
If You Sleep Hot, You Could Use These 30 Products
Plus, a battery-operated flexible rotating fan that lots of reviewers use on strollers to keep babies cool. But! It would be great to wrap around your bed frame on your side if you're the hot sleeper and your partner isn't.
A cooling mattress pad reviewers rave about because it's truly awful to get ready for bed and then lie there, unable to sleep because you're too hot. This'll set you up for sleep success.
A silk pillowcase that'll have a soothing, cooling effect. But! These'll stick around in your bedding mix during cold weather, too, because silk doesn't suck moisture from your hair and skin like cotton pillowcases do.
Or a specifically designed set of two cooling pillowcases made with Japanese cooling fibers to help absorb your body heat while you sleep.
A pack of clinical-strength SweatBlock wipes could come in handy for hyperhidrosis, nervous sweating, and hormonal sweating any time of the year. But if summer really makes all that rear its ugly head, it's worth a try. You can apply it to your pits for bed, and it's made to work for up to seven days.
An ultra-fine continuous water mister will refresh your hair in the morning after you've slept on it. Let's keep that air-dry style looking fresh instead of using more time, water, and hair products on a whole wash!
A set of two cooling pillows that are hotel quality. I'm a hot sleeper and swear by these year-round. They're also INCREDIBLY comfy and supportive thanks to the gel fiber filling.
Or if you're feeling a bit splurgy, a cooling pillow filled with a super squishy foam that'll provide a super cool sleep surface for at least 12 hours.
Or a cervical pillow with breathable memory foam if you're a hot sleeper but need your head and neck cradled in a gentler way than a regular pillow. Also, it comes with an Arc-Chill pillowcase!
A set of cooling bed sheets that'll keep you from waking up all hot and sweaty. They feel super pricey but, thank goodness, aren't!
Or if you've got a DEEP mattress, some ultra-soft deep pocket fitted sheets made to be super breathable.
Or suspenders for your sheets if you already have a set of cooling sheets you like, but the issue is that the fitted sheet won't stay put on your mattress, and you end up in a sheet burrito. These are exactly how they sound, so no matter how much you toss and turn, your fitted sheet comes loose in the middle of the night.
A linen bedding bundle so you can fully realize your fancy home self while keeping your cool. You don't have to sleep hot to love these, but that'll make you love them even more!
A temperature-regulating 100% cotton blanket that'll keep the air flowing while you dream about Pedro Pascal.
Sweat-wicking pajamas made of viscose and spandex because, well, those Old Navy PJ pants from middle school that are still kicking are perf for cold weather, but you need something more breathable during summer months. Oh, and the waist is elastic!
A cooling body spray as a welcome relief before bed or if you wake up in the middle of the night feeling toasty.
A handy dandy ice roller you can use as an early-morning treat to help your skin feel spectacular. But! Reviewers also note it's helped them minimize the look of pores, reduce redness and puffiness, and even provide some migraine relief.
A lil' super cooling eye stick made with Icelandic glacier water to give you some extra relief when you wake up in the morn. Reviewers say it helps their dark circles and de-puffs their post-sleep under-eye area.
A hot or cold therapy hat you can put in the fridge before bedtime to cool down your noggin. It's made for migraine relief, but tons of reviewers love it otherwise.
Or a Sheex x Brrr° silky sleep mask that comes equipped with quick-drying, sweat-wicking, mineral-infused fabric that'll feel great on your face *and* block out light to help aid in falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer.
A set of wickaway sweatbands really made for workouts but'll help keep your sweaty hair out of your face as you get some Zzzzzs.
And a dry shampoo to help sop up oil on your roots from any sweating overnight. You shouldn't have to wash your hair daily just because you sleep hot! (It'll work even better if you apply it *before* you go to sleep!)
Or a COLAB Overnight Renew Dry Shampoo blasts your greasy roots with a formula that works for you while you sleep. It's a heavier duty spray than regular dry shampoo but soaks in overnight for an easier morning routine.
A ~streamlined~ door draft stopper that'll keep your precious AC working for *just* your bedroom. Plus, it'll blend in with your door.
And if the top and sides of your door seem to be letting precious cool air escape, an insulating strip involves basically a foolproof installation. It just sticks!
A calming weighted blanket if worrying about the heat it could add has kept you away from them thus far. This one comes with two covers — fleece and one made with CoolMax Microfiber technology. Here's to being relaxed without waking yourself up from overheating.
But if you're still feeling "ehh" about a weighted blanket, a temperature-regulating, cocoon-like sleep pod could be a great comfy option to help lull you to sleep with minimal fabric covering your body. I've tried it myself, and it's SOOOO stretchy.
A dual zone comforter if you sleep hot but your bed partner doesn't. One half is toasty, and one half is comfy.
An investment-worthy ChiliPAD sleep system if you've long been in pursuit of something that'll keep you the exact same temperature all night — especially if you'd like to sleep a different temp than your bed partner.

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Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
51 Everyday Items To Change Your Life
SweatBlock antiperspirant wipes with a clinical strength formula that'll last up to seven days (!!!) for folks who get seasonal depression whenever the sun has them sweatin' it for no good reason. A set of cult-favorite extra soft cooling bedsheets (boasting a mind-boggling 245,000 5-star reviews!!), folks say feel like sleeping at a luxurious hotel. If you've found falling asleep a chore because of tossing, turning, and *sweating* at night, then treat yourself to these must-have sheets. And a pair of cooling pillowcases with thousands of dreamy reviews from *previously* sweaty sleepers. Don't keep waking and flipping your toasty pillow over in frustration — it's gonna be your cool sleep summer! Built's "Puff Protein Bars" that'll make you the envy of everybody on your commute to work when they see that *you* have a fun breakfast. Let me be the first to tell you, these things are too good for this world. I don't know how Built was able to pack chocolate-covered marshmallows with 17 grams of protein, but I'm glad the witchcraft worked because these are life-changing. A Windex outdoor glass cleaner for homeowners who have no idea how to get their top-floor windows free of the rain stains and bird poop that keep *taunting* them from outside their otherwise spotless space. If your fear of heights keeps you from getting a ladder tall enough to scrub your windows (same), snag this stuff! Just attach this Windex bottle to your hose and spray the solution all over the place! Ahhh, you can see clearly now. Monday Haircare Dry Shampoo with a gorgeous gardenia scent and a formula that'll give you the satisfying clean your hair needs with a lil' keratin treatment thrown in. This'll help protect against the frizz and breakage humidity inevitably brings. Plus, the packaging'll make your bathroom counter look beautiful all on its own. A set of breathable, seamless thongs specifically loved by several reviewers who "hate" thongs. Folks say these are comfortable all day *and* claim they're comparable to (and even better than!) brands like Skims and Victoria's Secret. I'm sold. Like, literally. Buying now. A hidden fly trap you plug into an outlet when you have house flies, fruit flies, moths, or gnats crawling around. The little light lures bugs by up to 400 feet (!!!), and the sneaky design means this thing'll be blastin' bugs by the dozen without ruining your room's clean aesthetic. A daily planner to help you track school schedules, chores, and even your water intake if your cleaning goals this year are more about cleaning up your cluttered mind. Thanks, A-types, for finding a way to keep the house clean *and* stay a planner. A 2-in-1 kitchen scale and measuring cup that'll save space and keep things simple while you bake delicacies that are anything but. This works with both your wet and dry ingredients, so feel free to forget about washing a big batch of dishes after making a batch of your best Dubai chocolate chocolate chip cookies. A travel brush with a hidden compartment, sure to be looked upon with envy by your overpacked travel buddies as they desperately try to find some open space on the counter of your hotel bathroom. Trying to fit seven people in two rooms has not worked out as well as your friends thought it would. But hey, *you've* got a brush with enough room for toothpaste and tampons! You're doing great. Medicube's "Zero Pore" Pads, a beloved Korean skincare secret with a magical mix of lactic and salicylic acid that'll redefine what "smooth" means to your skin. The dual-textured toner pads both exfoliate and refine your pores, making your face feel positively silky soft. A pack of Snug Plugs so you can breathe easy knowing your router is, in fact, plugged in and working. It wasn't you, it was your landlord's special outlet (the one practically hanging on for dear life from your living room wall). Now you can be confident knowing your outlets are all snug as a bug. An oscillating tower fan with six speeds (we're talkin' up to 24 feet per second velocity), three modes, and a surprisingly quiet design despite its power. If you're intimidated by installing an A.C. in your fourth-floor gonna be a big fan of this gadget. A smooth edge can opener — a Shark Tank favorite that'll remove the entire top off of any can (it's got a universal fit!), helping you take your canned drinks to the next level this summer. Pop off the top of your Diet Coke and add in some ice cream, mixers, ice, or whatever else you have. Then safely sip away! I'm feeling refreshed just thinking about it. A bottle of professional-grade callus-removing gel (with over 40,000 five-star reviews!!) to get your neglected winter feet sandal-season ready — to use this spiffy stuff, just presoak your feet, apply the gel, let it sit, and rinse. Watch in wonder as you scrape off *years* worth of painful calluses. A Pikk-it tool for anyone who has practically sacrificed their fingers trying to dig into the brushes of their vacuum to remove hair, lint, and buildup that has made it less than effective. Tiny, inexpensive tools that help your *expensive* products work better are the lifeblood of responsibility. Help take care of the things that... take care of the things that... need to be done in your life! A Tub Topper that'll completely change the game vis-à-vis toddler baths. This suction-cups onto your tub (making it practically universal for any ol' bathtub) and gives your kids a *ton* of extra space to play. PLUS, it is an A+ splash guard, so you'll be able to get your kids clean without needing to mop up the bathroom floor every dang day. A retinol body lotion — sure, retinol is great for your face, but there's a whole *body* of skin it can help out! This particularly dreamy, creamy formula helps promote skin cell turnover using retinol, while the ferulic acid firms skin to promote natural skin tightening. Qualify's chocolate brownie protein powder, a plant protein option for folks who just want to drink a dang milkshake once in a while, okay?! With this unreasonably delicious mix (packed with a spiffy 20 grams of protein per serving), you can live your Willy Wonka dreams and have chocolate for breakfast, lunch, or dinner *and* feel full and energetic after! Delicious. A mattress lifter sure to delight A-types who want their hospital corners looking *crisp.* AND if you hate making the bed because tucking the sheets under your two-ton foam mattress makes you sweat, this may be the key you need to unlock your bed-making abilities. This elevates the heaviest of mattresses to make tucking in sheets *way* easier. PanOxyl Antimicrobial Hydrating Acne Creamy Wash — if you've been hoping their OG foaming wash worked on your sensitive skin, they heard your wish! Not only is this great on sensitive skin, but it'll also help clear up acne-causing bacteria on your whole body! It's designed to get rid of existing acne and prevent further breakouts by deep-cleaning your pores. A gift! A portable air compressor so small and mighty it seems like something Mary Poppins would whip out of her magic carpet bag. If your tire deflates somewhere inconvenient, this thing is gonna be the roadside nanny you didn't know you needed. It has a real-time pressure monitor to inflate flat car and bike tires on the go. It even has a built-in LED light you can use at night and boasts a one-minute inflation, so you don't have to worry about being stuck on the side of the road too long. A TBH *too* nice Tineco 2-in-1 cordless vacuum and mop created to both vacuum and mop at the same time. Unlike our old dummy mops, this robot has a separate tank that stores the dirty water, and it retains 90% of the stuff, so your floors will be clean and dry in just minutes. A set of Wonder Hangers so you can stack outfits, categories, or even *colors* of clothes with a vertical system, using up closet space in the most efficient (and A-type-friendly) way possible. A Bissell multipurpose carpet and upholstery cleaner — this spiffy (and portable!) system uses warm water and a special cleaning formula to save the day when slips turn into spills, which turn into stains. A scrunchie/towel hybrid that can help your hair dry faster without any heat tools! Reviewers love this as a shower-and-go solution when they have to leave the house with wet hair. We love a product that helps us with our busy schedules. An exfoliating mitten lots of people love for preventing ingrown hairs, reducing KP, and smoothing out their skin before applying tanning lotion. A crack weeder tool, because the first thing you seem to see springing up in your yard each year This tool is designed to get those basically immortal weeds that practically grow THROUGH your concrete sans plant-killing chemicals. It fits into tiny, tight spaces and snatches up that unsightly stuff! A mason jar cold brew maker so you can have a bold cup of cold brew from the comfort of your kitchen counter. Reviewers also love using this when making iced tea, which is the *first* thing I will be drinking once it's finally warm enough for a cold drink. Rael "Miracle Invisible Spot Cover" Pimple Patches for anyone who thinks the best skincare treat they could possibly give themselves is pimple patches that don't shout, "Look over here at this vacuum-sealed pimple bursting from my face!" These have the same hydrocolloid formula for relieving the redness, swelling, and pus from breakouts *without* the usual show-and-tell. A jar of The Pink Stuff (the internet's favorite cleaning product) that'll clean everything from your faucet to your toilet tank to blotches in your bathtub (and it works *outside* of the bathroom too — spiffy). Move over, firefighters; I want a calendar of THIS sexy stuff and its shiny results. Gold Bond's firming neck and chest cream — whether you've noticed your neck skin practically hanging on for dear life thanks to that darn gravitational pull or find your décolletage creased in the center from side sleeping, the glycerin and aloe in this formula can give that delicate skin some much-needed hydration, while the salicylic acid can gently exfoliate dead skin cells. Reviewers say patience is worth it with this one, so give your body time to soak it all in and enjoy those results! A versatile veggie chopper that'll help you prep (and clean up!) with speed that feels downright magical. The interchangeable blades just pop out, then just throw them right into the dishwasher! This'll help you get into the swing of things this salad season. A bag of citrusy Liquid I.V. Hydration packets, with three times the electrolytes of a typical sports drink, great for packing on long hikes, recovering after a run, and keeping close during long days strolling in the sun. Honestly, you may just wanna keep these in your bag 24/7. A Java Sock that'll do the two most important things for your beloved iced coffees ( drinks. I know people drink other drinks!) 1) It'll keep that caramel almond milk cold brew cold for ages — hours, according to reviewers — and 2) It'll keep your drink from sweating into your cupholder or all over your desk. It's a cruel twist of fate that iced coffee sweats as much as we do in the summer. Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment to help you embrace color theory with confidence. Take it from someone with skin the color of printer paper — nothing helps reduce redness better than a touch of green! This lightly tinted cream is designed to combat that blotchy redness while protecting your skin from the sun with a useful daily SPF 30. A longline sports bra so your outfit can say "Lululemon" even if your bank account is saying "no new clothes at all." This top-tier top is a hit with reviewers because it's suitable for so much: outdoor workouts, gym use, *and* casual wear. Its lightweight design is breathable but sturdy and supportive without being too compressive, making it a staple both at work and while working out. A pair of reusable silicone nipple covers designed for all the dresses that feel like they're ruined by a bra. These are also totally waterproof, so there will be no need to ~sweat it~ in these. A refillable roll-on sponge sunscreen applicator sure to make putting on sunscreen (both on your kids *and* on yourself) less of a chore. This goes on fast and blends in easily — no mess required! Families and other folks who look like *dweebs* slathering on sunscreen are sure to look at your quick application with envy. A Shark Tank-favorite Click & Carry Grocery Bag Carrier that'll give you Herculean strength in an instant. Hook your bags to the clip, place it around your shoulder, and lift up to *80 pounds!!!* without bag straps literally breaking your back. A ChomChom pet hair remover roller — this is gonna pick up fur and lock it inside the roller, making cleanup a breeze. Plus, it doesn't lose its effectiveness with heavy use. We love our pets, but woof, shedding is their greatest skill. A set of wad-free pads for keeping your bedsheets from tangling in the wash. Get this and keep those laundry clods from wasting precious drying time! A self-closing, mess-free toothpaste cap to help save toothpaste in your household, even if your kids are rather enthusiastic when squeezing goop from the tube. Plus, this prevents crusty toothpaste buildup! The Car Seat Key for parents and guardians who have had one too many manicures ruined by car seat clips. This makes buckling and unbuckling your little one *super* easy, and it even hooks onto your keychain, so you've always got it with you when getting in the car. A silicone clip-on strainer that's dishwasher-safe, attaches to any size pot or pan, and is designed to save a bunch of space in your kitchen cupboards. Cloning paste — if you've found that your houseplants are standing around stagnant, you're gonna *love* this stuff! This little formula helps encourage new growth and buds. It's technically made for orchids, but it works on all sorts of plants! Begonias, a string of pearls, pothos, you name it! A seat gap filler to save your phone, keys, and french fries from certain doom. A pair of sliding wrapping paper cutters so you can stop wasting paper when your scissor skills aren't what they used to be. Seriously, you were the best paper cutter in your kindergarten class; what happened?! A pack of Elephant Trax labels to make storing (and finding!) things you've packed easier than ever. Attach a sticker to the box, take photos of everything inside, and you're all set! You now have a visual inventory! Never confuse your Halloween and Christmas storage again. The Nightmare Before Christmas vibe isn't really your thing anyway. A soup can safe — this is so realistic it'll put you at ease if you have a stack of cash or valuables you want tucked away, safely hidden in your food storage.


National Geographic
2 days ago
- National Geographic
What everyone gets wrong about the deadliest shark attack in history
HISTORY & CULTURE SHARKFEST The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is widely known as a shark story—but the truth is much more horrifying. The U.S.S. Indianapolis at port in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, circa 1937. The sinking of the warship is considered one of the worst tragedies in U.S. Naval history: 879 men lost their lives while the survivors suffered for four days and five nights until they were rescued. Photograph By Navy History and Heritage Command "The shark comes to the nearest man and that man he'd start poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' and sometimes the shark go away. Sometimes he wouldn't go away." Robert Shaw's iconic monologue as shark hunter Quint in Jaws captured the horror of the day 80 years ago when sharks descended on the crew of the U.S.S. Indianapolis after the vessel was sunk by Japanese torpedoes during World War II. Thanks to the fame of the movie, that speech propelled the worst shark attack in history into public lore. (Martha's Vineyard locals reflect on the legacy of 'Jaws' 50 years later.) But his speech had some critical errors. Many retellings focus on the sharks mercilessly picking off the survivors, but the terror of that day in July 1945 was 'much more than just a shark story,' says Lynn Vincent, author of Indianapolis. It's a story of hundreds of men—some just 17 years old—who set off a great adventure and changed the face of history before experiencing unimaginable horrors, adds her co-author Sara Vladic. The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is considered one of the worst tragedies in U.S. Naval history. What really happened? This is the true story of the disaster of the Indianapolis. The U.S.S. Indianapolis sets sail on a top-secret mission The U.S.S. Tranquility lands in Guam carrying the survivors of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Only 316 of the 1,195 crew members aboard the ship survived after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Photograph By National Archives The U.S.S. Indianapolis was hit by torpedoes just after it had completed a top-secret mission: delivering components of the atomic bomb that the U.S. would later use on Hiroshima during World War II. Photograph By National Archives The Indianapolis—affectionately known as the Indy—was already well-known by the time she met her gruesome demise. She had 10 battle stars and was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ship of state. In March 1945, a few months earlier, the Indianapolis had been hit by a Japanese suicide pilot, or kamikaze, in Okinawa and was sent back to California for repairs. 'The Japanese plane not only hit her, but sent a bomb through her, literally through her,' says Paridon. 'It exploded underneath her keel.' By the time she was mended, the U.S. Navy needed a ship to transport components of the atomic bomb destined for Hiroshima to Tinian, a U.S.-controlled island south of Japan. 'That's why she's available… because she had taken that hit,' says Paridon. 'It's a twist of fate, really it is.' (Wreckage of WWII-era warship U.S.S. Indianapolis found after 72 years.) The Indy was loaded up with the priceless cargo and set out on her crucial journey on July 16. The mission was 'uber, uber, uber secret,' says Paridon. 'The sailors on board that ship had no earthly [idea] what they were carrying. Capt. Charles Butler McVay had an inkling. He was told 'every day you save on your transit is one less day we're gonna have to fight this war,' says Paridon. After racing to Tinian under radio silence, the Indy delivered the bomb on July 26 and the top-secret mission was over. But her hardships were about to begin. The U.S.S. Indianapolis at New York City about a decade before it was sunk by a Japanese submarine. The maritime disaster was made famous by Captain Quint's monologue in the movie Jaws. In terms of lives lost, it was the U.S. Navy's second worst catastrophe in history, trailing only the attack on Pearl Harbor. Photograph By Naval History and Heritage Command The U.S.S. Indianapolis was leaving Guam in the early hours of July 30 when a Japanese submarine spotted the ship glinting in the moonlight. Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto ordered his crew to fire and two torpedoes struck the ship. 'These are big kabooms, to put it very, very bluntly,' says Paridon. That was the first catastrophe. Many men were 'there one minute, literally gone the next,' he says. Others were hit by shrapnel and burned by hot metal as they tried to escape. The Indy sank in just 12 minutes. Those who found themselves in the water—concussed, burned, wounded, and covered in oil from the wreckage—were about to face a nightmare lasting five nights and four days. Joseph A. Jacouemot and Richard P. Thelen, two survivors of the U.S.S. Indianpolis, are shown in a hospital in the Philippines shortly after their rescue in August 1945. Hundreds of men struggled for five days to survive dehydration, hypothermia, shark attacks, and madness while floating in the South Pacific. Photograph By National Archives Likely attracted by the commotion and bodies in the water, sharks—likely oceanic whitetips and tiger sharks—started to arrive soon after the ship sank. Stories tell of over 150 men being killed by sharks in a feeding frenzy. But even though we don't know exact figures, the event is acknowledged as the worst shark attack in history. For context, the total number of unprovoked shark bites globally in all of 2024 was just 47. It's believed the sharks largely fed on corpses and the dying. 'Did they eat some of the corpses? Absolutely. Did they bite some of the survivors? For sure,' says Seth Paridon, a historian and deputy director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum. 'But it wasn't to the degree that the myth makes it out to be.' (How to stay safe if you do find yourself swimming with sharks.) Some barely saw shark activity. In an oral history conducted by the Naval History and Heritage Command, senior medical officer Capt. Lewis Haynes 'saw only one shark' and didn't see anyone get bitten. McVay recalls merely 'getting a little annoyed' with the shark following his group because it was scaring away the fish that could have provided food. Spending days in the water with circling sharks was just one of countless horrors the men experienced. 'The human story is really what is missed amid all the focus on the sharks,' says Vladic, who spent a decade interviewing 107 of the surviving crew and their families. 'The survivors themselves don't appreciate the focus on the sharks, because there were a lot more men died of many more things.' The men had no food or fresh water and were exposed to the burning sun. Some died of their wounds from the explosion while others succumbed to exposure, exhaustion, thirst, violence, and even suicide. Desperately thirsty, some drank seawater, which caused salt poisoning and mass hallucinations. 'It was amazing how everyone would see the same thing,' said Haynes, who recounted in an oral history how a group of men all thought they saw a nearby island where they could get some sleep. 'Even I fought hallucinations off and on, but something always brought me back.' (Sharks aren't really mindless killers. So why are we so afraid of them?) Perhaps the most heartbreaking delusion was that the Indy was just under the surface. Some men tried to reach the galley to find food, 'and they would swim off down to their deaths,' says Vladic. A chance rescue In Jaws, Quint tells Chief Brody and Matt Hooper that the mission was 'so secret, no distress signal had been sent.' This is one of the speech's key errors. 'The mission was long over,' says Vincent. They had no more need for secrecy. The problem was that the distress signals weren't processed properly. No one was searching for survivors. Survivors of U.S.S. Indianapolis being brought ashore from U.S.S. Tranquility at Guam, on August 8, 1945. In this photograph, they are being placed in ambulances for immediate transfer to local hospitals. Photograph By PhoM1/c J.G. Mull., National Archives A landing craft takes a number of injured survivors ashore for hospitalization at Peleliu, an island in the Palau archipelago in Micronesia. The wreckage of the U.S.S. Indianapolis was discovered by chance—their distress signals hadn't been processed properly. Photograph By National Archives Lt. Wilbur Gwinn discovered them by chance during a routine air patrol on the morning of August 2. While fixing a broken antenna on his plane, he happened to look down and spot oil and flotsam in the water. At first, he thought it was an enemy submarine. Then he saw men floating in small groups and sent a message calling for help. In response, Lt. Adrian Marks was sent to help in an amphibious aircraft. Realizing that rescue ships were hours away, he performed an open sea landing—which are against naval regulations because they are so dangerous—and tried to get as many men out of the water and into the plane as possible. He even tied some onto the wings of his plane with parachute cord. Just after midnight on August 3, rescue ships arrived and the men were finally safe. Of the 1,195 men aboard the Indianapolis, 879 lost their lives. Just 316 survived. The final victim of the Indianapolis The Indy had one more victim. Despite the overwhelming support of his surviving crew, Captain McVay was court martialed by the U.S. Navy for negligence in December 1945. Naval vessels are supposed to zigzag in 'submarine-infested waters' to make it harder for torpedoes to hit them, says Paridon, but McVay hadn't done so—because, it turns out, he hadn't been told there were submarines nearby. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, commander of the Fifth Fleet, pins a Purple Heart on Clarence E. McElroy, a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Many of the men who survived the disaster never spoke of the trauma they experienced. Photograph By National Archives Hashimoto was even called to testify. He said that nothing McVay did, including zigzagging, would have stopped him sinking that ship, but the captain was still found guilty. The verdict wasn't overturned until 1996. 'The survivors fought for 50 years to have their captain exonerated,' says Vincent. However, McVay, who took his own life on November 6, 1968, didn't live to see his pardon. 'That's the ultimate, final tragedy,' says Paridon. The legacy of the U.S.S. Indianapolis Many survivors never spoke of their trauma. 'They rarely talked about it to anyone, including their families,' says Vladic. 'There are quite a few cases where the children of survivors found out their dad was on the ship after watching Jaws.' The movie brought the ship's story into public awareness but the Indy's real legacy isn't her sinking, or the sharks, but her role in changing the course of World War II. 'These guys accomplished their mission, and they fought together to survive,' says Paridon. Just one living survivor remains: 98-year-old Harold Bray. But, says Vladic, the crew's families are determined 'to keep the story alive long after the last survivor is gone.' Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres on National Geographic starting July 10 and streams on Disney+ and Hulu starting July 11. Check local listings.


San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
This hot Bay Area ramen spot had a 2-hour wait on opening day. Is it worth the hype?
Up until about a decade ago, I had mostly tried one kind of ramen: tonkotsu, with its thin, straight skeins and cloudy soup. Then Tsujita Artisan Noodle in Los Angeles introduced me to tsukemen, a Tokyo-born ramen where cold, thick noodles are served with a concentrated dipping broth. It was frequently named the best ramen restaurant in the region, with lines routinely snaking down the block, and it became my standard-bearer. Tsujita recently opened its first Bay Area outpost in West San Jose's Strawberry Park shopping plaza, a hot spot for Japanese food with several restaurants and the grocery store Mitsuwa Marketplace. On its grand opening weekend, the wait time was more than two hours. I haven't been to the Los Angeles restaurant in years, so I wondered if the new location would live up to my memory. It only took one bite to know the answer: yes. I'd put Tsujita in my top ramen spots in the Bay Area, especially since great tsukemen is in short supply here. It's a leading source for the ramen style, second only to Shutgetsu, which has locations in San Mateo and Fremont. On my dinner visit, I faced a line of nearly 50 people hugging the perimeter of a courtyard. I waited over a half hour before making it inside the snug shop awash in honey blonde wood. It was a packed house, with all 30 seats occupied by patrons noshing on jumbo chicken karaage or gleefully slurping down noodles. I ordered the deluxe tsukemen ($25.60). It came with two bowls: a cold one filled with a nest of yellow noodles, a lime wedge and a double helping of buttery braised pork slices; and another containing the warm dipping liquid. The latter was as potent as I remembered. A swirl of pork fat floated atop the murky brown broth, an intense distillation of richness, smokiness and umami with a fishy edge. How to eat tsukemen? Dunk the elongated noodles in the concentrated fluid and inhale them down the gullet. The lime provides flavor variance, a few drops over the noodles nicely mellows the reduced soup's intensity. Once you've reached the dregs, ask the staff to thin it out with complimentary chicken broth. While dipping ramen remains the draw, the tonkotsu, especially the spicy version ($18.95), is a wonderful alternative. The milky white pork broth is decadent, the noodles slightly firm and the heat level prickly but quick to dissipate. Tsujita debuted in 2003 in Tokyo before opening its first Los Angeles location in 2011. In the last decade, the operation has expanded to Texas, New Jersey and, now, San Jose. In its growth, the international ramen chain has maintained quality. While I think Tsujita is well worth the wait, line adverse patrons might want to wait a few weeks before visiting. There was one inconsequential detail that was absent on my visit: the pungent odor of long-simmered pork bones, which I associate with the initial Los Angeles location. I can't say I miss the scent, per se, but I affectionately view it as the perfume of Tsujita. Perhaps the smell is earned over time as it slowly settles into the walls. Tsujita Artisan Noodle. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-9 p.m Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 4330 Moorpark Ave., San Jose.