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HISTORY VAULT

The many prison escapes of James Earl Ray, who assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr.

History's Greatest Escapes with Morgan Freeman

Assassin's Flight

Timothy Vail and Timothy Morgan were murderers incarcerated at Elmira State Prison in Elmira, N.Y.; Vail wanted to escape, so he engaged Morgan in his plan to dig through the ceiling and flee from prison.

Fleeing Hellmira

HM Maze prison was a notorious lock up for IRA prisoners in Northern Ireland; a small ring of IRA prisoners secretly planned what they hoped would be a massive prison break.

Belfast Breakout

The story of the escape of more than 70 men from Stalag Luft Three, a German prisoner of war camp; only three eventually survived.

Escaping Hitler

Six men, led by the mastermind, Nuno Pontes, escaped Pittsburgh State Penitentiary by tunneling to freedom under the prison wall; they made it as far as Texas before being caught and returned to prison.

Conquering the Wall

The most notorious and murderous drug cartel kingpins in modern history.

El Chapo

Stuck in prison on life sentences, two men used engineering smarts and psychological manipulation of several prison employees to escape Dannemora Prison; Richard Matt and David Sweat executed one of the most involved escapes from an American prison.

North Country Breakout

Four men conspire to break out of one of the most notorious prisons in American history.

Alcatraz

Interviews and re-creations bring some of history's most daring jailbreaks to life, detailing every step of the way, including the inmates' meticulous plans and the manhunts that followed.

S1 E6 | Belfast Breakout