Today in History - June 25: Park ranger confronted by bear the moment after he was struck by lightning
US park ranger Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning while fishing in a pool on June 25, 1977.
The bolt of lightning set his hair on fire. At that moment, a bear emerged from the woods to snatch a trout from his fishing line.
Sullivan fought the bear off with a tree branch.
But what made his survival most remarkable is that it was the seventh time he had been struck by lightning.
Over a 35-year span as a park ranger in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, he was struck multiple times.
After being hit for the fourth time, he began carrying a can of water with him at all times in case his hair caught on fire again.
In this photo a scorch mark is seen on his ranger hat.
But what his seven lightning strikes have in common was an absence of witnesses to corroborate his story.
The odds of being struck by lightning seven times are one in 10 octillion.
However, Sullivan's job as a park ranger in a part of the world prone to lightning strikes made the odds of multiple strikes worse.
Thaw was allowed a luxurious life in prison, with a brass bed in his cell and champagne every day.
He was allowed to wear tailored suits rather than prison garb, and food was brought in from the famed Delmonico's restaurant.
He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent nine years in a mental institution.
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