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|[[T. S. Eliot]], {{Cws|link=The Waste Land|title=''The Waste Land''}}
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Lines 359 through 365 of [[T. S. Eliot]]'s 1922 modernist poem ''[[The Waste Land]]'' were inspired by Shackleton's experience, as stated by the author in the notes included with the work. It is the reference to "the third" in this poem that has given this phenomenon its name (when it could occur to even a single person in danger). T.S. Eliot was incorrect as there were three men on this rescue and not two.
In recent years, well-known adventurers like climber [[Reinhold Messner]] and polar explorers [[Peter Hillary]] and [[Ann Bancroft]] have reported experiencing the phenomenon. One study of cases involving adventurers reported that the largest group involved climbers, with solo sailors and shipwreck survivors being the second most common group, followed by polar explorers.<ref>Suedfeld, Peter and Geiger, John, (2008) "The sensed presence as a coping resource in extreme environments" In: Ellens, J. Harold (ed.), ''Miracles God, Science, and Psychology in the Paranormal'' (Vol. 3) Praeger. {{ISBN|0-275-99722-7}}</ref> A similar experience was documented by mountain climber [[Joe Simpson (mountaineer)|Joe Simpson]] in his 1988 book ''[[Touching the Void (book)|Touching the Void]]'', which recounts his near-death experience in the Peruvian Andes. Simpson describes "a voice" which encouraged him and directed him as he crawled back to base camp after suffering a horrible leg injury high on [[Siula Grande]] and falling off a cliff and into a crevasse. Some journalists have related this to the concept of a [[guardian angel]] or [[imaginary friend]]. Scientific explanations consider the phenomenon a [[coping mechanism]] or an example of [[bicameral mentality]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/living/article/579401|title=Third man theory of otherworldly encounters|last=White|first=Nancy J.|date=30 January 2009|work=[[Toronto Star]]|accessdate=5 February 2009}}</ref> The concept was popularized by a 2009 book by [[John G. Geiger]], ''The Third Man Factor'', which documents scores of examples.
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