She survived three shipwrecks—including the Titanic

Extraordinary experiences

She survived three shipwrecks—including the Titanic

Shipwrecks, plane crashes, and avalanches: life-threatening situations most people would never expect to survive. But these 10 men and women did. Against all odds, these travelers lived through the unthinkable and survived to tell their stories.

Beck Weathers: Surviving Everest

A powerful snowstorm struck Mount Everest in 1996, when an expedition that included American climber Beck Weathers (then 49) attempted to reach the summit. Enduring hurricane-force winds, freezing temperatures, and near-zero visibility, he got separated from his group and was left alone on the mountain. Eventually, he lost consciousness.

Everyone assumed he had died, but against all odds, he regained consciousness hours later. Barely able to see and suffering from severe frostbite on his hands and face, he somehow made his way back, staggering toward camp through the storm. No one could believe their eyes.

Vesna Vulović: The highest fall survivor

In 1972, 22-year-old flight attendant Vesna Vulović was working on JAT Flight 367, which was flying from Stockholm, Sweden, to Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). Midway through the journey, the plane exploded in midair. An explosive device, believed to have been placed in the baggage compartment, destroyed the aircraft and caused it to plummet to the ground. No one else on board survived, except Vesna Vulović.

By a strange twist of fate, she was trapped inside a section of the fuselage that fell from about 33,000 feet before crashing onto a snowy mountainside. Vesna suffered severe injuries, including multiple broken bones, and spent months recovering. Today, she is officially recognized as the person who survived the highest fall without a parachute in history.

Ada Blackjack: The forgotten castaway

In 1921, Ada Blackjack, a 23-year-old Inuit woman from Alaska, joined an expedition to a remote Arctic island. She needed the money to support her young son, but the journey was nothing like she had imagined.

The harsh Arctic conditions made hunting almost impossible, and food soon ran out. Three members of the group decided to cross the frozen sea to seek help, but they never returned. Not long after, the remaining member also passed, leaving Ada alone on the island. With little experience, she taught herself to hunt and managed to survive on the island for two long years. In 1923, a rescue ship finally arrived.

Mauro Prosperi: Lost in the Sahara

In 1994, the sports world was shocked by what happened to marathon runner Mauro Prosperi in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. Prosperi was 39 when he competed in the brutal Marathon des Sables, a race across the vast desert. During one stage, a powerful sandstorm erased the route, and he became separated from the other runners.

Lost in the desert, he wandered for more than a week, enduring extreme heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night while eating bats and snakes to survive. Finally, after walking an impressive 185 miles, he encountered people who helped him. He had lost more than 30 pounds, but his incredible story continues to inspire people around the world.

Juliane Koepcke: Sole survivor of LANSA Flight 508

It was 1971, and Juliane Koepcke was 17 years old when she boarded LANSA Flight 508 with her mother. As the plane flew over the extensive rainforest of Peru, a violent storm and a lightning strike caused the aircraft to break apart.

Juliane fell thousands of feet while still strapped to her seat, landing in the rainforest’s dense canopy, which helped soften the impact. She broke bones and suffered multiple cuts, but she survived. The teenager followed a small stream through the jungle in search of help, and after 11 days alone, she finally reached a logging camp, where she was rescued. Of the 92 people on board, she was the only survivor.

Aron Ralston: Trapped in Blue John Canyon (Utah, US)

In south-central Utah lies the fierce Bluejohn Canyon, a narrow slot that looks like a labyrinth from another planet. In 2003, Aron Ralston (then 27) was hiking there alone when, suddenly, a large boulder fell and pinned his right arm against the canyon walls.

Trapped for five days with no water and no one knowing his location, he finally made a desperate decision: using a multi-tool, he amputated his own arm to escape. Even then, the ordeal wasn’t over. He still had to climb out of the canyon and hike several miles before finally encountering other hikers. His incredible survival story was later adapted into the 2010 film 127 Hours.

Ernest Shackleton: Antarctic pressure

In 1914, the explorer Ernest Shackleton set out on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition aboard his ship, the Endurance, aiming to cross Antarctica. But nothing went as planned: the ship became trapped in thick ice in the Weddell Sea and was eventually crushed by the pressure.

Shackleton didn't give up. He managed to keep his 27 men alive for months despite freezing temperatures and limited food supplies. When the ice finally broke apart, the crew escaped in lifeboats and reached a remote island. Knowing that rescue was unlikely, Shackleton set out on an 800-mile journey across the ocean in a small boat until he reached South Georgia Island. There, he found help and organized several rescue attempts, eventually bringing back every one of his men alive.

Violet Jessop: Survived 3 shipwrecks

Violet Jessop was often called both the luckiest and unluckiest woman in the world. But why? Because she experienced three major maritime disasters and survived all three.

The first occurred in 1911, when the RMS Olympic collided with the British warship HMS Hawke. She was on board but escaped unharmed. Just a year later, Violet boarded one of the most famous ships in history: the RMS Titanic. When it struck the iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic, she not only survived in a lifeboat but also assisted other passengers. Her remarkable luck appeared once again in 1916, while serving as a WWI nurse aboard the HMHS Britannic. The vessel struck a mine in the Aegean Sea and sank, but Violet jumped into the water and survived once more.

Helen Klaben: 49 days in the mountains

In 1963, Helen Klaben, just 21 years old, set out on a flight from Alaska to Seattle in a small plane piloted by Ralph Flores. While crossing the Yukon Territory in Canada, the aircraft suffered mechanical trouble and was forced to crash-land in the snowy mountains.

Stranded in the wilderness, the two survivors ate whatever they could find and melted snow for water. Weeks passed, and rescue teams eventually called off the search. But Klaben and Flores refused to give up. After 49 days, a passing supply plane heading to a nearby cabin finally spotted them and carried out the rescue, giving this incredible story of survival a happy ending.

Harrison Okene: Three days underwater

In 2013, Harrison Okene, a Nigerian cook, was working aboard a tugboat off the coast of Nigeria in the Atlantic Ocean when a violent storm struck. A massive wave capsized the vessel, sending it more than 100 feet to the ocean floor.

Most of the crew were trapped and died, but Okene survived. He found a tiny air pocket inside the overturned ship. In total darkness and freezing water, he spent three long days there, breathing carefully and drinking a soda he found floating nearby. When rescue divers finally entered the wreck, they were stunned to discover that one crew member was still alive.