Three Inmates Left Fake Heads in Their Beds and Vanished From Alcatraz
During an early-morning inspection on June 12, 1962, an Alcatraz guard noticed what appeared to be a prisoner sleeping beneath a blanket. When the guard reached through…
Two Fake Police Officers Stole 13 Masterpieces From a Boston Museum
Shortly after midnight, two men wearing police uniforms approached the employee entrance of a Boston museum. They said they were responding to a disturbance and asked to…
A Soda Commercial Promised a Fighter Jet—Then a Customer Tried to Claim It
The television commercial looked like a typical piece of exaggerated 1990s advertising. A teenager collected reward points, put on Pepsi-branded clothing and arrived at school in a…
Eight Artists Built a Secret Apartment Inside a Shopping Mall
Thousands of shoppers moved through the enormous Providence Place Mall every week. They browsed department stores, watched movies, ate at the food court and returned to their…
A Truck Driver Flew Nearly Three Miles in a Lawn Chair
The craft had no engine, no wings, and no cockpit. It was an ordinary aluminum lawn chair suspended beneath a cluster of helium balloons, carrying one man…
Two Ships Vanished in the Arctic—Their Wrecks Were Found More Than a Century Later
Two ships sailed into the Canadian Arctic carrying enough food, equipment, and confidence to survive for years. Neither ship returned. For generations, searchers followed scattered documents, abandoned…
A 500-Year-Old Book Is Still Written in a Language No One Can Read
At first glance, the manuscript appears to be a book that should make sense. Its pages are carefully organized. The writing flows in tidy lines. Plants, stars,…