Ludger Sylbaris
This celebrity goo was created by Scott Hardie.
publication date: Monday, January 6, 2025 (part of January 2025)
category: 
Disasters
clue: This street fighter joined a circus after one explosive morning changed his life.
explanation: Ludger Sylbaris (sometimes recorded as Louis-Auguste Cyparis) was arrested during a street brawl in the Martinican city of St. Pierre on May 7, 1902, and was confined in a partially-underground cell with limited ventilation. A volcanic eruption the next morning destroyed the town and killed nearly 30,000 people. Sylbaris was the sole survivor, albeit with scarring from the heat. He later became the first Black star of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and toured the United States, telling the story of his survival and becoming a celebrity. more…
intended difficulty: very hard
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, and Samir Mehta
Similar Goos
Harry R. Truman
On May 18, 1980, this presidential-sounding folk hero got a swift rebuke from nature when he doubted geologists. Go »
Christa McAuliffe
Traveling all over Florida was a blast for this doomed schoolteacher. Go »
Margaret Brown
This famous survivor was not really named Molly. Go »
David Hahn
Jeez, the worst thing I ever tried to make in my parents' backyard was a treehouse. Go »
Nando Parrado
lived to tell the tale Go »
