Trapped in a medieval tower for seven hours, Cambridge academic Dr. Krisztina Ilko ingeniously escaped using only an eyeliner pencil and cotton bud.
This wasn’t just any tower, Dr Ilko lives in the former residence of 16th-century philosopher Erasmus at Queens College, with thick walls and heavy wooden doors… and she was stuck in the bathroom.
“I tried to bang the shower head on the door, break it with brute force, and shout for help but nothing worked and no one could hear me,” she told the BBC.
With no success, she resorted to her childhood TV inspiration, MacGyver, and improvised a lock-picking tool with an eyeliner pencil and cotton bud.
The eyeliner was used to push down the latch and she made a hook out of the earbud.
The plumber broke the lock in the bathroom and forgot to tell me. I went in, got locked in. The door is solid wood and wouldn’t break. I was stuck for 7 hours (I thought I’d be there for days, as no one could hear). Finally, handpicked the lock with an eyeliner and an ear pick. pic.twitter.com/oDyw73bQ4t
— Dr Krisztina Ilko (@krisztina_ilko) February 23, 2024
The lock has since been taken off the bathroom door.
