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William Rankin
Survivor of fall through a thunderstorm cloud (1920-2009) · United States · On the map · Writers · Died at 88
Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Rankin was the first person to survive a fall from the top of a cumulonimbus thunderstorm cloud. He was a pilot in the United States Marine Corps and a World War II and Korean War veteran.
William Rankin is read about 68 times a day, in 10 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 16 September 2026
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In 1959, he was flying an F-8 Crusader jet fighter over a cumulonimbus cloud when the engine failed, and he ejected and parachuted into the cloud. Rankin wrote a book about his experience, The Man Who Rode the Thunder.
Country
United States
Category
Writers
Type
Writer / Author
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1920 to 2009 · aged 88
