I'm listening to your video while I do school work.<br>I'm an 1 hour in and everytime you say "miners" I hear "minors" and I can't help but think of a bunch of toddlers and teens trying to get floyd out and being payed nothing because child labor.

I'm listening to your video while I do school work.
I'm an 1 hour in and everytime you say "miners" I hear "minors" and I can't help but think of a bunch of toddlers and teens trying to get floyd out and being payed nothing because child labor.


I'm so sad that I haven't found your channel sooner. This is absolutely amazing storytelling and editing. I had to replay 1:05:55 again and again because that was too funny


When I watch a video of internet historian expecting laughs but instead get society and depression


The fact that Johnnie Gerald simply showing up was enough to raise Floyds spirits is touching to say the least... not to mention the lengths this childhood friend and his brother went to! Human spirit... Never forget the simple good we can all do for one another and it's much easier than this example.

@TrickyJebus Did Floyd piss his pants while trapped down there?


They fed him 6 sausage sandwiches and cups of coffee? Anyone getting remotely close to him would need a nose plug!


hey, you should do the 33 chilean man trapped in a mine. similar story different outcome. love your videos ❤


Thankyou for making the best content on Youtube. I watched the cost of concordia 3 times.


The obscene dread imagining myself in this position is why I had to watch this video in short intervals over the week.


It’s when he begged the miner to stay with him knowing a cave in was inevitable is what got to me the most.  Even though Collins went as far as trying to trick the man there was no malice in it, just pure despair and fear…

@Madison Brady I think you are overthinking it. We are talking about someone stuck in the dark, in a lot of pain, not eating or drinking anything for 24 hours at best at a time, soaked in freezing water and  mostly alone for days on end. He was feeling nothing but pure terror at that point. He wasn't being calculated or selfish, he just didn't want to be alone anymore.

@MeChupaUnHuevon I 100% agree, not to mention even though they were in a cave full of ice, there wouldn’t have been enough food or water for either of them

@Madison Brady How selfish, but I'll would've done the same anyway

It's possible that Collins didn't think that people would continue to try to rescue him after the cave collapsed, so by trapping another person, especially a person from the military, he could be more confident that additional attempts would be made to save him. It may have been a last-minute hostage attempt born out of pure desperation and helplessness in a sudden moment. That's my theory anyway...

@Memeguppy The cave was so unstable at that point that the entire cave, not just the entrence to the sqeeze was going to collapse if they tried digging into the cave rather than straight out. If it was more efficent to dig in to the cave, they would have. It would have just meant there would be two dead people instead of just one.

@MeChupaUnHuevon Point is if the guy stayed with him the people would propably try to dig out the cave in instead of digging straight down

@MeChupaUnHuevon there was a bucket of coffee down there. So they could’ve held out for 12 days

Yeah he had been alone for days on end, no surprise he wanted company.

Yeah, that part was far and away the most haunting/terrible for me as well

A drowning man will drag you down with them. It ain't right, but the guy's drowning.

@Concept almost definitely not. He was there for 12 days without food or water. That’s certain death unless the other guy decided to cut off parts of his body to feed Collins.

I wonder if he would've made it had the guy stayed with him


Every time I watch these videos where people get themselves and predicaments like that, where they even sometimes die, I get so anxious that even in a wide open room I feel claustrophobic, I am one of those guys that would say no f**** way, and turn around and go back!!
Edit: however if it was one of my siblings I would have no choice but to swallow my fear and proceed just like home or did. 😳

Every time I watch these videos where people get themselves and predicaments like that, where they even sometimes die, I get so anxious that even in a wide open room I feel claustrophobic, I am one of those guys that would say no f****** way, and turn around and go back!!
Edit: however if it was one of my siblings I would have no choice but to swallow my fear and proceed just like home or did. 😳


Had me weeping for a man who died 100 years ago


It sounds like a cautionary tale about the monkey's paw.

'I want the whole country to know my name and have them visit me and my cave for decades to come!'

One finger curls on the monkey's paw...


What an incredibly odd story. Life is stranger than fiction.


This is honestly heartbreaking...and morbid asf.

When they said that the he likely died shortly after the light around him went out, I strongly suspect he lost absolutely all hope and fight in the cold darkness and resigned to dying alone without ever being dug out.

The idea that his hope died and then shortly after he followed is absolutely terrifying pure torture. I couldn't even begin to imagine his thoughts...

The fact that the last person he saw looked him in the eye and left him there must have been the straw that broke him DX

Yeah or the fact that the bulb was very inefficient and would have been a decent source of warmth (you know, like half the point of the thing) might have been what contributed to him dying of exposure 1 day after it went out.

Just saying.

On the plus side of all of that: His brother, childhood friend, and Journalist 100% made me feel like they would do anything and everything to get him out.  I think it was just too long in the hole without anyone contacting him which made him feel like the cave in was too great for them to reach him.

@Penelope Waters this was one of the most disturbing stories I have ever heard.

I honestly felt physically ill at the story, even how his body was exploited for monetary gain after the fact was just so gut wrenching. The recurring false hope made it so much worse as well because I genuinely thought he would make it.


It always makes me so happy when you use the Medal of Honour soundtracks!


I wonder how this would be handled with todays technology and equipment.


This has to be turned into a movie, if it has already someone please tell me


this story is like "127 Hours" and "There will be Blood" on acid.


I'm honestly astounded that he lived for as long as he did. The human body is crazy in what it is sometimes able to withstand.

@Octávio Rosa Sure, but my point is you probably also had relatively quick access to relatively experienced surgeons.

I imagine the mortality rate was higher for people who got amputations in other environments. Especially in cases like having your foot roughly torn off by a rock in a cave. I'd imagine the mortality rate for those kind of injuries was pretty near 100%. Heck, even today with the full brunt of modern medicine in a country like the US, traumatic amputations (that's an amputation done by some violent incident, like a car crash, not one done by a doctor) have a fatality rate of 15%.

@seigeengine being in a war in the 1700s is a pretty shit circumstance to be fair.

If that light didnt go out he probably would have stayed alive

The cold probably put him in a type of hibernation, slowing his body down ironically extending his life

I’m getting like Thomas the tank engine narrator vibes 😂 pretty relaxing

@Thunderscout  you should try to treat your ADHD , then

@Fawn In a comparative sense, humans are much less able to survive extremes of temperature and other hardships than, say, wolves or antelope.

it continues to surprise me at what it can withstand and at how stupid and weak it is

Άγγελος Μορίκης

@K Cannon yeah, I don't mean to be disrespectful but Bee doesn't strike me as someone who's actually studied the field of biology. Maybe just made it up in hopes to appear more credible, but the fact they seem to think strength comes only in physical ability speaks volumes. We're an incredibly successful species due to being highly social animals who looked after our sick and elderly and invested so much into our brain intelligence wise. (Obviously there's lots of other factors and lots of luck involved to get us to evolve as we have, but there's no way that strength comes from physical viability and nothing else).

Really wish people would drop this whole "survival of the fittest ("strongest" in this case)!!" Nonsense because that's such an incredible over simplification, lack of understanding and too much immaturity to think it all has to do with physical strength and physical strength only.

@Amelia Bee our strength comes from us being such social creatures. There's countless evidence of us looking after our sick and elderly to the point of recovery (healed bones etc), it's why we're such a successful species. As a biologist, I don't really know why you're acting as if there's only one kind of strength and it's only valid through physical ability. Even most people who don't study the field understand there are different contexts to being a strong species.

@incredibleflameboy and this is why I shouldn’t browse the comments while watching the video

@Nisah Urbina I mean, taking a look, most reports of amputation mortality as far back as I can find suggest a 46-65% mortality rate.

And that isn't humans trapped in shit circumstances, that's 1700s and 1800s war and major city hospital figures. The best I got before modern medicine kicked off is civil war amputation mortality rates of 26-30%.

@Nisah Urbina Incredibly inspiring, thanks friend

@Amelia Bee   while our bodies may not be the toughest, our minds are the strongest. What would stop most creatures from the ability to hunt and survive (missing limb, broken bones, blind, deaf), modern medicine and the will to live makes us an unstoppable species. I think that’s what the person meant

@Amelia Bee Humans can regenerate really well and the fact we can work together is what makes us survivable. It's the human spirit that makes us tought not the body we are given. I trust the ER doc more than a biologist on the topic of human endurance.

@Nisah Urbina Um. Hi, I'm a biologist and, uh...no. Humans are incredibly fragile. And other animals can be really, really tough. I've seen animals with no jaw left survive, and even thrive.

it is amazing how resilient and at the same time frail the body can be<br>you can get trapped for weeks at a time or get a metal bar thrust into your skull with explosive force and still live but if you have a little tumble and fall incorrectly, you die

it is amazing how resilient and at the same time frail the body can be
you can get trapped for weeks at a time or get a metal bar thrust into your skull with explosive force and still live but if you have a little tumble and fall incorrectly, you die

The human body is absolutely fantastic at enduring. We're purpose- built to withstand more than you think we could! Broken bones are usually a death sentence for most of the animal kingdom, as are entire missing limbs. But here we are, living from amputations when medical science was in its INFANCY. and beyond that-- 90+ y/o people enduring on a diet of cigarettes and coke, folks that survive suicide by taking lead to the head, folks walking away from massive car crashes with scrapes and bruises... It's why I love working in an ER. The indomitability of the human spirit proves itself again and again as my docs and nurses work on what should be a death sentence.

Not to say we have the reverse-- I've needed moments of silence after working on some kid who zigged when he should've zagged. But fuck, we got folks running around in my community we thought were GONERS when they first came in.

@incredibleflameboy With your expert opinion I think we can finally lay this mystery to rest.

@FChMaster yeah I agree with the coroner that it was exposure. His quality of life wouldn't have been great if he had been pulled out either from all of the damage of just laying there. Nasty things happen to you if you can't move.

Temperature is probably the thing that killed him. Or maybe thirst, what is probable (the part about him maybe getting some water is only a possibility), but it is important to say, he was lying and not able to move - so he didn't really need food this much. While not doing anything, human body needs very little to survive, of course he had to be really hungry etc. but still able to survive. But with so low temperature, covered in cold stone, and wet (even if the cave somehow wasn't wet, let's be honest, he had to pee in there and lying in it)... It is surprising he survived this long, even if this light he had gave him some heat.

Yeah I was watching that hour counter go up and was gutted when they said he died. It was up to something like 20 days by the time he died so he survived an ungodly amount of time.


Man that hit hard when he was found dead. Must of been a sight to see the crowd back in the day


We live in the alternate universe where he did not survive and that's a damn shame.


27:45 reppin' the ODST soundtrack. absolute masterclass


It’s truly the 8th wonder of the world how YouTubers who spend their whole time talking on a mic cannot voice act to save their lives


Miller seems like a real stand-up guy. Did everything he could and put himself in mortal danger to rescue a complete stranger, and then refused to profit off of the ordeal.

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin Whoa buddy get off reddit, nothing wrong with helping people and not expecting anything in return.

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin He literally denied millions of dollars lol.

@Diel I think this story perfectly illustrates how people in "the old days" were people, same as today. For every hero you've got a dozen unhelpful dickheads and greedy opportunists. He was just an exceptional guy.

his friend too was a real hero going back in when it was collapsing

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin Usually I wouldn't resort to using a point as juvenile as this - but: What have <b>you</b> done to make you think you can speak so high and mightily about morality and bravery? Even if Miller had only done what he did for the Pulitzer Prize (which I doubt), he still risked neck and limb for a complete stranger. By the way you talk this, you just sound like some edgy contrarian that wants to feel like he "knows" something everyone else doesn't.

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin Usually I wouldn't resort to using a point as juvenile as this - but: What have *you* done to make you think you can speak so high and mightily about morality and bravery? Even if Miller had only done what he did for the Pulitzer Prize (which I doubt), he still risked neck and limb for a complete stranger. By the way you talk this, you just sound like some edgy contrarian that wants to feel like he "knows" something everyone else doesn't.

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin He declined a contract for more money. You seem upset people were trying to do the right thing. Seems to have challenged your worldview so you decided to cherry pick information. Don't worry it happens to people without the courage.

@TwerkToSpec he was a gigachad, that's what

@TwerkToSpec he was a gigachad, that's what

@Leon Connelly Oh, I'm sure there are a few journos who wouldn't better the world by their passing.
Probably.
But in the balance, the world would still be much better off if we lined them all up against a wall and gave them what they want to give people like me.

Hmmm believe It or not I’m not sure every journalist is a Maoist lol what are you talking about

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin he literally decline a million dollar contract fir what? A medal?

@Yosh What about the journalists in Ukraine?

@Yosh What about the journalists in Ukraine?

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin You're a clown dude.

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin imagine calling others naive while having written that 🤡

@ok Yeah like I said. All the randos being there to "help" killed him.

I'm pretty sure Kotaku journalists are 10x braver!

@Noah Hascall no, they killed him by setting up campfires and piling garbage up outside the turnaround part of the cave.

The fact that all the cave rescues issues started cause there was too many people invested in it blows my mind. They killed him by “praying” for him.

@Leon Connelly ahh is that so. Thanks for the info

@Leon Connelly ahh is that so. Thanks for the info

@遠雷 lol, the naivete. Some journalists will do a hell of a lot more than that for their "fancy prize". They'll spend months under fire in warzones and get themselves murdered by gangsters, and endure years of hardship for their career ambitions. Characteristic of the personality type is only the dimmest sense of their own mortality, much like the people who go caving in the first place. Don't get me wrong, at least they are earning their damn "prizes" and success in the field, and they may or may not have personal motivation too. But its emblematic of how the world is the way it is that you infants see people doing things that bring them <b>success and money</b> and are gushing at their selflessness.

@遠雷 lol, the naivete. Some journalists will do a hell of a lot more than that for their "fancy prize". They'll spend months under fire in warzones and get themselves murdered by gangsters, and endure years of hardship for their career ambitions. Characteristic of the personality type is only the dimmest sense of their own mortality, much like the people who go caving in the first place. Don't get me wrong, at least they are earning their damn "prizes" and success in the field, and they may or may not have personal motivation too. But its emblematic of how the world is the way it is that you infants see people doing things that bring them *success and money* and are gushing at their selflessness.

Even if he took the money, I'd absolutely understand. Guess he never wanted this much attention.

@Shakes.Don't know what yer gettin I don't think he would have been there so many days helping without being paid to help just for a fancy price.

lol he was young and ambitious, and got himself a Pulitzer from it.

@Leon Connelly not profitting off of the story and just being content with doing your job however, is integrity.<br>show me one of these rats that call themselves journalists today, and i show you a person that would write positive texts about mao

@Leon Connelly not profitting off of the story and just being content with doing your job however, is integrity.
show me one of these rats that call themselves journalists today, and i show you a person that would write positive texts about mao

@Diel a lot of journalists back in these times used to very actively cause more problems in stories so they could report on them, kind of like today really just in a more active sense. Miller was exceptional for back then as well

@Benjamin Lambert that’s not what journalistic integrity means lol. This is like gonzo journalism getting involved in the story, journalistic integrity just means being fair. Incredible guy but that’s just not what that means

It's the old days charm where man like miller still have dignity as a journalist and would genuinely try to help the people he wrote a story about

@Yosh I believe they exist, they just get buried beneath allot of bullshit

I wish we had journalists like him today. Seriously the hero of this story in my eyes. We would've never heard about Floyd had it not been for Miller.

@TwerkToSpec You literally just want attention, right?

@TwerkToSpec you're a loser trying to piss people off (unsuccessfully) in a comment section,  you have multiple other replies begging for attention, get a life.

Especially since he even went through the squeeze after so many had turned back cause of it. That was likely his first time even in a cave, and he did something expert cavers would wince at.

@MrHenrry98 I've never seen so much journalistic integrity in my life. He earned it, more than anyone.

At least they got him a Pulitzer for the trouble

At least they got him a Pulitzer for the trouble

@TwerkToSpec it's cool to know there were once good men back then...But all we have are you.

the fact He was shoveling gravel in the cave on the biggest day of his journalistic career


wow! ya got me! brilliant story telling!!! subscribing now!!! 🥰


RIP FLOYD COLLINS. May your soul be in eternal peace.

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now.

Text me on telegram. 👉 Internet_Historian 👈


The grotto that he found has never been confirmed. The large grotto chamber which he was digging towards. I wonder what it looked like considering he died for it... <br>It's still down there... In the darkness... Any takers?

The grotto that he found has never been confirmed. The large grotto chamber which he was digging towards. I wonder what it looked like considering he died for it...
It's still down there... In the darkness... Any takers?

@C L When taking the body out, they went in from the opposite side so they should've seen it already

Are there drones small enough to fit? If so, someone could send a drone in with a light and camera.


i kept putting myself off from watching this vid cause i thought it would be boring and not as good or entertaining as your other vids but now that i finished it i think its even better


William Miller is such a chad. Actual good journalist, brave enough to plumb the depths and responsible for bringing so much interest and so many resources to this situation!

@stan jones Ironically, this was probably the worst example of this; this was only a decade after the heyday of yellow newspapers and the sensationalism boom; (~1890's-early 1900's) where yellow journalism would over sensationalize everything, such as misleading the public to think that Spain exploded a US warship, which led the USA into war over perceived aggression from Spain.

Goes to show human integrity can be found in the worst of places.

If they ever made a movie off of this they need to have Jamie Bell or Tom Holland portray him, he had the exact look. They even nicknamed him Skeets because he had to be so small to get through the squeeze

Remember at one time journalists were fucking cool

Gerald, Miller, and Homer are the GOATs.


I'll never go into a cave again after watching this and then the movie "The Cave" right after.<br>I think I just gave myself a new phobia. lol

I'll never go into a cave again after watching this and then the movie "The Cave" right after.
I think I just gave myself a new phobia. lol


This destroyed me. I just kept thinking about if this was my brother. Imagine trying to move on and then some asshole buys your dead brothers corpse to turn into a side show attraction! Tragic


Great documentary. Thanks for creating this.


After all of this I think that we all can agree that Homer is a real one


Despite how it turned out, we need to give some kudos to Miller. The dude was a REPORTER, no caving experience, and yet was one of the few to reach Floyd and one of 3 or 4 to actually do a lot of work that could have resulted in him being saved in a more idealised world, where people being trapped underground isn't seen as a tourist attraction

@ἀστροπελέκι damn i guess modern day war journalists are not real journalists (or men) then!

idk man while that is true, if they had not gone back just like Gerald had asked, Floyd could have been saved.

He wasn't just a reporter, he was a man.

Which is hundreds of times more than you can say about contemporary "journalists"

He wasn't just a reporter, he was a *man.*

Which is hundreds of times more than you can say about contemporary "journalists"

Guy was an absolute chad, willing to go to hell and back for his job, even refused to directly profiteer from the story, and even assembling a team of cavers to finish Floyd's job, god bless his soul.


I cannot believe I didn't know that absolutely incredible story.


48:25  Tell me this isn’t Wendigoon’s favorite part of the video 😂


That was such a great video please make more videos like this❤❤


The fire fighter's line about "the time for strategy is over" isn't incorrect


"No more hour-long videos," he said, before turning around and giving us this masterpiece.


I don't understand why the man didn't focus on making the way IN bigger before working on the entrance to the evidently glorious cave on the other side.

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now.


Ace in the Hole (1951) dramatized this. Phenomenal film, highly recommend.


He should not work alone. It's insane! Does anyone else know he's in there? Not carrying extra lights is insane.


Man, i just realized after the third time watching this that he had to endure going to the bathroom on himself and staying that way in that smelly mess for like a month…


Homer, Miller, and Gerald are real ones. Repeatedly going back trying to help out Floyd. Mad respect.

@Sam True, I was a bit hesitant though only because it didn't work. I have a feeling they didn't notice how bad it wasn't working, but oh well.

And Burdon, even if his pull idea didn’t work


Ironically, Floyd’s wish for the cave to become a tourist attraction was granted

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now.......


Why does every Floyd die from the result of bodily complications caused by being crushed by something


Me at beggining of story "Well of course they gonna rescue him how else can this story go" me at the end"Oh god oh no how IS THAT EVEN LEGAL jessus crist make it stop this poor poor man."


This is the most anxiety producing video you have ever made. An absolute treasure.


I actually felt sick as the animation backed out of the cave, showing how deep he was in. That contextualized these incidents for me like nothing ever has before.

Dude yea being in a cave is one of my biggest fears if not my biggest one I’ve watched too many videos like this one lol

Same. IH is a great storyteller and the animation set once he was done with the introduction gave me shivers in a way I didn't expect


"Floyd, tomorrow, you're gonna be a free man."<br>...oh how things proceeded.

"Floyd, tomorrow, you're gonna be a free man."
...oh how things proceeded.


Poor man really died. The cave heard he wanted to make it into a tourist attraction and the cave fought back by turning him into the tourist attraction


I just listened to this while I was at work. What a story! So disappointing though 😂


I am so far at minute 5, and I am no joke about to feel a panic attack.


I feel so horrible for Floyd. The idea of being trapped like that alone is not something I would wish on anyone. Glad his brother did everything in his power both before and after Floyd's death to bring him home.

@RedPhoenix120 I think part of the problem was that few people could fit through the squeeze in the first place and at the time the only reason to crawl through would be to try and help dig him out which at the time seemed impossible

I AM THE BEEST YOUUTUBER YOU'RE ALL TRAASH COMPARED TO ME IM THE BEEST 😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯

@Fossil Draws if he had a hand free, definitely would have grabbed him

@Gary Mericano yeah it was obvious he was desperate for money. i mean its cave tourism? so far he kept digging in further and further and its cool he found like natural holes but no one wanted to go in the squeeze??? you think theyd go all the way in?? it was clearly a rushed effort

bro ngl hes a committed brother. being alone is hard enough but being completed trapped is horrifying even for someone who isn't claustrophobic. i can say with utmost certainty, if any of my family were ever in a similar predicament i wouldn't have the courage to even attempt sadly

The most heart breaking part for me was when he begged the man to stay with him even if he knew that would kill the man too

@Gary Mericano You have to understand, this is a man who has almost nothing, living in backwater kentucky with a father that can barely even run the farm himself, let alone properly teach his son. Not to mention, it's his passion. The idea was just to create a proper path into the gypsum cave as fast as possible, so he could start operating it as a tourist attraction. Clearing out the turnaround room further could've taken months on its own.

Also, if his Intent was to create access to.the cave for tourists, why wouldn't he clear out the turnaround room before clearing more stuff further down?

@Gary Mericano Nah, the real killer here is going spelunking ALONE. Had rescue operations been able to be mounted like several hours earlier, they could've absolutely gotten him out in time.

@Chickenator if he wasn't the kind of idiot to go spelunking through dangerous caves, maybe he would've lived, too….

Yeah this is horrible, if it weren't for all these squabbling gawkers destroying the cave with their presence maybe he would've lived.


What the fuck is this roller-coaster?! Unreal story, well told.


I haven’t committed to a hour long vid in a quite some time now… thank you again my favorite internet professor 👨🏫


literally find the first five minutes of this difficult to watch the claustrophobia is so terrifying


Seems like the places closer to the opening of the cave ought to be opened first if you're opening the cave to tourists...


This has got me excited to spend the rest of my life not cave diving

@Airplane Mxde not sure what thid means? I can drive fine. Legally? Not so much lol

@J.P bunkum cave is my name come get your boots stuck in my clay (;

@Alperen Öztürk drains are pretty safe if you use your head and go on a dry spell.

@Alperen Öztürk haha thanks man. I don't fuck with squeezes myself. Mines are much more dangerous than caves though.

@Julian Schaffer Yeah the fun on the surface part is not a strong argument. And not getting scared of depths, especially narrow caves require big balls. And your wording "Whatever gets me underground." killed me stay safe mate.

@Alperen Öztürk and after seeing so much in the surface i need more. Caves, drains, mines. Whatever gets me underground.

@Alperen Öztürk yeah that's why i won't go more than a couple hours in a cave unless im with someone experienced that knows the cave

@Julian Schaffer I think you're crazy and there's that...j/k but also no excuse me hell no......

@Julian Schaffer even without this horrible story I think deeps are pretty scary, scuba or cave diving its so unsettling. Also there is a lot of fun on surface.

Make sure you tell multiple people where you're going and if you're not in touch after x amount of time as well. Safety is priority. I've done a handful of caves, more so an urban explorer but i don't mind going under ground, it's peaceful, you see beautiful things, you explore and create memories, you get grimy you do and see things you'll never see above ground. Try finding a local grotto willing to teach you and go with you. There are plenty.

Don't be afraid To go caving. Go safely, there's wide-open caves with high ceilings, if you don't think you can do a squeeze don't do it, carry food and water, be aware of temperature for caves. Carry 2 plus light sources, never go alone. Wear protective gear. Caving is a beautiful experience, this is a freak accident from the 1920s, cave ins are extremely rare and this story is a disaster


If you look up the definition of loyalty in the dictionary you’ll see a picture of Floyd


this entire incident really encompasses all the bad and good humanity can make. from selfless and pure will of wanting to save a life to fucked up shit of profiteering over a dead man who clearly suffered so much.


Great video. I'd never heard of this event, fascinating but depressing as hell.

Also, because I'm THAT GUY - music list seems to be missing the Limgrave theme from Elden Ring, can be heard at 45:26.


That was the most American story ever told. Bravery, exploration, shameless profiteering, government grandstanding followed by government betrayal, heartbreak, grave robbing, honoring the dead...

It really had it all. Well... no love story but that'll be in the movie for sure.

@Charlie Weitzenberg Maybe racism isn't as American as you think it is. :3

Literally! As soon as I heard about the shameless business and contract practices that occurred, the younger stepmother that Floyd had a good relationship with and the government turning their backs on the rescuers, I just thought "wow, this is for Hollywood"

As a matter of fact, there’s a musical about Floyd Collins. I saw it a couple years ago, it’s pretty good. You can find songs from it on YouTube

Oh, surely *someone* will marry the corpse.

This is 'Muricah.

Oh, surely **someone** will marry the corpse.

This is 'Muricah.

The cave seemed to me like less of a location and more of an entity, like it grew attached to Floyd and didn't ever want to let him go.<br>Maybe that was the love story all along? The (not quite) love between a cave and a man?

The cave seemed to me like less of a location and more of an entity, like it grew attached to Floyd and didn't ever want to let him go.
Maybe that was the love story all along? The (not quite) love between a cave and a man?

Very well said.  It was an incredible story that showcased lots of the good and bad aspects of humanity.

@Charlie Weitzenberg True... the Democrats just started the KKK around that  time so that should have been featured.

good old fashion American grave robbing, t'aint nuthin like it. we rob our graves right 👍

@olserknam Ace in the Hole by Billy Wilder has a lot of similarities to this story. Strongly recommend watching it.

Why HASN'T a movie been made about this story yet? Sure, it's a tragedy and it could potentially be seen as insensitive, but even more people died on Titanic and look how that story was treated.

How would you cast it? I could see this being an amazing movie or Netflix series

You forgot the conspiracy theories, which spread like wildfire.

Our love stories are mostly just fiction anyway

Wow, you really summed it up in 4 sentences.  That's a talent of its own.


I find it fascinating that when the light went out, was when his own life went out.


As for another thing no one’s talking about that absolutely adds significant discomfort to all of this. Where exactly do you think he went to the bathroom all this time?

There was probably a small bathroom right around the corner from where he was trapped. I imagine he went there between interviews and rescue attempts for some much-needed privacy.


I grew up in Hopkinsville KY about 2 1/2 hours from Cave City. I had heard this story before but nit this much detail. Thank you.


If Mr Ballen has taught me anything then to NEVER go exploring caves or climb into chimneys.....


High key loving how Internet Historian is slowly transitioning from funny Internet stories to actual history.

same with Lemino, from top 10 facts/memes to investigative videos. His Jack the Ripper infographics is my favorite

It's all related though. This is one of the first ever broadcast rolling news stories; news as entertainment, attracting unwanted public attention. It's IH's specialty: how a widespread public response affects, and is affected by, the media.

The broadcast radio and newspapers provided updates on Floyd more than daily- regardless of whether they were true or not.
The media attracted more helpers to the scene; but in general the public enjoyed themselves, stood around and gawked, harassed the family, wasted rescuer's time, spread rumours and made hoaxes, hampered government funding, and them being there at all actually contributed to the cave collapse which eventually killed Floyd.

The internet is only 25 years old, so he ran out of content.

@TexasDragon 1995 The stuff on his second channel still have some of that 2014-2017 energy.

Still funny though. I really appreciate how his budget/production value grows with the channel.

@TexasDragon 1995 this, but well we can only hope

I agree, he tells a fantastic story! If anyone enjoyed this, I highly recommend watching The Gentleman Pirate and The Swedish Job on the Incognito Channel.

Well, I wouldn’t categorize them in such a polarized way… funny internet stories they may be, they are still history, and may be a useful tool for seeing how things ended up the way they did far into the future— or maybe only a couple of decades from now.

True but at the same time idk where to go for internet stories like he does. Tbh he should do both

Same here. But at the same time, I wouldn’t mind him making the occasional short internet history funny video


In a different timeline Floyd succeeded in turning it into an, ahem, tourist trap, and it caves in, killing dozens of people.


Just imagine how many times he shat himself


Great job!  I am so glad that the story of Floyd is still being told.  One minor correction though, his body wasn't returned to Sand Cave, it was placed in the cave that the Collins family ran as a commercial cave call Crystal Cave, which was crucial in the efforts made to connect the Flint Ridge System to the Mammoth Cave System making it the world's longest (now over 426 miles long). There's a really good book called Trapped!  The Story of Floyd Collins by Roger Brucker & Robert Murray.  If anyone has the chance to visit the National Park, go down the boardwalk to the entrance of Sand Cave and just try to imagine everything that took place there.  It's spooky, beautiful and amazing.

Why would the Collins family put their own family member on display? I have doubts


This guy and oversimplified make the best ads in their vids... and of course each video absolute banger


rarely am I 100% attentive on a youtube video this long but the story was told so well

Dude you always comment on videos but I never checked your channel.

some of yall are unappreciative as FUCK 😂😂

I don't think I've ever spent more than 20 minutes on a YouTube video... but somehow managed to make it through the whole hour.

Absolute masterpiece.

New to Internet Historian? All his 45 min+ videos are exactly like this, un-unwatchable.

Does anybody else see the problem with the tourist idea?<br>nobody even wants to go down there

Does anybody else see the problem with the tourist idea?
nobody even wants to go down there

Agree - normally I play games while I listen to the videos, but this one I had to watch full screen

IH is always a long watch, and always worth it, even if you see the end going.


Best video ever, thank you Internet Historian


My favourite part was when they said "it's Lenin time" and put his embalmed corpse on display


Floyd being turned into a tourist attraction and being presented like Vladimir Lenin and it actually working sounds like a bit from SNL


Gerald managing to move a HALF TON of rock single-handed is some real king shit.

@Marvin Cool Yeah less conservatie snowflakes back then. 🤣😂

dude i do that daily several times, not in the cave though

@blackdome98 Perfect wording, same thoughts

@SaltpeterTaffy well, as im lazy and not going to the bottom of this comment, i dont care.

@Aiden Yorke I'll take that to mean you don't realize why your statement is not valid.

@Aiden Yorke A car is greater than the sum of its parts. 1000 lbs. of car parts is far easier to move by hand than an assembled car.

@blackdome98 Personally, I would've been in the group of people who got to the Squeeze and noped. I'm not claustrophobic per se, but, well....nope.

@styk0n 1000 LBS is equal to a small car, it is easily as imposing as it seems, you just think its impressive because of the little patch he was in, but it was more impressive because he did it with a fucking paint can.

@The Major widening the cave hole could of damaged the stability of it.

I think the circumstances are really impressive and i agree with the sentiment, but if you've ever done landscaping before, moving a ton of soil takes about an hour for a layperson to do. The volume is actually nowhere near as imposing as it seems.

What ever happened to Gerald after all this? I was curious.

A thousand pounds ain't reall that much. It's impressive for the room he had, but not really that crazy.

@Nyllsor Saint Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go, I sold my soul to the company store

@Nyllsor not to be that guy but unless you're making some cave joke, it's debt not depth

@The Major Congrats, you would have fitted in well with the other people gawking at the cave from afar.

@The Major we’re talking 1920’s here safety wasn’t the first thing on most peoples minds especially not some guy living in the hill lands of Kentucky that goes into the same cave every single day

@Emperor of Mankind This. It is not a great feat of strength, and while it is an impressive feat of stamina, <i>you could do this.</i>

@Emperor of Mankind This. It is not a great feat of strength, and while it is an impressive feat of stamina, _you could do this._

While moving half a ton of rock over 8hrs isn't a big deal, staying in that cave working such a small void is some balls of steel work

"16 tons what do you get another day older and deeper in depth"

Why the rest of the guys didn't try to move any rocks out of the way is beyond me... goin.. I'll be back... instead of doing stuff to actually help...<br>And I'd say Floyd himself was an idiot as well. He could've chopped down some wood to prop up the cave entrance, made it a lot safer, and he could've widened the gosh darn entrances everywhere, instead of rushing in like an idiot.

Why the rest of the guys didn't try to move any rocks out of the way is beyond me... goin.. I'll be back... instead of doing stuff to actually help...
And I'd say Floyd himself was an idiot as well. He could've chopped down some wood to prop up the cave entrance, made it a lot safer, and he could've widened the gosh darn entrances everywhere, instead of rushing in like an idiot.

As Bill Maher put it, people were rougher back in the day.


The opening scared me so much (OH GOD I LIVE IN KENTUCKY IS THE CAVE GONNA EAT ME?) but then I got hit with "for reference, here's a subway sandwich" and I was comforted by remembering what channel I was watching


Its hindsight and I might be lacking some perspective, but you'd think if so many "tough guys" showed up wanting to save the day you just start giving them pickaxes and just try to make the tunnel bigger. Has to be better than standing around


Is it weird that I sat steady throughout all of Cost of Concordia- even the ship listing and and the flooding and all that- but got incredibly tense just seconds into this?


Went into this completely blind and was taken for a roller coaster ride of emotions, and was thoroughly devastated at Floyd's fate, amazing storytelling and effort all around Mr. Historian

@LateNightRewrites fuck my b. I was passed out. Didnt know i commented these

I just call him Int or Internet. We're on a first name basis.


the state refusing to pay the workers was a dick move, as was digging up his corpse to be a tourist attraction


Has anyone besides Floyd ever seen the Grotto chamber that he actually tried to show the public?


We’re gonna need an FTX collapse summary because there’s some weird stuff going on over there


dude, as someone who is TERRIFIED when someone even sits on top of me.. I would have died when I even entered the cave.


I have claustrophobia, and I can't watch this video. I can't stop imagine i was there instead of him and I'm terrified. What a horror. Anyone else can't or have problems to watch?


So did anyone ever find that hidden room that Floyd was trying to make an entrance to?


I saw internet historian and expected meme history, I am pleasantly surprised with what I got! Subscribed!


The full hour of the rescue story is a tale of the pure kindness and determination by people to save and honor someone<br>The last 9 minutes are a sharp "nevermind."

The full hour of the rescue story is a tale of the pure kindness and determination by people to save and honor someone
The last 9 minutes are a sharp "nevermind."

@Feathers McGraw people to argue about shit that has nothing to do with the topic at hand

@Feathers McGraw people to argue about shit that has nothing to do with the topic at hand

I really had a banger comment and y’all turned my replies into “The Cold War and it’s consequences” 💀

@Hawkbone Why does your reply to sausage have nothing to do with their comment?

@Hawkbone Why does your reply to sausage have nothing to do with their comment?

@Sausage He did it because he wanted to. Capitalism gave him the liberty to make the risk

@Sausage He did it because he wanted to. Capitalism gave him the liberty to make the risk

@effluviah more like journalism, but keep blaming the wrong people.

@effluviah more like journalism, but keep blaming the wrong people.

@5uperM Heck, even the children of Party members suffered malnutrition when I was a kid. Fish head soup was pretty darn common except Party members had ready supplies of good food.

@LordVader1094 muh capitalism! Said redditor munching on his vegan steak while less than 100 years ago people were starving to death under communism. So progressive!

@effluviah if it was communism he would have starved long before ever getting trapped in the cave.

@Jean Hunter …no, I actually want to destroy the world. OF COURSE it’s satire!

And systems don’t have feelings, communism cares just as much about you as capitalism. Go look at the Rockefeller period, there is a reason the US made anti-trust laws and other things like it at that time period. Its because the rich capitalists basically ruled the country for a while, and we paid for it in human life! Only after regulation became involved did things get better. Both systems are imperfect, communism just manifests its imperfections quicker.

And honestly you can’t really blame either system for their imperfections, both would work were it not for human flaws like greed and a desire for power.

Capitalism relies upon human greed, so I’d be shocked if we couldn’t find a better system, but we’d never be able to switch to it unless it benefitted those in power.

@Mico Chen Dumbass, he loosened the rock his foot because he had to feel his way out of a dark cave after his lamp went out.

Without capitalism you wouldn't be watching this video numbnuts.

Without capitalism you wouldn't be watching this video numbnuts.

Floyd worked harder than anyone to become a rich man, he ended as a corpse, trapped in a cave, exploited for capital by a man who was already filthy rich. I don' t think there's a better analogy to demonstrate how much of a scam the American dream is and how purely evil capitalism is.

@da jokah baby 5+ years ago I’d think so, but you’d be surprised now adays with some people I’ve met in person and online.

@Epistemophiliac
Remember
Commies aren't human. Shooting them is merely destruction of state property

Unironically these monsters will murder you, your entire family and 90% of your nation just to get their retarded ideology to "Work" as it devolves into a totalitarian backwards nightmare. They are undeserving of human rights

@Jean Hunter Pretty sure they’re both being sarcastic, Jean

@Jean Hunter Pretty sure they’re both being sarcastic, Jean

@Matthew Kennedy This HAS To be satire right?

@Matthew Kennedy This HAS To be satire right?

@Sangral Knight Pretty much, like it’s not a coincidence that every system we come up with that’s aimed to somehow improve society almost always ends up being corrupted in some form or another.

@GR-81 Ah so the least empathetic and caring for human life?

@GR-81 Ah so the least empathetic and caring for human life?

@Hawkbone If you had paid attention to the video, then you would know that's not true at all. It wasn't the lamp going out that trapped as it wasn't the first time. It was him accidentally pulling the rock which unclogged the pocket of gravel above him to crash down on him

@Hawkbone He didn’t say capitalism killed Floyd, he said it’s destroying humanity (ie law gaming a family out of a corpse to put it on display for tourist money.)

@Hawkbone Hawkbone you must have a short memory...remember what floyd was doing there in the first place? At the beginning of the video?<br>Capitalism. The motive. Part of the method. All of the crime.

@Hawkbone Hawkbone you must have a short memory...remember what floyd was doing there in the first place? At the beginning of the video?
Capitalism. The motive. Part of the method. All of the crime.

@Jean Hunter me communism, we learned from all those who also learned from the USSR ;)

@Jean Hunter me communism, we learned from all those who also learned from the USSR ;)

@Jean Hunter nuclear destruction, no more poverty or unequality! War is gone and so is hunger! No more struggling to save a destroyed environment!

@effluviah would LOVE to hear what system would have been so much better for humanity.

@effluviah would LOVE to hear what system would have been so much better for humanity.

@Sausage in a socialist society where people get to work jobs that they’re good at, Floyd will still be in that cave exploring it and prepping it for the world to see. Floyd’s passion had always been caves. If he focused on money he would have become a farmer instead.

@LordVader1094 Systems dont comit sins. People do.
Blaming capitalism for a man's death is as foolish as blaming communism. Its not the system its the people. People do horrible things. There is no if, and, but, or why. Its human nature to be equal parts hero and monster. For all the grandstanding about using a man's corpse for profit how many here are doing the same for ideological messages. Hell, even this video is the same, profit from this man's story of suffering. And we are here. Bantering over his grave.

Now I will say no more.

@Hawkbone Floyd only put himself in a situation to be killed like that because he lived in a capitalist society that encourages people to make as much money as they can as fast as they can at any risk

@Japanese Music Archive thank you for saying that.

@Japanese Music Archive thank you for saying that.

@Hawkbone Pure cope.

Considering his corpse literally got made into a trophy by capitalism.

@effluviah This isn't an issue with Capitalism, this is an issue of greed. Greed exists in all political structures. There is no world in which there isn't a person willing to exploit another, which is depressing but it's truth.

@effluviah Why even bring up the judge? Their job is to follow the law impartially, not to decide based on fee fees. It's not the judge's fault Floyd's father was stupid and/or careless enough to make a deal that turned Floyd's corpse into a tourist show.

Also kepitelism bad can I have some updoots please.

really, the last 9 minutes don't make me say that at all. What matters is what happened when he was alive, and they tried hard. The disposition of the corpse is irrelevant.

@effluviah <br>Conveniently ignoring the part where a capitalist business owner basically shuts down his mine, takes his workers and does everything he can to try to save this man despite the fact that it probably cost him a ton.

@effluviah
Conveniently ignoring the part where a capitalist business owner basically shuts down his mine, takes his workers and does everything he can to try to save this man despite the fact that it probably cost him a ton.

Stop cooooming to coooomunism you cooomies

Stop cooooming to coooomunism you cooomies

@Sausage <br>People like you act like capitalism invented greedy people, it doesn't matter the system, bad people will find a way to exploit it.

@Sausage
People like you act like capitalism invented greedy people, it doesn't matter the system, bad people will find a way to exploit it.

@effluviah <br>People like you act like capitalism invented greedy people, it doesn't matter the system, bad people will find a way to exploit it.

@effluviah
People like you act like capitalism invented greedy people, it doesn't matter the system, bad people will find a way to exploit it.

@effluviah This is truly a harrowing, mournful story that requires the utmost care and reverence.

up next, Capitalism Bad: where we throw critical thinking and nuance to the wind and give you a hyperbolic, surface level snippit on why it was capitalism and only capitalism that caused events to transpire as they did, and is definately not using a tragic event to push a political agenda; I mean when does that ever happen...

@Epistemophiliac And "Everyone I disagree with is a Nazi."<br>The basics of internet conversation.

@Epistemophiliac And "Everyone I disagree with is a Nazi."
The basics of internet conversation.

@effluviah "capitalism bad give upvotes"

@effluviah "capitalism bad give upvotes"

@Epistemophiliac they put his corpse on display for money? How is that not capitalism

@Epistemophiliac they put his corpse on display for money? How is that not capitalism

Say it with me now, normies. "Everything I don't like is capitalism"

Say it with me now, normies. "Everything I don't like is capitalism"

@Sausage Floyd had been exploring caves since he was very young. If the lamp had gone out the very first time he went in, the exact same thing would have happened. Same if it was his second time, or his third, fourth, etc.

Often times, tragedy simply...happens. Life doesn't care what economic system or political beliefs you have. It would be unbelievablly naive and simple minded to attribute Floyd's death to a flaw in human society. These terrible things would happen regardless of any of that.

@effluviah Laughs in Lenin's Mausoleum.
Thirst for power is what leads people to trample human dignity, it's not proper to money and capitalism.
It's part of human nature, really. Some people just have a lower bar to how far they can go into trampling other people for their own gain.

Some put on display corpses.
Some buy iPhone made by exploited Chinese people and containing minerals extracted by children.
Some demonize and exclude from society people based on their personal choices, for political power.
Very different levels of trampling, for very different gains.

Always been this way, far before capitalism even existed, and will always be this way.

@effluviah I find it ironic that you are using this story to push an agenda while complaining that others are using a story to make profit. Its not capitalists fault that people are heartless bastards.

@Hawkbone Nah capitalism did, since Floyd wanted some serious money from his underground attraction in the first place

@effluviah Capitalism didn't kill Floyd. Nature did.

@effluviah Capitalism didn't kill Floyd. Nature did.

Perfect example of how capitalism destroys humanity. People were out there doing the work to save this man, willing to walk away for the most part when many of them were never paid for their efforts. But then as soon as money could be made by putting his corpse on display in the same place all those people worked tirelessly to try to free him from in the first place, suddenly money is the only thing that matters-- Even the judge sided with the businessman who turned his corpse into a tourist show. It's so depressing, but one of the clearest cases of capitalism eroding human compassion that I have ever seen. It's just so blatant and undeniable.


legitimately wanna cry for Floyd and I'm not all the way through yet but this makes me feel SO ANXIOUS!

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now.......


To anyone who found this video interesting I highly recommend that you look up the story of Josh Jones and the Nutty Putty Cave.


Not going to lie, the person who voiced Homer sounds a lot like Ned Flanders to me


14:36 - 10 hours to get there... jesus thats unthinkable, its like an hour and a half with modern roads.


Let's not forget his childhood friend came and shifted a half tonne of rocks by hand. We all need a friend like that.

Ha! That’s nothing! I have many friends on social media and I bet they’d all come to my aid, right guys?!

… guys?


Seeing the contraption with the jack makes me glad to have airbags for shit like this.


No one will ever convince me that this is fun. All these people are in on something, I will not have it any other way. Never will I ever go into a cave where I can barely fit.


This is hands down the most depressing video on the channel holy shit. He died a agonizingly slow painful death.


how did they know the weight of the rock that fell on Floyd's ankle ?<br>did they take it out or something ?

how did they know the weight of the rock that fell on Floyd's ankle ?
did they take it out or something ?


It’s just pains me to know that Homer and the others were so close, but yet so far away from saving Floyd. It must have haunted Homer’s mind for the rest of his life. I hope those two are reunited again in the afterlife.

@AK I was an hour in and got bored. I have full rights to complain about spoilers, buckaroo.

@Confusing Content imagine going deep into the comment section of a video you haven't watched yet and complaining about spoilers

@Marco Bott I was referring to the man who died at nutty putty cave. He was basically dead the moment he decided to try and go through the crack in which he got stuck.

@Beep Bop Did you not pay attention to the video? They certainly would have been able to dig him out, but several mistakes lead to the cave's structure collapsing before they could free him. Maybe it was inevitable in the deterministic sense, but theoretically they could have gotten him out. It wasn't necessarily a no-hope situation.

Not even Homer Simpson could save George Floyd, his fate was.... sealed.

@Miðgarðsormr Apophis Honestly not as bad. His death was horrible, but there was never really any hope of getting him out, and it was still faster than what happened to Floyd.

@Miðgarðsormr Apophis You're right, we would not.

You wouldn't want to know about Nutty Putty Cave


So how’s that whole “shorter videos” thing working out for you?

No but seriously, this is great!


Sad to think they were so close with the jack and crow bar. then the damn cave had to collapse


Me hearing terrible war crimes:calm
Me hearing the videos intro: nightmares

Me hearing terrible war crimes:calm
Me hearing the videos intro: *nightmares*


this gave me red dead redemption 2 strangers and freaks vibes, i wish they referenced it in a way, something similar if you went into a cave,

but also, why didn't they look for a way around him to get access to the rock? was that the only pathway?


The greatest tragedy of all was the fact that all of this was for nothing: The guy went down there hoping to open up a path to an incredibly impressive chamber in the cave for the sake of tourism, but nevermind how even experienced cave delvers would balk at the route in question, the whole thing came down after only a few days of traffick in and out.  It was a doomed endeavor from the very beginning.  He died trying to create a path that would inevitably collapse once tourism started.

@Kenan Phillip Right.  And maybe that's the problem: "He knew better than anybody."  The day this all started, he didn't take the cave seriously.  He'd gotten so used to the cave that he was no longer being as cautious as he should be.  I mean, he didn't bother checking to make sure his lamp was full of kerosene before entering.  That's despite knowing he planned to spend several hours down there.  He'd been down there so many times that he'd quit making sure that his most important equipment was ready for the expedition.  He stopped treating it like an extremely dangerous task and started treating it as routine, and it cost him dearly.  He got overconfident and complacent, and that's what ultimately led to this entire situation.  It is when you stop treating something as dangerous as a cave like this with the respect it deserves, even unconsciously, that it kills you.

@First Last Floyd actually trained under a geologist who taught him about the layout of the land and the cave systems, and he was an incredibly experienced caver who knew lots about working with cave systems. Of course (obviously) Sand Cave was dangerous, but he knew that better than anybody even before he got stuck in there.

On a bittersweet side, at least he had become a tourist spot for Sand Cave

thats life, thats what all the people say

Im pretty convinced this cave is cursed with a treasure or something, the cave was demanding only the diamond in the rough XD

@WaaDoku 【和ァ独】 no. The fact that Floyd spent 8 months just to widen that cave further means that months wouldn't be enough based on the resources he had. Years would be more accurate.

@StrikeWarlock They worked very quickly under immense pressure and with extreme time constraints. I think they could've made it work in a few months' time under normal circumstances and with the necessary funding.

@putent Oh, sorry, spoilers for something that literally happened a century ago.

@putent I think it's pretty evident if you don't want to know the outcome in advance that you don't look into the comments and first watch the full video. I did it that way because I knew just from the suspense of the video that people are going to discuss what happens at the end. Of course people are gonna want to discuss the story.

Truth is... it was rigged from the start.

@WaaDoku 【和ァ独】 it broke down twice even when it was fortified in the attempts to rescue Floyd. It would've fell apart with the resources they had available then.

They could've fortified the entrance like they did later in the rescue mission. But I doubt that with the technology at the time it would've been possible to maintain for very long. Plus, any heavy machinery that's operated close to the cave would have made the descent deadly. And I'm not sure how they would've gotten carbon monoxide out of a cave system back then.

@Seth Biv I'm not even surprised Miller stayed an absolute Chad.

And then he became the tourist attraction

@samuraiwarrior87 pretty sure the cave collapsed twice after having supports placed to save this dude in the first place so nah it would have caved in

@samuraiwarrior87 Maybe, but don't assume that a Kentucky farmboy and cave explorer would know much about geology or cave stability, and if a cave is unstable enough, reinforcement just isn't possible.  I mean, the tunnel he was working in was just one rock kick away from dumping gravel on him and trapping him.  His working to expand that tunnel would inevitably bring it down on him one dayif that's the case.  If a single rock was all that supported it, that section of the cavern was by no means stable.  It is quite possible that no amount of reinforcement could have made that route safe, even if he had access to the knowledge, skills, manpower, and resources needed to do a professional job of it, and was aware that the section in question really was that bad.

@samuraiwarrior87 he should have focused on making the entrance safe and opening up the squeeze rather than trying to get into the crystal cave

Pretty sure he was experienced enough to know to get the cave reinforced before opening it to the public.

Not really, all cave I have been in are like this due to its softer, eroded metarial. I bet anyone want to open a cave they have to open a entrance first, reinforce it, then open to tourist.

Its also tragic how much the public continuously made things worse as time progressed. I can't imagine the disappointment of the four people who actually wanted to see him alive, and the anger they must have felt at the mishandling of the situation by the public

The homie Miller was at least able to locate the crystal cave with scientists. So at least he was able to share his discovery with the world, just not the way he intended.

"In 1954, he returned to the Mammoth Cave National Park area with a group of 32 people (journalists, scientists, and explorers) who were eager to study the famous Crystal Cave that Collins had originally discovered in 1917. They entered it, and spent an entire week exploring; Miller told an Associated Press reporter the Crystal Cave, with its "flower-like formations of gypsum, 'was like an orchid paradise' and despite its role in the tragedy of Collins' death, it was still a place of amazing natural beauty."


i was dozing off at the end of the video and heard the happy music, wasn't fully paying attention as i had decided it was a happy ending, and then "he was dead." fully woke me up and made me bust out laughing. after all of that shit. they finally decided to dig a hole after like 2 weeks. and he was dead.


Honestly the disrespect of digging up someone who died trapped in a cave and then putting their body BACK INTO A CAVE is unreal

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now........


There was a 1951 Hollywood movie based on this called Ace in the Hole, starring Kirk Douglas. Kirk Douglas was a pretty big star - worked a lot with Kubrick - and though he was 100% Hollywood, he did try and get some interesting projects made.

He was also the original (original for me, as an old fart, anyway) Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral!


first heard of it remotely by a conservative dude talking about the dangers of pursuing the esoteric in a youtube vid. The guy gives a lot of good philosophy in his vids.


If anyone ever haunted anything, this man is for sure haunting the shit out of that cave.

@TheDeckinator he died trying to make a killing off of tourism, stated in the first 10 minutes. I think he'd love the money more than the "cramp wet cave" aspect, homie

@BLB Entertainment Beautiful. Godspeed to a hero.

@BLB Entertainment Man I hope that's true. What a beautiful sentiment😢

@TheDeckinator I don't think getting trapped in a cave is what he loved.

If his spirit has any say in the matter, I'm sure he's haunting anywhere BUT that cave.

@BLB Entertainment I love this thinking. His ultimate goal was to find out more about that cave's beautiful sight, in order to make money too of course. But what a dead man wants to do with money. He's gambled his life with the cave and the cave won. Best to let him no clip the cave.

@BLB Entertainment bro playing minecraft in spectator mode now lol

I'd like to think that since he was finally laid to rest, every now and then he comes down from his peaceful afterlife and is able to explore all the caves he wants to by no-clipping as a ghost, getting to see the wonders in all it's glory illuminated by his radiating and brave soul. Maybe he even pokes fun at the very site where he passed, unable to be harmed anymore and having the freedom to finally navigate through passages he originally tried digging by hand. Above all else though I pray he found peace in his final moments. God bless his and other brave adventurers souls.

The ultimate irony that Floyd indeed never left the cave


This is at the same time the best Internet Historian Video ever, and also the worst. What I mean, is that watching this for the first time was one of the most intense experiences I've ever had with any audiovisual medium. This made me sweat and gasp more than any movie I've ever seen. However, once you know the ending, it is very hard and heart wrenching to see, therefore lowering it's rewatchability, a staple of Internet Historian's videos.


I have five words for Floyd.<br>May he rest in piece.

I have five words for Floyd.
May he rest in piece.


Dude just straight up made a movie and uploaded it to YouTube


14:02 I love how the peaky blinders decided to show up as well 😂


Masterful storytelling. Was genuinely heartbroken when the verdict was announced. The way the public acted is exactly how I’d expect people today to react.

@TicklingOscars Animation you know what, we did. The Philippines cave rescue went so much better. It ended in a happy note. Despite being a big news, the families now know peace.

@TicklingOscars Animation we haven’t have we? Like in the pandemic where a bunch of Facebook doctors said it was fake.

Watching this video while knowing what happens with this story is so painful.

Ya, just like how Elon Musk accused the rescuer at the Thailand caves for the missing boys of being a pedo.


I wish something became of that chamber that Floyd was trying to get to in the first place


It just dawned on me that on top of everything else this poor guy dealt with, he also had to have shit himself at least three or four times and pissed himself countless times. And after a pint of coffee and 9 sausage sandwiches, that had to be a real doozy of a deuce. Damn......☹


The fact that all the background characters are just random shots from the peaky blinders is so funny to me.


I'm trying to figure out was this video supposed to be funny or serious? Because I couldn't help but find myself laughing a lot, the way the story was narrated and the animation plus the unfortunate timing of rocks falling from the ceiling and striking people in the head or back 😂 had me gasping for air between laughs !!

It's meant to be a humorous way of telling a serious story, this channel is meant to be funny


After Floyd dies, this goes from a story about the entire country trying to help a man to the most batshit insane post-mortem experience imaginable.

@Fiddler OnTheNet Why are you in the comments if you didnt watch the entire video? The fault is on you.

If there is hole, then there is goal. - average kentuky residents trying to profit.


I didn’t know you and wendingoon are bois?!? You got my like and subscribe. Good content good people!

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now.


I'd like to see this as an actual movie lol


Light bulbs back then lasted way, way longer than they do today. Once they were strung up, there was no need to worry like we do today about bulbs intentionally made to blow up to make you buy another and then leave a tiny carbon footprint as you do.


05:06 absolutely terrifying representation of just how deep Floyd was. Throughout the video I kept thinking back to this whenever a rescuer went inside to help him.

The damn Entrance alone was like another 15 feet of tunnel 😟

@Sara Pineda Ah, I wasn't talking about the flying kind. I agree, this literal crawlspace is absolutely unsuitable for quadrocopters.
I was thinking more generally about "remote-controlled robots with cameras", using other means of movement.

Floyd, while presumably leaving us with a decent physical map, obviously didn't provide any digital files to work with, haha.

All this while being trapped in the pitch dark. You don't know if anyone will come or know where you're at.

I can safely say that I think my heart or stomach dropped when I saw that representation. No way in heaven OR hell would I go down there.

@LinkEX Having visited a couple of caves, there is zero chance that even a skilled drone pilot could fly one through a cave. If the drone disappeared behind even a few feet of rock, the signal would cut out instantly.

From the sounds of the rescue efforts, the cave had already been mapped out very well (probably by Floyd himself, unless someone else had made a map during the rescue chaos), since they knew exactly where to dig down to reach him.

Well then definitely don't do what I did and watch it at 0.25x speed (with volume on for extra horrifying music)

@Wardo Good question, actually.

Since this video also included bits of the real area, and considering its fame, I just assumed the cave's interior had probably been made available digitally, after having been captured by drones or something.

Absolutely terrifying, indeed.

I took a break from watching this after seeing that part. Just finished watching it.
Aside from the great storytelling in general, the visualization of the squeeze just put me emotionally on edge while watching that whole thing.

i love deep floyd my dad used to play them all the time

Yeah it's completely nuts. And these people make several trips to that point

Right!!? It really put into perspective how bad everything was


Imagine going thru that hole and eating the sub you used to measure the hole on the other side and not fitting thru the hole anymore :D


Loved seeing all the cameo’s <br>Especially Rusty

Loved seeing all the cameo’s
Especially Rusty


the sad thing is, what actually killed him wasn't the cave, it was all the gawkers. Yeah, of course lightning a bunch of fires is gonna make ice melt, and if it hadn't, they would have gotten him out.

tbh he shouldn't dig there either, there's no way people would squeeze in that cave


The part where it zooms through the cave showing how deep he’s stuck in the cave scared the shit out of me

Which makes the thought process of "I'm gonna turn this place into a tourism hotspot, with an entrance that would absolutely trap anyone with waist over 20 inches" more mind boggling. Like even if he was successful, I'd imagine the only tourist that shows up would be exclusively limited to experienced veteran cave experts, and that's IF anyone showed up.

@Mens Hominis : I'm only 4 minutes in and I'm sweating bullets.

Watching his way there all the way until he got stuck actually gave me anxiety. I'm not claustrophobic and I've never had a panic attack, but at some point yesterday I thought about quitting the video. There just is something about this predicament and/or death that is inhumanely horrifying.<br>I've once read about a man who did the same as Floyd but ended up in a shaft with a downward inclination head-first ...

Watching his way there all the way until he got stuck actually gave me anxiety. I'm not claustrophobic and I've never had a panic attack, but at some point yesterday I thought about quitting the video. There just is something about this predicament and/or death that is inhumanely horrifying.
I've once read about a man who did the same as Floyd but ended up in a shaft with a downward inclination head-first ...

Yeah, like, involuntary recoiling levels of NOPE

5:10 I had to play it at .25 speed several times. Why anyone would go down through that is crazy to me. It’s terrible way before the turnaround room


Gerald the absolute chad: "Let's see what we got here"
*Proceeds to move half a ton of rock*

Gerald the absolute chad: "Let's see what we got here"
**Proceeds to move half a ton of rock**

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now........


This is how people who fall into crevasses die. And it happens fairly frequently in the world of mountaineering,  where people have to cross crevasse covered glaciers.
Many people have died, upside down, deep in the dark, cold, crevasse.

Their pack is no help, as it helps to keep them trapped.

Horrifying.


Wendigoon content quality pales in comparison to all other channels of a similar size. He's just a bored, monotone, droning, half asleep dude talking from a tiny room


When They said Floyd was dead it was so sad and unexpected


We all know Gerald was the unsung hero of this story. He tried his absolute hardest.

The scenes of which Gerald found the entrance has been blocked by rockfalls totally heart-tearing...and makes the Sand Cave personification more chilling

I thought he was saved when the called a witcher.

@pr0chszy I'd disagree, as people were already gathering outside and causing problems before Miller actually released his story. Miller's attention is what attracted the military and, if only they had been a bit quicker, they might have managed to save him. It's a damn shame no matter how you slice it.

Well Miller's efforts kind of backfired, the media attention and the gawkers was what ultimately led to the cave-in that sealed Collin's fate.

Gerald was absolutely the chaddest of the bunch. But they are all heroes.

yeah him and the journalist got real close to saving Floyd.  it's unfortunate that all the media attention ultimately doomed him.

I AM THE BEEST YOUUTUBER YOU'RE ALL TRAASH COMPARED TO ME IM THE BEEST 😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯

Everyone who was able to get though the turnaround room are all heroes, including the engineer guy. They were the only ones brave enough to actually try and help him.

Miller, Homer, Gerald, and those volunteers were all the heroes; not one of them didn't give it their all. Miller gave the resources, gave the effort, while the rest made up the difference with the same pure effort.


You forgot to mention, there was a f*cking MUSICAL. My college theatre did it, that's how I first heard Floyd's story. Singing and dancing about a man dying in a cave. Wild. Wonder what Floyd would have thought of a musical being made about him?


I tried watching this again. My fears said no thanks at the turn around room.


Interesting story, was hoping for a happy ending.


This is actually such a beautiful story about how far humans are willing to save humans - even for just one.

You mean a few humans are willing to save one man, while others gawk like morons.

Just one literally brought hundreds of people together

@The Cum Guzzler I mean, they didn't know. Most didn't. These days the authorities would be on this in a flash and would keep people away

It's also a story about how stupid and useless most people are.  Watch it again and this time pay attention to all the people who were there.  They new the situation and did nothing.  Not only did they do nothing.  Most of the time they were actively hindering the rescue whether they knew it or not.

I recommend watching the doc about the Chilean miners, if you werent tuned in while it was happening.

@The Cum Guzzler Yeah, Cum Guzzler. I hate them too.

@The Cum Guzzler There will always be fools, but don’t let them overshadow what the others we’re doing to genuinely help

@The Cum Guzzler if they hadn't lit campfire and gathered around and started so much drama and bs he would have survived 100%

It is; however, I can’t help but be really frustrated by the gawkers who made things worse. I’m pissed beyond what I should be. fuck, man, I hate them.

It also shows how fucking stupid the average person can be, like when they made that whole thing a huge tourist attraction to profit from it and started spreading rumors.

I seen a frightening story how kapitalism and the fierce competition it creates forced a man to crawl through hell for months until he got stuck and died and people only showed up to help once it was too late and nobody thinks the system should maybe change.


Truly a masterpiece. I would love to see a video in IH's style of the Galapagos Affair, I love these breakdowns of insane moments in history.


I'm watching this on Halloween because horror movies don't cut it for me anymore and damn is it super scary.


Now I'm no physicist but I wonder if the weight of all those people on the ground above could've contributed to the cave ins along with the melting snow.


Dude, you really know how to deliver an add. I actually watched it <b>facepalm</b>

Dude, you really know how to deliver an add. I actually watched it *facepalm*


Still in absolute amazement of Miller, dude goes there to cover the story but ends up putting his life on the line to help. Incredible.

@eyanscot Today's journalists wouldn't have helped on the grounds that it would compromise their objectivity. Also they would be too fat to fit through the squeeze.

lol yeah, compare him to today's "journalists".

@Alorand lol, and they gave pulitzer to that NYT guy that denied the holodomore too

this might be one of the few times a reporter wasn't a scumbag

@Alorand He could’ve got 1 Million dollars but he refused. He didn’t do it to be rewarded so criticizing the lack of it is disrespectful to his deeds.

And all he got for it was a Pulitzer Prize...


That was great, now I wanna see the Sam O’Nella version


Amazing story! Unrelated, but I was wondering (with acknowledgment that it is currently an ongoing issue) when the history of the fall of Twitter is gonna be created.

Hi thanks for watching congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted Halloween winners text me to claim a prize now.......


For the first half of the video I was so sure he would survive that I was thinking about whether or not he would be crazy enough to go back and keep expanding the cave afterwards. I was really hoping the crowd's stupidity would just be a cringey sidenote but alas.

Honestly, I won't ever understand people's need to just stand around and watch during emergencies. Either do something productive or go away 🤦♀

For the first half of the video I was so sure he would survive that I was thinking about whether or not he would be crazy enough to go back and keep expanding the cave afterwards. I was really hoping the crowd's stupidity would just be a cringey sidenote but alas.

Honestly, I won't ever understand people's need to just stand around and watch during emergencies. Either do something productive or _go away_ 🤦♀

But let's by honest we would probably stick around back then, but I do agree with you.


My GOD. If  anyone ever asks why there are places haunted by ghosts, show them this story. Floyd must be pissed in the afterlife


This was an incredibly well made video. I would have paid to see this and I shall (the video not Floyd after the fact). You have given me years of entertainment. So thank you. Also RIP Floyd.


this is literally the most miserable way to die. it just can’t get worse than this.


!!!!Spoilers!!!!

What a messed up story

R.I.P. William


as a kentuckian thank you so much for not pronouncing louisville like “loo is ville”☠


20:56 POV: You're playing Fallout and fall right into a quest you didn't want at all.