The episode features three strange and true stories.
The first story is about Meg Moore, a 21-year-old ecology and evolutionary biology student at Tulane University. In 2019, Meg embarked on a spring break trip to Georgia with her friends. During a stop at a rest stop in Mississippi, a set of tires fell off a passing 18-wheeler truck and crashed into Meg, killing her instantly. The tires weighed almost 1,000 pounds, and the incident was deemed a freak accident.
The second story revolves around Karen Wetterhahn, an American chemist who suffered from mercury toxicity in 1997. Despite wearing protective equipment, Karen accidentally spilled a few droplets of dimethylmercury on her latex-gloved hand. The substance penetrated the glove and caused severe health issues, including tingling, balance problems, and eventually, her death. The investigation revealed that dimethylmercury is one of the most toxic substances on the planet and can bind with fat tissue, making it difficult for the body to excrete.
The third story takes place in the 1860s and involves Edwin Booth, a famous American actor who saved the life of 21-year-old Robert Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln, at a New Jersey train station. Edwin pulled Robert to safety just as a train was passing by. A few days later, Edwin received a letter from a high-ranking government official thanking him for his heroic act. In a shocking turn of events, Edwin's brother, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated President Lincoln just three months after the train station incident.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Meg Moore was a 21-year-old senior at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, studying ecology and evolutionary biology.
2. In March 2019, Meg and her two friends decided to go on a trip for spring break to hike in Georgia.
3. On the morning of their departure, Meg packed her suitcase into the trunk of her small green sedan and drove to her friends' apartment building.
4. The trio stopped at a rest stop in Mississippi, where Meg was hit by two tires that fell off an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer truck.
5. The tires, which weighed almost 1,000 pounds, killed Meg instantly.
6. An investigation found that the likely cause of the accident was that the tires were missing a small part known as a locking washer, which costs $3 and is easy to acquire.
7. Karen Wetterhahn was an American chemist who suffered from mercury toxicity in 1997.
8. Karen was studying the effects of certain metals on human health and was exposed to dimethylmercury, a highly toxic substance.
9. Despite following proper procedures, Karen spilled a small amount of dimethylmercury on her latex glove, which penetrated through the material and caused her to ingest the toxic substance.
10. Karen's symptoms included tingling in her lower extremities, balance issues, slow and slurred speech, and a narrowed field of vision.
11. Karen died 10 months after her exposure to dimethylmercury due to the substance's ability to bind with fat tissue in her organs.
12. Edwin Booth was a famous American actor in the 1850s and 1860s.
13. In 1865, Edwin saved the life of Robert Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln, by pulling him out from under a moving train.
14. Three months after the incident, Robert's father, President Lincoln, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, Edwin's younger brother.
15. The assassination was a coincidence and had nothing to do with Edwin's interaction with Robert on the train platform.