Real-Life Escape Games: 3 Daring Historical Escapes Made by Women

Mary, Queen of Scots in captivity

In the list of Great Escapes, you’ll notice a lack of women’s names. But that’s definitely not because women didn’t commit a whole lot of impressive escape feats. Handily, Krakit Vancouver Escape Game is here to fill that gap with this list of three of the most daring escape efforts made in history—all done by women.

1. Mary, Queen of Scots, escape: 1568

Mary, Queen of Scots did a lot of things most women didn’t do during the 16th century, like rule a country, get involved in a murderous love triangle, make enemies with Elizabeth I, and be taken political prisoner.

In 1568, after one year locked up in Lochleven Castle following a rebellion of Scottish nobles, she disguised herself as a laundress and tried to make her break by boat. Alas, she was recognized and turned back to her cell. However, that didn’t stop her from making a second escape, two months later, with the help of an orphan kid she befriended and a horse she stole from her captors. This time, she was successful.

Despite her penchant for daring escapes, Mary unfortunately would be no stranger to prisons throughout her life, ultimately being executed in 1587.

2. Harriet Tubman, escape: 1849

Harriet Tubman was born into a life of slavery in 19th-century Maryland. When her master died in 1849, instead of going to work at the neighbour’s house, Tubman took advantage of the disarray and made her escape to Philadelphia.

However, she didn’t stop there. She returned to her former home to help her family escape, along with dozens of other people. When the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she returned to her knack for arranging escapes, helping get people across the border and into British North America (now Canada) along the Underground Railroad.

Because Tubman was just an overall badass, when the Civil War came around, she joined up as an armed scout and spy.

3. Countess Andrée de Jongh, escape: 1941

An active member of the Belgian Resistance during WWII, Countess Andrée de Jongh made her escape from Belgium at the age of 21, crossing the Pyrenees Mountains on foot to reach Spain. Like Tubman, de Jongh really did not stop there. Instead, she organized the Comet Line, an escape network that helped captured Allied soldiers escape occupied France and Belgium and reach safety in British-owned Gibraltar. All in all, de Jongh made 30 double crossings, escorting 116 escapees.

Following the end of the war, de Jongh worked in leper colonies in several African nations, and was ennobled as a countess in 1985.

Plot your escape in one of Krakit’s four Vancouver escape rooms by booking here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.