A devastating plane crash, a surprising rescue from a man’s feline best friend, and a father
and son’s incredible survival at sea.
Are these incredible stories the products of real events, or created just to throw you
into a loop?
Join us, as we decipher between fact.. or fiction.
The line that divides the factual from the unreal has long since blurred, the tales we
once thought fantastical now implanted as truth.
To decipher verity from the imagined, you must break from the ordinary and consider
a universe where the outlandish prevails.
Can you expand your mind to see beyond our perceived reality?
Can you decide what's fact or fiction?
Since the advent of aviation, we’ve been fearful of what would happen if something
goes wrong.
Just the slightest human error could send us rushing towards the ground in an out of
control nose dive.
For the French women’s national soccer team, this nightmare was about to become a reality.
Story # 1: Tragedy in the Alps In March of 1984, the women’s soccer team
was heading from Paris to Vienna for a friendly match against the Austrian national team.
It was a journey that the 22 players and crew had made several times before, and they were
looking forward to going up against one of their favorite European teams.
Everything was going to plan as they set out on that chilly Friday morning, but it wouldn’t
take long for the mood to switch from pleasant to fear.
The chartered plane left Paris on schedule at 7 am, and communication with the pilot
was normal for the first 50 minutes of the flight before the control tower lost touch
with them on radio.
The plane was still visible for a short while, but that too was lost somewhere over the Alps.
When the plane didn’t reappear, a feeling of panic started rising among the traffic
controllers, but there were no reports of a crash, so there was also a lot of confusion
as to where the plane had gone.
Rescuers set out by air and on foot to search for the national sports stars, but it would
be a full 34 hours before rescuers finally discovered the plane wreck high in the snowy
peaks of the Alps.
By that time, it was too late for most.
Of the 22 passengers and five crew on board, only 6 people were eventually rescued by helicopter.
According to the survivors, the plane’s engines cut out and the plane crashed into
the side of a mountain.
The plane broke up and seven people died on impact, but nine others perished from their
injuries and the bitterly cold conditions while they desperately awaited rescue.
The remaining survivors huddled together in the broken shell of the plane, surviving on
candies and melted snow.
Interlude 1: There are countless examples of aviation going
wrong, but is this particular tale true?
Did France suffer such a tragic loss of young talent?
We’ll reveal the validity of our stories at the end of tonight's episode, but for now,
let us know what you think by using the onscreen poll and in the comment section below.
Next up is proof once and for all that dogs aren’t always man’s best friend, but sometimes,
rather, our furry friends.
Story # 2: Cat Call When police responded to a call in Corpus
Christi, Texas, they were in no way prepared for what was about to greet them.
The call came early in the morning, and when dispatch answered there was nobody on the
line.
When operators called back there was no answer, so police were sent to check out the situation.
When they arrived they found Patrick Zimmerman on the ground next to his bed, having fallen
out of his wheelchair.
He couldn’t get up because of serious pain caused by a stroke, and he wasn’t able to
reach the emergency cord above his bed which alerts the emergency services that he needs
help.
After police picked Patrick up and helped him back into his wheelchair, they asked him
how he’d managed to make a call considering that he couldn’t reach the phone.
Patrick wasn’t sure how it had happened, but he told officers that he’d once tried
to teach his cat Bella how to dial 911 in case something like this happened.
He kept a phone on the ground in the living room, and 911 was programmed in the speed
dial so it was easier for Bella to manage.
Patrick wasn’t sure if the training had worked, but there was no other explanation
for the phone call, which led officers to believe that Bella really had made the call
that saved her owner’s life.
Interlude 2: Can a cat really dial 911?
Would Bella even have known that her owner was in danger?
Cats are supposed to be selfish, so would she even have cared that Patrick’s life
was under threat?
Let us know what you think of this farfetched feline rescue story while we get ready for
our third and final tale for the night.
It was an annual tradition for Walter Partridge and Walter Junior, but their 1934 trip was
anything but traditional.
Story # 3: Riding the Wave It was a sunny Friday in August and the first
day of the annual fishing weekend for the Partridge boys.
Out on the boat in a small bay in Alaska, Walter talked to his ten-year-old son about
what they were hoping to catch that weekend, and Walter Junior was excited to be out on
the water with his beloved father by his side.
The first day was peaceful and calm, and although the Partridges had a fair few bites, they
didn’t catch much.
After dinner, the boys went to bed early so they could start early in the morning.
But their night wouldn’t turn out to be as peaceful as their day.
Around midnight, Walter Senior was awoken by violent vibrations in the boat and recognized
it to be an earthquake.
They weren’t particularly rare in the area they were fishing in, so he didn’t worry.
That is, until he noticed a large portion of glacial rock on the horizon shaking uncontrollably.
Before he could react, the rock came loose and plummeted over 900 meters into the bay
below.
The force of impact was so strong that a huge wave formed, and Walter Senior knew immediately
that they were sitting in its path.
Walter battled with the anchor to release it, hoping that he could outrun the wave,
but it was too late.
Walter knew this must be the end for him and his son, so he said a prayer and braced for
impact.
But instead of crashing over their boat, the wave lifted it and carried it along on its
path of destruction.
Walter recalls looking down and seeing the tops of trees being pummelled by the wave
way below them.
The wave seemed to carry them for ages, but it eventually subsided and retreated, dropping
the Partridges and their boat back safely in the bay.
Where was Walter Junior throughout all this, you ask?
Well, he slept through the entire event.
Interlude 3: Sadly, we have seen the effects of tsunamis
on communities too many times in recent history, and we know how deadly they can be.
So, is it feasible that a tiny fishing boat could survive such a huge wave?
Well, it's the moment we've all been waiting for.. the reveal.
The Reveal: Are you ready to find out if you can decipher
between fact or fiction?
Let’s look back at tonight's three stories and find out which were born from reality
and which were fabrications of the imagination.
First, let’s revisit France’s national women’s soccer team, and that devastating
accident in the Alps.
We’ve all heard stories of groups of plane crash survivors perishing in icy conditions
while waiting to be rescued, but did our story really happen?
If you think this tale is fictitious, you’d be absolutely correct.
Thankfully, this incident never happened.
Although it is inspired by a true story that you'll be learning about in a future episode.
Next, we’re heading back down to Texas and the crazy tale of Bella the 911-dialing cat.
It’s true that you can train dogs to perform such tasks, but is it really possible with
cats, too?
The answer is yes, it’s totally possible.
Tommy the cat and his owner Gary Rosheisen can attest to that.
Gary says that Tommy is his hero, and we can see why he feels that way!
Finally, we’re sailing back north to icy Alaska to the scene of one of the largest
waves ever recorded.
Did a father and son really ride a mega-tsunami to safety?
If you said this was a work of fiction, you'd be wrong.
They absolutely did.
Howard Ulrich and his son Howard Junior were fishing on Lituya Bay in 1958 when their boat
was swept up by a giant wall of water and carried to safety.
How well did you do in tonight's video?
Did you look past the deception of our world and define the oft-blurred line that struggles
to separate lies from the truth?
Let us all know in the comment section below and should you find the urge to test your
perceptions again, be sure to subscribe and join us next time when we ask you to decide
what's fact... or fiction.