I personally have always gone with the boat theory. Morris was a genius, the idea he meticulously planned the breakout of Alcatraz without a plan to get to land besides hoping they could just hopefully survive the currents seems extremely unlikely
The escape stories always make you want to root for the people escaping. Must be something psychological. empathizing with the universal fear of being trapped and confined by people with way more power than you, who have a distain for you.
@Tom R He knows Tom. Thats the whole point of his comment asking why we root for the bad guys in these situations. Like watching police foot chases, sometimes the one fleeing can win viewers over. If you really actually do hope they never escaped you are as plain as mud.
@Tom R Well not always. People may have been deserving of being locked up but nobody deserves to be abused and not be able to do anything about it. Which In prison systems there's plenty of and I hear Alcatraz was especially cruel to prisoners. At the end of the day people are still people. They're already locked up so why push it and make them worse?
Absolutely, the notion of trap and freeing from that trap will overtake the idea that they're criminals due to the basic instinct of human being. Moreover, its the efforts that we are watching makes us to crave for them to succeed as if they are on a mission.
I have visited Alcatraz in person, I have read the story in many articles and I have seen the Clint Eastwood movie 3 times, yet I still clicked on this video because this story is so fascinating and it never ceases to amaze me. Truly genius, especially for criminals. Thanks for the great video!
See that is where you are wrong about a "criminal", people think that all of them are just dumb morons when in fact people just get struck with greed and get caught or have a bad habit and again get caught or just get caught doing something they thought was ok to do but get caught and find out there was some stupid law saying other wise or they just don't give a flying fuck and get caught.
I guess you guys are right. Criminals are not the dumbest people on Earth, but it would be impossible to say most of them reach this level of ingenuity. Shit, actually almost no one is at that level of ingenuity in the free world. I take back my words and I will leave my full comment up for people to understand the comments.
I believe they made it, and I believe the letter was genuine. Think about it- if the authorities hadn't claimed that the letter had no merit, then they would be admitting that their inescapable prison WAS escapable, but more importantly, they would be admitting that these three people have successfully evaded them for decades. Considering the age of the remaining escapee, they probably thought it was worth more to save face than to save an elderly fugitive near death.
Oh they made it, at least to Atlanta. I'm from the same town as the two brothers. I know part of their family. Rumor has it they called a family friend after the escape and asked him to bring money to Atlanta
The animations in his videos are exactly the same as the ones often found in The Infographic Show. He probably uses the same animator as them, which is pretty common on RUclips. Lots of animators and video editors work for more than one channel.
I recall an FBI agent pursuing organized crime who said he thought most of the successful ones would have fared much better pursuing legitimate businesses.
Nothing I bet. I’m sure they would’ve been probably like the rest of us, stuck working the big guy until we die. Then our kids start the whole process over again. I think that like of crime doesn’t sound so bad
Naah if I could do my life over I’d do a life of crime sounds much more fun instead of work from 4am till mid day then just sleep repeat occasionally get drunk and pay bills repeat yawn 🥱
@@PaulisInclusion I'll take your word for it friend. And considering the time period, if it was Russian they would have burned it as communist propaganda.
I personally believe they made it and spent the remainder of their life undercover. My reasoning: - They were an extremely intelligent and experienced group, meaning that their planning was equally so. - If they couldn't wait another few days so all four of them escape, their planning must have been super precise and detailed. - We know they had help from a large portion of the jail, who knows how much else others could have offered to help them. - If they were living undercover, it would make sense for them to have appeared discreetly at events like family funerals. and I do believe the letter was legit. My reasoning: - It would be at the right time that everyone else including family and friends to have already passed. Having lost everyone, already 83, and diagnosed with cancer, doesn't leave much reason to continue living. - If he knew he was going to die, why not get his name out and finally tell everyone of his 'impossible' achievement. - Since jhon anglin had been living undercover, it makes it very hard to get a job (let alone a high paying job). This means that he was unlikely able to pay for cancer treatment. Jails , however, provide medical treatment, so it would make sense for him to turn himself in, in return for healthcare. also, it would have been easy for the government to classify the letter as fake since it would put their prisons and police in bad light. No government will willingly take the risk and make themselves appear 'to have failed their citizens'.
I am inclined towards agreeing with you although not without doubts. 1. They certainly have a plan (I mean Frank Morris was said to have 133 IQ) and they certainly wouldn't want to die trying to get out, even though the plan may not be perfect given the limited resources and options at hand. 2. While I live in a place with a hot summer most my life and find it hard to understand how cold the water was at the prison area during the summer, they at least know that they have to try it on a summer night, on a boat and with life jackets, to increase their chances. And hey, some people proved that it works, at least if well constructed. 3. There could be other reasons that they didn't wait another day, for me, it would be the risk involved. 4. Let's say they made it out alive, it is understandable that they played safe to stay low for a bit, as they should know that they would be hunted (this consideration should have been a part of the plan). That said, the one thing I doubt is what else they could do other than breaking the law again for a living? Of course, an explanation for this is that they left the US soon afterwards, and werent caught else where or were simply living a lawful life, knowing that they may end up worse if they risk breaking the law again. 5. Those postcards and supposed undercover funeral attendance sounds likely, although remain unproven. 6. The letter? I don't know, but if John was the last surviving member of the three, he has nothing to lose by that point (nor is he going to harm the other 2) if he chose to disclose his story publicly in exchange for medical treatment, although, I wouldn't be so picky with sentence duration negotiation if I were him, with a mortal illness after living a free life for so long.
I've heard this story told many times but never as well, also I did not know about the photo and facial recognition of said photo. Although by no means should these men be admired overall, you just have to respect the planning and cajones of this escape, successful or nor. Well told Arran, I'm going to buy at least one of your books as a thank you for all your wonderful YT vids.
Nothing is 100% escape proof except your own grave. There is no way a genius like Morris would have thought he had enough time to swim those freezing waters to shore before the alarm bells went off. He knew the previous attempts had all drowned. He studied the currents. All they had to do was swim to that boat.
Swim to the boat in freezing water? You seem to forget, they had a raft...Rendezvous with the boat (perhaps a brief dip in the ocean at this point?), leave the raft, a paddle, plus life-vest behind, to make them think you drowned... Makes sense to me... Also there's the photographic evidence, said to be from Brazil, which computer analysis matched with the 2 brothers' faces... the signatures, the family's testimony, the Christmas cards, the mysterious visitors, also witnessed by the FBI, at 2 different funerals, years apart... the letter to the FBI, allegedly from an octogenarian dying of cancer... To me, the preponderance of 'evidence' &/or associative pieces of the puzzle, points to their 'Escape from Alcatraz' being an unqualified success... xxx PS: They could have used a man like Morris on Gilligan's island. To be fair, those castaways were pretty engenius...
Very good! I didn’t realize about the facial recognition software being used. Sometimes I suspect that the authorities would like to sweep this under the rug.
@@hpswagcraft There's a great documentary that shows they sent Christmas and Mothers Days cards home (confirmed by handwriting expert.) They had a FBI expert examine the photograph and he concluded it was them! Along with Brizzis testimony and a whole sweep of other evidence the FBI covered up. The name of the documentary is Alcatraz: Search For The Truth
I like believing they escaped. Its a lot more fun to think they conquered the impossible, and spent the rest of their long lives with a completely deserved air of smugness.
I tend to believe the theory that one of them is actually JFK Jr. and he is coming back soon to take the throne of President of the USA from Joe Biden who used to be a guard at Alcatraz
I love this true account. I have listened to many various accounts and the ingenious of their escape has always been amazing to me. Thank you for this upload and giving information that I never heard before such as the picture of two of those who escaped having survived and living in Brazil.
That photo was the best part, for me. Obviously we’re no photo analysts and maybe it’s a bit of confirmation bias, but I feel like it’s a visible resemblance in the older & hairier Brazil versions of the brothers compared to their younger boatorious mugshots
@@kevindube7096 another thing intriguing about the photo. For years it's been assumed that these men drowned because there was no other crime that they supposedly committed. If the photo is genuine not only did they no longer commit any crime, but it makes me wonder if they also planned how they would take their plan beyond the escape, which is where most of those who escape don't do, which is why they are recaptured. It means these men spent their time not just planning the escape but also how to live beyond their escape.
One of my favorite childhood memories is skating around Alcatraz and just trying to find all the hidden areas. It’s such a cool island and Tony hawk pro skater two really did it justice
I really enjoyed your recent long episodes Arran. You have a great voice to listen to and the balance between fun facts, story and humor is just perfect. I love what you do and hope you will always keep doing until we are both grey and old. Big fan!
looking into the eyes of these three men, you just knew they weren't gonna lose that night. they look absolutely determined to survive and be free at any cost.
When my family and I visited San Francisco in the summer of 2013, we actually tried to get a boat tour of Alcatraz. Sadly though we had not accounted for how one needed to make reservations long before visiting, since they were booked until August. It really bummed me out, since I was interested in the history of Alcatraz.
One time my family took a vacation to Universal Studios, we didn’t get to go on the ET ride because apparently it closed early that night. We were sad, felt like we missed out
I've been binging your channel for a few days since it got recommended to me, and I really like your videos. Well presented, fascinating stories. Some of which I'm already aware of but you share new information with a well researched approach. Thank you for your hard work!
@@sherkhead9638 yea, it was amazing but sad at the same time. Once he was labelled a criminal, forever he would be seen as criminal, which essentially made him in to a criminal.
It’s honestly beautiful what people can do with enough determination. Too bad they were criminals, they had the potential for something much greater than a prison escape.
What are you talking about? This prison escape is legendary. They would most likely not have achieved anything even close to as significant as they did right here.
4:33 Did the guards not have records on the 4 or something? If they did, it's a pretty stupid decision on their part to put 4 inmates who were known to have served the same prison sentences together in adjoining cells.
Prisoners generally are able to choose their cells and cell mates. This cuts down on altercations, assaults, murders, rapes, and other horrible things. The alternative is much worse.
Ive been watching your channel for so long that I remember the time when you didnt have a stache yet, I love love love your videos, just wanted to let you know!
You did a great job on this one. I Wasn't too knowledgeable about the facial recognition, so for that I thank you. This ranks in my Top 10 fascinating 20th Century "Happenings"
No particular order 1. Spanish Flu 2. WW 1 3. WW 2 4. Korean War 5. Vietnam War 6. Moon Landing 7. Watergate 8. Kennedy Assination 9. Alcatraz Escape 10. Harry Houdini One of my fave things to research and learn about was The Great Storm of Galveston, Texas 73 miles from me. But technically not in the 20th Century seeing that it happened Sept. 8th 1900.
And yes there are other events I love reading about from the 20th Century, but these are ones I did reaearch at one time or another for school projects.
Like many others, I know most of this story as it's been told many times but I still clicked on the video because I know that your content is great quality. Thank you.
Alcatraz is a great place to visit. If you're ever in the San Francisco Bay Area, hop on one of the ferries and get a tour of Alcatraz, great history to be seen there!
I have watched many of these videos by Thoughtly2 and it is about time he was congratulated for his subtle sense of humor and his choice of words. He is brilliant. See @ 7:50, " If you are watching this video from inside a maximum-security prison, perhaps it is about time that you signed up for the arts and crafts class!"
The warden in that flick is such an amazing actor. He played Longshanks years later in Braveheart. Had no idea it was the same guy Hey, what did Edward II call Edward I? Daddy Long Legs
Patrick McGoohan actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and rose to prominence for his role as secret agent John Drake in the ITC espionage programme Danger Man (1960-1968). He then produced and created The Prisoner (1967-1968), a surrealistic television series in which he starred as Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village. Beginning in the 1970s, McGoohan maintained a long-running association with Columbo, writing, directing, producing and appearing in several episodes.
@@ianmangham4570 You know, I still haven't seen that. I love Where Eagles Dare and Guns of Navarone is one of the best movies ever made, in my opinion, how's it hold up to those? I actually know him from an old Disney flick called Thomasina, about a cat and he's a real dick to it
I'm glad you mentioned the boat in the bay, that is often ignored, that and the stolen reel of cable. I'm on that team, I reckon one of the Anglin's relatives picked them up.
I don't know what would explain the time pressure of "it has to be tonight or never," which would lead to the 4th guy being left behind. Only thing that makes sense is a rendezvous with a manned craft like that boat. If all you are doing is paddling by yourself, you would be ok to wait the extra day for fixing the cement blunder.
I, honestly, came across your site2 hours ago. Your topics are not just informative and educational, they are absolutely intriguing to me. This particular case, as millions of others, has always intrigued me. My personal theory here is that through the sheer patience, highly genius thought process and diligent tenacity required to pull off one if the greatest unknown mysteries in our time was a success. Purely my thought, as mentioned. I'm a very open minded person. Therefore, every theory ever written and/or investigated are all, not just interesting, but probable. Thank you! I look forward to working my way through the plethora topics that you discuss. I admire and respect your ways of sharing facts and possibilities for each video. 😎✌
I don't have enough info to really comment on this. However, when the cold waters of the bay were mentioned (as a barrier for swimming i guess), I remembered that pasting grease and/or fats over the body helps to insulate the person from the cold. I think swimmers used this when swimming the English Channel. Anyway, that's my very unprofessional 2 cents worth of trivia. Cheers for the vid Thoughty2.
Considering that jail time's primary goal is for you to think '"I don't want to go back again, it sucks' I believe they learned that lesson through their ordeal. I doubt they will resort to crime again and, as others already said in the comments, I do think they earned their freedom!!
I think the primary goal is "to make you unable to harm others while you are locked", the one where you actually learn something is far down the line. Alcatraz in particular, they assume upfront that you will not learn anything and will try to escape.
They should modify the penal code to say something like "if you escape from a high security prison, you get a couple of months free time outside without authorities chasing after you." And if in this time you keep a low profile and dont give the authorities any trouble, they should just leave you outside 😂 It would make prisoners more goal oriented and happy, contributing members of society. Just look at these guys.. after escaping Alcatraz they opted to feed the poor in a third world country by contributing (as farmers) to Brazilian food security. Truly reformed and noble gentlemen.
I have a feeling the game "A way out" had its escape inspired by this one, as it involves secretly opening a vent, followed by finding a never visited area behind the wall, and then, later in the escape, climbing up a shaft. Also the prisoners were in prison cells right next to each other.
EVERY single time the movie comes on tv I watch it. My favorite Clint Eastwood movie. This was a great video as well! Neat to see how "not too far off" the movie actually was. Thanks!
Hey thoughty2 been enjoying your videos for a little while now. And I find them very entertaining, knowledgeable. Just wondering where do you get all your stories from. And how do you know so much
Allways learn alot from these videos and have been watching a while. Only gripe is that sometimes I cant take the infografics show style visuals seriously.
The "unescapable" prison was never Alcatraz, but rather Devil's Island of the coast of French Guiana, South America. The region there is known as the wild coast. That escape is even more interesting, escaping on a bag of coconuts. Only 1 escaped, drifting to shore and then trekking through the jungle for weeks...... It was turned into a book, and subsequently into a film with Dustin Hoffman, "Papillon"
I think they made it. The wallet and life jacket n stuff were all left intentionally to throw them off the trail. Left the addresses to point the FBI in one direction while they went the other kind of thing
Prison walls are built to keep people in, but the human spirit always finds a way to break free. This escape is proof that sometimes, the strongest prison is the mind. Would you have the nerve to make a run for it?
This is the first I had heard of the follow up and forensic analysis of the picture. I’m not surprised. I deem it very likely they would have had outside help and several points of the journey plotted so that they could be out of the US in a matter of days.
After all that it's pretty absurd to assume they didn't make it. It was embarrassing to have people successfully escape so the authorities tried to save face. They know perfectly well that at least 2 of them made it.
They may have but it seems weird to me that career criminals would all of a sudden go on the straight and narrow and be model citizens for the rest of their lives. At some point they would have slipped up. Got pulled over. Got caught doing something else. Got drunk in a bar and slipped up. Made a deathbed confession.
I went to Alcatraz when i was 12 with my grandma and my older sister. I had never heard of it at the time, i just went because we were on a tour of san fran and it was a part of it. We had a night tour and it was FREEZING, i mean i have never been so cold in my life. I hated it at the time and was just cold and creeped out. Now that I'm older i find it way more interesting. Still a bit creepy, but still more interesting because it is history.
Always delivering that content! 👏 Can you please do a video on the last Tsar Nicholas and the fall of the Romanov dynasty? (Inc. Rasputin of course!) 🌏
Imagine doing all that work and you cement your escape plan!!! And now you have to live with the title that you were the guy who almost escaped amongst 3 escapees before sealing yourself back in. I’d fall into depression instantly. 😭
I can imagine any of these 3 guys if they had happened to get arrested for any other small crime and captured into a normal prison or detention. They would be laughing their ass off thinking that they have escaped Alcatraz itself.
If I was a billionaire I would buy one of those heads for sure if it was possible to get one on auction somewhere. I love those heads. Ever since I saw escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood I’ve been absolutely fascinated by this story. I’m pretty sure at least one of them must’ve made it.
Horrible to hear about the state of Alcatraz prison today constantly seeing people parachute down onto roofs and start having a fight to the death..RIP to all the lost souls
i remember this i went to prison and wiped a team and thet went to bio and killed a sweat and that tower on prison i hit a 360 no scop. Rebirth brings back soo many memories
I personally have always gone with the boat theory. Morris was a genius, the idea he meticulously planned the breakout of Alcatraz without a plan to get to land besides hoping they could just hopefully survive the currents seems extremely unlikely
A genius has an iq of 140 or above not 133
@@dmitch344 160, actually. 140 is considered 'high IQ'...
Exactly.
Have you heard the UFO theory? Very credible.
i highly doubt they had anything to fight the currents, dudes would need a whole ass motor. doesn’t mean they died at all tho.
The escape stories always make you want to root for the people escaping. Must be something psychological. empathizing with the universal fear of being trapped and confined by people with way more power than you, who have a distain for you.
@Tom R He knows Tom. Thats the whole point of his comment asking why we root for the bad guys in these situations. Like watching police foot chases, sometimes the one fleeing can win viewers over. If you really actually do hope they never escaped you are as plain as mud.
@Tom R Well not always. People may have been deserving of being locked up but nobody deserves to be abused and not be able to do anything about it. Which In prison systems there's plenty of and I hear Alcatraz was especially cruel to prisoners. At the end of the day people are still people. They're already locked up so why push it and make them worse?
@Tom R way to miss the fucking point, Tom.
Absolutely, the notion of trap and freeing from that trap will overtake the idea that they're criminals due to the basic instinct of human being. Moreover, its the efforts that we are watching makes us to crave for them to succeed as if they are on a mission.
fr like i started to feel bad when he said that other guy couldn't escape cuz he glues the vent back together
I have visited Alcatraz in person, I have read the story in many articles and I have seen the Clint Eastwood movie 3 times, yet I still clicked on this video because this story is so fascinating and it never ceases to amaze me. Truly genius, especially for criminals. Thanks for the great video!
You’re funny… Especially for criminals…WOW..
If only they were this smart before getting caught...
See that is where you are wrong about a "criminal", people think that all of them are just dumb morons when in fact people just get struck with greed and get caught or have a bad habit and again get caught or just get caught doing something they thought was ok to do but get caught and find out there was some stupid law saying other wise or they just don't give a flying fuck and get caught.
If you go to jail you'll learn more about ingenuity than you've ever imagined. I know how to start a fire with a battery and a candy wrapper lol
I guess you guys are right. Criminals are not the dumbest people on Earth, but it would be impossible to say most of them reach this level of ingenuity. Shit, actually almost no one is at that level of ingenuity in the free world. I take back my words and I will leave my full comment up for people to understand the comments.
I believe they made it, and I believe the letter was genuine. Think about it- if the authorities hadn't claimed that the letter had no merit, then they would be admitting that their inescapable prison WAS escapable, but more importantly, they would be admitting that these three people have successfully evaded them for decades. Considering the age of the remaining escapee, they probably thought it was worth more to save face than to save an elderly fugitive near death.
Oh they made it, at least to Atlanta. I'm from the same town as the two brothers. I know part of their family. Rumor has it they called a family friend after the escape and asked him to bring money to Atlanta
I will never cease to be amazed by Thoughty2's dedication to create his own animations as well as stock footage. Simply incredible.
Emm... dude someone's doing it for him, je didn't make this animation
@@koorczaq2482 Hey it's okay, you're permitted to be wrong. I won't think any less of you.
The animations in his videos are exactly the same as the ones often found in The Infographic Show. He probably uses the same animator as them, which is pretty common on RUclips. Lots of animators and video editors work for more than one channel.
Wow those guys were brilliant. Imagine what they could have accomplished if they hadn’t turned to a life of crime.
Right?!
I recall an FBI agent pursuing organized crime who said he thought most of the successful ones would have fared much better pursuing legitimate businesses.
Nothing I bet. I’m sure they would’ve been probably like the rest of us, stuck working the big guy until we die. Then our kids start the whole process over again. I think that like of crime doesn’t sound so bad
Naah if I could do my life over I’d do a life of crime sounds much more fun instead of work from 4am till mid day then just sleep repeat occasionally get drunk and pay bills repeat yawn 🥱
Well apparently they ran a farm in Brazil while being on the run ... Pretty neat accomplishment 😅
Great video, Brother! Always loved this story!
this story kinda feels like a cartoon lol
8:31 "At first glance it's easy to see how these articles didn't raise alarm bells."
Yes, nobody expected them to be able to read Russian.
Its ukrainian not russian
@@PaulisInclusion I'll take your word for it friend. And considering the time period, if it was Russian they would have burned it as communist propaganda.
I personally believe they made it and spent the remainder of their life undercover.
My reasoning:
- They were an extremely intelligent and experienced group, meaning that their planning was equally so.
- If they couldn't wait another few days so all four of them escape, their planning must have been super precise and detailed.
- We know they had help from a large portion of the jail, who knows how much else others could have offered to help them.
- If they were living undercover, it would make sense for them to have appeared discreetly at events like family funerals.
and I do believe the letter was legit. My reasoning:
- It would be at the right time that everyone else including family and friends to have already passed. Having lost everyone, already 83, and diagnosed with cancer, doesn't leave much reason to continue living.
- If he knew he was going to die, why not get his name out and finally tell everyone of his 'impossible' achievement.
- Since jhon anglin had been living undercover, it makes it very hard to get a job (let alone a high paying job). This means that he was unlikely able to pay for cancer treatment. Jails , however, provide medical treatment, so it would make sense for him to turn himself in, in return for healthcare.
also, it would have been easy for the government to classify the letter as fake since it would put their prisons and police in bad light. No government will willingly take the risk and make themselves appear 'to have failed their citizens'.
I totally agree
Is insane how intelligent these dudes were, if only they used their intelligence to, well not get put in jail lol
I believe your probably right on your thinking
I am inclined towards agreeing with you although not without doubts.
1. They certainly have a plan (I mean Frank Morris was said to have 133 IQ) and they certainly wouldn't want to die trying to get out, even though the plan may not be perfect given the limited resources and options at hand.
2. While I live in a place with a hot summer most my life and find it hard to understand how cold the water was at the prison area during the summer, they at least know that they have to try it on a summer night, on a boat and with life jackets, to increase their chances. And hey, some people proved that it works, at least if well constructed.
3. There could be other reasons that they didn't wait another day, for me, it would be the risk involved.
4. Let's say they made it out alive, it is understandable that they played safe to stay low for a bit, as they should know that they would be hunted (this consideration should have been a part of the plan). That said, the one thing I doubt is what else they could do other than breaking the law again for a living? Of course, an explanation for this is that they left the US soon afterwards, and werent caught else where or were simply living a lawful life, knowing that they may end up worse if they risk breaking the law again.
5. Those postcards and supposed undercover funeral attendance sounds likely, although remain unproven.
6. The letter? I don't know, but if John was the last surviving member of the three, he has nothing to lose by that point (nor is he going to harm the other 2) if he chose to disclose his story publicly in exchange for medical treatment, although, I wouldn't be so picky with sentence duration negotiation if I were him, with a mortal illness after living a free life for so long.
I've heard this story told many times but never as well, also I did not know about the photo and facial recognition of said photo. Although by no means should these men be admired overall, you just have to respect the planning and cajones of this escape, successful or nor. Well told Arran, I'm going to buy at least one of your books as a thank you for all your wonderful YT vids.
They should be admired. Their escape was genious, and they never got caught. That deserves massive respect.
I saw a better telling. The movie "Escape from Alcatraz" (1979). Of which this vid is pretty much repeating. Other then the "updates."
@@SW-zu7ve so this video is better
@@lawless8639 nope
@@SW-zu7ve yes
Couldn't tap fast enough, finally!
Me either I was watching a Russell Brand video when this popped up and I was like oh my God hurry up so I can watch Thoughty2 lol
Nothing is 100% escape proof except your own grave. There is no way a genius like Morris would have thought he had enough time to swim those freezing waters to shore before the alarm bells went off. He knew the previous attempts had all drowned. He studied the currents. All they had to do was swim to that boat.
Swim to the boat in freezing water? You seem to forget, they had a raft...Rendezvous with the boat (perhaps a brief dip in the ocean at this point?), leave the raft, a paddle, plus life-vest behind, to make them think you drowned... Makes sense to me...
Also there's the photographic evidence, said to be from Brazil, which computer analysis matched with the 2 brothers' faces... the signatures, the family's testimony, the Christmas cards, the mysterious visitors, also witnessed by the FBI, at 2 different funerals, years apart... the letter to the FBI, allegedly from an octogenarian dying of cancer... To me, the preponderance of 'evidence' &/or associative pieces of the puzzle, points to their 'Escape from Alcatraz' being an unqualified success...
xxx
PS: They could have used a man like Morris on Gilligan's island. To be fair, those castaways were pretty engenius...
Very good! I didn’t realize about the facial recognition software being used. Sometimes I suspect that the authorities would like to sweep this under the rug.
Absolutely, it would be a huge blow to the FBI’s credibility
The fact that they almost certainly DID escape successfully is the best news I've heard all week. Bless these absolute units.
@@hpswagcraft There's a great documentary that shows they sent Christmas and Mothers Days cards home (confirmed by handwriting expert.) They had a FBI expert examine the photograph and he concluded it was them! Along with Brizzis testimony and a whole sweep of other evidence the FBI covered up. The name of the documentary is
Alcatraz: Search For The Truth
TheBeeMill they already have very low credibility
@@thebeeemillwhat credibility? 😉
I like believing they escaped. Its a lot more fun to think they conquered the impossible, and spent the rest of their long lives with a completely deserved air of smugness.
I tend to believe the theory that one of them is actually JFK Jr. and he is coming back soon to take the throne of President of the USA from Joe Biden who used to be a guard at Alcatraz
@@kevindube7096 worth a thoughty2 vid all its own
@@kevindube7096 Are you mad
@@alexrainbow1882 NO!!!! I DONT GET MAD WHY THE FUX YOU THiNK IM MAD HUH BUCKO?!?! 🤬🤬🤬🤬
@@kevindube7096 sadly Jr died.
I love this true account. I have listened to many various accounts and the ingenious of their escape has always been amazing to me. Thank you for this upload and giving information that I never heard before such as the picture of two of those who escaped having survived and living in Brazil.
That photo was the best part, for me. Obviously we’re no photo analysts and maybe it’s a bit of confirmation bias, but I feel like it’s a visible resemblance in the older & hairier Brazil versions of the brothers compared to their younger boatorious mugshots
@@kevindube7096 Right(?!!) If it is true, how unbelievable
@@kevindube7096 another thing intriguing about the photo. For years it's been assumed that these men drowned because there was no other crime that they supposedly committed. If the photo is genuine not only did they no longer commit any crime, but it makes me wonder if they also planned how they would take their plan beyond the escape, which is where most of those who escape don't do, which is why they are recaptured. It means these men spent their time not just planning the escape but also how to live beyond their escape.
@@euniceloy7120 well thoughty 2 updated that in 2020 it's said that the facial recognition claim the photo was genuine.
One of my favorite childhood memories is skating around Alcatraz and just trying to find all the hidden areas. It’s such a cool island and Tony hawk pro skater two really did it justice
I really enjoyed your recent long episodes Arran. You have a great voice to listen to and the balance between fun facts, story and humor is just perfect. I love what you do and hope you will always keep doing until we are both grey and old. Big fan!
Well said!! I totally agree!
The whole document of the Alcatraz case is a must watch.
P.S. Morris was a genius.
It’s so interesting!
looking into the eyes of these three men, you just knew they weren't gonna lose that night.
they look absolutely determined to survive and be free at any cost.
Were you there?
When my family and I visited San Francisco in the summer of 2013, we actually tried to get a boat tour of Alcatraz. Sadly though we had not accounted for how one needed to make reservations long before visiting, since they were booked until August. It really bummed me out, since I was interested in the history of Alcatraz.
One time my family took a vacation to Universal Studios, we didn’t get to go on the ET ride because apparently it closed early that night. We were sad, felt like we missed out
@@kevindube7096 That really sucks, I'm sorry that you had to go through that.
Same thing happened to me when I visited in 1996. I made sure to book online when I went back in 2008. Well worth it.
@@simonadams5073 That's cool
A couple friends and I booked a tour in 2016 and it was awesome. Really cool place.
Years ago my dad gave me a joke sweatshirt that said "Alcatraz Swim Team" on it. I sometimes wore it. Lol. 🤪
Man, I love these videos. I would go as far to say this guy has some of the best content on this entire website.
Literally just ended my work and felt like: it is time for some Thoughty 2 video. Could make my evening better
"Morris solved the inflation problem"
Damn i wish
🤣
Big fan @Thoughty2. Keep it up. Been learning a lot. Cheers from CV
I've been binging your channel for a few days since it got recommended to me, and I really like your videos. Well presented, fascinating stories. Some of which I'm already aware of but you share new information with a well researched approach. Thank you for your hard work!
2:40 I was slightly proud when i understood the reference to the Japanese soup fellow
That story was amazing especially because he didn't belong in jail in the first place
@@sherkhead9638 yea, it was amazing but sad at the same time. Once he was labelled a criminal, forever he would be seen as criminal, which essentially made him in to a criminal.
It’s honestly beautiful what people can do with enough determination. Too bad they were criminals, they had the potential for something much greater than a prison escape.
I don't think so. I think what they did is already great.
What are you talking about? This prison escape is legendary. They would most likely not have achieved anything even close to as significant as they did right here.
4:33 Did the guards not have records on the 4 or something? If they did, it's a pretty stupid decision on their part to put 4 inmates who were known to have served the same prison sentences together in adjoining cells.
Prisoners generally are able to choose their cells and cell mates. This cuts down on altercations, assaults, murders, rapes, and other horrible things. The alternative is much worse.
@@knurlgnar24 Really, huh I never knew that was a policy in prisons. Apologies for my ignorance on that and thank you for the insight.
Thanks again for the Bobby Fischer video!!!
I'd love to try escape a prison, just without any of the issues that come after it
@Brian H boring.
Was thinking the same, like an escape room - but difficult.
@Danijelovski Kanal its pretty easy to make pipe bombs
@Danijelovski Kanal oh thats interesting, well no i just used gun powder
@Danijelovski Kanal ohh i didn't know thats interesting
Ive been watching your channel for so long that I remember the time when you didnt have a stache yet, I love love love your videos, just wanted to let you know!
You did a great job on this one. I Wasn't too knowledgeable about the facial recognition, so for that I thank you.
This ranks in my Top 10 fascinating 20th Century "Happenings"
No particular order
1. Spanish Flu
2. WW 1
3. WW 2
4. Korean War
5. Vietnam War
6. Moon Landing
7. Watergate
8. Kennedy Assination
9. Alcatraz Escape
10. Harry Houdini
One of my fave things to research and learn about was The Great Storm of Galveston, Texas 73 miles from me. But technically not in the 20th Century seeing that it happened Sept. 8th 1900.
And yes there are other events I love reading about from the 20th Century, but these are ones I did reaearch at one time or another for school projects.
These men are legends, criminals or not. Pulling that off, they EARNED their freedom.
Too bad they were murderers and criminals…
Lol, true that
@@binnsieb2003 The 3 that got away were robbers as far as im aware not killers lol
Geez what the hell did they rob to get in there..?
@@madmantheepic7278 I have read upon some books and articles about these 3 prisoners. They got caught robbing banks mainly.
Like many others, I know most of this story as it's been told many times but I still clicked on the video because I know that your content is great quality. Thank you.
Alcatraz is a great place to visit. If you're ever in the San Francisco Bay Area, hop on one of the ferries and get a tour of Alcatraz, great history to be seen there!
I have watched many of these videos by Thoughtly2 and it is about time he was congratulated for his subtle sense of humor and his choice of words. He is brilliant.
See @ 7:50, " If you are watching this video from inside a maximum-security prison, perhaps it is about time that you signed up for the arts and crafts class!"
Pretty cool story they should make this into a COD zombies map
@matty kelly yeah something like that
If only cod made good games
Alcatraz looks like the warzone rebirth map
The warden in that flick is such an amazing actor. He played Longshanks years later in Braveheart. Had no idea it was the same guy
Hey, what did Edward II call Edward I?
Daddy Long Legs
Good looking out on that one! Thought I was the only one who knew that!👍👍
Patrick McGoohan actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and rose to prominence for his role as secret agent John Drake in the ITC espionage programme Danger Man (1960-1968). He then produced and created The Prisoner (1967-1968), a surrealistic television series in which he starred as Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village. Beginning in the 1970s, McGoohan maintained a long-running association with Columbo, writing, directing, producing and appearing in several episodes.
@@countofdownable Don't forget he became world renowned for his role in Ice Station Zebra.
@@ianmangham4570 You know, I still haven't seen that. I love Where Eagles Dare and Guns of Navarone is one of the best movies ever made, in my opinion, how's it hold up to those?
I actually know him from an old Disney flick called Thomasina, about a cat and he's a real dick to it
I loved the 1979 movie 'Escape from Alcatraz' 👌
I love watching it every chance I get i have it on blue ray
I'm glad you mentioned the boat in the bay, that is often ignored, that and the stolen reel of cable. I'm on that team, I reckon one of the Anglin's relatives picked them up.
I don't know what would explain the time pressure of "it has to be tonight or never," which would lead to the 4th guy being left behind. Only thing that makes sense is a rendezvous with a manned craft like that boat. If all you are doing is paddling by yourself, you would be ok to wait the extra day for fixing the cement blunder.
My theory is they had outside help so they needed to act fast
Alcatraz was also home to
Lenny “Big Butt” McClean.,
“Trenchfoot” Billy Plimsole, and
Vernon “Flatulent Susie” Fosdyke III.
I, honestly, came across your site2 hours ago.
Your topics are not just informative and educational, they are absolutely intriguing to me.
This particular case, as millions of others, has always intrigued me.
My personal theory here is that through the sheer patience, highly genius thought process and diligent tenacity required to pull off one if the greatest unknown mysteries in our time was a success.
Purely my thought, as mentioned.
I'm a very open minded person. Therefore, every theory ever written and/or investigated are all, not just interesting, but probable.
Thank you!
I look forward to working my way through the plethora topics that you discuss.
I admire and respect your ways of sharing facts and possibilities for each video.
😎✌
This Alcatraz Escape episode aired here in Montreal hosted by Morgan Freeman on the History Channel over this past weekend. March 6-7.
I could listen to this time after time...Good work T2
I don't have enough info to really comment on this. However, when the cold waters of the bay were mentioned (as a barrier for swimming i guess), I remembered that pasting grease and/or fats over the body helps to insulate the person from the cold. I think swimmers used this when swimming the English Channel. Anyway, that's my very unprofessional 2 cents worth of trivia. Cheers for the vid Thoughty2.
Considering that jail time's primary goal is for you to think '"I don't want to go back again, it sucks' I believe they learned that lesson through their ordeal.
I doubt they will resort to crime again and, as others already said in the comments, I do think they earned their freedom!!
I think the primary goal is "to make you unable to harm others while you are locked", the one where you actually learn something is far down the line. Alcatraz in particular, they assume upfront that you will not learn anything and will try to escape.
They are all dead now though.
@@ells5656 Yeah,No way John Anglin has survived 9 years since that letter he wrote.
@@jaredbowen3527 i just actually checked on google and john is alive! he's 92
They should modify the penal code to say something like "if you escape from a high security prison, you get a couple of months free time outside without authorities chasing after you."
And if in this time you keep a low profile and dont give the authorities any trouble, they should just leave you outside 😂
It would make prisoners more goal oriented and happy, contributing members of society.
Just look at these guys.. after escaping Alcatraz they opted to feed the poor in a third world country by contributing (as farmers) to Brazilian food security.
Truly reformed and noble gentlemen.
I'm confused:
if there were two people in each cell,
and one cell couldn't be opened,
how did three people escape?
Good question, I think that the prisoners were fed up dealing being stuck in maximum security and so they planned on escaping maybe during lunch?
no it was one inmate per cell.
One person per cell and one of the fake walls had dried before he could get out of the cell
god damn, i haven’t looked at how many subscribers you have in a while…we love to see it, and you deserve it
I have a feeling the game "A way out" had its escape inspired by this one, as it involves secretly opening a vent, followed by finding a never visited area behind the wall, and then, later in the escape, climbing up a shaft. Also the prisoners were in prison cells right next to each other.
this is probably one of my favourite videos you've made especially the last few minutes and the wink at the end haha
Whoa! Fabulous details but the final update on the photo is amazing. Really good job! Solved? Close enough. Thanks Thoughty2!
This is one of the best channels on youtube by far
12:20 Now we know why they were able to escape. The prison was guarded by Skyrim NPCs
Hello from the USA, I love this channel and you have the most awesome voice! Thank you for your videos.
I remember reading about this in elementary, what a great story
Great one! I watched Mythbusters try out the theory of making and sailing the boat across the bay years ago.
It's all said and done, they made it..... they did what no one else could do... for ever a legend 🙌, a story to tell again and again...
EVERY single time the movie comes on tv I watch it. My favorite Clint Eastwood movie. This was a great video as well! Neat to see how "not too far off" the movie actually was. Thanks!
When the Alcatraz Prison seems Unbreakable, these 3 men are the people that put the word seems into the sentence
I’m probably gonna finish all your videos today. Finally I’m gonna miss it.
"How often do you want to change the title an thumbnail of this video?"
Thoughty2: "yes."
El Chapo's escape is the most impressive ever ! Please we need a video on it
The prisoners on Alcatraz were the inventors of Alca-Seltzer. Sadly, none of them ever got a dime for it.
You should do a video about that!
Are you serious? Drinking some now for my heartburn
@@sminor193 No. it’s a joke.
lol nice
did a presentation about this at school, nice video
You forgot the 4 people who ended up fighting zombies and a giant warden named Brutus while they are stuck in purgatory.
Lol that's exactly the same likely crew but expect their plan failed because they were stupid enough to believe that they can make a plane out of junk
Excellent topic and delivery!
Hey thoughty2 been enjoying your videos for a little while now. And I find them very entertaining, knowledgeable.
Just wondering where do you get all your stories from. And how do you know so much
Allways learn alot from these videos and have been watching a while. Only gripe is that sometimes I cant take the infografics show style visuals seriously.
The "unescapable" prison was never Alcatraz, but rather Devil's Island of the coast of French Guiana, South America. The region there is known as the wild coast. That escape is even more interesting, escaping on a bag of coconuts. Only 1 escaped, drifting to shore and then trekking through the jungle for weeks...... It was turned into a book, and subsequently into a film with Dustin Hoffman, "Papillon"
The Papillon story is just as interesting as this.
3:45 the sign he’s holding is the first 7 digits of pi
I think they made it. The wallet and life jacket n stuff were all left intentionally to throw them off the trail. Left the addresses to point the FBI in one direction while they went the other kind of thing
Prison walls are built to keep people in, but the human spirit always finds a way to break free. This escape is proof that sometimes, the strongest prison is the mind. Would you have the nerve to make a run for it?
Absolute ingenuity on all counts, from cutting the hole, to the dummy heads, to the raft. 👏 👏
I love the way you tell stories. Very cool
This is the first I had heard of the follow up and forensic analysis of the picture. I’m not surprised. I deem it very likely they would have had outside help and several points of the journey plotted so that they could be out of the US in a matter of days.
Always enjoyed this story and the movie !
It's a shame such intellect is wasted on crime.
Nick Diaz (UFC Fighter/Triathlete) Used to swim back from Alcatraz all the time just for fun.
After all that it's pretty absurd to assume they didn't make it. It was embarrassing to have people successfully escape so the authorities tried to save face. They know perfectly well that at least 2 of them made it.
They may have but it seems weird to me that career criminals would all of a sudden go on the straight and narrow and be model citizens for the rest of their lives. At some point they would have slipped up. Got pulled over. Got caught doing something else. Got drunk in a bar and slipped up. Made a deathbed confession.
I love your content, and this is one of my favorite topics! Thanks so much!
The Anglin family(Even distant relatives) know they survived. There are more letters family members have received and never spoke about publicly.
I went to Alcatraz when i was 12 with my grandma and my older sister. I had never heard of it at the time, i just went because we were on a tour of san fran and it was a part of it. We had a night tour and it was FREEZING, i mean i have never been so cold in my life. I hated it at the time and was just cold and creeped out. Now that I'm older i find it way more interesting. Still a bit creepy, but still more interesting because it is history.
Always delivering that content! 👏 Can you please do a video on the last Tsar Nicholas and the fall of the Romanov dynasty? (Inc. Rasputin of course!) 🌏
I already know this is about Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers who escaped Alcatraz Island :) love hearing this story
Imagine doing all that work and you cement your escape plan!!! And now you have to live with the title that you were the guy who almost escaped amongst 3 escapees before sealing yourself back in. I’d fall into depression instantly. 😭
Imagine that feeling when he got to the top of the roof, was so close to freedom but now you gotta go back to your cell and explain all of this
Thoughty " but they did miss there chance blow " 😂😂 that was funny 😂😂 " Chance blow " and " Chance to blow " 😂😂😂😂 solid stuff
Thanks for sharing this I really needed a break from All the insanity of the world
I seriously wonder why there isn't someone who made a TV show about this
Your video topics are always so interesting
I can imagine any of these 3 guys if they had happened to get arrested for any other small crime and captured into a normal prison or detention. They would be laughing their ass off thinking that they have escaped Alcatraz itself.
I love your videos, you're so entertaining to watch and have a great sense of humour.
Imagine they are 90 and watching this run
this is really interesting thank you
If I was a billionaire I would buy one of those heads for sure if it was possible to get one on auction somewhere. I love those heads. Ever since I saw escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood I’ve been absolutely fascinated by this story. I’m pretty sure at least one of them must’ve made it.
Horrible to hear about the state of Alcatraz prison today constantly seeing people parachute down onto roofs and start having a fight to the death..RIP to all the lost souls
Wow, this is insane that they escaped Alcatraz. Even though they were bad men they still mourned their parents.
i remember this i went to prison and wiped a team and thet went to bio and killed a sweat and that tower on prison i hit a 360 no scop. Rebirth brings back soo many memories
Every time that I’m in SF I genuinely feel like it’s impossible for them to have survived
It is they didnt
@@typicalcasual4623 how do u know?