Some people lived such incredible lives that picking the coolest one feels kind of unfair, but we’ve managed to do it anyway.
Nellie Bly
Most reporters ask for interviews, but Nellie Bly decided to get the truth firsthand. She pretended to be mentally ill so she could trick doctors. Not for any bad reason, but because she wanted to enter the women’s asylum on Blackwell’s Island and see what was going on.
Bly stayed there for ten days and wrote about all the abuse she saw. Her work actually led to a grand-jury investigation and more city funding. She’d exposed the truth of mental health treatment at the risk of her own life and reputation.
Joe Medicine Crow
Joe Medicine Crow somehow managed to become the final Crow war chief while fighting in Europe. He wasn’t aiming for that, it just kind of happened. He had to complete four traditional deeds to get the title. These were to touch an enemy, take an enemy’s weapon, lead a successful war party, and steal enemy horses.
He managed all four during World War II. During the horse raid, Medicine Crow jumped onto one of the German horses and drove the herd away. He sang a Crow honor song as he rode. He would later become his tribe’s historian and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Sir Christopher Lee
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Sir Christopher Lee sounds made up. He played Dracula, Saruman, and a Bond villain, after all, while also getting 244 film and television credits. He also took part in 17 recorded screen fights.
That’s not all, though, because before being an actor, he served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He actually fought during World War II. Much later on, Sir Lee started recording heavy metal and released an EP for his 92nd birthday. He was a guy you just couldn’t stop, and that’s what makes him so cool.
Julie d’Aubigny
Opera and sword fighting, somehow Julie d’Aubigny made them part of the same life. She was raised around the royal stables of Louis XIV and learned fencing quite young. Later on, she became a celebrated contralto at the Paris Opera.
She let nothing stop her, though, and she even wore men’s clothing to disguise herself. D’Aubigny fought duels just as well as any other man could. She also ended up in quite a bit of legal trouble, but she continued fighting and singing all the same.
Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves spent 32 years chasing fugitives across Indian Territory. He would travel across huge distances and make his way through places where help wasn’t exactly nearby. Reeves was born a slave in Arkansas and wasn’t able to read because he was never taught.
Still, he managed to become a deputy U.S. marshal. He’d memorize warrants and match the details to the people he found, even arresting his own son after a murder charge. Talk about dedicated. He was seriously committed to upholding the law, no matter what the cost.
Nancy Wake
Escaping the Gestapo was one of the most challenging things you could do. Nancy Wake did it multiple times. She did it so often, in fact, that the Gestapo called her the ‘White Mouse.’ She wasn’t just an escapee, though, she also helped Allied servicemen and Jewish refugees flee occupied France.
The Germans started closing in on her, so she crossed the Pyrenees. She then parachuted back after training with Britain’s Special Operations Executive. There was even one time that she rode roughly 300 miles in about 72 hours to replace lost radio codes. She did it on a bicycle.
Audie Murphy
Most nineteen-year-olds are still figuring themselves out, but not Audie Murphy. He was only 19 when he helped his U.S. troops push back against the enemy near Holtzwihr, France. He sent his men back while staying back himself.
Murphy directed the artillery fire by telephone. That’s not all, however, as he climbed onto a burning tank destroyer and used its machine gun against the German troops. He did it all while wounded and held out for about an hour. Then he led a counterattack and survived the whole thing.
Ching Shih
Pirate Queen Ching Shih did a lot more than simply command pirate ships. No, she helped run an enormous, organized fleet, one that could challenge the Qing dynasty’s own navy. She made sure her fleets followed written rules that covered loot and desertion.
She made sure her sailors behaved. In 1810, she negotiated a settlement to allow many pirates to surrender and stop herself from being executed. Most pirate stories end badly, but not Shih’s. Hers ended with a deal. She was just that cool.
Jeanne de Clisson
The French crown executed Jeanne de Clisson’s husband, Olivier, for treason in 1343, and seized the family’s property. She had every right to give up. She did the opposite, however, and she fought on the English side during the Breton War of Succession instead.
King Edward III of England actually gave her support, and Clisson became an English ally shortly after. She was such a fearsome naval raider that not even the royals could deny it. It takes a special kind of bravery to switch sides against your own king.
Jack Churchill
World War II landings weren’t exactly easy. Jack Churchill made the whole thing a lot more interesting. The British officer was part of the landing in Norway, and he played the bagpipes as everyone came ashore. He also carried a Scottish broadsword into battle.
Because, apparently, a normal military kit was a bit too normal for him. Churchill became so famous for his work that he earned the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order twice. Churchill also managed to escape Sachsenhausen concentration camp. What a cool man.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
13 people in history who were betrayed by their closest allies
The ugliest betrayals in history are the ones that come from the people who were trusted the most, like relatives and other loved ones.
13 people in history who were betrayed by their closest allies
