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In 1962, three men escaped Alcatraz - something that was supposedly impossible. They were never seen again, and people still debate whether they survived. We walk through the escape, and a few other escapes that prove it was entirely possible. In fact, the first recorded escape attempt was a partial success - with one man swimming across the bay in the 1860s.
Alcatraz Swim Club
Show notes
Fluid Dynamics and the Venturi effect
The reasons a prisoner can't easily swim away from Alcatraz. It can take herculean efforts to overcome the undertow of water pulling and pushing two times a day between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean04:40, , n.d.
Alcatraz: Setting the scene
Alcatraz was first a fort in 1859, then began housing prison in 1868., n.d.
Alcatraz is sold to become a famous Federal Prison
, n.d.
The introductions: Frank Morris, John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, Alan Clayton West
A little back story on these juvenile delinquents, turned small-time crooks and kleptomaniacs born out of the Depression era and found themselves in Alcatraz after escaping one too many times from prisonsBook: Esslinger, Michael & Widner, David, Escaping Alcatraz (Ocean View Publishing), 2017
Alcatraz begins showing it's age
by 1960, Alcatraz had been beaten down by the ravages of time, sea air and funding cuts., n.d.
The escape! Persistence, ingenuity, raincoat boats and wooden spoons
One night in 1962, three men made good their escape after long planning. A fourth was less successful, and sat on the roof for a while before sneaking back into his cell until being found out., n.d.
Discussing a recent attempt to recreate the escape
A recent documentaryhDocumentary: Alcatraz: Escaping the Rock (PBS), 2016
Flow models of San Francisco Bay (PBS), Mar 4, 2016
Could they have survived?
A modern clue in the form of a 2013 letter to the FBI, presumably from John Anglin, though unverifiable, indicates the escapees may have survived.Article: Alcatraz escape: Fugitive John Anglin's name on letter to police, Jan 25, 2018
Article: Frost, Natasha, Was the Escape from Alcatraz Successful? (history.com), Aug 31, 2018
Article: Alcatraz inmates survived infamous 1962 escape, letter suggests (CBS News), Jan 24, 2018
A history of forgotten escapes
There are numerous escapes from Alcatraz. just months after the famous 1962 escape, another inmate successfully swam across the bay. And other escapes trail back in time.Article: Soldiers Escape from Alcatraz (Berkeley Daily Gazette), pp 6, Mar 8, 1902
Article: Convict Escaped in Box (Boston Daily Globe), pp 14, Oct 8, 1900
Article: Three Prisoners Escape Alcatraz (Santa Ana Register), pp 1, Oct 9, 1924
Article: Escapes jail in "Ark," Meets death in Tide (Elyria Chronicle), pp 2, Oct 12, 1914
Article: Forged their Pardons - Four Federal Prisoners Escape from Alcatraz Island (Salem Daily Journal), pp 1, Oct 13, 1903
Article: Fleeing US Soldiers are sought here (Oakland Tribune), pp 5, Nov 18, 1918
Escapes from Alcatraz (Waterloo Semi Weekly Courier), pp 8, Dec 25, 1900
Swimming across can be done
The final escape from Alcatraz proved it can be done by swimming, when John Paul Scott, 35-years old achieved it - though he was promptly recaptured.O’Rourke, Tim, Alcatraz Break. Two Swim Away in Dark. One Makes it to S.F. Shore, pp 1, Dec. 17, 1962
First escape from Alcatraz
The first recorded escape from Alcatraz proved that, in fact, swimming across was entirely possible - with the help of a log and triple-stranded steel constitution.Article: (Prescott Weekly Arizona Miner), pp 1, Sep 12, 1868
Article: (Daily Milwaukee News), pp 3, Oct 7, 1868