The Man Who Rode the Thunder

William H. Rankin (born 1920) in 1959 became famous as the man who fell through a thunderstorm. His 40-minute free fall from the stratosphere into the storm was even more terrifying. Rankin parted company with his plane at around 47,000 feet above sea level--nearly 18,000 feet higher than Mt. Everest's summit. "The Man Who Rode the Thunder" is Rankin's recollection of the events leading up to the free fall and the fall itself.