They say the only truly selfless act is giving your life for someone else. In Vietnam’s Bình Sơn District, one marine made such a sacrifice. His name was Gary Wayne Martini, and this is his story. The early life of Gary Wayne Martini Gary Wayne Martini was born in Lexington, Virginia, on the 21st of […]
Author: Nick Petrou
Manoj Kumar Pandey – India’s Most Badass Soldier?
“If death strikes before I prove my blood, I promise … I will kill death!” These were the words one Indian war hero wrote in his diary before making the ultimate sacrifice. His name was Manoj Kumar Pandey, and this is his story. The early life of Manoj Kumar Pandey Manoj Kumar Pandey was born […]
Mary Ann Brown Patten – The Pregnant Sea Captain
One of the last places you’d expect to find a pregnant woman is upon a sailing ship between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But in 1856, that’s just where 19-year-old Mary Ann Brown Patten found herself. This is the story of how she came to command the clipper ship Neptune’s Car. The early life of […]
Joe Medicine Crow – The War Chief of WWII
Few titles sound as straight-up badass as war chief of the Crow Nation, and would you believe that a Native American claimed this title during the Second World War? This is the story of Joe Medicine Crow, a warrior, writer, historian, and anthropologist rolled into one. Before World War II Medicine Crow was born on […]
Finswimming Hero Shavarsh Karapetyan
Some people freeze in an emergency situation, and some plunge right in without a second thought. Shavarsh Karapetyan, a finswimming legend of the Soviet Union, was among the latter. Without his bravery, at least 20 people would have suffered horrible accidental deaths. The early life of Shavarsh Karapetyan Karapetyan was born in Armenia in 1953. […]
Roy Sullivan – The Human Lighting Rod
Some people we cover here and on our YouTube channel led revolutions, boxed Nazis, survived perilous journeys, and won battles almost single-handedly. But not Roy Sullivan. No, Sullivan achieved legendary status because Zeus (or Thor, if you really must) hated him. Throughout his 71-year life, lighting struck him at least seven times. This is his […]
Bill Millin – The D-Day Piper
There’s nothing more badass than bagpipes. Period. And bagpipes were exactly what one man wore into battle on the bloody beaches of Normandy in the Second World War. Pre-World War II Bill Millin William Millin came into the world on the 14th of July 1922 in Saskatchewan, Canada. His family were Scottish and returned to […]
Michael Malloy – The Man Who Drank Poison For Breakfast
Stereotypically, the Irish love a good drink. At least in Australia, someone who can knock back a few is a “piss-tank.” Our boy Michael Malloy was not only a piss-tank but an all-around tank, too. Despite everyone’s best efforts, it seemed nigh impossible to kill the man. This is what happened. The early life of […]
Hong Xiuquan – Jesus Christ’s Asian brother
Did you know what Jesus Christ had a Chinese brother who commanded the Taiping Rebellion? Did you know the Taiping Rebellion occurred over 1,800 years after Jesus died? This is the story of Christian Chinese revolutionary Hong Xiuquan. The early days of Hong Xiuquan Hong’s mother, Madam Wang, gave birth to him on the 1st […]
Henry Johnson – Great War Soldier AKA The Black Death
One doesn’t earn the nickname “Black Death” by navigating lethal situations with kindness and words. What follows is the story of African American soldier Henry Johnson, a legend of the First World War. The Early Life of Henry Johnson William Henry Johnson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in July 1892. As a teenager, he […]