:18:02,248 --> 00:18:06,377
is patrolling the waters
off the coast of Greece.
265
00:18:06,502 --> 00:18:09,088
With both German and Italian
forces occupying Greece,
266
00:18:09,171 --> 00:18:11,632
and the threat of underwater
mines lurking,
267
00:18:11,716 --> 00:18:14,677
it is a dangerous mission.
268
00:18:16,262 --> 00:18:20,308
HMS Perseus
is a 260‐foot submarine.
269
00:18:21,851 --> 00:18:26,439
Uh, she's on a mission, sailing
from Malta to Alexandria.
270
00:18:26,522 --> 00:18:32,153
HMS Perseus carried 58 crew
and two passengers.
271
00:18:32,236 --> 00:18:34,030
One of those two passengers
272
00:18:34,113 --> 00:18:36,324
is a sailor by the name
of John Capes.
273
00:18:36,365 --> 00:18:38,451
He had hitched a ride
aboard the submarine
274
00:18:38,534 --> 00:18:41,495
so that he could return
to his home base in Alexandria,
275
00:18:41,537 --> 00:18:43,748
where the Perseus was
scheduled to dock
276
00:18:43,831 --> 00:18:46,626
after its mission was complete.
277
00:18:46,709 --> 00:18:49,712
During the night,
the submarine comes up
278
00:18:49,837 --> 00:18:52,048
to charge its batteries,
279
00:18:52,173 --> 00:18:55,176
so that it can operate
underwater during the day.
280
00:18:55,259 --> 00:18:57,887
And they go along very slowly,
281
00:18:58,012 --> 00:19:00,306
keeping a very,
very sharp lookout.
282
00:19:00,348 --> 00:19:02,600
At approximately 10:00 p. m.,
283
00:19:02,683 --> 00:19:06,228
the crew of the Perseus was
awakened by a violent explosion.
284
00:19:09,106 --> 00:19:12,860
And everyone on board
scrambled for their lives.
285
00:19:12,943 --> 00:19:15,154
She hits a mine, which made
286
00:19:15,196 --> 00:19:18,074
a big hole in the bowels
of the vessel,
287
00:19:18,157 --> 00:19:21,827
so that it sank very, very fast
288
00:19:21,869 --> 00:19:24,789
towards the bottom.
289
00:19:24,872 --> 00:19:27,667
John Capes happened to be
in the safest place on the boat,
290
00:19:27,708 --> 00:19:30,961
the place that was furthest away
from the explosion.
291
00:19:31,003 --> 00:19:33,464
Capes is suddenly jolted awake.
292
00:19:33,506 --> 00:19:35,925
He kind of gets
himself together,
293
00:19:36,008 --> 00:19:38,094
realizes what's happened.
294
00:19:38,177 --> 00:19:41,764
And he goes forward
to see what he can find.
295
00:19:43,599 --> 00:19:47,603
With only moments to spare,
Capes has to act fast.
296
00:19:47,687 --> 00:19:50,648
Fortunately, he finds
a potential lifeline
297
00:19:50,690 --> 00:19:54,151
in the form
of an emergency escape suit,
298
00:19:54,235 --> 00:19:56,237
which is designed
to protect sailors
299
00:19:56,362 --> 00:19:59,615
against the effects
of water pressure.
300
00:19:59,699 --> 00:20:03,577
Exiting the submarine
at a depth of some 170 feet,
301
00:20:03,661 --> 00:20:06,664
Capes and one
of the crew's sailors
302
00:20:06,706 --> 00:20:09,625
desperately attempt to make
their way to the surface.
303
00:20:09,709 --> 00:20:12,128
As if surviving
both the explosion
304
00:20:12,169 --> 00:20:14,964
and death by drowning
weren't enough,
305
00:20:15,047 --> 00:20:18,342
the tremendous weight of the
water leaves them vulnerable
306
00:20:18,426 --> 00:20:22,722
to a potentially fatal condition
dreaded by deep‐sea divers
307
00:20:22,805 --> 00:20:25,683
known as the bends.
308
00:20:27,309 --> 00:20:30,438
The bends is similar
to opening up a can of soda.
309
00:20:30,521 --> 00:20:33,691
When you open up a can of soda,
the gas that's in the liquid,
310
00:20:33,774 --> 00:20:38,320
which is carbon dioxide, all
of a sudden starts releasing,
311
00:20:38,446 --> 00:20:41,031
bubbling to the top
of the can of soda.
312
00:20:41,115 --> 00:20:44,618
So, the nitrogen that's in
the body does the same thing.
313
00:20:44,702 --> 00:20:47,329
So when you ascend too fast,
the nitrogen that's built up
314
00:20:47,371 --> 00:20:49,540
in the body tries to escape,
315
00:20:49,623 --> 00:20:53,002
and this can bubble out
into any of the organs,
316
00:20:53,127 --> 00:20:55,463
including the heart,
the brain, the lungs.
317
00:20:55,504 --> 00:20:57,757
It can cause malfunction.
318
00:20:57,840 --> 00:20:59,467
It can also kill you.
319
00:21:00,634 --> 00:21:02,678
Even though
his escape suit was not rated
320
00:21:02,762 --> 00:21:06,015
to handle water pressure
deeper than a hundred feet,
321
00:21:06,140 --> 00:21:09,018
John Capes's will to survive
was formidable.
322
00:21:09,101 --> 00:21:11,020
In spite of everything,
323
00:21:11,145 --> 00:21:13,355
including the bends...
324
00:21:14,523 --> 00:21:18,486
...he made it
to the surface alive.
325
00:21:18,527 --> 00:21:20,696
Capes made quite a swim.
326
00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:25,826
I think it was
about six miles or so swimming.
327
00:21:25,910 --> 00:21:27,870
He reaches a rocky beach,
328
00:21:27,953 --> 00:21:31,665
manages to drag himself ashore,
329
00:21:31,707 --> 00:21:34,668
and collapses.
330
00:21:34,752 --> 00:21:37,338
It's amazing that
331
00:21:37,463 --> 00:21:40,716
John Capes' lungs
did not explode,
332
00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,345
or at least hemorrhage badly,
as he was surfacing.
333
00:21:44,428 --> 00:21:46,639
Maybe this guy was
just lucky enough
334
00:21:46,764 --> 00:21:49,892
that he was resilient enough
to survive.
335
00:21:52,478 --> 00:21:54,647
Against all odds,
336
00:21:54,730 --> 00:21:58,734
John Capes escaped what should
have been a death sentence.
337
00:21:58,818 --> 00:22:03,072
He defied everything we know
about both human physiology
338
00:22:03,197 --> 00:22:05,449
and the laws of physics.
339
00:22:05,533 --> 00:22:07,535
But how?
340
00:22:07,618 --> 00:22:10,496
So, in the British Navy,
for a long, long time,
341
00:22:10,579 --> 00:22:13,499
there had been
an alcohol ration every day.
342
00:22:13,541 --> 00:22:17,086
And the rum was 95% proof.
343
00:22:17,169 --> 00:22:18,838
And in order
to settle his nerves,
344
00:22:18,921 --> 00:22:21,882
John Capes took a big swig
out of his rum bottle.
345
00:22:22,007 --> 00:22:25,719
So I guess by the time that
John Capes was actually leaving
346
00:22:25,803 --> 00:22:29,640
the submarine, he was
more than a little bit drunk.
347
00:22:29,682 --> 00:22:31,475
Actually, drinking alcohol
348
00:22:31,517 --> 00:22:33,477
might have helped him out‐‐
it could have lowered
349
00:22:33,561 --> 00:22:35,271
his blood pressure a little bit,
350
00:22:35,354 --> 00:22:37,398
and it could have
actually kept him calm.
351
00:22:37,481 --> 00:22:39,900
Both of those are things
that you may need
352
00:22:40,025 --> 00:22:41,318
in this type of situation.
353
00:22:41,402 --> 00:22:43,404
You need to remain calm
in an emergency,
354
00:22:43,487 --> 00:22:45,489
and your blood pressure
was gonna get really high
355
00:22:45,531 --> 00:22:47,658
at some point,
and so if you have a way
356
00:22:47,741 --> 00:22:49,869
to artificially
bring it down some,
357
00:22:49,952 --> 00:22:51,161
I suspect that helped.
358
00:22:51,287 --> 00:22:54,290
Unfortunately,
John Capes's story
359
00:22:54,373 --> 00:22:57,418
was so remarkable,
so inexplicable,
360
00:22:57,501 --> 00:23:00,296
that many people
didn't believe it was true.
361
00:23:00,379 --> 00:23:02,798
They even went so far
as to question
362
00:23:02,882 --> 00:23:05,718
whether or not he'd ever been
on the submarine
363
00:23:05,801 --> 00:23:08,304
in the first place.
364
00:23:08,345 --> 00:23:10,264
People didn't believe that
365
00:23:10,347 --> 00:23:11,974
you could survive that...
366
00:23:12,057 --> 00:23:14,476
that escape from 170 feet,
367
00:23:14,518 --> 00:23:16,478
so there were
all sorts of people
368
00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:20,190
cast doubts on John Capes.
369
00:23:20,316 --> 00:23:24,153
And it wasn't
until nearly 50 years later,
370
00:23:24,194 --> 00:23:28,699
when divers discovered the wreck
of HMS Perseus, that...
371
00:23:28,782 --> 00:23:32,828
there was the hatch, opened...
372
00:23:32,870 --> 00:23:37,625
and John Capes's story was
at last validated,
373
00:23:37,708 --> 00:23:41,879
and his... his behavior
and his courage was rewarded.
374
00:23:44,590 --> 00:23:47,051
Whether it was a swig of alcohol
375
00:23:47,134 --> 00:23:49,011
or sheer willpower,
376
00:23:49,094 --> 00:23:53,599
something enabled John Capes
to escape the fate that befell
377
00:23:53,682 --> 00:23:56,435
the HMS Perseus and its crew.
378
00:23:56,518 --> 00:24:00,898
We may never know
exactly what saved him.
379
00:24:02,358 --> 00:24:03,651
Not unlike the case
380
00:24:03,734 --> 00:24:06,153
of another man
who was able to escape
381
00:24:06,236 --> 00:24:08,572
an even more perilous situation,
382
00:24:08,656 --> 00:24:12,159
one that claimed the lives
of thousands of people...
383
00:24:12,201 --> 00:24:13,994
on 9/11.
384
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,339
Brian Clark begins his workday
385
00:24:25,422 --> 00:24:27,383
like any other.
386
00:24:27,466 --> 00:24:29,718
He's an executive
at Euro Brokers,
387
00:24:29,802 --> 00:24:34,598
located in the South Tower
of the World Trade Center.
388
00:24:34,682 --> 00:24:36,558
But little does Brian know
389
00:24:36,642 --> 00:24:40,813
that a hellish nightmare
is about to unfold.
390
00:24:40,854 --> 00:24:42,982
That particular morning,
391
00:24:43,065 --> 00:24:46,443
at 8:46, I was typing away
at my keyboard...
392
00:24:47,319 --> 00:24:49,238
...when I heard this loud...
393
00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:51,240
boom‐boom explosion.
394
00:24:51,323 --> 00:24:53,951
‐ ‐As I looked up,
395
00:24:54,034 --> 00:24:55,995
my peripheral vision
caught something behind me.
396
00:24:56,078 --> 00:24:59,581
Right against the glass
were swirling flames.
397
00:24:59,665 --> 00:25:02,334
And suddenly,
all those flames dissipated,
398
00:25:02,418 --> 00:25:05,879
and out in the airspace,
lots of newspapers
399
00:25:05,963 --> 00:25:09,383
and other computer papers
were floating in the air.
400
00:25:09,466 --> 00:25:11,635
It was sort of a strange sight
401
00:25:11,677 --> 00:25:14,304
that I‐I
couldn't quite understand.
402
00:25:14,346 --> 00:25:16,890
Before he could even realize
403
00:25:16,974 --> 00:25:19,977
that an American Airlines
767 airplane
404
00:25:20,060 --> 00:25:21,395
had been deliberately flown
405
00:25:21,478 --> 00:25:23,981
into the World Trade Center's
North Tower,
406
00:25:24,023 --> 00:25:27,860
Brian immediately sensed that
this was no ordinary emergency.
407
00:25:27,943 --> 00:25:30,237
I knew in an instant
it was terrorism.
408
00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,489
I walked to our trading floor,
409
00:25:32,531 --> 00:25:35,159
and all the brokers had gathered
at the north windows
410
00:25:35,242 --> 00:25:37,119
and were looking up nine floors
411
00:25:37,202 --> 00:25:39,329
at the 93rd floor next door,
412
00:25:39,371 --> 00:25:41,832
and flames
all around the building.
413
00:25:41,874 --> 00:25:43,959
Didn't know what it was,
'cause nobody had seen
414
00:25:44,001 --> 00:25:45,961
the plane approach
the North Tower.
415
00:25:46,003 --> 00:25:48,338
And I immediately called
my wife and said,
416
00:25:48,422 --> 00:25:49,882
"Turn on the television.
417
00:25:49,965 --> 00:25:51,965
"Something's happened next door
in the North Tower.
418
00:25:52,009 --> 00:25:54,595
I just want you to know
that we are okay."
419
00:25:54,678 --> 00:25:56,597
‐ ‐The strobe lights
420
00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:58,724
in our entire floor flashed,
421
00:25:58,807 --> 00:26:01,977
and the siren gave
a little whoop‐whoop,
422
00:26:02,019 --> 00:26:04,563
and a familiar voice came over
the public address system.
423
00:26:04,646 --> 00:26:06,732
Building two is secure.
424
00:26:06,815 --> 00:26:09,485
There is no need to evacuate
building two.
425
00:26:09,526 --> 00:26:12,780
Building two is secure.
426
00:26:13,781 --> 00:26:16,158
At 9:03 a. m.,
427
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:19,203
United Airlines Flight 175
428
00:26:19,286 --> 00:26:22,414
crashed into the South Tower
of the World Trade Center,
429
00:26:22,498 --> 00:26:25,959
between the 77th
and 85th floors.
430
00:26:26,001 --> 00:26:28,295
Which meant that
Brian Clark's office,
431
00:26:28,337 --> 00:26:30,839
which was located
on the 84th floor,
432
00:26:30,923 --> 00:26:33,634
was right in the impact zone.
433
00:26:39,556 --> 00:26:41,100
Everything fell apart‐‐
434
00:26:41,183 --> 00:26:42,810
ceiling tiles, the grid,
435
00:26:42,851 --> 00:26:45,979
air conditioning ducts,
lighting, speakers,
436
00:26:46,063 --> 00:26:47,731
everything rained down.
437
00:26:47,815 --> 00:26:52,528
The air was immediately filled
with gritty, horrible stuff.
438
00:26:52,611 --> 00:26:56,031
Our building moved,
and I could hear the steel
439
00:26:56,115 --> 00:26:57,449
kind of "creak, creak."
440
00:26:57,533 --> 00:26:58,700
I was afraid.
441
00:26:58,784 --> 00:27:01,161
"Terrified" is perhaps
a better word.
442
00:27:02,996 --> 00:27:04,665
Amidst the chaos and confusion
443
00:27:04,706 --> 00:27:06,333
in the moments after impact,
444
00:27:06,375 --> 00:27:08,418
Brian was sure
he was going to die.
445
00:27:08,502 --> 00:27:12,506
But as the building finally
stopped trembling and swaying,
446
00:27:12,589 --> 00:27:14,800
he suddenly heard a strange,
447
00:27:14,842 --> 00:27:17,469
and oddly calming,
voice in his head.
448
00:27:19,513 --> 00:27:21,807
Not my voice
and not somebody else's voice.
449
00:27:21,890 --> 00:27:24,560
"Brian,
you're going to be fine."
450
00:27:25,936 --> 00:27:29,106
And I kind of sobered up
and entered the hallway.
451
00:27:29,189 --> 00:27:32,818
My intention was to turn
to the right, to Stairway C.
452
00:27:32,860 --> 00:27:35,028
As I got to that intersection,
however‐‐
453
00:27:35,112 --> 00:27:37,406
and I can't explain this‐‐
there was a push
454
00:27:37,489 --> 00:27:39,158
on my right shoulder.
455
00:27:39,241 --> 00:27:40,659
There was nobody there,
456
00:27:40,701 --> 00:27:42,703
but there was
this feeling of somebody
457
00:27:42,786 --> 00:27:44,246
pushing me to the left.
458
00:27:45,330 --> 00:27:46,790
Stairway C was to my right,
459
00:27:46,874 --> 00:27:50,127
Stairway B was ahead of me,
and Stairway A to my left.
460
00:27:50,169 --> 00:27:51,962
But with this push,
461
00:27:52,004 --> 00:27:54,965
I just went with it,
and I went to Stairway A.
462
00:27:55,007 --> 00:27:57,259
Following the urging
463
00:27:57,342 --> 00:28:01,346
of this uncanny push,
Brian chose Stairway A,
464
00:28:01,430 --> 00:28:06,226
and proceeded to try and escape
by walking down the stairs.
465
00:28:06,310 --> 00:28:10,314
It was the most fateful decision
of his life.
466
00:28:10,397 --> 00:28:11,982
As I stepped off the stair
467
00:28:12,065 --> 00:28:14,943
onto the landing
of the 81st floor,
468
00:28:15,027 --> 00:28:17,321
- ‐I heard a banging noise.
- ‐
469
00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:20,657
As I strained a bit,
I then heard this strange voice
470
00:28:20,741 --> 00:28:23,702
yelling,
"Help! Help! I'm buried!"
471
00:28:24,703 --> 00:28:26,830
As I got closer to the voice,
he was like,
472
00:28:26,872 --> 00:28:29,499
"Can you see my hand?
Can you see my hand?"
473
00:28:29,541 --> 00:28:30,959
And suddenly,
down near the floor,
474
00:28:31,001 --> 00:28:33,462
my light picked up
this waving hand,
475
00:28:33,545 --> 00:28:36,131
and that person said,
"Hallelujah!
476
00:28:36,173 --> 00:28:38,425
I've been saved!"
And I put my hand out
477
00:28:38,508 --> 00:28:40,594
in front of him and said,
"I'm Brian."
478
00:28:40,677 --> 00:28:42,471
He said, "I'm Stanley.
479
00:28:42,554 --> 00:28:43,972
We'll be brothers for life."
480
00:28:44,014 --> 00:28:47,935
I put my arm around Stanley and
said, "Come on, let's go home."
481
00:28:48,018 --> 00:28:50,812
As I shone the light
down the stairs,
482
00:28:50,854 --> 00:28:53,232
I only saw smoke
sort of rolling up the stairs‐‐
483
00:28:53,315 --> 00:28:54,483
there was no flame‐‐
484
00:28:54,566 --> 00:28:56,610
and I took the first step down.
485
00:28:56,693 --> 00:28:58,779
And we continued on down.
486
00:28:58,862 --> 00:29:00,656
Down, down, down.
487
00:29:00,697 --> 00:29:02,741
We got all the way down
to the Plaza Level.
488
00:29:02,824 --> 00:29:06,161
It was ashen gray, like a...
an archeological site
489
00:29:06,203 --> 00:29:08,413
that had been abandoned
for hundreds of years.
490
00:29:08,497 --> 00:29:10,666
Not a pleasant sight.
491
00:29:10,749 --> 00:29:12,668
Brian Clark's story
492
00:29:12,751 --> 00:29:15,462
is one of the most remarkable
of 9/11.
493
00:29:15,504 --> 00:29:19,299
He was one of just four people
who survived that day
494
00:29:19,341 --> 00:29:22,427
from above the impact zone
in the South Tower.
495
00:29:22,511 --> 00:29:27,557
And what is all the more
remarkable about his story
496
00:29:27,641 --> 00:29:30,227
is the way that,
of the three stairwells
497
00:29:30,310 --> 00:29:34,481
that he had to choose from,
two were blocked and impassable
498
00:29:34,564 --> 00:29:36,775
and would have resulted
in his death,
499
00:29:36,858 --> 00:29:39,653
and he ended up picking
the one staircase
500
00:29:39,695 --> 00:29:43,156
that was free and open
and led to safety.
501
00:29:45,951 --> 00:29:47,494
Ever since that day,
502
00:29:47,577 --> 00:29:52,624
a single question has seared
itself into Brian's mind.
503
00:29:52,708 --> 00:29:55,669
Why him?
504
00:29:55,752 --> 00:29:57,921
The way the two airplanes
came into the building,
505
00:29:58,005 --> 00:30:00,799
uh, had a lot to do
with the pattern of survival
506
00:30:00,882 --> 00:30:02,217
or lack of survival.
507
00:30:02,301 --> 00:30:04,511
In the South Tower,
the airplane came in
508
00:30:04,594 --> 00:30:07,723
at a bit of an angle and was
adjusting up to the last second,
509
00:30:07,806 --> 00:30:09,808
and that meant
that the structural pieces
510
00:30:09,850 --> 00:30:11,610
that were disintegrating
as they came through
511
00:30:11,685 --> 00:30:16,440
did not do a complete job of
scything off all the stairways.
512
00:30:19,526 --> 00:30:21,862
What was it
that compelled Brian Clark
513
00:30:21,945 --> 00:30:23,864
to choose the right stairwell,
514
00:30:23,947 --> 00:30:27,743
and to take it down
instead of up?
515
00:30:27,826 --> 00:30:30,412
Was it his survival instinct?
516
00:30:30,495 --> 00:30:32,289
Blind luck?
517
00:30:32,372 --> 00:30:36,710
Or could it have been
that mysterious "push"?
518
00:30:36,793 --> 00:30:39,171
Years later,
when I think back on it,
519
00:30:39,254 --> 00:30:42,132
I say, "Thank you very much,"
to whatever it was.
520
00:30:42,215 --> 00:30:44,676
It got me out
of the building safely.
521
00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:46,887
Had I turned right
to go to Stairway C,
522
00:30:46,970 --> 00:30:49,139
who knows
what I would have found?
523
00:30:56,563 --> 00:30:59,399
So was Brian Clark's survival
524
00:30:59,483 --> 00:31:01,401
merely because of luck,
525
00:31:01,485 --> 00:31:02,986
a twist of fate?
526
00:31:03,070 --> 00:31:06,907
Or was it some kind
of spiritual force
527
00:31:06,990 --> 00:31:09,618
that guided him
to escape certain death?
528
00:31:09,701 --> 00:31:11,703
Well, this much is certain:
529
00:31:11,787 --> 00:31:14,623
in spite of impossible odds,
Brian lived.
530
00:31:14,706 --> 00:31:17,793
And while some might be
reluctant to call it a miracle,
531
00:31:17,834 --> 00:31:22,589
nobody could argue that
what Brian Clark experienced
532
00:31:22,672 --> 00:31:25,509
was anything short...
533
00:31:25,592 --> 00:31:27,928
of miraculous.
534
00:31:36,770 --> 00:31:39,481
A little over one mile offshore
535
00:31:39,523 --> 00:31:41,441
stands what was at one time
536
00:31:41,525 --> 00:31:46,321
the most secure penitentiary
in the United States.
537
00:31:46,405 --> 00:31:48,240
Alcatraz.
538
00:31:48,323 --> 00:31:51,159
Or, as it is
more famously known,
539
00:31:51,201 --> 00:31:53,995
The Rock.
540
00:31:55,747 --> 00:31:58,667
Formerly a military stockade,
541
00:31:58,708 --> 00:32:02,462
it was converted to a
maximum security prison in 1934
542
00:32:02,504 --> 00:32:05,298
by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover,
543
00:32:05,340 --> 00:32:07,801
who wanted to house the nation's
most dangerous criminals
544
00:32:07,884 --> 00:32:11,805
in a place from which
there was no escape.
545
00:32:11,888 --> 00:32:13,598
Alcatraz was Hoover's baby.
546
00:32:13,682 --> 00:32:15,976
And he wanted it for
his public enemy number ones
547
00:32:16,017 --> 00:32:19,104
and supposedly
nobody could escape from it.
548
00:32:19,187 --> 00:32:22,315
The island is out in the middle
of the water,
549
00:32:22,357 --> 00:32:24,568
the water's 52 degrees
on average
550
00:32:24,651 --> 00:32:25,861
throughout the whole year,
551
00:32:25,944 --> 00:32:28,572
and there's sharks in the bay.
552
00:32:29,823 --> 00:32:33,660
Since it first began
operations in 1934, until 1962,
553
00:32:33,743 --> 00:32:39,416
a total of 31 prisoners
attempted to escape Alcatraz.
554
00:32:39,499 --> 00:32:40,959
23 were caught.
555
00:32:41,042 --> 00:32:43,128
Six were shot and killed.
556
00:32:43,211 --> 00:32:47,382
Two drowned in the frigid waters
of San Francisco Bay.
557
00:32:47,466 --> 00:32:51,511
With Alcatraz, you had America's
558
00:32:51,595 --> 00:32:55,265
most security safe prison in the
middle of the San Francisco Bay.
559
00:32:55,348 --> 00:32:56,826
When it first opened,
they had what was called
560
00:32:56,850 --> 00:32:57,976
the silence rule.
561
00:32:58,018 --> 00:32:59,298
They couldn't talk
to each other.
562
00:32:59,352 --> 00:33:01,021
There was no news coming in.
563
00:33:01,104 --> 00:33:03,315
But they had the sights,
564
00:33:03,356 --> 00:33:05,942
even the smells of the
Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory
565
00:33:06,026 --> 00:33:07,736
across the bay.
566
00:33:07,819 --> 00:33:10,006
They could hear the tour boats
in the bay kind of going around
567
00:33:10,030 --> 00:33:12,282
and the laughs
and the parties going on.
568
00:33:12,365 --> 00:33:15,035
So it was more of
a psychological torture for them
569
00:33:15,118 --> 00:33:17,454
than it was actually
physical torture.
570
00:33:17,537 --> 00:33:20,457
In 1960,
571
00:33:20,540 --> 00:33:23,084
an inmate named Frank Morris
was admitted to Alcatraz,
572
00:33:23,168 --> 00:33:24,794
followed by three others‐‐
573
00:33:24,878 --> 00:33:25,962
Allen West,
574
00:33:26,046 --> 00:33:28,882
and brothers
John and Clarence Anglin.
575
00:33:28,965 --> 00:33:31,384
Allen West, Frank Morris
576
00:33:31,468 --> 00:33:35,263
and the Anglins had all served
time in Atlanta Penitentiary.
577
00:33:35,347 --> 00:33:37,474
I think that at least,
you know, by sight,
578
00:33:37,516 --> 00:33:38,808
they would have
known each other,
579
00:33:38,892 --> 00:33:40,727
probably met for certain.
580
00:33:40,810 --> 00:33:44,731
Frank Morris was
known to be of a fairly high IQ.
581
00:33:44,814 --> 00:33:46,149
You could call him hyperactive.
582
00:33:46,191 --> 00:33:47,791
He was always looking
for something to do
583
00:33:47,817 --> 00:33:51,696
and his‐his mind would get
very bored quickly so he would
584
00:33:51,780 --> 00:33:54,115
escape or try to escape.
585
00:33:54,199 --> 00:33:56,826
He had numerous,
numerous escape attempts.
586
00:33:56,868 --> 00:34:00,330
So they determined it was best
to move him to Alcatraz
587
00:34:00,372 --> 00:34:02,290
to keep him from escaping.
588
00:34:03,833 --> 00:34:05,794
Together, the four men
589
00:34:05,835 --> 00:34:08,463
hatched an elaborate plan
to succeed
590
00:34:08,547 --> 00:34:12,050
where other potential escapees
had failed.
591
00:34:12,133 --> 00:34:14,135
Allen West
was on the cleaning detail.
592
00:34:14,219 --> 00:34:17,138
He was up on top
of those cell blocks sweeping up
593
00:34:17,180 --> 00:34:19,683
when he saw that there was
a vent in the roof
594
00:34:19,766 --> 00:34:21,184
that didn't work.
595
00:34:21,268 --> 00:34:23,562
And West, the Anglin brothers
and Morris noticed
596
00:34:23,645 --> 00:34:26,606
that the cement inside the backs
of the cells was crumbling
597
00:34:26,690 --> 00:34:28,316
because of the salt air.
598
00:34:28,358 --> 00:34:30,169
So,
what they would do is they would take
599
00:34:30,193 --> 00:34:32,821
the ends of these steel spoons
600
00:34:32,862 --> 00:34:38,118
and use them to route out
these holes through the cement.
601
00:34:38,201 --> 00:34:41,705
And they recreated the grates
using cardboard,
602
00:34:41,788 --> 00:34:44,040
cutting out the exact pattern.
603
00:34:44,124 --> 00:34:45,804
When you actually compare
the grill itself,
604
00:34:45,834 --> 00:34:48,336
the fake ones that they made,
to the real grill, uh,
605
00:34:48,420 --> 00:34:49,820
they're pretty
convincing, actually.
606
00:34:49,879 --> 00:34:53,925
The men now had
access to the roof of the prison,
607
00:34:54,009 --> 00:34:56,195
but in order to hide the fact
that they were working there
608
00:34:56,219 --> 00:34:59,222
every night, they needed
to fool the guards into thinking
609
00:34:59,306 --> 00:35:00,974
they were still asleep
in their bunks.
610
00:35:01,016 --> 00:35:03,935
So they devised
an ingenious solution.
611
00:35:04,019 --> 00:35:06,563
They created dummy heads
in their likenesses
612
00:35:06,646 --> 00:35:09,065
and placed them in their beds
while they worked.
613
00:35:09,149 --> 00:35:10,789
Each one of them had a part.
614
00:35:10,817 --> 00:35:14,321
They knew that they needed
to make dummy heads.
615
00:35:14,404 --> 00:35:16,114
So they took up painting
616
00:35:16,197 --> 00:35:18,158
to paint these two portraits
of their girlfriends.
617
00:35:18,241 --> 00:35:21,536
That gave them access
to the flesh‐colored paint
618
00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:24,331
that they needed
for the dummy heads.
619
00:35:24,414 --> 00:35:27,500
Clarence took up haircutting.
He was a barber.
620
00:35:27,542 --> 00:35:29,544
And so while
he was cutting hair,
621
00:35:29,628 --> 00:35:31,981
he would walk it back to the
cells and that's where they got
622
00:35:32,005 --> 00:35:35,300
the real hair
that's on the dummy heads.
623
00:35:35,342 --> 00:35:38,511
After 18 months
of digging and planning,
624
00:35:38,595 --> 00:35:41,306
the men were finally ready
to make their escape.
625
00:35:41,389 --> 00:35:44,225
There was just one more problem:
626
00:35:44,309 --> 00:35:47,479
surviving the more than one mile
of treacherous waters
627
00:35:47,562 --> 00:35:50,357
between the island
and the mainland.
628
00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:54,277
They were able to go to all
these other convicts at the time
629
00:35:54,361 --> 00:35:57,155
and acquire all these
different raincoats.
630
00:35:57,197 --> 00:36:01,326
And then Clarence actually
stitched a raft together.
631
00:36:01,409 --> 00:36:03,262
And then they created this
valve, kind of like an air stem,
632
00:36:03,286 --> 00:36:04,829
where they would blow it up.
633
00:36:04,913 --> 00:36:07,999
They were creating things
that they would be able to use
634
00:36:08,083 --> 00:36:09,834
in the success of their escape.
635
00:36:11,336 --> 00:36:14,255
On the night of June 11, 1962,
636
00:36:14,339 --> 00:36:17,133
at approximately 9:45 p. m.,
637
00:36:17,175 --> 00:36:19,344
the men put their plan
into action.
638
00:36:19,427 --> 00:36:24,099
As they crawled from their cells
and headed up to the roof,
639
00:36:24,182 --> 00:36:28,103
Allen West elected to stay
behind, fearing capture.
640
00:36:28,186 --> 00:36:33,817
It was the last verified time
anyone would see Frank Morris
641
00:36:33,900 --> 00:36:35,485
and the Anglin brothers again,
642
00:36:35,568 --> 00:36:40,865
because their elaborate
escape plan worked.
643
00:36:42,409 --> 00:36:45,328
This
massive manhunt is initiated.
644
00:36:45,412 --> 00:36:48,123
You've got the FBI, uh,
the U. S. Marshals Service,
645
00:36:48,206 --> 00:36:51,376
the Coast Guard, everybody is
searching for these three men.
646
00:36:52,377 --> 00:36:54,629
The warden of the prison
comes out and says
647
00:36:54,671 --> 00:36:57,298
that the water conditions
were too extreme.
648
00:36:57,382 --> 00:36:59,259
He didn't feel
that they could have made it.
649
00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:00,844
J. Edgar Hoover comes out,
650
00:37:00,927 --> 00:37:04,097
he indicates that, you know,
they certainly drowned.
651
00:37:04,180 --> 00:37:05,724
It was a big embarrassment
to them.
652
00:37:05,807 --> 00:37:08,268
Alcatraz was supposed
to be escape‐proof.
653
00:37:08,351 --> 00:37:09,728
I still, to this day,
654
00:37:09,811 --> 00:37:12,188
will never 100% say
whether they lived or died
655
00:37:12,272 --> 00:37:14,399
because there's
no bodies recovered.
656
00:37:14,482 --> 00:37:16,002
Once they left the island,
nobody knows
657
00:37:16,067 --> 00:37:17,235
what happened except them.
658
00:37:17,318 --> 00:37:20,488
Digging through the FBI files,
659
00:37:20,530 --> 00:37:22,824
there's no doubt in my mind
660
00:37:22,866 --> 00:37:26,453
that John and Clarence
survived that escape.
661
00:37:26,536 --> 00:37:31,207
Every year on Mother's Day,
my grandmother received roses.
662
00:37:31,291 --> 00:37:34,878
And the card would always
say "Joe and Jerry."
663
00:37:34,961 --> 00:37:37,630
Well, she didn't know anybody
named Joe and Jerry,
664
00:37:37,714 --> 00:37:40,925
but she did know
who those flowers came from.
665
00:37:41,009 --> 00:37:44,929
Did Frank Morris
and the Anglin brothers survive
666
00:37:45,013 --> 00:37:48,391
their treacherous journey
across San Francisco Bay?
667
00:37:48,475 --> 00:37:53,855
Or, did they fall prey to the
rough, shark‐infested waters?
668
00:37:53,938 --> 00:37:57,901
They made it off The Rock.
669
00:37:57,984 --> 00:37:59,319
And there are many who believe
670
00:37:59,402 --> 00:38:02,614
that not only did they make it
to the mainland,
671
00:38:02,697 --> 00:38:05,867
they did so
with the help of mysterious
672
00:38:05,950 --> 00:38:08,953
and unexplained forces.
673
00:38:17,796 --> 00:38:22,217
Frank Morris, John Anglin
and his brother Clarence
674
00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,427
pulled off what is arguably
the most daring
675
00:38:24,511 --> 00:38:27,555
and difficult prison break
in history.
676
00:38:27,639 --> 00:38:32,769
And if the rumors are true,
it's because they knew
677
00:38:32,852 --> 00:38:36,689
the precise moment to attempt
to get off Alcatraz Island.
678
00:38:41,820 --> 00:38:44,906
Long before Alcatraz
became a prison,
679
00:38:44,989 --> 00:38:47,492
it was actually used
by local indigenous tribes
680
00:38:47,575 --> 00:38:50,411
who used the island
for the same purpose.
681
00:38:50,495 --> 00:38:53,331
They sent
their own undesirables there,
682
00:38:53,414 --> 00:38:54,499
their own criminals there,
683
00:38:54,582 --> 00:38:57,126
and they essentially
left them there to die.
684
00:38:57,210 --> 00:39:01,673
Most did die, and many of them
were buried on the island.
685
00:39:01,756 --> 00:39:04,634
And that led to speculation
that their spirits
686
00:39:04,676 --> 00:39:08,054
still inhabit the island
right up to this day.
687
00:39:10,598 --> 00:39:12,201
Certainly, there were
Native American inmates
688
00:39:12,225 --> 00:39:13,643
who were on the island.
689
00:39:13,726 --> 00:39:15,854
Some of the Native Americans
believed that if‐‐
690
00:39:15,937 --> 00:39:17,772
you know,
they could actually tell,
691
00:39:17,856 --> 00:39:19,649
that if the birds
were circling the island
692
00:39:19,691 --> 00:39:20,984
and they refused to land,
693
00:39:21,025 --> 00:39:24,737
that there was some type
of negative energy.
694
00:39:24,821 --> 00:39:27,782
Clarence Carnes was a Native
American who was on the island.
695
00:39:27,866 --> 00:39:30,493
He was very close friends
with Frank Morris
696
00:39:30,577 --> 00:39:32,078
and with the Anglins.
697
00:39:32,161 --> 00:39:34,747
Maybe it's something
that he brought up to them,
698
00:39:34,831 --> 00:39:36,725
but certainly it could've been
one of the stories out there.
699
00:39:36,749 --> 00:39:40,670
On the day of the escape,
while out in the prison yard,
700
00:39:40,753 --> 00:39:43,256
Frank Morris reportedly noticed
701
00:39:43,339 --> 00:39:45,425
the birds were
particularly calm.
702
00:39:45,508 --> 00:39:49,387
According to local legend,
Morris believed
703
00:39:49,470 --> 00:39:52,307
that this was the island's
spirits sending him
704
00:39:52,390 --> 00:39:54,976
and his accomplices an omen
that it was safe
705
00:39:55,059 --> 00:39:59,355
to put their escape plan
into motion on that day.
706
00:39:59,439 --> 00:40:05,486
But not everyone believes
the tale to be true.
707
00:40:05,528 --> 00:40:09,032
I've heard that rumor, but
I've‐I've never seen any proof
708
00:40:09,115 --> 00:40:11,200
that Frank Morris actually knew
about premonitions
709
00:40:11,284 --> 00:40:13,119
or anything to that effect.
710
00:40:14,954 --> 00:40:17,665
I don't think, when the birds
were flying or their activities
711
00:40:17,749 --> 00:40:19,959
or anything like that
had any bearing
712
00:40:20,001 --> 00:40:22,253
on what day they were
gonna make the escape.
713
00:40:22,337 --> 00:40:23,963
They'd worked
on their escape for months
714
00:40:24,005 --> 00:40:25,733
and they hadn't been caught
up to that point,
715
00:40:25,757 --> 00:40:27,592
and I think they were
starting to get worried.
716
00:40:27,675 --> 00:40:30,219
They left when it was
their opportunity to leave
717
00:40:30,303 --> 00:40:32,847
and they thought
they had the best chance.
718
00:40:36,017 --> 00:40:39,812
When my grandmother passed away,
I was about ten years old.
719
00:40:39,896 --> 00:40:44,233
At the funeral, there were
several FBI agents there.
720
00:40:44,317 --> 00:40:45,735
And they were very noticeable.
721
00:40:45,818 --> 00:40:48,237
I mean, you could tell that
that's who they were.
722
00:40:48,321 --> 00:40:50,823
After the funeral,
there was a lot of talk
723
00:40:50,865 --> 00:40:53,660
about the two women
that showed up.
724
00:40:53,701 --> 00:40:56,162
They sat up front,
they didn't talk to anybody.
725
00:40:56,245 --> 00:40:57,956
And they were very tall women.
726
00:40:58,039 --> 00:41:01,084
And from what we understand,
the FBI actually noticed that
727
00:41:01,167 --> 00:41:04,629
and they was wanting to question
these two individuals
728
00:41:04,712 --> 00:41:07,340
that actually were men
dressed up as women.
729
00:41:07,423 --> 00:41:09,968
But they disappeared
before they had a chance.
730
00:41:10,051 --> 00:41:13,554
There's no doubt
that it was John and Clarence.
731
00:41:13,638 --> 00:41:16,307
But my question to them was,
well, if y'all really believed
732
00:41:16,349 --> 00:41:18,601
that these guys
died in that water,
733
00:41:18,685 --> 00:41:20,436
why are y'all still
looking for them?
734
00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:21,980
Close the case.
735
00:41:24,941 --> 00:41:28,194
So, what do you think?
736
00:41:28,277 --> 00:41:30,697
Did Frank Morris
and the Anglin brothers
737
00:41:30,780 --> 00:41:33,116
really live
through a perilous swim
738
00:41:33,199 --> 00:41:35,743
in the frigid waters
of San Francisco Bay?
739
00:41:35,827 --> 00:41:37,638
And, assuming they did, could
they have lived out their lives
740
00:41:37,662 --> 00:41:40,331
without being found out
and recaptured?
741
00:41:40,373 --> 00:41:44,460
Perhaps that's why these stories
of great escapes fascinate us.
742
00:41:44,544 --> 00:41:47,797
They satisfy our curiosity
to find out
743
00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:51,300
how the impossible
can be accomplished.
744
00:41:51,384 --> 00:41:53,136
And that's the same curiosity
745
00:41:53,219 --> 00:41:57,473
that compels us to seek out
the answers to...
746
00:41:58,516 --> 00:42:00,226
...the unexplained.
747
00:42:00,309 --> 00:42:03,321
Subtitles Diego Moraes(oakislandtk)
www.opensubtitles.org
60024
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