6 Steve McQueen, an American actor, was planning to drop by actress Sharon Tate’s house, but his plans were altered by another female acquaintance. On that night, Tate, her unborn child, and four others were butchered by the members of the Manson Family Cult. McQueen was on the list of celebrities that cult leader Charles Manson wanted to kill.

Steve McQueen, an American actor, accidentally escaped death in 1969 when he was about to drop by the home of actress Sharon Tate in Los Angeles for a family get-together, but he got a better offer from another female acquaintance, and he skipped going home to Tate.

On the night of August 8, 1969, four members of the Manson Family Cult drove to Sharon Tate’s house and killed her unborn child, along with Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent.

McQueen later discovered that he was one of the celebrities who were on the hit list of cult leader Charles Manson. Some other celebrities also were on the hit lit such as Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, and Elizabeth Taylor. From then on, McQueen carried a handgun. (1, 2)

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7 George Halas, a college student, was doing a summer job at Western Electric in Cicero, IL in July 1915. On July 24, a company picnic was scheduled for that day, and he had to board the ship SS Eastland to cross Lake Michigan, but he, fortunately, ran late and missed it. When Halas reached there, the SS Eastland had overturned, killing more than 800 people.

George Hallas was an American football player who was nicknamed “Papa Bear” and was the owner of the National Football League’s Chicago Bears. When he was 20 years old, he was a college student with a summer job at a telephone company named Western Electric in Cicero, IL.

On July 24, 1915, his company scheduled a picnic in Michigan City, and they all had to board the SS Eastland to cross Michigan Lake to reach the site.

However, Halas was running late, so he missed the ship. By the time he reached there, he saw the SS Eastland had overturned. It turned on its side from just a few feet from the bank of the Chicago River between LaSalle Drive and Clark Street. The 20-foot-deep water was enough to drown more than 800 people. It was the deadliest waterways disaster in American history.

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8 On 25 September 1999, Joan Murray, an experienced skydiver, went skydiving over 14,000 feet and her main parachute failed, but her backup parachute opened at 1,000 feet. She fell to the ground at the speed of 81 miles per hour. She landed on a bunch of fire ants. Doctors stated that 200 fire ants kept her heart beating by biting her, causing her body to release a surge of adrenaline.

Joan Murray was a 47-year-old experienced skydiver and was also the bank executive for Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had completed 35 jumps and participated in various skydiving training sessions. On 25 September 1999, she went skydiving in Chester County, SC. She geared herself for skydiving, and when they reached the required altitude, she took her 14,000 feet jump.

Unfortunately, her main parachute failed and did not open, but her backup parachute opened when she was just 1,000 feet away from the ground. She fell into the ground at the speed of 81 miles per hour and landed on a bunch of 200 fire ants. The right side of her body was shattered. Doctors said it was a miracle that she survived, and it may be because of fire ants.

These 200 fire ants kept her heart beating as these ants released venom which stimulated her nervous system causing it to release adrenaline. She had several reconstructive surgeries and 17 blood transfusions. In 2001, she went for her 37th dive. (1, 2)

9 Vesna Vullović, a flight attendant, took off from Copenhagen on a Yugoslav Airlines flight to Belgrade in 1972. As the aircraft flew over the Czech Republic, it exploded. Vulović was found by rescuers in the still-smoking fuselage with her legs poking out from the wreckage. She was the only one on board who survived the 33,000-foot-high fall.

Vesna Vullović was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for surviving the 33,000-foot fall, which is the highest fall recorded in history. She was a 22-year-old Serbian flight attendant of a flight that took off from Copenhagen on a Yugoslav Airlines flight to Belgrade on January 26, 1972.

The Yugoslav airplane was mistaken as an enemy aircraft and was shot down by a Mig fighter from the Czechoslovakian Air Force when it was passing above the place now known as the Czech Republic.

She fell from 33,000 feet and landed on a still-smoking fuselage with her legs poking out of the wreckage. Her three-inch heels were broken off by the impact. She had massive blood loss, suffered from a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, and broken legs.

She was in that wreckage for three days but somehow survived. She was the only one among 28 people on board who managed to survive this crash. (1, 2)

10 Paul Getty, regarded as “World’s Richest Man,” booked passage on the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria in July 1956 but canceled at the last minute. When it was traveling from New York to Genoa, it collided with a Swedish liner and sank off Nantucket. It killed 46 passengers and crew.

Paul Getty was American-born and a British petrol-industrialist who was regarded as the “World’s Richest Man” by People magazine. In July 1956, he booked passage on the luxurious Italian liner Andrea Doria.

It was a nine-day voyage, and on its final night, as the liner was traveling to New York from Genoa, the ship collided with a Swedish liner and sank off Nantucket. It killed 46 passengers and crew.

In his 1985 biography, The Great Getty, he mentioned this incident, and he also stated that he was warned by a fortune-teller to never attempt to cross the Atlantic again. He made reservations various times but ended up canceling all of them. (Source)