1968: Irish Guy Buries Himself Alive, Survives 61 Days

Mike Meaney once had dreams of being a boxer.He dreamed of being a boxer.He reported having the "strength of ten men." His daughter said,Mary said, "as a child, he could literally lift a tree and put it on his shoulder."

A work accident stopped him from using his strength for fame. Luckily, being buried alive became popular in the 1960s, so Meaney took the opportunity to get the fame he wanted.

Meaney seemedThis is about 'In America, Another Man Was Attempting The Same Record' in the list '1968: Irish Guy Buries Himself Alive, Survives 61 Days'.thatbeing buried alive"was all the rage at the time" in 1968. The 45-day record was set earlier that year. Meaney tried his stunt in London, and another man, Texan singer Bill White, raced him for the title across the pond. British and American media treated the men's attempts like a boxing match. The BBC even aired a "joint interview between the pair".

White held for 55 days; he would have won the title without Meaney's ambition. Realistically, Meaney could have held it for 56 days, but he stayed in his coffin for 61 days, coming out smiling, healthy, and victorious, as the video shows.

The huge media attention Meaney got helped his short-lived fame, and it alsoinformedHis wife, Alice, never learned his plans. Their daughter, Mary, said:

"She found out through the radio. He probably knew the answer would be no. She left him be – I like that fact. She let him off, and said, 'If he wants this.'" Mary said Alice Meaney passed time, "smoking away, waiting for her husband to come home... She just took it in her stride."

Meaney aimed to become the world record holder, which meanttraining. His methods were unusual. To be fair, there is no set training plan for being buried alive. Meaney chose to eat mostly steak and smoke a lot.

He also practiced exercising in his coffin inside a pub, then the coffin was airlifted out to prepare for burial.

The sameworkplace accidentthat ruined Meaney's boxing dreams ironically helped him beat the world record.

Years before submerging himself seven feet underground for two months, Meaney, a laborer, was buried alive in a work accident. This bad event taught him how to train his mind not to panic underground while he worked to hit the world record.

To stay sane, Meaney created aroutineMeaney buried himself under the earth. He woke up at 7 AM, exercised, and oiled his muscles. Then, he ate breakfast, read the newspaper, and talked to visitors through two pipes in the coffin for air and food. Some people think a hatch allowed bathroom use; the details remain secret. Maybe Meaney wanted mystery for his stunt.

One accident almost ended his determination: a heavy truck rolled back over his "grave," putting pressure on the earth above. His daughter said he considered coming up but chose to "stick it out."

Meaney got his 15 minutes of fame, but it did not last long because he never officially became the Guinness Record holder.Meaney had 61 days to achieve the record, but Guinness officials never showed up to confirm his success. Meaney had a comment about this neglect, of course:

"I don’t know who to blame... They have not been fair to me. They could have seen 61 days were covered by worldwide television, radio, and newspapers."

Meaney's fame sadly ended.did not last.. An alleged deal with Gillette and a world tour never happened. The lack of recognition from Guinness haunted him for his entire life.

London had Conservative Irish Catholics felt great excitement.surrounding Meaney's stunt, but in Ireland, people were unhappy. Specifically, the conservative Catholics. Being buried struck a chord. Meaney's daughter, Mary, said:

"I’d imagine it was going against God, the work of the devil – being buried in the world of the dead."

Luckily, Meaney's family and community in London offered support. Some Irishmen supported him; they even hung his picture in local pubs.

Someone who stayed buried alive for 61 days just to become famous would keep seeking that feeling of stardom. For Meaney, he could never get that feeling again after leaving the coffin.

His daughter spoke about him.She remarked that her father stayed in the past for the rest of his life.Her father stayed in the past for the rest of his life.

"Part of him stayed back there, with the feeling and the emotion and the drama and the buzz. Part of him stayed back there."

There is irony in burying someone who is already buried. It was even a headlineNewspapers ran: "Mike Meaney lives to be buried again."

At his February 2003 funeral, the famous line returned. The priest gave Mass and told the mourners: "I've never buried someone who has been buried before."

Luckily, Meaney's family had a sense of humor. His daughter, Mary, said, "you couldn't help but laugh."