Top 5 Shocking But True Stories Of Bravery

Only a select few people may claim to possess badassness. Even fewer assertions can be verified. It has nothing to do with achievement, genius, age, gender, or even success. So what is it then? These people's experiences serve as real-world illustrations of what courage and bravery genuinely entail.

1. Hugh Glass

Hugh Glass, whose headstone appropriately bears the epithet "Adventurous." In Grand River in 1823, he was in his early 40s and was attacked by a grizzly bear. His other trappers abandoned him behind in order to flee the Native Americans since the onslaught was so fierce. They also used a bear skin as a burial cloth to cover his body.

After a while, Glass regained consciousness, wrapped his body in the bear skin, and started his lengthy crawl down the banks of the Cheyenne River until he reached civilization. That was a 200-mile distance (320 km). He let maggots consume his decomposing flesh in order to prevent gangrene from spreading to his wounds. He ate rattlesnakes, berries, roots, and a kidnapped bison calf from two wolves throughout his six-week wandering. Guy in the Wilderness (1971) and The Revenant were both based on the man (2015).

2. Juliane Koepcke

German scientist Juliane Koepcke is well-known for surviving an aeroplane catastrophe. After her airplane was struck by lightning, Juliane, who was seventeen at the time, fell from a height of around 3 miles. She suffered a broken collarbone, an arm wound, and a swollen shut eye as a result of her landing in the jungle.

She found two things when looking for more survivors: a package of candy that had been the only meal she had eaten during her escape, and the fact that she was the sole survivor out of 92 people. Nine days in the jungle later, Juliane came upon a boat that belonged to several lumberjacks. She was able to relate the tale because of this.

3. Simo Häyhä

Simo Häyhä, who is frequently mentioned when talking about expert snipers, earned the Red Army's moniker "White Death" primarily for his involvement in the 1939–1940 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. With a headcount of 505 soldiers in 100 days, he smashed the previous record for the most sniper kills in a major conflict during this particular conflict. The number has yet to be verified. He developed his shooting skills. In order to blend in with the enemy forces during the winter conflict (when temperatures ranged from -40 °C to 20 °C), he dressed entirely in white.

This wasn't his only successful strategy; he also put snow into his clothing to function as padding for his gun and shield him from being shot. He also talked of putting snow in his lips while sniping to avoid revealing his location in the frigid air with steamy breaths. He was referred to as the "invisible Finnish soldier" in the Finnish media' heroic legend. On February 17, 1940, he received an honorary rifle. The Soviets subsequently started to give priority to killing Hayha. They finally succeeded in shooting a bullet through his left jaw in March 1940 after numerous failed tries. Although the bullet tore off half of his face, he healed, lived a normal life, and passed away naturally in 2002.

4. Shavarsh Karapetyan

Armenian fin swimmer Shavarsh Karapetyan has won the World Championship 17 times. However, he is remembered for a valiant rescue that put an end to his career. A trolleybus fell 25 metres into the lake in 1976 after colliding with a dam wall. Karapetyan, who was running with his brother, just so happened to see the collision. Without thinking twice, he dived into the sea to help the 92 people who were drowning. He saved 20 passengers by shattering a window on the bus in the dark with his legs.

He spent 45 days in a coma following the tragedy. He made a full recovery, but his lung's condition precluded him from continuing his sporting career. After the images from the incident appeared two years later, his bravery was recognised. And six years after the tragedy, an article in a well-known daily declared him a hero. Following that, he got roughly 60,000 letters. Ten years later, Karapetyan saved persons who were entrapped in a burning structure. He received several honours, such as the UNESCO "Fair Play" prize for bravery.

5. Roy Benavidez

A well-known American Army Special Forces soldier was Roy Benavidez. When one of his 12-person platoon in Vietnam was assaulted by 1000 attackers, he stood as a great hero. He headed out to help them, but the constant, fierce fire prevented his aircraft from landing. After stepping out of the hovering chopper, he rushed 75 metres to his fellow soldiers while taking three gunshots to the head, leg, and face. He made sure the chopper could land safely while being gravely hurt while still carrying on the battle. He endured a grenade attack in addition to being shot repeatedly. He saved the pilot when his chopper crashed. 

He didn't let his teammates carry him to safety until after killing an enemy soldier with his bare hands during his second helicopter rescue following an attack by one of the enemy soldiers. A six-hour combat resulted in a total of 37 different wounds on the legend. Records indicate that he killed several enemy soldiers while also saving at least eight soldiers. When he got to the base, he was declared dead. To demonstrate that he was still alive, he mustered up the courage to spit in the man's face who was encasing him in a corpse bag. For his gallantry, the President of the United States awarded him the Medal of Honor.