Has anyone ever escaped Alcatraz Prison?
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And now, it's time for Who Smarted? Hey, Smarty Pants, today I'm coming to you from... Shh! Quiet! No talking unless I say so. But how can I host Who Smarted if I can't talk? Should have thought of that before you came here. So, Mr. Narrator, you think you've got what it takes to survive the most famous, most notorious, most difficult-to-escape prison in American history, huh? Huh?

Wow, your tour guys really get into character, huh? Just answer the question! Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're asking me if I've got what it takes to survive where? Smarty Pants, do you know the name of the most famous, most notorious, and hardest to escape prison in U.S. history? Call out your answer. Yep, I heard some of you say it. Why, it's none other than Alcatraz.

And to answer your question, Mr. Big Mean Prison Guard, yes, I can survive. Maybe. Probably. This is part of the fully immersive private tour I signed up for, right? Sure, it's all part of the tour. And I'm your Big Mean Prison Guard tour guide, Alcatraz Al. And one thing you should know about Alcatraz Al is that he takes his job as a fully immersive tour guide way too seriously. Gotcha.

Gotcha. Well, I take my job as a trusty narrator very seriously, too. Which is why I'm here to learn all about Alcatraz. Like, was Alcatraz Island always a prison? Where did it get the nickname, The Rock? Did Alcatraz have any famous inmates? And why is it known for being nearly impossible to escape? It'll be my pleasure to show you. Oh boy, looks like we're in for a captive whiff of science and history on... The Smart Egg! The Smart Egg!

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Say, Alcatraz Al, if we're going to do a tour of Alcatraz Prison, don't you need to let me out of this jail cell? I mean, it was cool to see it and all, but I'm getting a little claustrophobic. Sure, Alcatraz Al will let you out. No problem. That's great. Thanks, Al. Now we'll just put you in these handcuffs. Oh. And leg irons. Uh... All part of the fully immersive private tour. You do want to be immersed, don't you? Yes.

How are those leg irons treating you? A little snug. Good. Now, the first thing to know about America's most famous prison, in case you hadn't noticed, we're on an island. Alcatraz Island, which is located in what city? What do you think, smarty pants? Where is Alcatraz located? I'll give you a hint. It's in the bay of a famous California city. Is it A, Los Angeles, B, San Diego, or C, San Francisco? If you said C, you're right.

Uh-huh. Alcatraz Prison sits on a small island about a mile and a quarter away from the shores of San Francisco. Smarneypants, true or false? Alcatraz Island was always a prison. The answer is... false.

The island wasn't always a prison. In fact, the island itself is a naturally formed rocky island that got its name in 1775 from a Spanish explorer named Juan Manuel de Ayala. He called it La Isla de los Alcatraces.

And from that, we get Alcatraz. And also the nickname for Alcatraz, The Rock. I see. Smarty Pants, what do you think La Isla de los Alcatraces means? Is it A, the Island of Cicadas? B, the Island of Seabirds? C, the Island of Marvel? If you said B, good job.

Yes, the name is Spanish for the island of seabirds. More specifically, the island of garnets, which is a type of seabird. Though, ironically, there are no garnets on Alcatraz Island. Go figure. But there is lots of iron. Get it? Because you said ironically and there's lots of iron in the prison? No.

Quiet! Did I say you could keep talking? Sorry. Wow, this tour is a lot scarier than what I signed up for. You have no idea what's coming. Anyway, after the Mexican-American War, the island was fortified for the first time in the mid-1800s to protect the area from possible invaders. Then, during the Civil War, the fort became a military prison, imprisoning mostly Confederate soldiers.

Oh, wow. I did not know that. Of course you didn't. That's why you're here. Anyway, that's when the folks in charge started to realize, maybe this place would make a mighty fine prison. After all, it's on an isolated rocky island, the closest shore is over a mile away, the shark-infested water below is cold, and the current out to sea is very strong. Add all that together, and what do you get? A prison that's nearly impossible to escape.

Exactly. And who do you put inside a prison that's impossible to escape from? What do you think, smarty pants? Who would you put in the most secure prison? Why, of course, the baddest, toughest, meanest, most awful criminals. That's right. The worst of the worst. Prisoners that cause problems in or escape from other prisons. Guys that had to be locked up for good. So, like, who ended up here? And what, what, what?

What did they do? Bad things. One of the most notorious prisoners on Alcatraz was called the Birdman of Alcatraz. The Birdman of Alcatraz? Yep. His real name was Robert Stroud. Long before he wound up in Alcatraz, he was sent to jail for murder.

He was moved around a few times from jail to jail because he stabbed other prisoners, even other guards. In short, he was a very, very, very dangerous inmate. Until he became obsessed with birds. Oh, um, how does one become obsessed with birds? In prison?

Well, you see, narrator, when he was at Leavenworth Prison in Kansas, he found a nest with three injured sparrows in the prison yard and nursed them back to health. He became so fascinated by birds, he bought canaries with the money he made working in the prison. Eventually, he had so many canaries, his jail cell was overrun with them. Not to mention, lots of bird...

Ew, sounds like a pretty weird guy. Hey, smarty pants, true or false, Robert the Birdman Stroud had so many birds, he was eventually given a second jail cell just for his feathered friends. If you said false, you're wrong. It's hard to believe, but they actually let him keep his birds in their own cell. Talk about a bunch of jailbirds.

Good one, narrator. Of course, this is a prison, not a pet store. I, for one, wouldn't have allowed it. In fact, them birds are why he ended up here in Alcatraz in the first place. All that bird nonsense became such a hassle to everyone at Leavenworth, he was transferred here to Big Bad Alcatraz, where he received a particularly cruel punishment. No second bird cell? Try no birds at all. He wasn't allowed to bring any birds with him.

Hold on, Al. Are you telling me the man whose nickname was the Birdman of Alcatraz didn't have any birds while he was at Alcatraz? Hey, I didn't give him the nickname. At least he could stare out the window at the seabirds. As for you, any more sass and you're going to solitary confinement. Which is also just part of the immersive tour, right? Maybe. But if I were you, I'd be on my best behavior.

Yes, sir. Anywho, the Birdman wasn't our most famous inmate. That title belonged to another man, a famous gangster from the 1920s and 30s. Ooh, smarty pants. How well do you know your famous gangsters? Here's a big hint. This gangster's first name is the same as the first two letters of this prison. Well, the first two letters are A-L, which spells Al.

Wait, was it you, Alcatraz Al? No, it wasn't me. JK. Smartypants, if you said it was the famous gangster Al Capone, you're right.

Uh-huh. Al Capone was one of the most famous gangsters or mobsters in U.S. history. He ran one of the biggest organized crime rings in Chicago history and either committed or ordered people to do nearly every crime on the books. You name it, Al Capone did it. I guess it's no surprise someone as bad as Al Capone would eventually wind up here in Alcatraz, the home for the worst of the worst. Yep.

In fact, Al Capone was one of the very first criminals to be housed in Alcatraz, which became a federal prison in August of 1934. Al Capone moved in that same month. Hey, smarty pants. While he was at Alcatraz, Al Capone played in the Alcatraz Prison Band. What do you think the prison band was called? Was it A, the Rock Islanders, B, the Capones, or C, Flock of Seabirds?

If you said the Rock Islanders, you're right. Mm-hmm. In return for good behavior, Al Capone was allowed to play in the band. They'd put on concerts every single Sunday for the other inmates. And here's another pop quiz for you, Smarty. What instrument did Al Capone play in the band? A. The saxophone. B. The banjo. Or C. The triangle.

If you said the banjo, you're right. But wait, stop the music. I don't get it, Alcatraz Al. If this prison is supposed to be so tough and scary, how come there was live entertainment every Sunday? That doesn't seem very tough and scary to me. Funny you should mention that. On one hand, Alcatraz really was for the toughest criminals that other prisons didn't want or couldn't hold. That's because unlike a lot of other jails, Alcatraz had a one-man-per-cell policy. Every bad boy has his own cell.

This was to protect the inmates from each other, like the Birdman. However, having a cell all to yourself ended up being a bit of a luxury as far as prisons go. Right. Besides, even if there were no instruments to play, everyone could just hum a few bars. Get it? We're in prison? Lots of bars? Yeah, not your best. Anywho, what other features set Alcatraz apart? Well, Alcatraz had a library with over 15,000 books.

And it was known for having better food than other prisons. Who wants more meatcake? You know, Al, you keep saying what a tough and notorious prison Alcatraz is. And you even said I'd be scared straight by this whole tour. But, uh, all this talk of banjos, libraries, and second helpings, well, it's just not that scary. Oh, really?

Really. In fact, if you said anything truly horrible yet, it kind of escapes me. Funny you should mention escaping. Unlike any other prison, nobody has ever, ever managed to escape Alcatraz. And that includes you, narrator. Smartypants, is that true? Has nobody ever escaped Alcatraz? We'll find out right after this quick break. And a word from our sponsors. Think you could loosen these cuffs during the break? Al? Al? Al?

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Hey, smarty friends. Trusty here. I grew up on the Smurfs. Saturday mornings, cereal in hand, glued to the screen. So yeah, I cannot wait for this. Smurfs is back. And this time it's bigger, bolder, and bursting with magic.

blue magic. When Papa Smurf is taken by two seriously evil wizards, it's up to Smurfette, voiced by Rihanna, to lead the rescue mission into the real world. Along the way, the Smurfs discover that saving the universe means trusting something they've never relied on before, magic. The music?

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perfect for the whole family or anyone who remembers what it felt like to believe in a little blue world full of hope. Just like I did. Smurfs hits theaters July 18th. I'll be there. Hope you will too. Now back to Who Smarted. Thanks for taking off my handcuffs and leg irons. It feels good to be a free man again. You might be free of those cuffs, but on Alcatraz, no one is free because no one has ever managed to escape.

Though many have tried. Oh, what happened to them? Smarty Pants, do you have any ideas? It depends who you talk to. In the entire history of Alcatraz, a total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, which means some tried it in groups. 23 of those individuals were caught, six were shot dead by guards, and two drowned in the turbulent San Francisco Bay waters. I see.

But wait, 23 plus 6 plus 2 equals 31. You said there were 36 prisoners who attempted to escape. Mm-hmm. Well, you're five short. What happened to those five? Those five were never seen again. So they did it? They successfully escaped from Alcatraz? Hmm, probably not.

Though their bodies were never recovered, it's widely presumed they drowned in the bay and their bodies were taken out to sea. But we don't know that for sure? No, but it's highly unlikely. But they could have survived. Yes, but I don't think... Then there's hope for me. You said nobody's ever escaped successfully. Well, I'm going to do it. I'm going to swim across. Um, now I think you're taking the full immersion tour a little too seriously. I can do it.

I can escape Alcatraz! You do know the prison was closed in 1963, right? Because those five inmates escaped? No, because it was too expensive running a prison on a giant rock in the middle of a bay a mile from shore. Also, did I mention there are sharks in the water? What time does the boat come? About two hours. Cool. I'll be in the library.

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A big shout out to Navi in Olympia, Washington. We hear you love listening to Who Smarted because of the fart sound effects. Well, I'm sure they like learning new things too, but I'm not going to lie. Fart sound effects are pretty fun. Thanks, Navi.

This episode, Alcatraz, was written by Phil Jeremy and voiced by Adam Tex-Davis, Kim Davis, and Jerry Kolber. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production. Who Smarted?