1am

The Treacherous Snows by Andrew C. Hartzell recounts a climbing vacation to Mt. Kilimanjaro. For most, the climb is a test of strength, endurance, and willpower. But for local guides and porters who supply tourists with strong backs and knowledge of the terrain, the climb is just part of the job. The final leg to the summit on December 31, 1983 began with the lead guide Effatta Jonathan waking the group up at 1:00 a.m.

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we time our final climbto arrive by dawnthe same thing every timejust the like the week beforewith bedrooms on our backsand kitchens without sinksprovisions of all kinds enough to please a king
we’ll never see the placefrom where these people come where buildings reach the sky where riches can be wonwe’ll slowly reach the topthen slowly we’ll descenda day or two at homethen we’ll do it all againyeah we’ll see our families smile then we’ll do it all again

At 1:07 a.m. on February 2, 1915, a German agent named Werner Horn lit a bomb in an effort to destroy a bridge used to get supplies from the U.S. to England via Canada. To avoid collateral damage from the possibility of an unscheduled train passing through, Horn cut the fuse, which changed his escape time from fifty minutes to three.

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devil wind, it’s blowinshoulda stayed where it never snowshard to be the herowhen you can’t even feel your toes
never thought I would be sittin in the middle of nowhereone mistake away from Timbuktuif I ever get away then I’m goin somewheresomewhere far from everyone I know (give the devil his due)
we don’t need to beat the brow of our brotherwe don’t need to send a train into the sunwe don’t need to escalate with each otherfrom the top tried to stop what you couldbut it’s a job that never leads to no goodjust because you can don’t mean that you always should
time is up, I know itlight it up and run and fast as I canall alone, I’m frozensome things never go as planned
I’m not the kind that takes too kindly to a hole in the storycertain expectation for the truthI’m not interested in doin things for the glorybetter not to dream of wealth and fame like I did in my youth
...even if you never get to sainthoodfind yourself a little forest to knock woodjust because you can don’t mean that you always should
fool ya once, shame on youfool ya twice then it’s shame on meI don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrowbut tonight go ahead and make a hundred dollar betthere won’t be any widows angry at me

With a new family member in the house, a father reflects on the birth of his first child. At 1:10 a.m. on October 20, 2007, he writes to her in a journal that will be given to her someday.

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light of the day glow far awaydark of the night comfort this placehere in the home, quiet and warmcloseness of sleep, ready to go
I’ll never be the sameforever I have changed
everyone I see looks different all because of youeveryone I meet seems different all because of youeverything is changedit’s different all because of younothing is the sameit’s different all because of you
all that you are, all that I seehere in my life, joy that you bring
don’t wanna see what’s playing on the videonothing mattersall I wanna do is be with youdon’t wanna hear what’s playing on the radionothing mattersall I wanna do is be with you

Former NFL football player turned police officer Patrick Goodpaster ran into a burning house at 1:15 a.m. on June 22, 2007 to rescue a 4-year-old. This song reflects on that moment through the eyes of (1) a fictional character who grew up with and continues to live in the shadow of the hero, and (2) another fictional character who sees the worth of this person who doesn’t find worth in himself.

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they say the past can come back to haunt youbut there’s no time like the present for meseems like I’m mostly scared of tomorrowthat it’ll be the same as yesterday
used to dream that someday I’d be the herogliding past the others for the winthey’d lift me high above on their shouldersnever let me down, never be the same again
when the truth comes for you nowwhere ya gonna run, yeah where ya gonna run tomorrowjump in the fire or just sit and watch it burn?when the truth comes for you nowwhere ya gonna run, yeah where ya gonna run tomorrowso many things that we seem to never learn
seems like it’s not enough to be humannever enough to be yourselfthe best of you is more than the things you dosee the one I see you and no one else

On the evening of December 20, 1954, a small group gathered at a house, expecting to be visited by a spacecraft at midnight, sent by God to rescue them from earth’s impending destruction. After waiting well past 1:00 a.m., the youngest member, a teenager, made a call home to tell his mother he was on his way, as she had earlier threatened to call the police if he wasn’t home by 2 a.m.

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hey, it’s meI’m coming backdon't wanna talk about itwhen we’re done I’ll call a cabno need to get excited
on the ground I’m feeling like I can’t get lowertried so hard believing that I’d be much higheron my way to outer space
don’t wait, forever’s long enough
back and forth and back againcaught in an endless circlehope I’ll see a different endlights flashing red and purple
tripping over my shoes without any lacessticks of gum without aluminum paperson my way back home again
losing my way again, eyes will never mendleft with nothing

At 1:28 a.m. on October 4, 2006, after reciting pi from memory for 16 hours, Akira Haraguchi stopped at the 100,000th digit.

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Μπορούμε να ζήσουμε μια ζωή σύμφωνα με την αλήθεια.
我们可以按照真理过一种生活。
Non possum vivere vita secundum vera.
சத்தியத்தின் அடிப்படையில் ஒரு வாழ்க்கை வாழ முடியும்.
අපිට සත්‍ය අනුව ජීවත් විය හැකිය.
.يمكننا ان نعيش حياه وفقا للحقيقه
We kunnen een leven leiden volgens de waarheid.
Kita bisa hidup sesuai dengan kebenaran.
Wir können ein Leben gemäß der Wahrheit leben.
మేము నిజం ప్రకారం జీవించగలము.
우리는 따라 삶을 살 수 있습니다.
Urang tiasa hirup hirup numutkeun bebeneran.
យើងអាចរស់នៅស្របតាមសេចក្តីពិត។
We can live a life according to truth.
私たちは真実に従って人生を生きることができます。
हम सत्य के अनुसार जीवन जी सकते हैं।
Vi kan leve et liv efter sandheden.
സത്യത്തിനനുസരിച്ച് നമുക്ക് ജീവിതം നയിക്കാനാകും.
Vi kan leva ett liv enligt sanningen.
Мы можем жить жизнью Согласно истине.
Kita bisa urip kanthi bener.
Nous pouvons vivre une vie selon la vérité.
IPossiamo vivere una vita secondo verità.
आपण सत्यानुसार जीवन जगू शकतो.
Môžeme žiť život podľa pravdy.
Podemos vivir una vida según la verdad.
ကျွန်ုပ်တို့သည်အမှန်တရားနှင့်အညီအသက်ရှင်နေထိုင်နိုင်သည်။
Nós podemos viver uma vida de acordo com a verdade.
Az igazság szerint élhetünk.
เราสามารถดำเนินชีวิตตามความจริง
Możemy żyć zgodnie z prawdą.
Vi kan leve et liv i samsvar med sannheten.
Gerçeğe göre bir hayat yaşayabiliriz.
আমরা সত্য অনুযায়ী একটি জীবন বসবাস করতে পারেন।
Chúng ta có thể sống một cuộc sống theo lẽ thật.
Voimme elää elämän totuuden mukaan.
Putem trăi o viață conform adevărului.
हामी सत्य अनुसार जीवन बिताउन सक्छौं।
Maaari tayong mamuhay ayon sa katotohanan.
Me saame elada elu vastavalt teele.
Ми можемо жити по правді.

Black Panther revolutionary Fred Hampton fell asleep during a phone conversation with his mother around 1:30 a.m. on December 4, 1969. Earlier that evening Hampton had been drugged in order to incapacitate him for a planned raid later that evening by law enforcement. At the time Hampton and his girlfriend Deborah Johnson were expecting the birth of their child, as she was more than eight months pregnant.

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as chicago waits for sleepon a cold december nightvoices travel through the wiresfamiliar as the road that brings you home
there’s a mother and a sontethering their quiet thoughtsof a newborn soon to comethe joy of life and beauty yet unknown
copper wiresthrough these copper wires the truth comes through
what would I do if you went away?what would I do if you left for a while?what would I do if you went far away?
take all the pennies in the worldmelt them all down one by oneand wrap it all on a great giant spooltie it to a messenger birdfly away, all the way to you

October 26, 1985, 1:35 a.m., Lone Pine Mall parking lot. Doc Brown has just survived an assault rifle attack. He has yet to experience the time travel machine that he invented, and will soon be having an internal conversation trying to decide what his next move will be.

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time again to plan ahead, time to find another waylibyans and violence always getting in the wayfirst you grab the gun again then make sure the coast is clearplenty of plutonium, it can take you anywhere
have lunch with Edison1927or meet up with FaradayHampton Court #37
time to clean up everything, get it all back in the vanothers will be coming soon so you need another planfind a secret hideaway, maybe some deserted shackpack up the delorean, you might not be coming back
go back to gettysburg271 memorable wordsor hear the voice of a carpenterback at the mount of beatitudesso long ago
watching the world around go back to what it wasgo do whatever thing it is you’re thinking of
here’s another strategy if you wanna stay alivedrop the kid off quickly then get back in the car and drivemake a new reality, you’ve got everything you needyou can see tomorrow, you just need a little speed
you can forget your fearsjust jump ahead by 30 yearsor see the 23rd centurywhere you could live to eternityor maybe more
life can pass you bysomeday you’ll wake up but you won’t know that’s the day you diethere’s no compromisejust as certain as the sun will fall and the moon will risebut this changes everything, yeah this changes everythingmathematics physics logic every concept of realityyeah this changes everything, this changes every little thingcreate a new beginning by watching the world around go back to what it was

What do you do if it’s the middle of the night and you are craving a sandwich from a restaurant 1000 miles away? If you’re Elvis, you hop on your private jet.

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flyin' a thousand mileson ship number nine hundred ninenothing but laughter and smiles‘cause everyone’s feelin alright
started in the jungle roomconversation starts to turnparty with the boys in blue
anything you wanna have, well you can have iteverything’s within your reach, just reach up and grab itif you wanna save your life for a happy endingit’s alright, the only thing you’re missing is FOOLS GOLD
dining room covered in leatherbuckles and faucets in goldperrier water and champagnea feast for a king and his court
there’s a price for everythingroyalty with just one stringgonna have to shake those hips and sing

At 1:45 a.m. on September 17, 1988 in Boston, MA, a car was struck from behind, causing it to lose control, drive over a concrete median barrier, cross multiple lanes heading in the opposite direction, and jump a second curb, stopping on top of the pedestrian sidewalk as it hit the Tower Records on Mass Ave. Six people were struck by the car before it stopped, including 17-year old Frederick Cameron Weber, known to his family and friends as Ted.

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it's gonna be alrightwe’re gonna be okwe’re gonna be sitting around and laughing about it somedayit’s gonna be alrightit’s gonna be okwe’re gonna have stories to tell and pictures to share along the wayit’s gonna be alright

On December 11, 1936 at 1:52 a.m., Parliamentʼs Bill of Abdication received Royal Assent, officially ending the reign of King Edward VIII, who had reached his limit with trying to please everyone but himself.

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I've seen the frontlines of warfareI’ve seen defeat of the braveI’ve seen the face of confusionwhere there was nothing to saveI’ve walked the streets of depressionwhere workers can’t get no payand in the moment that i say that something must be donethey try to warn me to get back in my place
the king is dead god save the king
I tried to follow the fanfarepride pomp and circumstanceexecuting every appearancethe steps of the political danceI tried to listen to reasonbe the ruler that the good people needbut if a king ain’t allowed to choose his bride as his queenthen tell me what kind of king can he be?

When recurring anomalies appeared to security guard Frank Wills during his early morning shift on June 17, 1972, he decided to call the police. His security log indicates that he returned to his station at 1:55 a.m. after doing his rounds at the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

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someone's hiding in the shadows, someone’s hiding in the darkthis is no delusion, this is where it startssomeone’s in the building, don’t know where they are
call the police and let them know that something wrong is going ontape is on the doorlock, something here is wrongneed more information, darkest before the dawn
they came in bluejeans, no uniformsthey looked disheveled, tattered and tornpolice in plainclothes, they showed their badgeknock at the window, who can they catchpolice in plainclothes, who will they catch
someone’s hiding in the shadows, someone’s hiding in the darkdon’t know what they’re doing, don’t know who they aresomeone’s in the building, they’re not going farnothing like it anywhere