Before the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary opened in 1934, the US government called it "inescapable." In 1962, three inmates proved that theory false.
Alcatraz's Past
Triathletes travel from around the world every year to participate in the "Escape from Alcatraz" swim in the San Francisco Bay. Most people join this event just to prove their fitness, but some individuals take the plunge to see firsthand what it was like to escape from the world's most heavily guarded prison.