
Elvita Adams made the decision to end her life on December 2, 1979.
The 29-year-old Bronx woman was reportedly living on $100 welfare checks after losing her job. Her landlord was threatening to evict her and her 10-year-old son because she couldn’t pay the rent. So, depressed and unsure of what to do, she ended up on top of the Empire State Building.
Elvita Adams jumps from the Empire State Building And Those Before Her
The 102-story midtown Manhattan structure is well-known throughout the world. It was finished in 1931. Elvita Adams wasn’t the first person to decide to jump from the Empire State Building, despite her height of 1,250 feet. The renowned skyscraper in New York City has been the site of over 30 successful suicide attempts. The first occurred in 1931, even before the building was finished, when a fired man leaped from the 58th story.

The tragic tale of Evelyn McHale, who landed atop a limousine while wearing gloves and pearls, earned her the moniker “the most beautiful suicide.” The image of McHale’s 1947 leap, taken by a photography student, went viral and was featured in Time magazine as well as artwork by Andy Warhol.
However, since Elvita Adam’s suicide was the first and “most beautiful,” it would go unnoticed. It would stick in people’s memories because, in spite of the leap, nothing happened.
Adams had wandered over from the Bronx to Manhattan on that Sunday evening in early December just to see the lights.
She is cited as remarking afterwards, “I wanted to reach out and touch them because they were so pretty.” Adams leaped over the fence surrounding the 86th floor observation platform of the building. But something amazing happened, so she would never find death.
Although wind isn’t usually considered miraculous, Elvita Adam’s body was blown back by an extraordinary gust of wind, landing her just one flight down. The wind speed on that particular day was reported to have been between 23 and 38 mph. Adams leaped to the 85th floor and landed on a ledge that was 2.5 feet below the surface.
Adams was reportedly moaning when security officer Frank Clark heard her and reached out of the floor window to pull her in. After that, she was brought to Bellvue Hospital in excruciating pain, possibly from a fractured hip or pelvis. Following her treatment, a hospital representative stated that she was in “satisfactory condition” and she was put under psychiatric observation.
Related Topic You Might Find Interesting:
- Reason Behind The Suicide Of Christine Chubbuck Live On Air
- A man who was saved from committing suicide 16 years ago now assists people dealing with mental health issues
After The Fall
Elvita Adams is quoted as saying, “I’m not sure if the wind pushed me back, or pushed me off,” and “All I remember is the pain, I was in so much pain that I wasn’t afraid,” in the wake of the incident from the hospital.
As she had to climb over the fence, it was more than likely a suicide attempt, according to a police officer named Joseph Bay, who made this statement in an article that appeared in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the local newspaper in New York, the next day.
What transpired to Evita Adams after her rescue is unknown. Many years later, in 2011, the one-woman play I’ve Been Elvita Adams was produced. The off-beat play speculates off the idea that, after her attempt to end her life, Adams went on to become a standup comic.
It was probably not the case. But perhaps with a helping hand from the serendipitous encounter and a fresh outlook, Elvita Adams managed to get the assistance she required.

Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed
There is a 300-year-old mummified mermaid with 30 centimetres tall and features a human-like head, two hands with what appear to be fingernails, and its lower body that look like a fish tail. The “mermaid mummy” is being probed by Japanese scientists in an attempt to unravel the mystery of its existence.

Frank Lentini, The Three-Legged Sideshow Performer
Francesco Lentini was a man with three legs, four feet, sixteen toes, and two sets of functional male genitals. He worked for the circus and lived to be 78 years old.

Neerja Bhanot, the braveheart flight attendant was never run away from a crisis
Neeja Bhanot, a 22 year old Indian flight attendant who helped hides 41 American passports aboard a hijacked plane. She died shielding three children from gunfire and was posthumously awarded bravery medals from India, Pakistan, and the United States.

A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn 51 years ago was said to have been spotted
A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn for 51 years was reported to have been sighted.

Couple reunites after 60 years apart
A Russian couple were reunited after being separated for 60 years. They were married for 3 days when the husband left to join the Red Army. They were unable to find each other until 60 years later when they randomly visited their hometown on the same day.

The world’s longest flight spent more than two months in the air
Roberts Timm and Jim Cook, two pilots, flew an aircraft for more than two months without landing in 1958. Matching the speed of a truck moving down the road to refuel. A mattress for sleeping, a small steel sink for personal hygiene, the removal of most interior fittings to reduce weight, and a basic autopilot were among the improvements.

A story of a man Survived Inside Sunken Ship For Three Days
A man survived a sunken ship for nearly three days, 279 feet underwater and in complete darkness, while listening to fish eat the bodies of his shipmates.

Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.

Paramedic Rescues Doctor Who Saved Him 30 Years Earlier
In 1981, a doctor helped save the life of a 3.2 pounds premature baby boy. Thirty years later, the boy, who had grown up to be a firefighter-paramedic, helped in saving the same doctor from a car accident.

Drive-Thru Weddings in Las Vegas: The Ultimate Fast, Fun, and Legal Way to Say “I Do”
Inspired by fast food convenience, Las Vegas offers drive-thru weddings where couples can legally marry in under 5 minutes—without leaving their car. Some chapels even offer curbside Elvis impersonators and 24/7 ceremonies, complete with “to-go” marriage licenses.

This whale tail sculpture saved a train that went off the rails
A train in the Netherlands failed to stop in time and broke through the emergency barrier. It's being held up by the statue of a whale's tail.

New York installs first offshore wind turbine to power 70,000 homes
New York State has achieved a historic milestone in its clean energy transition by installing the first wind turbine at its first offshore wind farm, South Fork Win.

Smart guy brings life-sized cutout of his late mother to his graduation
Even though that his mother passed away in 2016, a young man had a clever idea to make a life-size cutout of her and bring it to the event so that she could attend his graduation ceremony.

A three-year-old boy discovers a $4 million pendant in England
A $4 million 16th-century gold pendant was discovered in 2010 by a three-year-old boy using his father's metal detector.

China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile
One thing is certain: when it comes to ensuring nice weather for the world's largest party, the Chinese cannot be accused of being subtle. The Chinese government authorized the use of 1,104 cloud seeding missile launches from 4:00-11:39 p.m. on Friday night to reduce the possibility of rain ahead of the 29th Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing

The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling.

Woman survives skydiving accident, discovers she's pregnant
2005, a woman performing her first solo skydive jump survived a parachute malfunction which caused her to slam face first into a parking lot at 50 MPH. During surgery doctors discovered she was pregnant. She made a full recovery and the baby was fine.

A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water
On June 10, 1986, two-and-a-half-year-old Michelle Funk fell into an icy creek and was submerged for 66 minutes. When rescuers pulled her out of the water, she was not breathing, had no pulse, and appeared lifeless. The doctors used various techniques to rewarm her blood and bring her back to life. She was successfully resuscitated and went on to lead a healthy life.

Billy Ray Harris: A Story of Kindness and Honesty
In 2013, a homeless man named Billy Ray Harris discovered a $4,000 engagement ring in this cup. A woman had dropped while giving him some change. He returned the ring to her two days later. To thank him for his honesty, she set up a fund with the goal of raising $4,000 for him. It earned more than $185,000.

Why Is the N Lowercase in 7-Eleven?
7-ELEVEN is thought to have a lowercase "n" in its logo because the company president's wife believed that a logo with all caps would seem harsh, while a lowercase "n" would make it more graceful.

LEGO Braille Bricks: Revolutionizing Braille Learning Through Play and Inclusion
go Braille Bricks were launched in 2020 to help visually impaired children learn Braille through play. Each brick features the Braille alphabet and is fully compatible with standard Lego sets, allowing sighted peers to join in, fostering inclusivity and collaboration in learning environments.

How Magic Johnson Missed Out On $7 Billion Nike deal
Magic Johnson turned down a deal with Nike in 1979 that offered him 100,000 shares of stock and $1 for every pair of shoes sold. Instead, he chose Converse, which offered him $100,000 per year. Johnson lost about $5 billion by declining the Nike deal.

A flight attendant uses a secret note to save a teen girl from sex trafficking
The flight attendant Shelia Fredrick. She spotted a distressed girl with an older man. She left a note in the restroom on which the victim wrote that she needed some help. The girl was rescued from a human trafficker after the authorities were informed.

A man who has been suffering from headaches for nearly six months discovers chopsticks lodged in his brain
When it was discovered that a Vietnamese man with headaches and vision problems had chopsticks lodged in his brain, the doctors were almost as surprised as the man himself.

The rescuing hug - the touching story of twins Brielle and Kyrie Jackson
Brielle and Kyrie Jackson’s lifesaving hug was captured when Brielle was struggling to breathe and going blue. As a final option, the nurse deviated from protocol and placed them in the same incubator. Kyrie wrapped her arm around her sister, who immediately began to stabilize