In May 2019, Amanda Eller started on what she intended to be a brief, three-mile hike in the vast Makawao Forest Reserve on Maui. This 35-year-old physical therapist and yoga instructor got lost and couldn’t find her way back for 17 days! The forest spans over 2,093 acres and is known for its dense greenery…
On March 23, 1994, Aeroflot Flight 593 started its routine journey from Moscow, Russia, to Hong Kong. However, things became tragic as two kids took control of the flight. The flight was operated by a leased Airbus A310-304. It crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain range in Southern Siberia. The crash claimed the lives of…
Imagine launching yourself from 14,500 feet above, expecting a thrilling dive back to the ground, only to face a near-death experience. This was the reality for Joan Murray. Joan was a former banker turned skydiving enthusiast. Joan had completed 35 dives, each one fueling her passion for the sport. Joan was not inexperienced. However, on…
Born in 1963 in Nagpur, India, Sanju Bhagat‘s life was markedly different due to his unusually large abdomen. His belly resembled a pregnancy and it made him a subject of much curiosity and ridicule in his community. In June 1999, during an emergency surgery intended to remove what was believed to be a giant tumor,…
Imagine, one of your loved ones being missing and reappearing after 30 years! Even after 3 decades later, they return, unchanged, as if time had stood still for them. Sounds impossible right? This is the real-life story of Vasile Gorgos, a 63-year-old Romanian farmer, who vanished in 1991. He inexplicably reappeared 30 years later wearing…
Testing the human limits most often comes with a cost. Nicholas Mevoli is a 32-year-old American freediver who attempted to expand his breathing skills. His tragic attempt to set an American record in freediving at the Vertical Blue competition. He wanted to take a dive 236ft deep and come back by holding a single breath….
Imagine being so cold that your body turns into ice. This was the chilling reality of Jean Hilliard. One winter night in 1980, Jean faced a situation that tested the limits of her survival. Young Jean suffered a car accident that left her stranded in sub-zero temperatures. She then went to her friend’s house 2…
Childhood dreams are all a big part of who we are. But sometimes such dreams don’t really go as we plan. Jessica Whitney Dubroff‘s story stands out with her daring goal and tragic end. At just 7 years old, Jessica aspired to become the youngest person to fly across the United States. She got on…
This is an object so deadly, that just spending 300 seconds (5 minutes) close to it means you’ve got only a couple of days left to live! The Elephant’s Foot, hidden beneath the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near Pripyat, Ukraine is the most dangerous object on earth. This isn’t actually an elephant’s foot but a…
Sometimes, the most extraordinary stories of survival come from the most unexpected of helpers. This is the miraculous story of Kevin Hines, who faced a life-or-death moment that changed his outlook on life forever. At the age of 19, Kevin made a split-second decision that led to immediate regret. He jumped off the Golden Gate…