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D.B. Cooper Day

History · Fun · November 24

A day about D.B. Cooper, the unidentified man who hijacked a plane, parachuted away with ransom money and became one of America's lasting mysteries.

D.B. Cooper Day falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026. That is 28 days away.

D.B. Cooper is the name attached to a man who hijacked a passenger jet in the Pacific Northwest, collected a ransom and parachuted out over the dark, wooded countryside. He was never identified, and nobody knows for certain whether he survived the jump.

Even the name is a mix-up. He bought his ticket as Dan Cooper, and a garbled news report turned that into D.B., which is the version that stuck. It is an odd kind of fame when the public remembers you by initials you never used.

The story has the shape of a good puzzle. A calm man in a suit and tie, a note handed to a flight attendant, a demand for cash and parachutes, and a jump from the rear stairs of the plane into rain and wind. Investigators followed thousands of leads over many years. Years later, a boy found a bundle of the ransom bills buried in a sandy riverbank along the Columbia River, which answered nothing and raised new questions.

People mark the day by revisiting the case. Some reread old news coverage, some argue over the leading suspects, and some trace the likely flight path on a map of southwest Washington. Amateur sleuths still trade theories about where he landed, and the case turns up in books, documentaries and podcasts.

The heart of it is the empty space at the end. Most famous stories close. This one stops at an open door at the back of an airplane, somewhere over the trees at night.

Ways to celebrate

• Read a book or long article about the hijacking case.
• Trace the plane's likely route on a map of the Pacific Northwest.
• Watch a documentary on the case and compare theories with friends.
• Host a mystery night where everyone defends a different theory.

Dates

All national days on November 24

Also on November 24

• National Sardines Day
• Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day

Categories: History daysFun days