Whether it's Steve McQueen tunneling out of a POW camp or 33 Chilean miners enduring two months in a collapsed mine, there's something that fascinates and inspires us about unlikely escapes. Seeing other people beat the odds boosts our faith in the human spirit, not to mention ingenuity, and gives us hope we could persevere if ever faced with a similar plight.

 

The following 10 survival stories show how risky it can be on the outskirts of civilization — from outer space to Antarctica to mile-deep mines — as well as how bad luck can strike out of nowhere. But they also illustrate something even more important: how far people will go not only to escape the jaws of death, but to rescue other people from them, too.