Jack Loreen

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Jack Loreen (born c. 1901) was an American burial artist who gained notoriety for being entombed alive in an underground coffin for 119 days in 1935.[1]

Career[edit]

Loreen was an Alaskan gold miner and lumberjack who became a burial artist, being used to enduring long periods of time underground and seeking further financial compensation. Human endurance contests gained popularity during the Great Depression in large part because of the cash prizes the contests promised.[2] Loreen's first stunt was to rollerskate from New York City to Miami and later moved to San Francisco.[3] He pivoted to becoming a burial artist on June 18, 1933, at 9750 South Western Avenue in Evergreen Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He was unearthed 64 days later.[4] The following year, he remained underground for 65 days.[5] In the summer of 1935, he was bested by burial artist Gloria Graves who remained buried for 90 days.[6] Beginning in June 1935, Loreen was buried in a San Francisco beach and began a new attempt to set the record, during which visitors could pay a dim to talk to him while buried through an 11-inch wide tube that was also used to lower his food.[7] Lorren, being buried six feet below the surface, ultimately beat her record emerging on October 18, 1935.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "The Man Buried Alive – Podcast #44". Useless Information. May 4, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Landis, Mark (February 19, 2017). "The age of endurance". The San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Balding, Nate. "Werewolf Radar: Last Dance With Buried Jane". Birdy. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Rossen, Jake (March 8, 2023). "'The Coffin Man': Michael "Mick" Meaney, Who Volunteered to Be Buried Alive for 61 Days". Mental Floss. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  5. ^ "Alaska gold miner Jack Loreen remains "buried alive" underground for record-setting 64 days and one hour in Chicago, Illinois". Critical Past. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Waldie, D.J. (August 1, 2017). "Real L.A. Noir: The Case of the Buried Blonde". KCET. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "This Crazy World". Napa Journal. Napa, California. 1935-09-10. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-09-22.