Posted : January 2012
By Nicholas Pell
By Nicholas Pell
Near the end of 1971, D.B. Cooper - probably not his real
name - disappeared after hijacking a plane, extorting $200,000 in ransom cash and
parachuting to freedom… or death. Four decades later, the FBI has yet to solve
the case, and a fanciful new comic book series, The Secret History of D.B.
Cooper, hits shelves in March. But this mystery man is hardly the only notable
fellow to vanish with nary a trace. Witness this gaggle of gone guys, who just
might be playing a funny on all of us.
Cooper parachuted out of a hijacked plane, never to be heard
from again. The FBI has struggled with the case for decades. It is the only
unresolved skyjacking in United
States history…
Oscar Zeta Acosta:
You know him as Dr. Gonzo (right) from Fear And Loathing In
Las Vegas. He disappeared in Mexico
in 1974 after telephoning to tell his son, “[I am] about to board a boat full
of white snow.” His son surmises he was murdered for having a short temper
around the wrong people.
Richey James Edwards:
Lyricist for British rockers Manic Street Preachers, Edwards
struggled with depression most of his life. Edwards disappeared in 1995, with
unconfirmed sightings in India
and remote Spanish islands. His family had him declared legally dead in 2008.
George Mallory:
This is the rare case of a disappeared person actually being
found. Obsessed with being the first to scale Mount
Everest (famously “because it’s there”), Mallory disappeared on
his third attempt in 1924. An expedition team located his body near the summit
in 1999.
Glenn Miller:
Big band jazz orchestra leader Miller is known for such hit
songs as “In The Mood,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000.” Like many men of his
generation, when the military called, Glenn answered, joining the Army Air
Force Band. His plane disappeared over the English Channel
on December 15, 1944. He is still officially listed as missing in action.
Ambrose Bierce:
A famed author, Civil War veteran and professional cynic,
Bierce’s most famous work is the hilarious Devil’s Dictionary. On a tour of
former Civil War battle sites in 1913, Bierce disappeared in Mexico, at that
time in the middle of a revolutionary war.
Raj Kiran:
This story is incredibly strange. Kiran, a popular Bollywood
actor, disappeared roughly a decade ago. Last year, fellow actor Rishi Kapoor
tracked him to an Atlanta
mental asylum. However, his family denies that he is staying there.
Joseph Force Crater:
Crater, a New York
City judge, planned to go to a Broadway show after
dinner on August 6, 1930. He was never seen or heard from again. Courts
declared him dead on June 6, 1939. The phrase “pulling a Crater” meant “to
disappear” for a couple of decades and still carries some currency among older
New Yorkers.
Tank Man:
“Tank Man” refers to the guy with cojones of steel who
stared down a Chinese tank in Tiananmen Square
in 1989. While it is often said that he got run over by the tank, he didn’t. No
one knows his whereabouts. The Chinese will not confirm or deny his arrest, and
stories abound saying that he made it to Taiwan or the States. We sure hope
so.
Jimmy Hoffa:
Hoffa’s disappearance might be one of the most fascinating
mysteries in American history. A prominent union boss with alleged mob ties,
Hoffa claimed he was meeting two mob bosses the night he disappeared in 1975.
Both denied plans to rendezvous with Hoffa, and their alibis checked out.
Excavations proved he’s not buried under Giants Stadium, as one rumor had it.
So where is he?
No comments:
Post a Comment