Episode Name:   Escape From Alcatraz

Original Air Date:  December 12, 2003

Myths:   Escape from Alcatraz, Duck Quack Echo, Stud Finder

Escape From Alcatraz

The Myth:
On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers, Clarence and John, escaped from Alcatraz in a raft they made from stolen raincoats. Were they really able to make it across the bay to freedom, or did they die in the attempt?
 

The Experts:
Heather Joseph-Witham says that many times we root for the underdog
Alan West - another prisoner on "The Rock" that the FBI interviewed for information on the escape plans
Jolene Babyack - lived on the island when the escape happened and has written three books about Alcatraz
Bill Cope - Ranger at the Bay Model
Judith Hitzeman - Archivist, Maritime Museum - brings out the raincoat and oars for Jamie and Adam to examine

Quotable/Memorable Moments:
At the Bay Model -

Adam says, "We're escaping Alcatraz at Mach 1!"  To which Jamie replies, "No wonder they didn't find them - they're probably in Japan by now!".

At the Maritime Museum -

 Jamie says, "It actually kind of sent chills up my spine, y'know..." when he gets to see the actual raincoat and oars that were used.
Adam hitting Jamie with the pontoon.
Jamie's grin and pose when he climbs back on the big
boat.

Action/Results:
Adam and Jamie go to Alcatraz, wiggle uncomfortably through the actual holes that the prisoners made, and get up on the roof. Once there, they see the spot where the actual raft was built, using over fifty raincoats.  Heather Joseph-Witham comments that we tend to cheer for the underdog - "the little man really winning out over the concrete authority".  Alan West, another prisoner, told the FBI that the escapees worked up here for months.  Then the boys go back inside, and Jolen Babyack comments that " It's not about the currents - it's about the tides" and points out that, if the current is going out to sea, you would be too.  The guys go over to the bay Model and manage to get Bill Cope to let them test the currents and tides. Jamie and Adam come up with a new theory - that the escapees went toward the Marin Headlands, not Angel Island.  So, they go back to the workshop and, after an early disaster with PVC raincoats, they finally make a raft of more than thirty rubber raincoats, a lot of contact cement, and an accordion which acts as a pump.  They also make paddles, which Adam is eager to test out (on Jamie!).

Finally they are ready to go.  They get Will Abbot to come along and be the third person in the raft. After some instruction by Jamie on the proper emergency signals, they crawl into the boat and paddle off.  After more than forty minutes of paddling across choppy waters, they finally make it!  So, did the Anglins and Frank Morris do the same in 1962? Adam sums it up in his own, unique style.

"Given a reasonable amount of intelligence, I think it is entirely possible that they made it.  Again, I think the most damming evidence that they didn't is the fact that no one's ever heard from them since."
 

Does A Duck's Quack Echo?
 
 

The Myth:(as introduced by the guys)

Adam says, " So, uh, Jamie, what are we working on?  Why are there ducks pooping all over your desk?"

Jamie replies, " Well, the myth is that a duck's quack does not echo."

To which Adam answers, "That sounds kinda simple."
 

And Jamie calmly answers, "Well, I guess we'll figure out a way to make it complicated, won't we!"
 

The Experts:
Heather Joseph-Witham says that this is a little factoid that comes out on Internet lists of facts that are odd.
Jim Reichardt - part of America's oldest duck-farming family - has never heard of this myth
Roger Schwenkee - acoustician - tests the echo less theory with microphones, a computer, and an anechoic chamber

Quotable Moments:
Roger says that they will have to find some way of attaching the mic to the duck.  Jamie's answer? "Duck tape!"

Roger also says they must "silently induce the duck to quack".
Jamie says, "Don't mess with me, duck! When I say quack, you're gonna quack, right?"
It doesn't work. Then he tries, "I'm the boss here - don't give me any beak!"
No luck. Finally, he says, "Quack, damn you!"

Action/ Results:
After a complete lack of success with getting Bob to quack, they decide to try Roy, only to find that the ducks quack best when they are next to each other.  So both Jamie and Adam stand out in the field with the ducks.  They quack, but it is too hard to tell if there is any echo or not.  So they move indoors, to an anechoic chamber, where they finally get a recording of a quack without an echo.  Then they move into a warehouse, where they finally collect an echo with the quack.  The narrator refers to this as "the exact moment when Jamie is blinded by science"! In the end, they are able to prove that a duck's quack will echo. They bust the myth, and Bob and Roy get a nice new house to live in. Myth busted!
 

Mind Control Chips

The Myth:
Some people believe that they have been implanted with mind control chips while donating blood, or while in the hospital.
 

The Experts:
Heather Joseph-Witham says that this myth is also sometimes linked to alien implant ideas, when the aliens are supposed to be watching us.
Chuck Heger - manufacturer of stud finders, who gives Adam the basic facts about stud finders and says that it would be possible to detect metal under the skin with one.
Dr. Jeff Proulx - veterinarian who allows Adam and Jamie to find a microchip in a dog
Becky O'Connor - American Red Cross representative

Quotable Moments:
"You're really sensitive!  You've got a sensitive kinda belly button there, don'tcha?" - Jamie, while looking directly at the camera.

Action/Results:
Jamie and Adam plan to give blood at the American Red Cross, and then test to see if they have been implanted with mind control chips after they are done.  However, they first have to understand what a stud finder does, and Chuck Heger fills them in. Then, to find out if they can detect microchips, Jamie constructs a wall that has studs, wires, and microchips behind it.  Adam has to find them, using the stud finder. He does fine with the studs and wires, but misses the microchips (and Jamie's hidden message) completely, until he comes around the back to check.

They go off to the veterinarian, and Dr. Jeff Proulx lets them check for microchips in a dog. They finally find one! Now they are off to give blood.  Before they do, they check to see that they are chip free.  Then they proceed with the donation.  Afterwards, they check again and find absolutely nothing! Myth busted!
 

- episode description written by river95