This American woman had already made about thirty parachute jumps when she jumped out of a plane on September 25, 1999, at an altitude of nearly 4400 meters. However, when she realized that her parachute was defective, she struggled to get rid of it and to activate the emergency one. The latter opened only 200 meters from the ground: Joan Murray fell to the ground at a speed of 130 km/h... If the impact did not kill her, it was because the American had just landed on a huge anthill, relatively cushioning her fall. The ants in question: Solenopsis invecta, commonly known as "fire ants", renowned for their venom, which is among the most painful in the world. One might think that fate is getting the better of poor Joan, but in reality, it is the ants' bites that will save her life.

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Here is the story of Julian Koepcke : on December 24th, 1971, on board a Peruvian domestic flight, the then 17- year-old girl's life is about to be turned upside down. Juliane and her mother are on their way to join her father at a scientific research station. As the plane flies over the Amazon jungle, it gets caught in a violent storm...

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Born in 1918 on a Chinese island, Poon Lim is a young man when the Second World War breaks out. In 1942, he works on a British merchant ship carrying goods across the Atlantic. The ship has left South Africa, heading for Suriname, also known as Dutch Guiana. Although armed, the ship is an easy target because it's not reinforced, it travels alone and it's not adapted for quick manoeuvres in a combat situation...

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The date is October 12th 1972, and the rugby team from Montevideo - the capital of Uruguay - is on its way to Chile with the staff and families of the players to play a friendly match. Due to bad weather conditions, the plane makes a stopover in Argentina and the next day, Friday October 13th, the Urugayan Air Force Flight 571 takes off again, heading for the city of Santiago del Chile. However, the weather is still bad, and the pilots have to orient themselves mainly with the aircraft's instruments, as visibility is very poor...

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In the world of ultra trail, the Marathon des sables is one of the most famous races but also one of the most feared. Due of its extreme length - nearly 150 miles - the MdS is completed in 6 timed stages spread over 7 days. Moreover, the Sahara desert, where the race takes place, is particularly hostile and unsuitable for running : sand, rocks and dunes, make the travel challenging ; all in extreme heat (over 110 °F during the day) but with negative temperature once night falls. When Mauro Prosperi, a 38- year-old Italian policeman, flew to Morocco in 1994 to take part in the Marathon des Sables, he was ready...

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On August 9th 2006, a Taiwanese ocean liner discovers a boat adrift. Three young men from Mexico were onboard : Salvador Ordonez, Jesus Vidana Lopez and Lucio Rendon. The sailors, aged between 27 and 37, must have been touched by grace : they have been drifting for nearly ten months...

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Beginning in the 1990s, so-called commercial ascents of Everest became quite popular. Amateur climbers led by experienced guides set out to conquer the roof of the world at their own peril. Beck Weathers was one of those passionate, sometimes internally tormented, people who want to live an extraordinary experience. Unfortunately, in May 1996, he almost lost his life...

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Chris Lemons is professional diver from Scotland. His job : maintenance of underwater gas and oil pipelines and platforms. A hazardous occupation, what with the dangers of decompression and the risks of drowning. In 2012, Chris is with his team in a hyperbaric chamber that would be their home for the next few weeks on board a huge ship : four teams of three divers will take turns on this mission, and Chris is delighted to be reunited with colleagues who have an excellent reputation...

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Sergey Ananov is a seasoned adventurer. But nothing could have prepared him for what he endured in the summer of 2015. On July 25th of that year, he boards his helicopter alone, heading for Greenland. It is day 42 of his round-the-world helicopter trip. The Russian wants to become the first person to circle the globe in a helicopter weighing less than a ton. He does not have many miles left to go. Halfway through his 6-hour flight, flying over the icy Canadian Arctic, his helicopter has a technical problem while crossing a thick fog. Sergey is forced to attempt an emergency landing...

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On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. It was one of the most powerful hurricanes in the history of the United States, a category 5, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Such intensity caused extensive property damage and cost over 1,800 people their lives. Some of the remaining residents of New Orleans managed to escape. One astonishing case is undoubtedly that of Gerald Martin, 76 years old, found alive 18 days after the the hurricane’s passage.

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