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History is an endless source of adventure — just picture the bold battles, revolutionary events, and celebrated figures of our past. Sure, they might seem distant at first, but they also offer great insight into what shaped our world today.
Plenty of incredible people made it into textbooks and the minds of anyone who ever stepped foot into a history class. But some heroes did remarkable things yet didn’t get the recognition they fully deserved. That's why Reddit user mrnutterbutter123 felt the urge to find out who are some of the coolest people that ever walked this Earth.
More than 5.8K members of Ask Reddit rolled up their sleeves, shared their knowledge, and reignited our passion for the subject. From Andre the Giant to Tiananmen Square Tank Man, Bored Panda handpicked some of the best answers that vividly illustrate how our past is brimming with people who led fascinating lives. So continue scrolling and upvote your favorites as you go!
Psst! If you're hungry for some more historical facts, take a look at our older posts right here and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Welles Crowther, aka The Man In The Red Bandana. I’m sure most of us have thought about what it must have been like in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and it must have been debilitatingly petrifying. He was 24 years old working on the 104th floor as an equities trader. Made his way down to the sky lobby of the South Tower and found a badly burned woman, carried her down 17 floors, then went back upstairs to help guide others to the only passable stairwell. Stayed up there helping others and working with the fire department until the towers collapsed. He’s responsible for saving around 20 lives and [passed away] a damn hero.
Leslie Crittenden 3 years ago (edited)
This made me cry. May he rest in peace. "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his fellow man".
RELATED:
#2
Nellie Bly . Went undercover and endured abuse to cover neglect and abuse in Blackwell’s asylum, went to Mexico and called out the dictator for going after the press and oppressing his people and then fleed/was exiled out of Mexico because of that, traveled the world in 70-something days to prove you could travel the world in 80 days or less (based off the the Jules Verne novel) , also did reporting on the Eastern European front in World War One and also was arrested after she was mistaken for a British Spy, and she did so much more ! Such a bad ass and one of my historical heroes.
Scagsy 3 years ago
Hollywood! Stop making useless woke replicas of classic films and make an original movie about Nellie Bly. You could call it 'Nellie Bly'. There, I've set the ball rolling for you. Write the damn story. Make the damn film.
Silverrob 3 years ago
I sure wish unintelligent, ignorant folks could find another use for the word 'woke'. As in 'I just woke up.' It's getting as old as 'fake news'. So tRump era.
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Bi-Polar Express 3 years ago
One of my fourth graders just wrote her biography about this woman. I didn't tell her to do it. I didn't give her a name. We learned how to research women in March. The shock of some of the kids as they discovered so many people they had never heard of.
Jenelle Prins 3 years ago
Nellie Bly showed up in one of the 80 Days Around the World movies. Can’t remember which one. I read a book about her when I was about 8-9 and have admired her ever since.
#3
Cassius Marcellus Clay
He was an abolitionist politician and certified badass from Kentucky who freed all of his slaves upon inheriting his father’s plantation, letting them stay and paying them a fair wage. He was the OG progressive and did not take s**t from anyone. It’s no wonder Muhammad Ali was named after him.
What is written below isn’t even 10% of the absolute badassery this man accomplished in his life. If you want the full story, check out the dollop episode in the comments.
“Clay had a reputation as a rebel and a fighter. Due to threats on his life, he had become accustomed to carrying two pistols and a knife for protection. He installed a cannon to protect his home and office.”
“In 1845, Clay began publishing an anti-slavery newspaper, True American, in Lexington, Kentucky. Within a month he received death threats, had to arm himself, and regularly barricaded the armored doors of his newspaper office for protection, besides setting up two four-pounder cannons inside.”
“During a political debate in 1843, he survived an assassination attempt by Sam Brown, a hired gun. The scabbard of Clay's Bowie knife was tipped with silver, and in jerking the Bowie knife out in retaliation pulled this scabbard up so that it was just over his heart. Sam Brown's bullet struck the scabbard, and embedded itself in the silver. Despite being shot in the chest, Clay drew his Bowie knife, tackled Brown, cut out his eyes, and finally threw him over an embankment.” This “embankment” was actually the top of the Russell Cave (for which Russell Cave Rd is named after), trivia for any of you native Lexingtonians. It’s on Mt. Brilliant farm just south of Elkhorn Creek, where the event was hosted.
“Clay served in the Mexican–American War as a captain with the 1st Kentucky Cavalry from 1846 to 1847. He opposed the annexation of Texas and expansion of slavery into the Southwest. While making a speech for abolition in 1849, Clay was attacked by the six Turner brothers, who beat, stabbed and tried to shoot him. In the ensuing fight, Clay fought off all six and, using his Bowie knife, [unalived] Cyrus Turner.”
He was instrumental in the institution of the emancipation proclamation: “Recalled to the United States in 1862 to accept a commission from Lincoln as a major general with the Union Army, Clay publicly refused to accept it unless Lincoln would agree to emancipate slaves under Confederate control. Lincoln sent Clay to Kentucky to assess the mood for emancipation there and in the other border states. Following Clay's return to Washington, DC, Lincoln issued the proclamation in late 1862, to take effect in January 1863.”
He was also appointed minister to Russia and was present for the Tsar’s emancipation of the Serfs. And his house has (it’s still standing) an extremely early form of indoor plumbing and central heating that was revolutionary for the time. He donated 10 acres of the land to form Berea College, the first integrated coeducational college in the South. Dude led an extremely interesting life and is, in my opinion, one of the most important unknown and undiscussed figures in American history.
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
You forgot 'beat' [violently petted], 'stabbed' [performed unwilling amateur surgery], 'shoot' [administer copper-jacketed lead poisoning].
Persephone 3 years ago
There should Def be a movie about this guy, and I nominate Nick Offerman! (Ron Swanson from parks and rec.) He was fantastic in the 2nd season of Fargo, and could pull off the look!
LuckyNumbers 3 years ago
UNALIVED? Just jesus f*****g christ this is fully pathetic. I now finally understand what those morons mean when they say snowflake. Because this is truly snowflake behaviour.
Davo gifman 3 years ago (edited)
Unalived) Yeah I agree I think it's kinda odd. After I read it; I thought how would "Dispatched from this realm" sound? As far as something that wouldn't be censored by BP.
E M 3 years ago
Why can't we use real words anymore? Sincerely, I must know. People do die. Why soften that? People are killed. It does happen. Is "unalived" really a better word (that isn't even a word, by the way, nor is it grammatically correct). It does no one any favors and dumbs down people and our very real lives where very real, sometimes bad, horrific things happen. I don't get it. Call it what it is. Those words better describe the thing and it should illicit a reaction. Those things are bad.
Let's just put it out there — some people have a difficult time with history. Well, you can hardly blame them when this subject is often presented in a way that puts more focus on memorizing the facts than on fully understanding them. In classes, students get offered a fair share of names and dates that happened years ago, and for some, learning them seems a waste of time and can even drive them away from the subject.
However, history can offer a lot to a person — if they’re only willing to look. It is rich with stories of people who led full and intriguing lives, came up with brilliant plans and inventions, and achieved great accomplishments. Thanks to historical documents and word of mouth, we can still discover new names that slipped through the cracks of a broader historical scope.
#4
Janusz Korczak.
He was a military doctor during WW1, a completely committed amazing pedagogue and the headmaster of a Jewish children’s home during WW2 in the Warsaw Ghetto.
He was given several chances to flee to Palestine. Instead electing to stay with the children.
Eventually he accompanied them all the way into the gas chamber, to make sure they didn’t have to die alone and scared.
It’s one level of bad-a**ery to [take out] for your cause.
It’s a whole different level of bad-assery to walk towards certain death for several years, endure hardship and starvation. Not for some grand cause. Not even to trade your life for someone elses.
But only because you feel so much love towards your fellow man, to think it’s your duty to make sure they won’t have to die alone.
Man in the ceiling 3 years ago
Why is this comment section mostly about other threads and bp censorship? Can we please take a moment to honor this brave man who sacrificed himself to help people in their last moments feel a sense of calm?
iamthesupreamegod 3 years ago
Because censoring these words deminish the honor these heroes deserve.
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LuckyNumbers 3 years ago
Take out. You mean KILL MURDER ELIMINATE EXTERMINATE TAKE A LIFE? How foolish can you make your very serious articles look....
Pamela Hutchison 3 years ago
Yeah...I agree with this. It's wonderful information and interesting and worthwhile and I appreciate reading it but it's not a professional read. There are several childish remarks throughout that are rather annoying. However it's worth the time to read it anyway .. as for this guy though..how very sad that he walked into the gas chamber with the children...it's just so very sad. I don't know enough about the story to make any critical interpretation, but I know that to those kids, in those childrens eyes this man was their hero and im sure he never wanted nor expected 'credit' of being a hero or a martyr from anyone...I think people's egos play a part in their choices nowadays way too often. This man had no desire to be remembered for this deed...I often wonder if there are still saints and angels, like this man was, who walk among us these days... and when I look for them, i do see them. Not so many, but good people are around... I strive to be so selfless.
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Wintermute 3 years ago
Get Chinese food to take home for dinner in the name of your cause. Or so BP would have us sensitive viewers believe.
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#5
Joe Medicine Crow. The last legit Native American to earn the War Chief Title. In World War II he was a scout and wore traditional Crow Nation war paint and feathers. To become a war chief he had to touch an enemy without [unaliving] him, take an enemy's weapon, lead a successful war party, and steal an enemy's horse. He stole over 50 horses from the SS and earned a Bronze Star.
Medicine Crow [passed away] at 102 years old. He was born with Woodrow Wilson in office and met Barack Obama before he [passed away].
Fat Harry 3 years ago
K I L L I N G not "unaliving". F*ck it, Bored Panda, if you're going to censor everything I'm going to uncensor it.
Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
Unaliving 😂😂😂 Bored Panda censors straight making up words
Xan Maranya 3 years ago
This not censoring but an irrational fear of any words like dead, dying, killing, etc. They could get help for that.
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Dagnirath 3 years ago
Also, "died". He died, you don't have to soften it with "passed away" all the time. Everyone is going to die eventually.
Load More Replies... Monkey Spunk 3 years ago
He sounds like a [male human] with a huge pair of [oval organs that produce white tadpoles].
Jane Martin 3 years ago
Please stop with the 'unaliving' BS. It is both stupid and insulting to your readers.
Xan Maranya 3 years ago
This not stupidity but an irrational fear of any words like dead, dying, killing, etc. They could get help for that.
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Andrea Delden 3 years ago
Wow, why have we never heard of him? School text books need to be rewritten!
Potatorain 3 years ago
Im kind of new here, so i'm kind of confused about these "[ ]" things. Do people that make these compilations actually think "died" "killing" etc are offensive words, or am i missing something? Because if they think they are offensive, then that's kind of nuts if you ask me.
#6
I always felt Jonas Salk was pretty bad-ass. The dude created the first successful polio vaccine and gave away the cure for free.
Vetus Vespertilio 3 years ago
Countless people never had to endure paralysis or life within an iron lung because of Salk’s selflessness. Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, also gave it away free for the benefit of humanity. (Robert D. Coghill and Andrew J. Moyer later patented Fleming’s discovery for their own benefit.) When Dr. Frederick Banting discovered insulin in 1923, he refused to put his name on the patent. He felt it was unethical for a doctor to profit from a discovery that would save lives. Banting’s co-inventors, James Collip and Charles Best, sold the insulin patent to the University of Toronto for a mere $1. They wanted everyone who needed their medication to be able to afford it. That decency is apparently too old-fashioned for today’s pharmaceutical overlords to comprehend or emulate.
George C.P. 3 years ago
He created a vaccine that saved lives and now it's refused by not-so-smart people.
Miss Frankfurter 3 years ago
Banting did the same thing with insulin because he knew without it children would die if parents couldn't afford it. Now look at things. The cost of insulin in some countries is bordering on being complicit in the deaths of many people who have to ration it because they can't afford it. Some end up cutting it too close and die.
Susan Schaefer 3 years ago
Bordering? A close friend of mine died because of nerve damage from the diabetes he couldn't afford to treat.
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Scrolling through this list, you can find absolutely phenomenal people you might never have heard about. And no wonder why — the world is far too complex to know everything, and history is extremely vast. At the same time, it is also one of the most popular subjects — nearly everyone seeks to learn something about the past at some point in their life.
"If someone doesn’t love history yet, they probably haven’t learned about the area and period that will capture their imagination," Darren R. Reid, Ph.D., a lecturer in history at Coventry University, told Bored Panda in a previous interview.
#7
Alan Turing, a mathematician who saved 2 million lives in WWII just by doing math.
Nathaniel 3 years ago
Committed suicide because homosexuality was illegal back then and was either going to go to prison of choose chemical castration. This guy was a genius and this is how we Brits treated him. Disgusting.
Henry Russell 3 years ago
i remenber him it was sad abut what happened to him and how he supposely shorten the war by four years and was arrested for being who he was
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Louise B 3 years ago
He should be honoured ,respected and loved. The best our great city of Manchester could do is name a road after him. He was a once in a generation genius,. Imagine all that he could have done had he not been forced to take female hormones. I canmot imagine his pain.
Seán Baron 3 years ago
There's a statue of him in Sackville Park isn't there? By the Gay Village? He's also on the £50 note.
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commie pinkofag 3 years ago
To fail to mention that he was gay and driven to suicide because of it is unpardonable. He was quite literally harassed to death by the country he saved.
Mikawa 3 years ago
A horrible situation for sure, just not relevant to this list. Nothing was meant by leaving it out!
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PandaRave 3 years ago
Nice, how could you forget the absolute boss who was Alan Turing? He's a huge difference between WWII Germany and Britain. Those disgusting Nazis killed all their genius minds because they were minorities. The British waited till WWII was over to screw over their greatest minds
Davo gifman 3 years ago
I had to look it up but this genius saved millions of lives by breaking the enigma codes. Also broke e-codes the U-boats were using to communicate with each other. So not only did he save millions, but allowed vast amounts of equipment food and supplies to reach its destination safely. I now remember reading about him in school, but it was such a long time ago; that I forgot his deeds. It sucks what my mind forgets to retain.
John Crowe 3 years ago
This guys story is desperately sad as his brilliance saved so many people and his life was stolen from him by the very people he saved 😭
Potatorain 3 years ago
Meh, why can't you tell more about him? "just by doing math", tells a lot.
Xan Maranya 3 years ago (edited)
Turing "doing math" invented the Enigma machine which intercepted daily German military communications in WWII and probably shortened the war by 2 years. With this he invented the first computer and the predecessor of all that we have now.
Jeanine Kitrell 3 years ago
How did he do the saving of lives with his math? We need more info. More story please!
#8
Tiananmen Square Tank Man
Armed only with a grocery bag he fearlessly stood down a column of tanks to protest the brutal suppression of peaceful protest by the corrupt and morally bankrupt government of the People’s Republic of China. He dared to openly defy the leadership of China, a feat most modern world leaders who have militaries behind them don’t have the spine to do.
Nadine Bamberger 3 years ago
They're still not sure who he was and what happened to him afterwards, but he's most likely been executed. What a brave man.
Kay blue 3 years ago
I was just about to ask what happened to him. It makes me think he might have been disappeared.
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Martin Kaine 3 years ago
I'm not one to side with an authoritarian military, but something should also be said for the lead tank commander. With the orders the army was given, any other commander would have had "Tank Man" run over, even when he consistently blocked the tank every time it tried to get around him.
Valter 3 years ago (edited)
Another stunning photo: the man on the left is the same, go toward the tank with his bags in Tienammen. tien-an-me...5a8233.jpg 
Mimi La Souris 3 years ago
I always wonder what were his thoughts at that moment, what led him to that and what the ... happened to him
Davo gifman 3 years ago
I don't think this particular photograph does that guy true justice to his bravery. In the larger photo available it's not just four tanks. They're about fifteen, or twenty more right behind that fourth one. An doing this action in China is badass even if that was a single military jeep he was halting the progress of; let along two dozen tanks. No wonder he didn't move much; his balls were huge!
CanidaeVulpes 3 years ago
How the photo itself made it’s way to the public is pretty interesting too
#9
Witold Pilecki, a man so badass that he voluntarily and secretly went into Auschwitz as a prisoner and spy to gather information; while there he regularly made reports on conditions and also organised resistance. As the the war dragged on and conditions became worse, he then successfully broke out of Auschwitz so that he could personally convince his superiors of the truth, as they found his reports too ghastly to be real.
Katinka Min 3 years ago
Alas, what was going on in Auschwitz was not relevant enough t change the tactics of war. The narrative is that the allied forces beat Hitler to stop the shoa, but that is really not the case. Few people cared about the shoa, back then, and noone wanted the Jeewish refugees either.
zoponex 3 years ago
Just as the North didn't fight the US Civil War to end slavery. History is always written by the victors to make them appear righteous.
Load More Replies... Monkey Spunk 3 years ago
The war effort by the Poles in WW2 is always overlooked, they were everywhere fighting the Nazi's.
Whether people come across a captivating story, a fascinating personality, or simply see a funny historical meme while scrolling on social media, it can help them learn about compelling chapters of the past that they didn’t even know existed.
According to Reid, history teaches you how to investigate complex, world-shaping events, how to systematically find and analyze evidence, and how to communicate your ideas.
"People who study history become critical thinkers with a powerful analytical toolset and the ability to communicate complex ideas," he added. "Those are incredibly important skills — and they develop them whilst learning about the past and the forces that have shaped our society."
"Studying history is not just about gaining knowledge — it’s about gaining important skills that can be used to find success in a dizzying array of jobs and careers."
#10
Maime Till-Mobley
Her son (Emmett Till) was lynched because he wolf whistled at a white woman named Carolyn Bryant. Carolyn’s husband and his step brother kidnapped Emmett and had tortured and Murdered him. His body was found in the Tallahatchie River and it was beyond recognizable. When his mother received the body in Chicago she held an open casket to show the world what racism does to black children. Today is actually her birthday so...
Happy Birthday Mrs.Mobley.
In my eyes she is the most bad-ass person in history.
Julia Fine 3 years ago
He was innocent, even if he did it it’s not illegal to wolf whistle a woman. And those two men were not judge and jury
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Marnie 3 years ago
Yeah, that's really shocking that this person who posted straight up said he whistled when the woman in question actually came out and said she lied about it.
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Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
Even if what he was accused of had been true, he was still innocent. Looking at/whistling at/being near a white woman was not a crime!
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TS Rhodes 3 years ago
The Emmett Till Antilynching Act [HR 55], named after the Black 14-year-old who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955, was introduced by Rep. Bobby L. Rush. The bill aims to amend section 249 of title 18 of the United States Code to specify lynching as a hate crime act and anyone who conspires to commit such an act resulting in death or serious bodily injury shall be punished by up to 30 years in jail. The bill passed in a Monday night vote by 422 votes to 3. The only three lawmakers to vote "no" on the Emmett Till Antilynching Act were Republican Reps. Andrew S. Clyde (GA), Thomas Massie (KY) and Chip Roy (TX).
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
How did I already know the "no" votes were from Republicans? I must be psychic.
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Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
I'm surprised BP let it slip that young Mr. Till was murdered. Usually they'd say he was "unalived".
Hex Gurls 3 years ago
maybe they have more respect for the weight of history and words in historical context than we thought
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Monica Sargent 3 years ago
Emmett spoke with a stutter and his mother taught him to whistle to calm his nerves. It wasn't a wolf whistle. That woman also accused the young boy of grabbing her and propositioning her. Stutterers are known to be self-conscience and shy. I highly doubt, given the racially charged climate of the south, where they were lynching people for fun, that he would have risked it. That on top of the fact that most Black men weren't attracted to women of other races.
#11
Simo Häyhä, known as the White Death. Hero of the Finland-Russia Winter War, and the single greatest sniper to ever live. With a confirmed kill count of 300, but likely number probably over 1000. He got his jaw shot off, had it fixed and still lived to the age of 94.
He used Iron sights so people couldn't see the glare of a lens. Put snow in his mouth so his breath didn't reveal his position. The dude systematically hunted the soviets. Silent, deadly. There's a reason he is the White Death.
Richard Henderson 3 years ago
That was probably before the bullet to the jaw.
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T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
Oops, BP forgot to censor a 'kill'. Welp, I guess I have to go out and kill something now.
Tim Quinlan 3 years ago
BF you used the word "kill" not "unalived" - someone must be slipping on the censorship/trigger board
#12
Nikola Tesla, for inventing basically everything we use in the modern age.
Hagen Radcliffe 3 years ago
Thanks for pointing out the truth. Edison was a thief of ideas and designs. Kinda like Steve Jobs. He was made a “saint” for political and anti-Semitic causes.
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Jyri Hakola 3 years ago
His name newerthless was standardized way before that and made an unit to measure the density of the magnetic flux.
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Bob Standen 3 years ago
Was tricked by Westinghouse who stole his ACDC current theory and paid him nothing. He died alone and in poverty.
Andy Frobig 3 years ago
Stealing ACDC...now that's a dirty deed done dirt cheap.
Load More Replies... Potatorain 3 years ago
On some of them you write long descriptions going into detail and then with Nikola Tesla you describe him with one sentence.
L.a. Williams 3 years ago
Edison went to government to lock Tesla from just about everything in America. Government made more money with Edison. Tesla wanted to give his inventions to all.
Saint Lynnie 3 years ago
This man wanted to give us all of his greatest intentions for free... Imagine how much better our society would be had we realized how genius over Edison's slander?
Discovering the little tidbits of information that surround a specific chapter of our past can help us deepen our knowledge and understand why things happened the way they did. Studying basic facts about distant eras and events can change our perspective, accelerate our critical thinking, and allow us to think of new brilliant ideas.
However, as with everything we see on the internet, we should take every new piece of information with a pinch of salt. After all, not every historic truth or detail is true. So Reid explained that we must check our sources. "The internet is an incredible tool, but it is also responsible for producing and disenchanting a lot of bad information."
#13
Christopher Lee, the actor behind Count Dooku, Saruman and many others was a certified bad a**. Spy and Nazi killer in WWII. Had a couple heavy metal albums as well.
Mike Loux 3 years ago
Conversation with the director of the films: "Peter, have you ever heard someone being stabbed? Well, I have, and it doesn't sound like that." F*****g legend.
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Powerful Katrinka 3 years ago
BP missed an opportunity to censor "killer." Shouldn't that be "unaliver"?
Sinkvenice 3 years ago
He was one of my patients years ago, it was so difficult to not completely fan out. My father was friends with Dirk Bogarde, as was he and we had a chat about the last time he saw him before Dirk died. Such a gentleman.
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
You had my interest at 'Nazi killer'. You have my attention with 'heavy metal albums'.
Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
Other British actors with distinguished wartime service in WWI/WWII include David Niven, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, John Laurie, Arnold Ridley to name but a few. Also Ballard Berkeley, "The Major" from Fawlty Towers was a special constable in the metropolitan police and was nearly blown up during the blitz.
#14
Vasily Arkhipov. Quite litetally stopped WW3 by deciding not to launch a nuclear strike.
Trillian 3 years ago
For anyone wondering, that was during the Cuba Crisis. Not recent events although it might sound like that.
Rabbit Lord 3 years ago
I might add that while the cuba crises was active the russian submarine commanders are allowed to use their nuclear warheads without permission of any superior commander and the US Navy tried to get his submarine to the surface by using hand gernades because of a US sea blockade. So these grenades may be misinterpreted as depth charges which may - in this case - lead to a WW3. Didn't they install the red phone after this incident because some things are better to be discussed by politicians then soldiers...?
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jk nbt 3 years ago
SOMEBODY NOMINATE THIS GUY FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE TODAY! ESPECIALLY RELEVANT CONSIDERING WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE UKRAINE... NOBEL PEACE PRICE NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE, ARE YOU LISTENING???? https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/
Nicky 3 years ago
The Nobel Prize can only be awarded to living people. I agree he deserves one! Let's change the Nobel Prize rules!
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James Blanken 3 years ago
I think it should read "decided not to launch a counter strike to a supposed Western launch." As the Russian radar was showing a launch, they would have launched a counter strike.
Joe Reaves 3 years ago
Nope, you have the wrong incident (there were scarily quite a few moments that depended on one man not pressing a button). He was in a submarine in the Cuban missile crisis. The US depth charged his submarine. Since they were too deep to be in contact with anyone they had no idea if the war had already started or not. The captain wanted to launch the nuclear weapons as he believed the war must have begun. Vasily needed to agree before he could launch. He didn't.
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Ourania Cooper 3 years ago
Thank you Vasily for making the decision not to launch and staying with it.
Joshua Wilson 3 years ago
But it almost started anyway, because he decided not to launch the missile before the U.S. was about to invade Cuba. When the U.S. WAS about to invade, Khrushchev called Kennedy directly and told him that if the U.S. were to take their missiles out of Turkey, they would remove theirs from Cuba.
#15
Hedy Lamarr. She became a Hollywood movie star, then went on to pioneer technology used in bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
GoldShovel 3 years ago
She also brought said technology to the U.S Army during WWII so they could use it. Unfortunately, she was denied as they only saw her for her title, "The Most Beautiful Woman in The World." In a journal of hers, she said her face became a curse.
commie pinkofag 3 years ago
When she offered her proto-wifi to the Navy during WWII, she was told to sell kisses and war bonds instead.
Miss Frankfurter 3 years ago
Not to mention the angles on jet wings. Previously, as seen in WWII planes they went out straight. Was watching some fish in a tank and observed how they swam so fast was partly because of the angle of the fins on their sides. 💡angled wings would cut air resistance drastically and increase speed.
RatherLoopy 3 years ago
And sued Warner Bros. for Mel Brooks' misappropriating her name in Blazing Saddles.
Andy Frobig 3 years ago
Even though Governor La Petomane said, "It's 1874, YOU'LL be able to sue HER!"
Load More Replies... To avoid accidentally believing false facts and bogus theories, Reid noted — "Don’t take anything for granted". Especially today, when we can find most historical documents, letters, speeches, and many more sources with a few searches and quick clicks on hyperlinks.
"Look to the works of credible scholars to ensure the accuracy of whatever you’ve read or whatever you intend to produce," the lecturer added.
#16
The clear answer is Julia Child.
This superwoman was a WWII spy, invented shark repellent, singlehandedly brought French cuisine to America, was over 6 feet tall, was a bestselling author, was a champion woman’s basketball player, regularly went small game hunting, was known as an avid prankster, the recipient of multiple Emmys, the French Legion of Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and honorary doctorates from several universities including Harvard, was a dedicated wife, and is beloved worldwide to this day.
Honestly, her Wikipedia page is an absolute roller coaster ride if anyone is interested.
Gabby M 3 years ago
I love Julia ... BUT her name always reminds me of a bit SNL did years ago about her.
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Wintermute 3 years ago
What I remember most about her from my childhood was that she completely owned herself. She was an unconventional looking woman in a time when the glamour industry was just infesting television and all women had to conform to set beauty standards just to get on the airwaves, much less be taken seriously. Julia didn't fit that mold, and she owned it with confidence and dignity. Probably the first woman in my life that I saw do that.
Jimmy Lewis 3 years ago
I used to watch her on PBS. Her enthusiasm was infectious. I love to cook, and she is one of the reasons.
Tami 3 years ago
Maybe because it's unusual for a woman to be that tall and therefore could have made her a victim of harrassment. Maybe she did get harrassed sometimes, but she certainly didn't act like a victim, used her height to her advantage in sports, and her legacy is one of great success!
Load More Replies... iamthesupreamegod 3 years ago (edited)
It's crazy how much people used to be able to accomplish just factoring in time. I struggle to find time to play video games and this woman has outdone all I'll ever do.
Steve Fischer 3 years ago
I still chuckle at the parody skit that SNL did on Julia Childs many years ago
Cathy Jo Baker 3 years ago
AND, she had her ashes placed on the Neptune Memorial Reef in Miami!
#17
Michael Collins. Showed up 7 minutes late to negotiations for the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922, and when he was corrected said “You’ve had 700 years, I’ll take my 7 minutes”
Marco Hub-Dub 3 years ago
The film, “Michael Collins” is one of the better films about The Troubles, along with “The Wind That Shakes The Barley”. Illuminating for those who weren’t taught the reality in school.
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buttonpusher 3 years ago
I've an ancestor who fought alongside him. His blade is still in the family.
Tracie Fleshman 3 years ago
I am proud to be related to him. My great grandma came to the US in 1880 to escape the persecution. Bertha Evans we still persevere and thrive with the opportunities we were given. Thank you
#18
Olga of Kiev
This lady lost her husband and when it was proposed she marry his murderer, she was like 'sure, send a delegation over so we can talk this out' and they came. She had them dropped in a pit and buried them alive. Then she had another party of men sent to talk about the marriage, and they came. She said, 'hey, it was a long journey, why not come relax in this bathhouse' and they did. She set the bathhouse on fire when they were in it. Then Olga went and sent the Drevilians another message, 'hey bring out the booze i'm coming to mourn my husband's death in your city'. She came, she mourned, she got the Drevilians drunk, and she had them [taken out] by her followers while they were drunk off their asses.
Olga went and got her army, laid siege to the place where her husband was [unalived] for a year, then told them 'I'm willing to forgive and forget if you guys give me a bunch of birds' and the Drevilians did. They turned the birds into mini matches by attaching sulphur to their legs, and then released them. Set the city on fire. Freaking savage.
Hagen Radcliffe 3 years ago
Me too. Sounds like the kinda girl who’s got a friends back.
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Davo gifman 3 years ago
This "unalive" junk is making us livid isn't it. I agree with you 💯 % it's ridiculous nonsense!
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Mer☕️🧭☕️ 3 years ago
I know. I was all "Go Olga Go" until the animal cruelty.
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YoyoSthlm 3 years ago
So she killed a lot of innocent people because one man killed her husband?
M O'Connell 3 years ago
It was a political attack. The Drevlians didn't just kill her husband, they tortured him to death and attempted to force Olga to marry their prince so they could take control of the lands of the Kievan Rus. They thought they could manipulate her because she was a woman.
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Nina Khmielnitzky 3 years ago
Too bad she's not alive anymore. I salivate to think what she would do to Putin.
UpupaEpops 3 years ago
Just in case you guys haven't noticed the halo, this lady is an actual saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Joe Reaves 3 years ago
She also travelled to Constantinople and Emperor Constantine VII wanted to marry her. She said as a pagan she couldn't possibly marry a Christian monarch but told him she was willing to convert. She studied the faith and then agreed to be baptised, accepting no one other than Constantine himself as her godfather since he was the only one important enough. Then after she was baptised he proposed again and she pointed out that in the eyes of the church they were now father and daughter... He admitted she had outwitted him and sent her home laden with gifts.
Our past is full of charming and brave people, but you might have missed them in your history class. Reid advised you to be curious and explore the past. "Learn the lessons our ancestors teach us through their words and actions. Learning about the past is one of the best ways to understand why we — all of us — act the way we do."
#19
Sgt. Dipprasad Pun of the royal Gurkha Rifles
He took out 30 Taliban by himself and was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.
Moo Moo Futch 3 years ago
The way the British government has treated Gurkhas is a national scandal.
Davo gifman 3 years ago
I watched a documentary about the Gurkha's an these guys were fantastic. Their training was no joke tough. An they were very shy,polite,and very humble,but don't let that fool you. Because could be the last thing you do. For they are also fiercely loyal to the military and each other. After watching the documentary about these guys I've no doubt that if you became friends with these guys; you'd be hard pressed to find another as loyal, and kind, but also be protected by them with their very lives. Amazing people!
Vetus Vespertilio 3 years ago
My British father-in-law served in WW2 in Burma. He always maintained that he would feel safer with 10 Gurkas than with any 100 other men.
Load More Replies... Bear Hall 3 years ago
He defended an outpost alone. He had 3 confirmed kills and made 15-30 Taliban withdraw. When he run out of bullets he knocked out one with a machinegun stand and dropped a sandbag on the top of another. He's beyond heroic, but please have the correct numbers. And the Gurkhas don't carry their famous knives to the battlefield any more, though they are still trained to use them.
GPZ 3 years ago
DO NOT mess with a Gurkha. On the surface, this sounds like he should've received a VC There are many stories of their incredible loyalty and effectiveness. During the Falklands (Malvinas) war in 1982, it was deliberately leaked that a Gurkha detachment was being sent in. The Argentinians either retreated or surrendered before they were engaged. In another instance (I can't recall during which conflict) a Gurkha was severely wounded and given the wounds was not expected to survive however his immediate superior officer went to organise a medevac but before he went and despite the severity of his wounds, he ordered the soldier not to die. The soldier survived and when he was interviewed, after recovering, and was asked how he had survive his response was simple- he was ordered not to
Peter Kovak 3 years ago
It's a well known fact: no one can mess with Gurkha. I think they leave behind the combined Marines + Seals + SAS.
Hugh Cookson 3 years ago
No, They all operate in different types of conflict - some cross over, but not many - Ghurkali are specialist jungle / close combat troops , especially at altitude but operate efficiently in tropical environments. Desert warfare is built in due to the terrain that Nepal has, the fact they are committed, prepared and bloody good soldiers make them some of the best in the World
Load More Replies... #20
Lachhiman Gurung.
On 12/13 May 1945 at Taungdaw, Burma [now Myanmar], Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung was manning the most forward post of his platoon which bore the brunt of an attack by at least 200 of the Japanese enemy. Twice he hurled back grenades which had fallen on his trench, but the third exploded in his right hand, blowing off his fingers, shattering his arm and severely wounding him in the face, body and right leg. His two comrades were also badly wounded but the rifleman, now alone and disregarding his wounds, loaded and fired his rifle with his left hand for four hours, calmly waiting for each attack which he met with fire at point blank range.
...Of the 87 enemy dead counted in the immediate vicinity of the Company locality, 31 lay in front of this Rifleman's section, the key to the whole position. Had the enemy succeeded in over-running and occupying Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung's trench, the whole of the reverse slope position would have been completely dominated and turned.
This Rifleman, by his magnificent example, so inspired his comrades to resist the enemy to the last, that, although surrounded and cut off for three days and two nights, they held and smashed every attack.
His outstanding gallantry and extreme devotion to duty, in the face of almost overwhelming odds, were the main factors in the defeat of the enemy.
TL;DR Guy gets surrounded by 200+ Japanese troops, his comrades get taken out and gets left alone, stabs his knife in the floor and declares no Japanese passes that line, throws back several grenades until one explodes, obliterates his hand, injures his arm and face so he just loads his rifle with his other hand and shoots at least 31 [unalive] (literally single handedly). And this lasted for four hours, not a quick 10 minute burst.
The Gurkhas are either brutally heroic or ridiculously insane (or probably both). They will be outmanned and outgunned but they will never be outfought. They would take a knife to a gunfight. And they'd probably win.
Dagnirath 3 years ago
Ok, so BP will allow a description of his injuries that's horrifically graphic to anyone with an imagination, but changes the word "dead"? Just making sure I understand this correctly.
Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
Not only changes the word dead but changes it to a non existent word 😂😂😂
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Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
So many Gurkhas could make this list. In 2010 Bishnu Shrestha single handedly took on 40 bandits robbing a train after they tried to rape a girl. He killed three, wounded eight and the rest fled. He later refused a reward from the girl's parents.
zack sim 3 years ago
Or how about that time in 2014 when a single Gurkha was ambushed by an unknown amount of Taliban insurgents, fought all night and sustained no injuries. In the morning there were 30 dead bodies in the yard. F*****g 30!!!
Load More Replies... LuckyNumbers 3 years ago
D e a d. D e a d. They are DEAD Bp. Changing the words won't make it any less horrific.
Rose 3 years ago
Not only are they D E A D, they were K I L L E D _AND_ M U R D E R E D ! ! 😵
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Monkey Spunk 3 years ago
I've met a couple of Ghurkas in my time, both lovely people, very humble genuine people, the way the UK government treated them us disgusting.
#21
Reposting a comment I had on a similar thread a while back:
"How has no one said Giles Corey yet?
He was accused of witchcraft along with his wife Martha Corey during the Salem Witch Trials. After being arrested, Corey refused to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. He was subjected to execution by pressing in an effort to force him to plead — the only example of such a sanction in American history — but instead [passed away] after two days of torture.
As a result of his refusal to plead, on September 17, Sheriff George Corwin led Corey to a pit in the open field beside the jail and in accordance with the above process, before the Court and witnesses, stripped Giles of his clothing, laid him on the ground in the pit, and placed boards on his chest. Six men then lifted heavy stones, placing them one by one, on his stomach and chest. Giles Corey did not cry out, let alone make a plea.
After two days, Giles was asked three times to plead innocent or guilty to witchcraft. Each time he replied, "More weight."
Ty Stratton-Quirk 3 years ago
A bit of extra information: a plea of guilty would have seen Giles Corey executed and his money and land confiscated, leaving his family with nothing. Pleading 'not guilty' would have seen him taken to a mockery of a trial, where he would have been declared guilty and executed,with the same result. By refusing to say either, he died in full possession of his estate and ensured that his two stepsons gained ownership of said estate, as according to his will.
John Dilligaf 3 years ago (edited)
According to the law at the time, a person who refused to plead could not be tried. Since he refused to plead, he died in full possession of his estate, which would otherwise have been forfeited to the government if he had been tried and found guilty (which was virtually assured). It instead passed to his two daughters and sons-in-law, in accordance to his will.
bumble bee 3 years ago
In Salem, MA, there is a legend of Giles Coreys' ghost. "The apparition of Giles Corey appears and walks his graveyard each time a disaster is about to strike the city" You can read about this online
Veronica Vatter 3 years ago
By doing this, they couldn't take his land and property. They could if you made a plea and we're "found" a witch. This way his wife could keep their home.
Edwin Lesperance 3 years ago
That's one reason we still have witches. Never give in, never give up.
best turtle 3 years ago
the judges and everyone else in that stupid town were tricked by little girls
Marisa Varney 3 years ago
Not just the teenaged girls, their parents were in on it too. They were important town figures who held a lot of power in town and not so surprisingly people who were accused of witchcraft happened to be people who spoke out against some of their questionable decisions in the past and friends of those people. They took advantage of the superstitious nature of the people of Salem to go after people they wanted to.
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#22
Andre the Giant. The guy could drink a case full of beer, then go out in the ring and throw his opponent around like a rag doll.
François Bouzigues 3 years ago
Not only that, but he would outdrink his fellow wrestlers and just carry them on his shoulder like a potato sack back to bed. You are completely missing the part where he was casually taken to school by Sam Beckett at the back of his truck when he was a kid.
Iggy 3 years ago
He could also apparently fart for a full 30 seconds. I don't know why I'm impressed by that but I am!
Anthony Nizza 3 years ago
He sure did. Having acromegaly is extremely painful. And being different because of it was very painful as well.
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Asher Tye 3 years ago
Was a very giving man. Because he knew he ate a ton, he never permitted anyone who ate out with him to pay the tab. One guy tried while Andre was in the bathroom, only to get caught by the Giant and carried him like a doll back to the table before Andre went and paid himself. That gentleman's name was Arnold Schwarzenegger. There are seriously a ton of stories about the guy, some good, some bad, but all interesting.
Davo gifman 3 years ago
Also while working on the movie he said that he enjoyed it very much. An felt comfortable on set because no one made him feel like an oddity because of his size.
HarriMissesScotland 3 years ago
Read Cary Elwes book As You Wish. It's a wonderful book with some really great stories about Andre.
#23
Henrietta Lacks.
Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant; August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951) was an American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized human cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research.
Marco Hub-Dub 3 years ago (edited)
Used as a guinea pig & (her family) still hasn’t received any sort of apology or been compensated. Then, we wonder why large swaths of society have an ingrained distrust of the medical community and specifically doctors. See: Tuskegee Airmen; Syphilis Experiment.
Katchen 3 years ago
I agree with your sentiment, Marco, but the Tuskegee Airmen served in WWII and have nothing to to with the Tuskegee Syphilis study. They both were based in Tuskegee, Alabama, hence the shared name.
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Robin Roper 3 years ago
The commenters on this should learn the truth. It was common and standard for biopsy cells to be sent to the lab these were sent to for assessment if they would reproduce. There were very different standards for research in 1950 as opposed to now. There was no such thing as IRB (institutional review board). Sadly, her cancer was very advanced when she was diagnosed and in the early 1950's the only treatment was radiation. It didn't work because her cancer was very advanced when discovered. For the time, she received the best care and treatment available to anyone. Dr. Gay gave the cells to other researchers because he wanted their research to be successful - cures for cancers such as the kind that killed Mrs. Lacks. Certainly, it would be good for the many corporations that have made millions from research using her cells to set up some sort of compensation for her heirs, but one can't view what happened in this case in 1950 using the standards of today.
Malabika Kulkarni 3 years ago
And nobody understand the stupidity of pursuing these lawsuits by these people? Some 70 years ago doctors removed cancer cells from a very advanced stage cancer patient and did research to try to save other lives. These future family members instead of wasting their time, energy , money and happiness in pursuing lawsuits to get money out of whomsoever they are suing , would have done better if they would redirected their energies to better their lives to become more educated, more successful and more happy. America is always about compensation. Such sad state of affairs . Just direct all your energies to make a quick buck. What about make yourself successful and rich by your own effort?
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Shoto Todoroki 3 years ago
Her family as of last year has a lawsuit going for what has happen to her
Elizabeth Krigsvold 3 years ago
These cells were harvested and used without her permission, earning millions of dollars to which neither she nor her family ever saw a penny of.
Pat Corbett 3 years ago
Good book and decent movie "The Immortal Henrietta Lacks," and a very good Fresh Air radio program that's available on the NPR website by searching her name.
Sarah Stalder 3 years ago
My son's magnet high school is called Henrietta Lacks Academy. It's primarily focused on health care and technology. So, yeah I took this moment to brag about my kid a little bit. Wonderful to know the woman behind the school.
Emmett O'Brian 3 years ago
The cells are so prolific that they take over lab cell cultures, making proper results hard to get.
Niall Mac Iomera 3 years ago (edited)
How does that make her cool though? This could have been literally anyone.
Simone Saur 3 years ago
+1. Maybe the family probably does deserve some retrospective compensation, but I've never seen a weaker case for it than including her among these stories of heroism and sacrifice. Will cancer treatments become more expensive if the family wins the suit?
Load More Replies... #24
Queen Boudica, led an Iceni uprising against the roman army.
Dave P 3 years ago
it was more about the romans backstabbing her on the powersharing in her husbands will, but the rape of her daughters (which did happen) during the dispute, served as a better rallying cry for the masses
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Robyn Shonfeld 3 years ago
Absolute legend of a woman, she was just an insightful tactician she was a brilliant leader and politician.
Nathan Jenson 3 years ago
But she lost about 80,000 of her people compared to about 400 Roman soldiers.
#25
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (née Belova; 12 June [O.S. 30 May] 1916 – 10 October 1974) was a Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II, credited with 309 confirmed [take outs], making her the most successful female sniper in history.
Eli Crompton 3 years ago
murder Putin and cause nuclear war? great idea Olivia! why has no one thought of that?
#26
John Brown, an abolitionist who organized a slave revolt, and was hanged for it.
Absolute boss, yet still vilified as being 'too radical' even today.
Dave P 3 years ago
He was too radical because he felt that any violence to gain freedom for slaves was justified even killing children of slave owners during the revolt. His extremism towards casualties is why most abolitionists during his lifetime avoided him
Marco Hub-Dub 3 years ago
Frantz Fanon. The theory of violence against the oppressor who created a foundation of violence in order to oppress and/or colonize.
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Richard A Petro 3 years ago
At the time, he was the only white man willing to die for not only the abolition of slavery but the equality of all humans. True, a "murderer" and he certainly "terrorized" the slave owners but, if there is some kind of cosmic balance, his crimes are a pin-prick compared to the misery, torture and death the slavers visited upon their "property" all under the guise of Constitutionality. Perhaps an imperfect man attacking a woefully imperfect Union.
Dave P 3 years ago
he was far from the only White Man of his time for that. He claimed that any violence was justified even against the infant children of slave owners.
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Bill Riley 3 years ago
He might have been a nut, but at least he was a nut on the right side of history. I can think of no greater cause to lose my mind over, than freedom for ALL.
Who the What 3 years ago
Okay, this guy had good intentions, but was absolutely going about it the wrong way.
christine buckley 3 years ago
A line from a folk song...John Brown's body lies .ouldering in the grave but his truth goes marching o .
Travel Xena 3 years ago
Violence begets violence. He did what was done to others. Right or wrong is up to interpretation, but slave owners also killed infants and families. Violent acts always trigger other violent acts.
#27
Theodora, Byzantine Empress.
She started out as an actress, and the Emperor Justinian fell in love with her. Despite objections, they got married.
During the Nike Revolts, her husband almost fled the city of Constantinople and nearly lost the empire. She stood up to him and reasoned with him, urging him not to leave. He stayed, put down the riots, and went on to lead the empire well for many years with Theodora by his side. His most lasting legacy was a massive overhaul and simplification of 1000 years of Roman/Byzantine law into what is now called the Justinian Code. It's often a model for modern systems of jurisprudence.
Andy Frobig 3 years ago
More than modern Turkey, it was built almost 1600 years ago.
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Andy Frobig 3 years ago
That long ago, they must have been the adidas revolts
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Chronis Athanasiou 3 years ago
She wasn't just an actress, she worked at a brothel and was Prince Justinian's favourite which he later married of course.
Leodavinci 3 years ago
After about 15 centuries, one would think it was time come up something a bit more modern... jurisprudence-wise.
GoddessOfChaos 3 years ago
They were like real life Jaehaerys and Alyssane for anyone who gets the reference!
#28
Tony Iommi. On the very day he was about to quit his job, he got the tips of two of his fingers on his right hand cut off. Thought he would never play guitar again, but he went on the essentially invent heavy metal. That's pretty badass imo.
Whitey Black 3 years ago
The reason he invented heavy metal was bc the tips of those fingers were severed. He created his own prosthetic tips, completely changing the tone of his guitar playing.
Andy Frobig 3 years ago
And tuned his guitar down to decrease the string tension.
Load More Replies... Signe Manat Hansen 3 years ago
You're forgetting the part where his injury was the reason he invented the heavy metal sound. He changed his strings so he could still play.
Gavin Johnson 3 years ago
And he’s a properly decent chap too, I know his guitar tech. I’ve crossed paths with Tony more than once, he’s an old-school rock star who is an unassuming bloke, we spoke more about me than we did about him despite the fact I’m a huge fan of Sabbath’s work and I’d happily fanboy about his music for hours on end.
Whitey Black 3 years ago (edited)
Two other musicians who were/are totally badass: Jeff Becerra, bassist & vocalist for the legendary metal band Possessed, was paralyzed from the chest down after being shot multiple times during a robbery in 1989. He reformed the band over 20 years later & to this day tours, performing in a wheelchair. Phil Ochs. A true pioneer of rock and roll protest music. Songs that were brave (Here's To the State of Mississippi), funny (Draft Dodger Rag) and ground breaking. (I Ain't Marching Anymore)
Eric Mac Fadden 3 years ago
Becerra walked last year with the help of robotic legs
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Ashi Mari 3 years ago
He got almost locked out of his occupation by an accident and instead of quitting he found a way around it, which made something new that people enjoyed, maybe he didn't die for other people, but was resilient enough to keep going through adversity, even though it had high chances of not paying off
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Léo Major
Dude turned down his first Distinguished Combat Medal because he didn't like the general who was supposed to give it to him. All good though, he earned two more. A movie about him would be called too unrealistic if they made one.
Kimberly Buchanan Fisanick 3 years ago
I'm curious now. I will have to look him up. And they should make the movie anyway.
Zach Young 3 years ago
He single-handedly liberated the Dutch town of Zwolle from the Nazis, which included busting into the SS and Gestapo headquarters, killing them all, and then burning the buildings down. He also did a metric s**t ton of other insane things. And to think he was only a mere reconnaissance scout.
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DonS 3 years ago
Léo Major feats covers two wars: WW2 and Korea War. Seriously, look him up, I can't cover all of it in a short response to the posts. If he was American (he was French-Canadian), a ton of movies or tv shows will have been made already. His nickname in French was : Le fantôme borgne (One-Eyed Ghost).
Davo gifman 3 years ago
Well perhaps Canada will make a movie about him someday. 🤔👍
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Suzy the observer 3 years ago
OMG! He's one of my people and I knew nothing about him. Thank you OP!
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foofoofloofy 3 years ago
The sad thing was, Leo Major only enlisted to make his abusive father proud of him. It didn't work.
#30
Unnamed Viking from the Battle Of Stamford Bridge In 1066;
“By the time the bulk of the English army had arrived, the Vikings on the west side were either slain or fleeing across the bridge. The English advance was then delayed by the need to pass through the choke-point presented by the bridge itself. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has it that a giant Norse axeman (possibly armed with a Dane Axe) blocked the narrow crossing and single-handedly held up the entire English army. The story is that this axeman cut down up to 40 Englishmen and was defeated only when an English soldier floated under the bridge in a half-barrel and thrust his spear through the planks in the bridge, mortally wounding the axeman”
Robyn Shonfeld 3 years ago
Theres a rather entertaining depiction of this in The Last Kingdom, perfect example of a clever author taking historical fact and mixing it with fiction.
Jette Wang Wahnon 3 years ago
1066 is the year of The Norman Conquest led by William The Conquerer ....The Norse/Vikings had declined since the 9th cent.and Harald Hardrad was a Norwegian king who tried to conquer Denmark and then set his goal on England...that failed too and he was killed at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066....after that nothing much from the Vikings,but they have left behind their stamp on art,place names and language..
#31
Sylvia Earle. She’s still alive and advocating for marine conservation. In the 1970s, she wanted to be part of a diving crew that was going to live in a habitat on the ocean floor for the better part of a month to study marine life, but the people in charge of the mission said it would be imprudent for the habitat to be co-ed. Earle argued that they should let her lead an all-female mission, and they did. Check out the Tektite II mission and it’s images and imagine being stuck underwater in those close quarters for nearly a month. Incredible!
#32
Jack Churchill who fought in WWII with a longbow, claymore, and bagpipes. And said after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki “If it wasn't for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!”
Ciara Stone 3 years ago
He wasn't called Mad Jack for nothing. He was captured as a POW by Germans, and escaped by causing a power outage and just strolling casually through the gates. Would often play bagpipes during marching on the way to fight, got shot in the neck, called it "a flesh wound", captured a huge German battalion/troops when outnumbered 20-1 just by putting his small platoon in a circle a little bit away, had them yell at the same time, then put a knife to an officer's throat calling for their surrender and they did. Only carried a broadsword, bow and arrows, and his bagpipes all while wearing a kilt. Dude wasn't even Scottish at all either. Even more insane stories of him in the war. Truly badass (and a bit mad)
Hugh Cookson 3 years ago
No, he was utterly nutty upper class twit of the first order which is why us Brits are still the most misunderstood people on the planet ..... fcking entitled aristocrats, mostly interbred doing interesting stuff abroad whilst ignoring their responsibilities at home !!
Load More Replies... Wilf 3 years ago
Served in France 1940, Norway 1941, Italy 1943, Yugoslavia 1944, where he was captured and sent to Sachenhausen concentration camp (the Germans mistakenly thinking he might be related to Winston Churchill), escaped by tunnelling out, captured again by the SS and taken to Austria, but liberated by a honorable German army unit before something unpleasant happened to them all, and returned to the UK just in time to serve again in Burma in summer 1945. That's one hell of a career!
Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
He got the only longbow kill of the war when he killed a German sentry.
#33
Thomas Baker Medal of Honor citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Saipan, The Mariana Islands, 19 June to 7 July 1944. When his entire company was held up by fire from automatic weapons and small-arms fire from strongly fortified enemy positions that commanded the view of the company, Sgt. (then Pvt.) Baker voluntarily took a bazooka and dashed alone to within 100 yards of the enemy. Through heavy rifle and machine gun fire that was directed at him by the enemy, he knocked out the strong point, enabling his company to assault the ridge. Some days later while his company advanced across the open field flanked with obstructions and places of concealment for the enemy, Sgt. Baker again voluntarily took up a position in the rear to protect the company against a surprise attack and came upon two heavily fortified enemy pockets manned by two officers and ten enlisted men which had been bypassed. Without regard for such superior numbers, he unhesitatingly attacked and [unalived] all of them. Five hundred yards farther, he discovered six men of the enemy who had concealed themselves behind our lines and destroyed all of them. On 7 July 1944, the perimeter of which Sgt. Baker was a part was attacked from 3 sides by from 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese. During the early stages of this attack, Sgt. Baker was severely wounded, but he insisted on remaining in the line and fired at the enemy at ranges sometimes as close as 5 yards until his ammunition ran out. Without ammunition and with his weapon battered to uselessness from hand-to-hand combat, he was carried about 50 yards to the rear by a comrade, who was then himself wounded. At this point Sgt. Baker refused to be moved any further stating that he preferred to be left to die rather than risk the lives of any more of his friends. A short time later, at his request, he was placed in a sitting position against a small tree. Another comrade, withdrawing, offered assistance. Sgt. Baker refused, insisting that he be left alone and be given a soldier's pistol with its remaining eight rounds of ammunition. When last seen alive, Sgt. Baker was propped against a tree, pistol in hand, calmly facing the foe. Later Sgt. Baker's body was found in the same position, gun empty, with 8 Japanese lying [unalive] before him. His deeds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
TL;DR:
Fortified Japanese positions were holding off an entire US company. Baker was like, “[Screw] it, I’ll do it myself,” grabbed a bazooka, and blew them up enough to allow the company to assault forward
Later, he found two hidden, fortified enemy positions behind friendly lines. He [unalived] all 12 Japanese soldiers in them by himself.
half a kilometer ahead, he found six more Japanese soldiers. He attacked and [unalived] them all himself
Later, the company was attacked by 3,000-5,000 Japanese soldiers on 3 sides. He was wounded, but kept fighting in close combat. When his ammo ran out, he used his rifle as a club until it was broken apart.
when the company had to move, he was too injured to go on. He refused to let men carry him, arguing that it would put multiple lives in danger. They propped him against a tree and gave him a pistol with 8 rounds of ammo
His body was later found in the same position, with 8 [unalive] Japanese soldiers in front of him.
Karl Leaning 3 years ago
what's with this "[unalived]" rubbish!? HE KILLED THEM, is that too hard to say?
Frank Ricardo 3 years ago
why is it saying unalived? is it too difficult to see the word killed?
#34
Edward Jenner, the man who cured small pox, along side a young boy named James Phipps and a milk maid named Sarah Nelmes.
Corey Beth 3 years ago
Daisy is the real hero of the story, after all! 😊🐄🐮
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#35
PAUL ROBESON
(The "Old man river" song guy)
Paul Robeson was son to a minister that ranaway from slavery and his mom [passed away] in a fire at 6 yrs old
MPR started giving sermons for the church when his dad was away on business at 14 years old
In high school he was in theater, chorus, lettered in 4 sports, valedictorian, and won a scholarship to Rutgers University
At Rutgers he lettered in football, track, baseball, basketball, debate, and glee club; cap and skull society member; valedictorian; won oratory awards 4 yrs straight; saved a student who fell over a canal bridge; all while taking care of his dying father on weekends
Went to Columbia Law school playing for the NFL on weekends for like $500 a game
Met a Claire Huxtable type in summer school who studied medicine and locked that [stuff] down. You know they had a son
Practiced law until some portly b*** acted like she was too good to listen to a Black supervisor. MPR bounced, becoming an international movie star instead. We're talking singing in foreign languages and everything
Got some Dame of England punani among others
Got W.E.B. Dubois endorsement
Spoke Swahili, Latin, and several other languages
Flipped the script on the President when he was invited to the White House
Spoke out for African American rights 20 years before the civil rights movement
On the CIA, FBI, & MI5's watchlist
Dorothy Parker 3 years ago
Too bad the contributor included a vulgar comment about such a fine gentleman. Brilliant, talented.
LuckyNumbers 3 years ago
Dead and killed gets censored but the fact that this guy got blue blood punani is ok.
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Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
Y'all at BP didn't censor the word "punani". Just in case y'all didn't know, is a slang word for vagina, which I'm sure you'd censor.
Gabby M 3 years ago
And just like that UNALIVE is now passed away...throws my hands up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ n walks away
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Andi 3 years ago
this man was so much more than even all that.. a beloved hero in Wales read hear to find why https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/02/how-paul-robeson-found-political-voice-in-welsh-valleys
Charl Marx 3 years ago
Came here to say the same thing. Manic Street Preachers even did a song about him called Let Robeson Sing.
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#36
Paul Newman Served in the military during WW2, world famous actor, race car driver and team owner, business owner (Newman's Own), philanthropist (opened kids summer camps), famously devoted to his wife/family. Guy lived the life of 10 lesser men
#37
Julie d'Aubigny was a bisexual French woman in the 1700’s who grew up close to nobility. Her dads boss took her as a mistress, and married her to some old guy to keep up appearances. She ended up being taught the art of dueling, ditching her husband and going for her fencing master. Mr Fencing Master ended up [taking out] someone in an illegal duel, so he went on the run and Julie went with him. During this time she reinvented herself into a traveling singer and duelist, met a cute girl, and ditched her fencing master for her. Girls parents go salty and threw their daughter in a convent and here’s where things get awesome. To save her beloved, she took the holy orders and entered the convent, took the body of a recently [unalive] nun, put it in her lovers room, lit the room on fire, and and escaped with her beloved. Months later her now ex girlfriend went home, surprising her family by being alive, and the church sentenced Julie to burn at the stake, however she was still very much on the run. So what’d she do? Write a letter to her former lover, and her dads boss, asking him to get her a spot in the Paris opera. He took it to the king, who was delighted to have Julie join the opera, and they became fast friends. His brother, The Duke of New Orleans, was gay, and because he didn’t want his brother to be bullied, he said “F the church” and let gay people do what they wanted. That’s why Julie thrived. She eventually got a spot in the opera house, sleeping with many of her costars regardless of gender. She ended up defeating three men in illegal duels at a royal party over a woman she kissed, and before the king could convict her, she ran off to Germany and had an affair with a prince; who was so scared of Julie after he saw her duel, that he asked her to stay away from him! After a year, she went back to France, the king not mad at her anymore, and there she acted, and fell in love with a woman. After her beloved [passed away] however, she actually entered a convent after retiring from the opera and ended up dying soon after in her 30’s. My theory is that she [passed away] of a broken heart, because she seemed to love her girlfriend more than anything else in the world.
Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
There's that "word", unalive, again. It's spelled D E A D, bored panda.
kayla Mckee 3 years ago
Or a sexually transmitted disease since she did have sex with a lot of people.
#38
Chinese pirate queen Ching Shih
Led a huge pirate fleet of up to 400 ships and basically robbed and murdered whatever and whoever the [hell] she wanted. Her word was law if you were on her crew any disobedience got you beheaded on the spot.
She kicked the d**ks off of the Chinese navy, she whooped Bristish and Portugese bounty hunters. Terrorized villages [taking out] the men and selling the women and children into slavery when their ransoms weren't paid.
When she finally started loosing fights to a technologically superior Portugese Navy she cashed out. Took her loyal bloodthirsty pirate army to the Chinese government and suggested that they pardon her and her crew of all crimes and not try to confiscate any of their loot or they were gonna do one more big bloody crime starting right here.
She ran a brothel/gambling house into her old age and lived in luxury and power.
Charlotte Sandoval 3 years ago
They left out the part where she herself was sold into prostitution as a child, climbed through the ranks, and got out by marrying a pirate king
Shaista Afridi 🇦🇫 3 years ago
how is that bad ass? she literally murdered ppl and sold them into slavery. wtf
Cindy Araya 3 years ago
Shaista Afridi, I thought I was the only one who felt that way.
Load More Replies... Saint Lynnie 3 years ago
Of all the honorable people in this list, they glorify a slave trading murderess and her band of brutes
#39
Hirō Onoda, was a japanese soldier in WW2 who didn't believe Japan would ever have surrendered to the allies. So he spent about 30 years on an island in the pacific where he had been instructed to wage guerilla warfare on the inhabitants during the war. It was only in 1974 when his former commanding officer was summoned to officially relieve him of his duty. There were search parties and everything, at times instructed to shoot to [take out] because he was still attacking local farmers. He survived all of them without ever being found and lived on his own in the jungle for most of the time after his group was either [unalived] or captured
Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
At times instructed to shoot to KILL, his group was either KILLED or captured.
Karl Leaning 3 years ago
what sort of puritanical garbage is this "[take out]" rubbish. shoot to kill, or does BP think people would be traumatized by such harsh descriptive language?
Penny Harrison 3 years ago
Unalived causes you to stop and really focus on the meaning bringing more attention as you reconstruct the sentence to put in appropriately dead term. For example after selecting dead and dying I finally settled on kill.
Marco Hub-Dub 3 years ago
Maybe Lithuania has some weird censorship laws with publications not allowed to use the terms unless specific conditions are met? I can see how it would be illegal for state run media in Russia to refer to the invasion/war/atrocities occurring in Ukraine with these terms. As BP could be considered a news and information source, it may be trying to adhere to rules of the nations surrounding its offices
#40
John Muir once chased a bear in order to ‘observe its gait’ among many other crazy things including climbing a frozen waterfall.OH and he was blind for a spell in his younger years. That guy is the definition of badass.
Persephone 3 years ago
And Muir Woods is one of the most magical places I have ever been... home to some of the most massive and beautiful ancient Redwoods in the world.
#41
Joseph Broz Tito. Industrialised Yugoslavia, founded non aligned movenment and told Joseph Stalin "stop sending assistants to [unalive] me. We have five failed assassins. The next one of yours we find ill send one of ours, and we'll only need one" Alomg with that survived the russian revolution war, snuck back to yugoslavia on frieght train, fought the monarchy, fought nazis and then made yugoslavia the most prosperous nation in the eastren bloc.
Powerful Katrinka 3 years ago
He was also a ruthless dictator who put thousands of political opponents in special prisons and camps, including a jail on the Croatian island of Goli Otok, where hundreds perished. In addition, he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle while most of his countrymen were living in poverty.
Corey Beth 3 years ago
Why is it ok to say kill killed & killing as well as died in the comments but not the post. At least be consistent with your unnecessary censorship!
Load More Replies... #42
Frank William Abagnale Jr.
By using a fake identity as an airline pilot, he successfully flew over a million miles on flights and forged company checks. Afraid of getting caught, he filled out his application at an apartment, saying his job was a doctor. He then faked a Harvard degree and became a pediatrician.
At the office, he met a girl whom he called in love with, and lied about also being a lawyer. He left his doctor job after realizing he could [unalive] people. He became a busboy for a local lawyer before quitting and moving to 26 other countries living off fake checks (Approximately $2.5 Million) He was eventually caught...
And then celebrated his 21st birthday.
Facing time in a maximum security prison in France, he broke out and was later deported back to the US. He broke out again by posing as a cop, and after 6 total years in prison, he then worked for the FBI, but without pay.
He has written a book, 'Catch Me If You Can,' which has spun off into a BAFTA winning movie and Tony winning musical.
Nathaniel 3 years ago
Saw the film, thought no way did he do that. Then read the book. He did even more.
Joe Reaves 3 years ago
Most of the stuff in the book is exaggerated or outright lies unfortunately.
Load More Replies... Corey Beth 3 years ago (edited)
He was a teenager at the time, I think is what they're getting at... He DID accomplish something most adults of the time could not have. The ingenuity required is the "cool" part. Not to mention the massive balls behind his boldness, to think, "yeah, this is a good plan," let alone go through with it & then pull it off for as long & as thoroughly as he did. Maybe it's just me, but I think that's cool. Not "heroic" or "helpful," like so many others on the list, but pretty impressive. Besides, the original criteria was the most "interesting" people, nowhere does it state they all had to be GOOD guys ....
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JustAnother Soul 3 years ago
He wrote a book to tell a story about how he led people to believe his made up stories. Hmm.
#43
Horatio Nelson. During the battle of Cape St. Vincent, he defied orders and broke formation to prevent the Spanish from gaining an advantage. While engaging the Spanish ships, he led a boarding party and captured a ship. While still on the captured ship, he boarded another Spaniard and captured them as well. This maneuver would later be called "Nelson's patent bridge for boarding enemy vessels." During the Battle of the Nile, he caught the French completely off guard by launching a night attack on the French anchored fleet. This was a risky as hell maneuver because he had little information about the shallow spots in the bay, and had to maneuver in the darkness. He crippled the French fleet without losing a single ship. Nelson was wounded when a piece of damaged rigging smacked him on the head damn near scalped him. In Copenhagen, he led the first wave against the Danish ships. His superior officer saw that some of his ships ran aground and were in a bit of trouble, so he signalled to Nelson to withdraw. Although this is probably apocryphal, Nelson raised his telescope to his blind eye and said, "I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal!" He continued the attack and defeated the Danish fleet. At Trafalgar, he ordered his fleet to be split into two and sailed them straight into the French and Spanish line. He and his second in command were at the head of each column and race another to get to the enemy line. The wind was light that day, so Nelson's ship was pounded by enemy fire for several minutes because he was able to break the line and fire back. Nelson always wore his full dress uniform and refused to take cover. Unfortunately for him, he was shot by a sniper and [passed away]. The British beat a numerically strong French and Spanish fleet without losing a single ship. While dying, he learned that he won the battle and said, "Thank god I have done my duty!" Not bad for a man with one eye and one arm.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
This is getting as bad a you tube what has happened!
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#44
Socrates. The dude had enough control of his body to prevent him from shivering in the cold through sheer willpower. He waged psychological warfare on the entire city-state, one person at a time, until enough people were humiliated enough to call for his death. Then he [unalived] himself to prove a point (He was not poisoned, he drank the poison willingly when he could have just left the room).
Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
Furthermore, if people are so triggered by word like DIED, DEATH, DEAD, etc., they need to get some therapy because the biggest condition of living is we all DIE at one point or another.
Insert Generic Username 3 years ago
BP needs to stop making up words and use the words that exist, like KILLED, not UNALIVE. What even is that?
Random Anon 3 years ago
I can see his point frankly. If you go around challenging people's, often warped views of the world, you won't make many friends. Sure there are things that are a matter of taste or preference. But, things that aren't like that outnumber those that are by a significant margin.
#45
Eugene Debs, notorious union organizer, original founder of the Industrial Workers of the World and five time presidential candidate. Debs is most famous for his involvement in the Pullman Strike of 1894, during which 80,000 industrial rail workers stopped working in response to a 28% wage cut. Debs became the figurehead of the strike, which garnered national attention since Pullman cars were used to transport US mail. The New York Times published an article calling Debs an ‘enemy of the human race’, the army was sent in where they [took out] over 30 strikers, and Debs was sent to federal prison. During his time in jail, Debs received letters from labor organizers around the country who supported his cause. He subsequently became an advocate for socialism in America after seeing first-hand what unfettered capitalism will do to maintain itself. When he was released he founded the Social Democratic Party of America and ultimately ran for president, famously garnering almost a million votes in 1912 and again in 1920 (more than Teddy Roosevelt received that year). When he ran in 1920, he did it from a federal prison cell. When he had been sentenced two years prior for sedition, he famously said to the judge: ‘Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.’
Elwood Schwartz 3 years ago (edited)
It would be difficult for Teddy Roosevelt to have received any votes at all in 1920, because he died in 1919.
GPZ 3 years ago
Unions and such are an integral part of ensuring workers have equity in wage negotiations. By collectively bargaining, it not only reduces big business capacity to intimidate individual workers into accepting less than a living wage (by threatening them with dismissal, cut hours etc...) but that there is parity across departments/branches of the business (ie: I get paid the same as another person doing the same work as me). To those that argue that unionising is tantamount to communism/socialism- 1) you really need to learn what communism/socialism are & 2) we wouldn't need them if employers negotiated with workers in a fair manner rather than trying to screw every last penny out of them.
Penny Harrison 3 years ago
[took out] thirty strikers to were? Confusing. Could mean dinner but we know it doesn’t. Stupid.
#46
Joan of Arc. Her prediction turned out to be correct in the end.
Charlotte Sandoval 3 years ago
A 17 year old girl turns the tide of the 100 years war almost single handed, without killing one person, is sold out by her own side, burned at the stake by the enemy, and all you can say is her prediction was right? Geez. Legend has it that when the flames died down, her heart was intact. They enemy threw it into the river so no relics could be made.
#47
Daniel Inouye, the late Senator from Hawaii. He's one of the most decorated officers of all time.
Jennifer Crompton 3 years ago
The story on his Wikipedia page about how he earned the Medal of Honor is incredible
GPZ 3 years ago
It is truly amazing the lengths that ethnic groups (like the Japanese-American and African-Americans) went to to serve their country and defend its freedom and that of others, despite the racist attitude of the very country they were fighting to defend. The combat exploits of the 442nd RCT and the Tuskegee airmen, among others, like the red ball express drivers, without whom the allied thrusts into eastern France and western Germany could not have happened, are legendary, frequently going above and beyond and yet on their return to the US were once more treated with scorn and derision. This speaks to their character. And the character of the US
#48
Bhutan's founder, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. Ran from Tibet at the age of 22 because he was fighting the Tibetan leader at the time, the Tsang Desi. Built a country in the south and successfully fought off 4 big invasion attempts. Two of those were against the Mongol Emperor, who sent him a bag of rice with a note: "Ghuri Khan has more men in his army than there are grains in this bag, surrender." Zhabdrung's country was half of what Bhutan is right now (2018 population is 730,000). But he responded by grinding the rice into flour and sending it back saying, "come, my deities are ready if you are." They came and were defeated. Bhutan still celebrates the final victory (270th one this year)
Random Anon 3 years ago (edited)
Bhutan is very defensible geographically. But then the defending army needs to be motivated and united to deal with that threat also. The Mongols were ruthless in their conquest.
#49
Ernest Evans, United States Navy. Commanding Officer of the USS Johnston DD-557. Took his 2,000 Ton Destroyer and charged an entire Japanese Armada (including Yamato) by himself, blew the bow off of an Enemy Heavy Cruiser. Then took 3 18" AP shells and 3 6" rounds from Yamato, lost a couple fingers, and commanded his dying ship from the aft steering station for another hour and a half, routinely bringing his ship into harm's way to save his Carriers. The Johnston sank, and Evans was last seen abandoning ship with the crew. One man's brazzen actions turned back the bulk of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
#50
The Knights Hospitaller at The Great Siege of Malta. -of particular note: "The number of casualties is in as much dispute as the number of invaders. Balbi gives 35,000 Turkish deaths[3], which seems implausible, Bosio 30,000 casualties (including sailors)[4]. Several other sources give about 25,000.[39] The knights lost a third of their number, and Malta lost a third of its inhabitants. Birgu and Senglea were essentially leveled. Still, 9,000 defenders had managed to withstand a siege of more than four months in the hot summer, despite enduring a bombardment of some 130,000 cannonballs." Consider that's about 14 cannonballs per defender.
#51
Evariste Galois. I am just copying things from this website.... Most people don't tend to think of mathematicians as being badass. Popular convention - so vigorously and boisterously propagated by the media - sees them as hapless dorks. Thick glasses, messy hair and awkward social skills, the world sees the prototypical mathematician as a portrait in pitiful meekness. Let's start with Evariste Galois. Galois was born in 1811 in a France that was enjoying a roller coaster ride through history with Napoleon in charge. Young, impish Evariste showed exceptional mathematical skills. He started reading original research papers by luminaries at age 15. Like the bright minds of his era (and ours too, I suppose) he tried getting into the French ivies.His efforts were rebuffed multiple times due to the following reasons: a) He failed the non-math portions of his entrance tests. b) He haughtily refused to offer proofs of his answers to his examiners during orals. c) He threw a blackboard eraser at an examiner out of sheer exasperation at the latter's stupidity. He finagled his way into some other university and started publishing papers, his first one at the age of 17 (what were you doing at 17, btw?). When Galois was 19, France rose in revolt against their weak king Charles X. Our young math hero was known for his bombastic approach to life, math and everything else, and got himself in a lot of trouble by writing vitriolic letters against powerful people. He was unceremoniously kicked out of school for this bit of mischief making. He registered for the national guard because, and I quote, "If a carcass is needed to stir up the people, I will donate mine". He was soon thrown in jail on bogus charges of "wearing a uniform". Six months later he got out, his spirit not bent an iota. He then proceeded to fall in love with a young woman, who did not share the same feelings as him. Seems like nothing worked out for him in life. Anyway, angered and disappointed he picked fights with political opponents and got himself challenged to a duel. Quite an inconvenience for a fellow who was far more intimate with integrals, continued fractions and number theory than guns, bullets and blood. Presciently recognizing his imminent death, he spent the night before the duel writing hasty letters to other mathematicians asking them to safeguard his work. He scribbled hasty notes in margins of his manuscripts, leaving mathematicians of posterity with much valuable insight into such arcana as finite fields, root finding and a theory that would later bear his name. Sure enough, he got shot the next day at the duel. Although he was rushed to the hospital, he [passed away] soon after. His last words to his brother Alfred were, "I need all my courage to die at twenty."
Alicia Kessinger Bader 2 years ago
Yes, and what a beautiful n**d he was; leaving behind theories we are still researching/debating today!
#52
James Blunt- guy was in Kosovo and worked ahead of.the front lines, led a 30k column into an airfield where he was ordered to attack the Russian troops stationed there, but refused. He also brought along his guitar to perform to fellow troops. Then became a member of the prestigious queen's guard. And became the tank corps ski champion at the time. Not to mention all the money he's raised for service charities since leaving the army.
#53
Lauri Tourni Fought for the Finnish during the winter war and fought in the continuation war as a backline commando winning the mannerheim cross. He then fought for the SS and won an iron cross. He escaped a British POW camp and went back to Finland. Due to the german involvement he was arrested but escaped, and pardoned in 1948. He illegally came to america years later joined the US army and served in special forces during the vietnam war.
Amanda Greenwood 3 years ago
And ANOTHER Sabaton song in this list "Soldier of 3 Armies" amazing dude
#55
Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton His father was murdered in cold blood on his front porch as he watched at 8 years old. He took it upon himself to hunt those men down, by becoming very adept with a pistol. He lived near Stillwater, Oklahoma and became the living mascot to Oklahoma State University. Now our current mascot is based on him.
#56
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas (French general and father of the writer) - check out The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo Andrew Vachss - yes, he writes great books, but also - "...He worked in Biafra,[5] entering the war zone just before the fall of the country.[6] There he worked to find a land route to bring donated food and medical supplies across the border[7] after the seaports were blocked and Red Cross airlifts banned by the Nigerian government;[8] however, all attempts ultimately failed, resulting in rampant starvation.[9] After he returned and recovered from his injuries, including malaria and malnutrition,[10] Vachss studied community organizing in 1970 under Saul Alinsky.[6] He worked as a labor organizer and ran a self-help center for urban migrants in Chicago.[11] He then managed a re-entry program for ex-convicts in Massachusetts, and finally directed a maximum-security prison for violent juvenile offenders.[12] ..."
#57
Renaissance master artist Carravagio was a hard partier, had lots of sex with both men and women, and even [took out] a man who threatened his favorite prostitute.
Persephone 3 years ago
His artwork is stunning. He rebelled against oppressive beliefs.
Load More Replies... Madeleine Flowers 3 years ago
Or, ya know, you could include the group of college students who made nail polish that changes color if it comes in contact with a tainted/drugged drink.
kayla Mckee 3 years ago
He loved his bottom b***h? Every man loves their bottom b***h. That is why they get married. This guy is not a badass.
#58
The Finnish soldier dude that did meth and ate pine buds and a bird Also, that giant of a dude who got f**ked by an avalanche and used a piece of his frozen s**t to dig himself out.
Madeleine Flowers 3 years ago (edited)
There are way cooler people! There are way cooler WOMEN! There's that girl who was captured by the Russians and then escaped, then was RECAPTURED and distracted the guards before stealing their gun and killing them! There's that climate activist kid from South America (Peru, I think) who faced threats of being skinned alive but continued standing up for what he believed in. That one is pretty recent, actually. There's Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first female head of government in the world! Did they even include the person that invented insulin, saving so many? There are so many more interesting people then "That Finnish soldier dud that did meth and ate pine buds and a bird."
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
Leii 3 years ago
I was thinking the same. Aren't we allowed to use words like kill, dead, died anymore? This is becoming like Newspeak in 1984, it's ungood!
Load More Replies... Iggy 3 years ago (edited)
Had to stop reading quite early in. All the 'unalive' and 'unaliving' was giving me a rash! I don't know who did that censoring but they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Dan 3 years ago
Some unalived beet probably. And they'll turnip their nose at this, too.
Load More Replies... Madeleine Flowers 3 years ago
YOU GUYS! I FOUND HER! THE SINGLE MOST DIEHARD, BADASS PERSON EVER! Zinaida Portnova is her name. She lived in World War 2. When the Nazis came and beat her grandparents, hit her with a rifle over the head, and stole her cow, she pretty much swore revenge and joined the Young Avengers. She poisoned the German Army while working for them, then when she was suspected of poisoning the food, she ate the food herself and then escaped. She was later captured, but when her interrogator set down his gun, she grabbed it and shot him and the other guard, escaping. She was later recaptured and executed but was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. By the way, this was all before she turned 17. (Paraphrased from the BP post about her.)
Madeleine Flowers 3 years ago
Some were really cool! Others were...people who dug their way out of an avalanche with frozen poop. I just wish there were more women.
Just saying 3 years ago
Dead dead deadity dead dead. Killed killed killed. Apparently the word 'lynched' is fine though'.
Powerful Katrinka 3 years ago
This whole interesting thread was completely eclipsed by the insane and disruptive censorship. Infuriating.
Baby Fratelli 3 years ago
The censorship is especially ironic in this post considering how it is VERY graphic in descriptions of cruelty, torture, mass killings, and all the other ‘cool things’. A lot of these people are unsung heroes and role models, but some were just really good and inventive at killing others.
NamiKoa 3 years ago
Thank you, I’m a little disappointed that I had to scroll this far down to find your comment. Most of these „cool“ people just managed to kill very many people. I wish our definition of hero didn’t circle so much around who killed how many humans.
Load More Replies... Katinka Min 3 years ago
'Unalived'?? What fresh hell is this, a remake of 1984?? KILLED, it's called K1lled! Stop being fcking stupid!
Alexa Saltz 3 years ago
Ok, BP...I hope you can hear me - and everyone else - the censorship issue. Ruined this for me. Too many comments complaining about the way BP censors things. Maybe it is time to address the issue, open a dialogue, and deal with it.
Sarah Jane 3 years ago
Looking forward to revisiting this list in a few years when Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian badasses are added to it.
Leii 3 years ago
I was thinking the same. Aren't we allowed to use words like kill, dead, died anymore? This is becoming like Newspeak in 1984, it's ungood!
Load More Replies... Iggy 3 years ago (edited)
Had to stop reading quite early in. All the 'unalive' and 'unaliving' was giving me a rash! I don't know who did that censoring but they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Dan 3 years ago
Some unalived beet probably. And they'll turnip their nose at this, too.
Load More Replies... Madeleine Flowers 3 years ago
YOU GUYS! I FOUND HER! THE SINGLE MOST DIEHARD, BADASS PERSON EVER! Zinaida Portnova is her name. She lived in World War 2. When the Nazis came and beat her grandparents, hit her with a rifle over the head, and stole her cow, she pretty much swore revenge and joined the Young Avengers. She poisoned the German Army while working for them, then when she was suspected of poisoning the food, she ate the food herself and then escaped. She was later captured, but when her interrogator set down his gun, she grabbed it and shot him and the other guard, escaping. She was later recaptured and executed but was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. By the way, this was all before she turned 17. (Paraphrased from the BP post about her.)
Madeleine Flowers 3 years ago
Some were really cool! Others were...people who dug their way out of an avalanche with frozen poop. I just wish there were more women.
Just saying 3 years ago
Dead dead deadity dead dead. Killed killed killed. Apparently the word 'lynched' is fine though'.
Powerful Katrinka 3 years ago
This whole interesting thread was completely eclipsed by the insane and disruptive censorship. Infuriating.
Baby Fratelli 3 years ago
The censorship is especially ironic in this post considering how it is VERY graphic in descriptions of cruelty, torture, mass killings, and all the other ‘cool things’. A lot of these people are unsung heroes and role models, but some were just really good and inventive at killing others.
NamiKoa 3 years ago
Thank you, I’m a little disappointed that I had to scroll this far down to find your comment. Most of these „cool“ people just managed to kill very many people. I wish our definition of hero didn’t circle so much around who killed how many humans.
Load More Replies... Katinka Min 3 years ago
'Unalived'?? What fresh hell is this, a remake of 1984?? KILLED, it's called K1lled! Stop being fcking stupid!
Alexa Saltz 3 years ago
Ok, BP...I hope you can hear me - and everyone else - the censorship issue. Ruined this for me. Too many comments complaining about the way BP censors things. Maybe it is time to address the issue, open a dialogue, and deal with it.
Sarah Jane 3 years ago
Looking forward to revisiting this list in a few years when Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian badasses are added to it.
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