The secret real events Hollywood turned into blockbusters
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Did you know that in 1962, a group of three convicts escaped from the country's most secure prison using spoons? And that one of America’s most wanted men was killed after watching a gangster movie? These incredible real-life stories happened across America and became movies you won’t believe are true. Let’s find out what really happened before the cameras started rolling.
1
Alcatraz Island, California - "Escape from Alcatraz"
In 1962, one of the most incredible prison escapes in history happened on Alcatraz Island. Three inmates, Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, managed to vanish using makeshift tools like spoons to chip through walls, plaster-and-paint dummy heads to fool guards into thinking they were still sleeping, and escape across the freezing San Francisco Bay on a raincoat raft.
This remarkable event later inspired the 1979 movie "Escape from Alcatraz", starring Clint Eastwood as Morris, and the actual prison location was used for filming. Authorities have never found the men, and their fate remains officially unknown to this day.
2
Kennedy Space Center, Florida - "Apollo 13"
"Apollo 13" is a movie based on the true story of the aborted lunar mission of the same name in 1970. As the spacecraft approached the Moon, an oxygen tank exploded 200,000 miles from Earth , turning the mission into a life-or-death rescue instead of a landing.
Hollywood later brought this moment back to life with the 1995 blockbuster, which included several real NASA sites, such as the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center on Merritt Island, Florida, to recreate the mission as closely as possible.
3
Lake Placid Olympic Center, New York - "Miracle"
A group of underdog American college players defeated the powerful Soviet team in 1980, at the Lake Placid Olympic Center (now known as Herb Brooks Arena), in what became known as the "Miracle on Ice." The young U.S. ice hockey team achieved the impossible when they defeated the four-time defending gold medal-winning Soviet Union.
Considered an unbelievable Cold War triumph, Disney’s 2004 movie "Miracle" immortalized the game, with scenes filmed in the same arena where the historic game was played.
4
The Hudson River, New York – "Sully"
Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after both engines failed midair, following an encounter with a flock of geese after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport.
With no runway in reach and only seconds to make a decision, Sully landed the plane on the freezing Hudson River, miraculously saving all 155 people on board, in what became known as "The Miracle on the Hudson". Filmmakers later recreated this moment for audiences worldwide in "Sully", filming in real New York locations.
5
The Biograph Theater, Chicago, Illinois - "Public Enemies"
On July 22, 1934, the notorious bank robber John Dillinger, dubbed "Public Enemy No. 1" and one of the most wanted criminals in the United States, was shot outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago, Illinois, by FBI agents after watching the gangster film "Manhattan Melodrama".
This dramatic real-life event was later adapted for the screen in the 2009 film "Public Enemies", which included filming of the real exterior of the theater.
6
Holcomb, Kansas- "In Cold Blood"
Truman Capote wrote a genre-defining "nonfiction novel" about the true 1959 murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, titled "In Cold Blood", after spending six years investigating the case and interviewing locals, including those responsible for the killings.
It was based on the true, brutal, and senseless quadruple homicide that shocked the nation , committed by two ex-cons, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, after they realized there was very little cash in the house they had broken into. The story eventually made its way to Hollywood in the 1967 film by the same name, which was shot at the real Clutter family home, and authentic Kansas exteriors were also used.
7
Selma, Alabama - "Selma"
The movie centers on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights. This included the historic civil rights march, which faced gut-wrenching violence. The pivotal 1965 demonstrations , including what was known as the "Bloody Sunday" attacks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, were vividly adapted in the Oscar-winning film "Selma".
The movie, released in 2014, recreated the famous march across the real Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, a turning point that helped lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
8
Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii - "Pearl Harbor"
The 2001 blockbuster titled "Pearl Harbor" was a dramatic representation of the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base in Oahu, Hawaii , of the same name on December 7, 1941, which brought America into World War II.
The movie portrays the tragic air raid that took over 2,400 American lives, and also fictionalizes many details through a love story. The film included island scenes shot across real Hawaiian locations, including Oahu and Kualoa Ranch.
9
Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania – "Gettysburg"
The Battle of Gettysburg, which took place in July 1863, was one of the most important and bloodiest battles of the Civil War. It lasted three days, and over 51,000 men became casualties.
The 1993 movie was filmed on the actual fields of Adams County , Pennsylvania. It was the first time the National Park Service allowed war scenes to be recreated there, including Devil’s Den.
10
The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas - "The Alamo"
During the Texas Revolution in 1836, around 200 Texian defenders held off thousands of Mexican troops at the Alamo for 13 full days . Although they didn’t make it, they became a powerful symbol because their stand gave Sam Houston time to rally troops and later win Texan independence at the Battle of San Jacinto.
The film shot almost all of its exteriors in Texas, using locations that recreated the historical battle. The 4.3-acre historic landmark at 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Texas, can also be visited today.
