Ever wondered what your worst nightmare looks like? For many, it’s the chilling thought of being buried alive. Imagine the panic, the darkness, the absolute helplessness. But what if I told you someone actually lived through it and then, well, got really creative about ensuring it never happened again?
Meet Angelo Hays, a man whose story from 1937 sounds like something straight out of a gothic horror novel, yet it’s absolutely true. Angelo was just going about his day when, boom, a horrific motorcycle crash. He slammed headfirst into a brick wall. The scene was grim, and medics, after a thorough examination, declared him dead. A tragedy, right? His family mourned, a funeral was held, and Angelo Hays was laid to rest.
So far, a sad but not entirely unique story. But here’s where it gets wild. Two days after his funeral, for reasons that remain a bit murky (some say insurance, others family curiosity), his body was exhumed. And guess what? When they opened the coffin, Angelo was found to be very much alive. A doctor on site confirmed he was breathing, albeit faintly. Talk about an unexpected plot twist!
It turns out the crash had caused such a severe drop in his body temperature and heart rate that he’d entered a state of suspended animation, mimicking death perfectly. Miraculously, Angelo made a full recovery. And what do you do after you’ve been mistakenly buried alive? You innovate, of course!
Angelo, with a newfound appreciation for life (and probably a healthy dose of paranoia), decided no one else should go through what he did. So, he invented the ‘safety coffin.’
Now, this wasn’t just any coffin. Angelo’s creation was a marvel of pre-war ingenuity, designed for the truly cautious. It featured an array of amenities that would make any modern glamping enthusiast jealous:
- A small oven: For those spontaneous midnight snacks, perhaps?
- A refrigerator: To keep your beverages chilled, naturally.
- A hi-fi cassette player: Because who wants to be bored while waiting for rescue? (Though, let’s be real, a cassette player in 1937 was pure retro-futurism!)
This wasn’t just a quirky invention; it was a testament to human resilience and the power of a really, really bad experience. Angelo even toured with his invention, demonstrating its features and likely giving audiences the creeps and a good laugh simultaneously.
So, the next time you’re having a bad day, just remember Angelo Hays. He literally came back from the dead, dusted himself off, and said, ‘Never again!’ His story is a wild ride through history, a bizarre slice of human ingenuity, and a stark reminder that sometimes, life (and death) can be stranger than fiction. And hey, if you ever find yourself in a tight spot, maybe a hi-fi cassette player isn’t the worst thing to have around.