– **Number of air holes:** Sources vary between one and three. Wikipedia says one; amusingplanet.com says three. The 1849 Stearns narrative is the primary source; the article uses “one air hole” while noting the variation.
– **Authorship of the 1851 narrative:** The “Written by Himself” claim is complicated by Brown’s illiteracy and by internal textual evidence suggesting possible American authorship. The scholarly discussion is noted; Brown’s agency as narrator and subject is affirmed while the literal claim is qualified.
– **Nancy and the children:** Their names, the name of the buyer, what happened to them in North Carolina, and what became of the fourth child are not documented in sources historians have been able to access.
– **Brown’s death date:** Long unknown; established by Martha J. Cutter’s 2015 archival research as June 15, 1897, in Toronto.
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**Slug:** henry-box-brown-escape-shipping-crate-27-hours-freedom
**Meta Description:** In 1849, Henry Brown sealed himself inside a wooden crate and shipped himself from Richmond to Philadelphia. The 27-hour journey changed history. (155 characters)
**Category:** Black History & Extraordinary Escapes
**Suggested thumbnail hook:** “He folded himself into a wooden crate and shipped himself to freedom. 27 hours. 350 miles. One air hole.”