Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary — often called ‘The Rock’ — sat on a small island in San Francisco Bay. Its very location made it difficult to escape: more than a mile from the mainland, icy water, and dangerous currents. For nearly 30 years, from 1934 to 1963, it housed some of America’s most notorious criminals.

During its operation, there were many attempts to escape — 36 men tried in 14 different escapes — but nearly all were either caught or didn’t survive.

But in June 1962, three men pulled off what is probably the most famous escape attempt in the prison’s history.

Permon Gilbert’s story is a reminder that even in small towns, where people think they know their neighbors and where life seems predictable, unexplained tragedies can occur. Permon told his wife Joann that he was heading out in the morning to make service calls and would return by mid-afternoon. But that day he never came home. The next day, a 15-year-old boy making his way home noticed something unusual: a man’s body lying near a road outside of Hamersville. When investigators arrived, they identified him as Permon Gilbert

Today, we’re diving into a story that’s part tragedy, part mystery, and part something that challenges what we think we know about life and identity. This is the story of the Pollock family, loss, and — possibly — reincarnation. Some historians and writers have referred to the Pollock Twins as one of the most compelling reincarnation cases ever documented. 
Whether you believe in reincarnation or prefer rational, scientific explanations — this story forces you to pause and reflect.

Today’s mystery takes us back to Europe in the early 20th century, during a time of war, rapid industrialization, political upheaval, and — unexpectedly — a medical crisis that no one could explain. This phenomenon became known as Encephalitis Lethargica, or The Sleeping Sickness. 

Their goal was to complete a route that would earn them a ‘Grade III’ certification — the highest difficulty classification for Soviet ski tourism. It required physical endurance, technical skill, and teamwork. For them, this expedition wasn’t just adventure — it was achievement, experience, and pride. Kholat Syakhl is known for its harsh conditions and cultural significance to the Mansi people, and was historically marked as "Height 1079" on maps. When they didn’t come back on time, rescue teams went looking — and what they found was… confusing, head-tilting.

A bite sized history! Today we’re tackling a topic that pops up every November, usually with pumpkin pie and extremely chaotic family dinners. But the story behind Thanksgiving… yeah, except it’s not exactly the cute little narrative most textbooks give us. Today we are discussing the dark history behind Thanksgiving. 

John White: acting as governor of this newfound settlement, in result of a difficulty with minimal supplies and harvest left for England to request resources. 3 years later, after returning from a difficult journey through the Pacific Ocean- returned to an empty colony- no sight of his wife, child, or grandchild. 

The only clues left were the carvings “CROATOAN” and “CRO” which were carved on the trees within the colony’s borders.  

Today we will be talking about 2 month old Marcel John Guerin who disappeared from his pram (or carriage) in 1974. The Guerins, nomads from surrounding counties of Australia were traveling to their final destination, Queensland, when at a pit stop their baby would be snatched from his carriage. Or was there a carriage in the first place?

Today’s case is very famous in the unsolved mysteries world- the disappearance of flight 370. On March 8, 2014 Malaysian Airlines passenger jet 370 took off and was never found in one piece again. Many rumors and ideas on the plane’s fate have been released, but none have ever been conclusive. Leaving a vast search stretching from the Indian Ocean west of Australia to Central Asia. 

Introductory into Unsolved & Unexplained with high school senior Maddie!