10 of history’s most harrowing stories of survival

 The human soul has repeatedly demonstrated its incredible capacity for perseverance and survival in the face of overwhelming tragedy.

History is full of amazing and inspirational tales, from people conquering impossible obstacles to miraculous accounts of perseverance. This article explores some of the most incredible and terrifying survival tales ever documented.

1. Joan Murray Survives a 14,500 Free Fall

When skydiver Joan Murray's two parachutes failed in 1999, she was forced to free fall 14,500 feet above North Carolina.Murray miraculously made it out alive because she landed squarely on top of a pile of fire ants.Her heart continued to beat because of the adrenaline rush she had after being stung by the ants more than 200 times, according to medical professionals.

2. Juliane Koepcke survives a plane crash

When an aircraft was struck by lightning, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke was forced out of it. After spending ten days in the Amazon Jungle in 1971, she collapsed two kilometers to the ground while strapped to her seat and managed to survive. When lightning struck LANSA Flight 508 in midair and caused it to collapse, Koepke and her mother were on board. Koepke plunged three kilometers from the sky while fastened to her seat.It's thought that the jungle's foliage and the winds that occurred during the thunderstorm served to cushion the impact and the seat she was strapped into. In addition to having a cut on her right arm, Koepke had fractured her collarbone. She endured terrible bug bites and an arm infestation from maggots during her ten-day survival in the forest. She discovered other individuals at a boat cabin after following a river.In addition to having a cut on her right arm, Koepke had fractured her collarbone. She endured terrible bug bites and an arm infestation from maggots during her ten-day survival in the forest. She discovered other individuals at a boat cabin after following a river.In addition to having a cut on her right arm, Koepke had fractured her collarbone. She endured terrible bug bites and an arm infestation from maggots during her ten-day survival in the forest. She spotted other individuals at a boat cabin after following a river. She fed herself sweets that she found in the wreck. Her mother, however, did not live. While they were waiting for emergency assistance, 14 more people who had initially survived the crash passed away. After being pulled out of the jungle, Koepke pursued a career in mammalogy. She is currently 69 years old and still living. The image is from a replica.

3. Ryker Webb makes it through two days in the wilderness.

Ryker Webb, then three years old, was playing with his dog on June 3, 2022, when he chose to go on a stroll by himself and got lost. The family reported him missing two hours after he vanished.

Ryker was the target of a major search, but the search team found nothing for two days. A family was spending time at their secluded cabin in the middle of the wilderness on June 5, 2022, when they heard a young child calling out from behind a shed.

Ryker Webb was waiting for them when they went behind the shed. Ryker was discovered nestled inside a lawnmower bag. He was wearing a onesie that was light blue but had gotten dirty.

They made a hasty police call and were astonished to find that Ryker had been the target of a large search. He made it through two days in the Montana wilderness, where locals report that bears and mountain lions are abundant, in temperatures close to freezing.

4.Poon Lim survives 133 days adrift at sea

During his harrowing struggle at sea, Poon Lim, a stubborn Chinese sailor, demonstrated amazing survival abilities. Through a variety of resourceful means, he was able to survive for an incredible 133 days aboard a life raft by himself. In order to survive, he had to catch fish, gather rainwater, and once use a water jug to repel a shark. His inventiveness was essential to this struggle.

With this incredible feat of fortitude and flexibility, Poon Lim set a new Guinness World Record for the longest period of time spent alone at sea.

1942 saw Poon Lim, at 25 years old, leave China's southern coast on a voyage in a British merchant ship. But not long after leaving Cape Town, the ship was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat.

Poon Lim found a raft with essential supplies like water, biscuits, flares, and a lantern amid the mayhem. At first, he believed that these supplies would last for a month, but it quickly became apparent how long his agony would actually last.Poon Lim saw other ships during his first month at sea: a freighter, an American Navy Patrol, and another German U-boat. He tried desperately to signal for assistance, but every ship passed him by. T

These experiences put his mental fortitude to the test and required him to overcome significant challenges. Poon Lim chose to rely solely on himself in order to survive since he was determined not to give up.

He devised a rigorous regimen to preserve his physical and mental health. He swam twice a day to stay in shape despite the danger of sharks.Despite losing weight, he kept a large portion of his muscle mass. Poon Lim cleverly collected rainwater using the canvas of his life jacket as his water supply ran low, providing a vital source of hydration.

He made a fishing hook out of the wires of the flashlight and used the leftovers of the biscuits as bait to catch food, reserving the remains of each fish for later use.

5.Michael Hingson’s seeing eye dog saves him

Roselle, the guide dog, handled her work calmly amid the deafening cacophony and smashing debris that engulfed the 78th story of the North Tower on 9/11, even though she was a dog that was terrified of thunder.

Born blind, Michael Hingson, her owner, detected the scent of aviation fuel. Nevertheless, he had faith that his dog wouldn't put him in danger. Hingson ordered, "Forward," not sure if Roselle could hear him or see hand signals through the haze.Stopped only to give a terrified woman a puppy kiss, the dog-human combination guided a group of people down over 1,463 steps to safety.

 6.Harrison Okene survives underwater for 62 hours

On May 28, 2013, divers were performing an evaluation as part of a salvage operation of the capsized Jacson-4 vessel, which was located 100 feet below the surface of the water off the coast of Nigeria. Among the wreckage, they unexpectedly came across a surviving survivor.The ship's cook, Harrison Okene, was in the restroom when the boat capsized at around four in the morning. He tried, but was unable, to get out through an emergency hatch.Okene was submerged in water, completely black, and only wearing his boxers as the ship began to fill with water. Eventually, he found a bottle of Coca-Cola and a tiny, four-square-foot pocket of air. Okene, realizing that his oxygen supply was running low, took refuge in a ship's corner and used mattresses to stop the water from entering and maintain his air pocket.Three terrifying days in the dark had left hope seemingly gone. The sounds of barracudas and sharks swooping down on his dead crewmates reached his ears.

Subsequently, there was a resounding noise inside the ship; it was the sound of divers working on the hull. The rescue crew was shocked to learn that Okene had survived for 62 hours under conditions that had killed every other passenger.

He was given diving equipment right away and brought to a decompression chamber, where he recuperated for two days. Okene had reached depths that were usually lethal, and was the only one who had survived a horrible event.

7. Jacob Miller sustained a forehead gunshot wound.

At Chikamauga, Georgia's Brock Field, Civil War veteran Jacob Miller was shot in the forehead in 1863. He said the following about it: "I realized that I was behind the Confederate line when I awoke a little while laeter. I so resolved to try to slip past them and back onto my own side in order to avoid becoming a prisoner.

I stood up using my gun as a stick, retrated a short distance, and began to move parallel to the line of combat. I assume that because I was so covered in blood, nobody I came into contact with realized I was a Yank (at least not our Major, my previous captain, who I met after switching sides).

After nine months of suffering, I was granted a furlough back to Logansport, where I saw Drs. Fitch and Colman for surgery on my wound. The musket ball was removed by them. Following the procedure, I went back to the Madison hospital and remained there until my enlistment expired on September 17, 1864.

A buck shot came out of my wound seventeen years after I was wounded, and two bits of lead came out thirty-one years later. Some people wonder how I can recount in such detail my wounds and my decision to leave the battlefield so many years later.

My response is that I always have a daily reminder of it in my head wound and am never free of it when I'm not sleeping.

The entire scene is etched in my memory like an engraving in steel. I haven't written this to point fingers at anyone for my hardship and misfortune over the years; the government has been kind to me and provides me with a $40.00 monthly pension.

8. Robert McGee survives a scalping

In the annals of American frontier history, Robert McGee is notable for being one of the few people to survive a vicious scalping. Photographer E.E. Henry took a rare picture of McGee in 1890 that displayed the significant scars from his scalping.

Robert McGee, then 14 years old, and his family made the decision to immigrate to the American frontier in 1864 in hopes of finding a better life, following in the footsteps of many other emigrants of the period. A wagon train headed toward Leavenworth, Kansas, was boarded by them. Robert became an orphan after his parents tragically passed away during the voyage.

Robert attempted to enlist in the army upon arriving at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, but was turned away because of his youth. He obtained a job with a freight business that was assigned to bring supplies to Fort Union in New Mexico since he was in need of work.

Robert worked as a teamster that summer on a wagon train that traveled from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Union. The US troops escorted the wagon train since they were aware of the risks on the trail.

The caravan continued to go on, covering an average of sixteen miles every day, despite running into Indians. Exhausted from the heat, they set up camp near Walnut Creek, close to Fort Zarah near what is now Great Bend, Kansas, somewhat relaxed in their vigilance due to the nearby fort.

This arrogance paid off around 5:00 p.m. when 150 Sioux warriors, supposedly under the command of Chief Little Turtle, ambushed the camp. The teamsters were annihilated in a matter of minutes as a result of the rapid and vicious attack. The teamsters were completely unprepared for the attack since the soldiers who were supposed to guard the wagon train were running late. Eight to fourteen team members were brutally executed as a result of the attack.

The events described by McGee are more legendary than factual. He said Little Turtle had personally scalped him. He was wounded in the back, sustained many arrow wounds while lying face down, and suffered a tomahawk injury.

McGee recalled being awake when the war chief severed a sizable chunk of his hair and scalp—a custom reportedly more common among the Sioux than among other tribes.

Upon arrival, the soldiers saw a horrifying sight in which every member had been scalped. Amidst the carnage, McGee and another child were surprisingly discovered to be alive.

Robert's remarkable survival was achieved. After receiving therapy at Fort Larned, he miraculously recovered and was able to live without a scalp. The portrait, taken in 1890, 25 years after the catastrophe, shows how he survived and adjusted to life.

The Brooklyn Museum's display of a scalping knife, commonly employed by early 19th-century Sioux warriors, suggests the kind of weapon that was probably used in McGee's scalping.

9. Tsutomu Yamaguchi survived both Atomic bombs

Although it is known that at least seventy people were affected by both bombings, Yamaguchi is the only person who has been officially recognized by the Japanese government as a survivor of both tragic incidents. At 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was detonated on Hiroshima, while Yamaguchi, a resident of Nagasaki, was in the city on a business trip representing Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.Despite his wounds, he managed to return to Nagasaki the following day and reported back to work on August 9, the day of the second atomic blast. Surprisingly, the bomb in Nagasaki exploded as he was explaining to his supervisor how one bomb had destroyed Hiroshima.The Japanese government did not formally accept him as having been in Hiroshima during the first explosion until March 24, 2009; he was originally recognized in 1957 as a hibakusha (a survivor of the bombings) of the Nagasaki bombing.

10. Stanley Praimnath survives 9/11

While working on the 81st story of the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Stanley Praimnath noticed an American Airlines jet flying straight for his building. Just as the plane hit the tower above his office level, he made the snap choice to pray and hide under his desk.

Almost everything in his office was sucked out by the impact, which tore a hole in the wall behind him. Fortunately, his desk shielded him from the fire and debris that followed. Another survivor named Brian Clark heard Stanley's cries for assistance when he was trapped under the debris and heroically came to his rescue. Together, they navigated the stairs and managed to flee the building mere minutes before it collapsed. Stanley attributes his miraculous survival to divine intervention and sees Brian as a lifelong friend.Following this life-changing experience, Stanley turned to pastoral work and motivational speaking, maintaining a deep friendship with Brian.