Strange and dangerous things happen every day, some representing bold and risky breakthroughs. On October 24, 2014, Alan Eustace, senior vice president of knowledge at Google, a respected engineer and leader, made waves by jumping from the stratosphere, breaking the world record previously set by Felix Baumgartner in 2012. Wearing a specially designed spacesuit, Alan ascended in a balloon to a height of more than 25 miles and then jumped into space, reaching a peak speed of 833 mph (greater than the speed of sound) as he plummeted toward Earth. Even more interesting, Eustace planned the jump in total secrecy — a private initiative with a small, dedicated team of experts, without the support of one single dollar in sponsorship money.
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