13. The Anatahan Castaways Surrendered in 1951
When the authorities learned from Kazuko Higa that the castaways did not believe that the war was over, they contacted their families, who wrote letters informing them that the war had ended years earlier. The castaways surrendered in 1951, and returned to Japan, where their story became a sensation. Kazuko Higa was nicknamed “The Queen Bee of Anatahan” by the Japanese press and found temporary fame selling her story to newspapers and recounting it to packed theaters. After the public lost interest, however, she fell into prostitution and abject poverty. She died at age 51 while working as a garbage collector.