In “The Terminal,” Tom Hanks spends nine months stranded at JFK Airport in New York. The story is based on the life of Sir Alfred Mehran, an Iranian refugee who was stranded at Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Unlike Hanks’ character, Sir Alfred didn’t spend nine months living in an airport terminal. Sir Alfred lived at Charles de Gaulle for eighteen years, from 1988 until 2006. To find out why, we’ll have to dive into the deepest rabbithole we’ve ventured down yet (by far).