In the month of May 1902, agitation reigns in Saint-Pierre de la Martinique. Mount Pelee has awakened and despite the signs of an imminent eruption, the governor refuses to evacuate the city : in a few days, elections will be held, and he does not want to empty the city of its population. But the people of Saint-Pierre won’t get the opportunity to vote, since the city will be totally destroyed by the volcano. But Louis-Auguste Cyparis, who is languishing in his dungeon, will have his life saved. Surviving a volcanic eruption is no mean feat...

There are places on Earth where you should not get sick. But you can’t choose the day and time to have an attack of appendicitis ! Newly certified doctor Leonid Rogozov spent the winter of 1961 in the Antarctic. Far, far away from any medical assistance other than his own. Poor Leonid, he’d have to grit his teeth before cutting open his belly to take out that nasty infected appendix... it was a matter of life and death.

In 1971, Angus Barbieri entered the Guiness Book of World Records for going 382 days without eating. Incredible... Still today, doctors contend that a human being cannot remain more than 80 days without absorbing food, and yet this Scotsman lasted over a year. He owes it all to his extraordinary will to lose weight...