Notes
Mythbusters Video - I used a clip from the Mythbuster special on the escape from Alcatraz to show credible evidence that it was possible to escape from Alcatraz island in a homemade life raft and survive. Even though I used a video that was not made by myself, I think it is the best possible representation of the escape as every aspect of it was done completely authentically and in the same place and way as the original escape. The video is as entertaining as it is informative. It generates a new level of mystery regarding the escape as it suggests that a voyage across San Francisco Bay is survivable and completely plausible.
Quiz - Because the story of the escape from Alcatraz is elaborate and sometimes confusing, I felt the best way for a reader of my website to retain information about it was to test his/her knowledge. Though the details of tunneling out of the cell, the building of a life raft, and their disappearance from society are easy to remember, I based my questions around the facts that recieve less attention but still add to the mystery of the story. I also included a poll at the bottom of the page to survey whether the majority of my readers believe, after hearing the story, that the men survived or perished.
Wanted Posters - I included wanted posters from the U.S. Marshals to show the faces of the men who escaped and there characteristics as well as to illustrate the fact that after 50 years they still have not been found. Because I am not proficient enough in computers, the poster is not my own original. However, it illustrates all of the traits that I believe are essential in humanizing the men who escaped.
News Article - I used a newspaper article from the BBC that was originally published the day after Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers escaped from Alcatraz to demonstrate the scale to which this event shocked the world. The escape from one of the world's most secure prisons surprised the world so much so, that British news stations were covering the story. I also believe it is an interesting narrative that reveals the facts that were known about the prison and the inmates immediately after the escape.