The Miracle of the Andes: 72 Days, 16 Survivors

When Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed at 12,000 feet, the search was called off after eight days. Seventy-two days later, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa — having climbed a 15,000-foot peak with no gear and trekked ten days into Chile — found a shepherd and handed him a note: 'I come from a plane that fell in the mountains.' Helicopters brought all 16 remaining survivors home before New Year's.