Introduction On August 5, 1949, firefighter Wagner Dodge faced a wildfire that changed the history of firefighting. He was leading a team of 15 smokejumpers in Montana when a sudden change in wind direction trapped them on a steep hillside.…
A Summer Evening in Duncan, Oklahoma One summer evening in 1950, an army veteran named Edward Duncan arrived at a fairground in Duncan, Oklahoma, with his wife. The couple had recently married and moved to her hometown. The fair was…
A Quiet Morning on Johnny Cash’s Property In September 1981, American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash went for a walk through the woods on his large property in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The morning was cool and peaceful. Birds were singing, and animals moved…
Introduction On May 30, 1999, 66-year-old Angela Spence Shaw was found dead in the bathroom of her home in Little Compton, Rhode Island. Her friend had gone to check on her after Angela failed to arrive for work at a…
In October 2008, Wang Jun travelled to an apartment building in Handan, China, hoping to meet a woman he had spoken to online. He believed he was about to go on his first date with Huo Jingwan. But when he…
A Frightening Night in West Virginia In the early hours of June 15, 1937, 21-year-old Glenna Mae Combs was asleep beside her three-month-old son, Jack. She lived in Ceredo, West Virginia, and her husband was away from home. At around…
A Search for Buried Treasure On June 17, 1926, 15-year-old Mike Smith crossed his family’s ranch in Porterville, California, carrying a shovel. He was hoping to find buried treasure. The story behind the treasure had circulated around the town for…
A Quiet Labor Day at Home On the morning of September 3, 2001, 35-year-old Mike Labaso was spending a quiet morning with his two children at their home on Long Island, New York. It was Labor Day, and Mike had…
The Babbit Soap Factory Accident of 1904 On August 27, 1904, a routine afternoon at a soap factory in New York City turned into a deadly industrial accident. An elevator carrying four workers suddenly fell into the basement. The men…
Introduction On June 21, 2004, Jim left for work at a steel mill near Auckland, New Zealand. He had worked there for 19 years and followed his usual morning routine. But by the end of the day, nobody could explain…