On the morning of July 28, 1945, 75 years ago, New York City was covered in a thick gloomy fog. Betty Lou Oliver made her way to work at the Empire State Building, where she worked as an elevator girl. Elevator girls were in charge of managing the elevators before automated versions were created. Betty Lou worked in this position while waiting for her husband to return from overseas. She had already given her notice and was in the middle of her last week.

Unfortunately, on that fateful day, a B-25 bomber was approaching La Guardia airport for landing but had low visibility because of the fog. Despite strict laws restricting planes from flying below 2000 feet over New York airspace, the pilot descended to 1000 feet to try and get the airport in sight. Before the pilot and crew realized it, they were headed straight for the Empire State Building, which is 1454 feet tall. The plane banked hard to avoid colliding with the building, to no avail. The plane ripped through the building, killing all people on board the plane. The force of motion propelled the aircraft forward, landing on the Waldorf building.

Betty Lou was working in her elevator with another woman when the crash occurred. Betty Lou survived the initial crash, and, unfortunately, the other woman died on impact. Rescuers arrived and began to treat Betty Lou for burns she had suffered, but the elevator she was in, severely weakened due to the crash, then plummeted 75 stories to the ground. Betty Lou amazingly survived this fall. Betty Lou Oliver became infamous for surviving two catastrophes in one day. She went on to live a long, healthy life with her husband and three children.