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On January 25, 1972, an explosion ripped through the baggage compartment of JAT Flight 367. The plane tore apart at 33,000 feet. Metal, luggage and people fell to the earth. When the fuselage was found moments later, people were stunned to hear a scream coming from inside. They found flight attendant Vesna Vulovic, broken and battered, but still alive. She has the distinction of surviving a fall from the highest recorded height. She’s not the only one, however, to have fallen thousands of feet and survived. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the world of medicine, there are plenty of curious cases that keep doctors guessing. Every now and then, however, there are things happening with a patient that simply can’t be explained. Such is the case of Gloria Ramirez, whose mysterious condition transformed her into a chemical weapon. With medical staff falling like dominos all around her, the patient would become known as “The Toxic Lady”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At first sight, Marilyn Hartman looks like the quintessential grandmother – white hair, petite, with a friendly smile and overall disarming disposition. You don’t really give her a second look. However, over the years, her unassuming natural camouflage has enabled her to sneak past security and onto numerous commercial flights, earning her the nickname “the serial stowaway”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since 1927, giant inflatable character balloons have been an iconic part of the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The balloons can be a staggering 6 stories tall and are maneuvered through the streets of Manhattan by groups of almost 100 strong people below. That may seem like a large number of people to handle a helium-filled balloon, until something goes wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They say that funerals are for the living, not for the dead. While traditions may vary, the sentiment remains the same, sending departed spirits off to their next adventure. For some of these rituals, the only limit, beyond the law, is the imagination. From extreme embalming, otherwise known as corpse posing, to Tibetan sky burials, where the entire body is devoured by vultures, there’s no shortage of fascinatingly macabre practices. Oh, did we mention erotic funerals? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 1935, just 24 hours after Roland T. Owen checked into room 1046 at the Hotel President in Kansas City, Missouri, he was found beaten and tortured. His wrists and ankles were bound with a cord, he had a skull fracture on the right side of his head, and had been stabbed multiple times in the chest. He was only semi-conscious and barely able to speak when police asked him if anyone else had been in the room, but he did manage to say one word before dying, “nobody.” That was the beginning of one of the strangest and oldest murder mysteries in US history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In late December 1980, a series of unexplained lights appeared near a US military base in England. The events took place over two nights and were captured by security personnel in detailed written documents and audio recordings. The case has been dubbed ‘the British Roswell’, but unlike the events in New Mexico, what happened in Rendlesham Forest wasn't classified. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think the solid ground you’re on is safe? For thousands of years, water has been slowly eroding the rock beneath your feet creating a chasm underground. Over time, that chasm became so large that it couldn’t hold up its roof. The roof that used to be your solid ground. So, it collapsed in on itself, taking you and everything around you with it. This is a sinkhole. Terrifying, unexpected, and in some cases, deadly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With over 53,000 world record categories, there’s no shortage of people wanting to be a title holder. Whether it’s stuffing hundreds of drinking straws in your mouth or free falling to earth from the stratosphere, there’s something for anyone looking to get their name in the record books. And these are just the tip of the iceberg for some of the coolest, most bizarre and incredibly ridiculous world records out there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout history, there are reported cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion, but are these stories real? Can people simply burst into flames with no apparent source of ignition? In 1951, Mary Reeser’s body was found completely incinerated, with only a pile of ash, her skull, and her left foot still in her slipper remaining. Curiously, her apartment was untouched by the fire. Was she a victim of this bizarre phenomenon or is the truth too hot to handle?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2010, when eccentric art collector Forrest Fenn announced that he had buried a chest filled with precious gems and rare jewelry estimated to be worth millions, a modern-day treasure hunt began. The chest was located somewhere in the vast Rocky Mountains and with only 9 mysterious clues hidden within the lines of a poem, finding it wouldn't be easy. In fact, for some intrepid explorers, it would be their final earthly adventure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes there are clear reasons why a town is deserted. Perhaps it was a natural disaster like a drought or a flood. There may have been a man-made event, like a chemical spill. Maybe a once thriving economy dried up. However, sometimes it’s not always obvious why a place is deserted. Take Centralia, Pennsylvania, for example. You would never know from driving through this mostly deserted small town that a Hell-like inferno is roaring beneath the streets. The fire was started in 1962 and is expected to continue for centuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fifteen years ago, there were only a handful of priests approved to perform exorcisms in the US. Today, there are almost 10 times that. One of the most famous possession stories is that of Anneliese Michel who, in the early 1970s, underwent almost 70 exorcisms. Despite doctors insisting she had medical issues, the priests performing the rites believed otherwise. In the end, casting out the demons would cost her life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who came up with the crazy idea of traversing a rope hundreds of feet above the ground? It’s all about balance, not only on the wire, but also between risk and reward, adventure and insanity, life and death. If you're going to try walking the tightrope, remember not to look down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s hard to imagine anyone regretting winning the lottery. For an unlucky few though, hitting the jackpot was a curse, a disaster, and a horrible twist of fate that resulted in bankruptcy, injury, and even death. As the saying goes, sometimes a lot of money can be very expensive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carlos Rafael, the largest commercial fisherman in the US Northeast, found himself at the center of an investigation involving Russian mobsters, duffel bags full of cash, and fish. Millions of pounds of fish. The media nicknamed this charismatic seafood kingpin “The Codfather”.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Animals have been unwillingly dragged into human combat for millennia. Sure, you’ve heard of horses, dogs, and even dolphins fighting beside soldiers, but over the years there's been some curious out of the box thinking when it comes to animal warfare. Armored elephants, flaming pigs, bat bombs, and more. When we start involving animals in battle, things can get a little wild. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s scary to hear the question “is there a doctor on board?” when you’re thousands of feet in the air. But it’s terrifying to hear someone ask “is there a pilot on board?”. It doesn't happen often, but when passengers with little to no piloting experience are forced to take the controls, they better stay calm, have a pretty good sense of humor, and, most importantly, figure out where the button for the radio is located. In April 2009, a passenger flying home with his family found out why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people watch superhero movies and appreciate the story. Others walk away inspired to become a real-life crime fighter. Wearing a handmade costume and mask, these crusaders patrol the streets every night, fighting for justice and keeping crime at bay. For every homemade superhero there is a homemade supervillain seeking to control the city. The battle for good and evil could be happening right outside your front door. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Didn’t know there was big money to be made in pigeons? Yeah, neither did we. In one of the craziest money-making schemes ever, an unlikely mastermind known as the Pigeon King managed to swindle hundreds of millions of dollars from eager investors. Move over Wall Street, the scams are going to the birds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices