10 Crazy Wikipedia Profiles From History

"Badass" will never mean the same to you.

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Back in History class, we're taught to learn about the traditionally significant people who changed our world: from the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, the Wright Brothers, FDR, to Lewis and Clark, each and every one of those names (should) ring a bell. Yet, throughout the world's major wars and adventures into uncharted territory, there have been many unsung individual achievements not talked about in our classrooms. Some are too crazy to believe, yet many are real life versions of what we see in the movies. From WWII soldiers going back into battle in the name of their country after losing arms and ears, to adventurers who face the toughest odds in order to go where no man has been, here are 10 Crazy Wikipedia Profiles From History.

Jack Churchill

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Born: September 16, 1906
Birthplace: Surrey, England or Hong Kong
Occupation: Lieutenant Colonel British Army
Nickname: Mad Jack and Fighting Jack Churchill 
Dead Or Alive: Died March 8, 1996, age 89

Jack Churchill is what legends are made of: during World War II, ol' Jack came ready for battle armed with a longbow and Scottish broadsword. The above picture shows Churchill going into combat with his sword in hand, while other soldiers carried more traditional weapons. Look at that picture and rethink your entire life. He is known to be the only British solider to have killed an enemy using a longbow during WWII. Churchill ended up being sent to a concentration camp when he was captured by Germans after one of his squads were killed, and when he was found, he was playing his bagpipes. Like a boss.

Highlights:

" In May 1940 Churchill and his unit, the Manchester Regiment, ambushed a German patrol near L'Epinette, France. Churchill gave the signal to attack by cutting down the enemy Feldwebel (sergeant) with a barbed arrow, becoming the only British soldier known to have felled an enemy with a longbow in WWII. After fighting at Dunkirk, he volunteered for the Commandos."

"Churchill was second in command of No. 3 Commando in Operation Archery, a raid on the German garrison atVågsøy, Norway on 27 December 1941. As the ramps fell on the first landing craft, Churchill leapt forward from his position playing 'March of the Cameron Men'  on his bagpipes, before throwing a grenade and running into battle in the bay."

"He is known for the motto 'any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed.'"

"In July 1943, as commanding officer, he led 2 Commando from their landing site at Catania in Sicily with his trademark Scottish broadsword slung around his waist, a longbow and arrows around his neck and his bagpipes under his arm, which he also did in the landings at Salerno. Leading 2 Commando, Churchill was ordered to capture a German observation post outside of the town of La Molina, controlling a pass leading down to theSalerno beach-head. He led the attack by 2 and 41 Commandos, infiltrated the town and captured the post, taking 42 prisoners including a mortar squad. Churchill led the men and prisoners back down the pass, with the wounded being carried on carts pushed by German prisoners. He commented that it was 'an image from the Napoleonic Wars.' He received the Distinguished Service Order for leading this action at Salerno."

"In May he was ordered to raid the German held island of Brač. He organized a 'motley army' of 1,500 Partisans, 43 Commando and one troop from 40 Commando for the raid. The landing was unopposed but on seeing the eyries from which they later encountered German fire, the Partisans decided to defer the attack until the following day. Churchill's bagpipes signalled the remaining Commandos to battle. After being strafed by an RAF Spitfire, Churchill decided to withdraw for the night and to re-launch the attack the following morning. The following morning, one flanking attack was launched by 43 Commando with Churchill leading the elements from 40 Commando. The Partisans remained at the landing area; only Churchill and six others managed to reach the objective. A mortar shell killed or wounded everyone but Churchill, who was playing 'Will Ye No Come Back Again?' on his pipes as the Germans advanced. He was knocked unconscious by grenades and captured. He was later flown to Berlin for interrogation and then transferred to Sachsenhausen concentration camp."

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Daniel Inouye

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Lieutenant Colonel Paddy Mayne

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Simo Häyhä

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Born: December 17, 1905
Birthplace: Rautjärvi, Finland
Occupation: Finnish Sniper
Nickname: White Death
Dead Or Alive: Died April 1, 2002, age 96

Simo Häyhä is a man who didn't discover what he was truly good at until he had to rise to the occasion. He lived a normal life in Finland as a farmer, and did a mandatory year in the military. It wasn't until 1939 when the Soviet Union invaded his country, Häyhä decided not to back down. Instead, he went into the trees with a rifle, in -20 degree weather, and shot Russians. The Russians tried to respond by sending out teams to specifically kill Häyhä, and he would kill every last one. In 1940, Häyhä was finally stopped when he was shot in the face, remaining unconscious for a week, waking up the day the war ended.

Highlights:

"Using a modified Mosin–Nagant in the Winter War, he has the highest recorded number of confirmed sniper kills – 505 – in any major war.

During the Winter War (1939–1940) between Finland and the Soviet Union, Häyhä served as a sniper for the Finnish Army against the Red Army in the 6th Company of JR 34 during the Battle of Kollaa. In temperatures between −40 °C (−40 °F) and −20 °C (−4 °F), dressed completely in white camouflage, Häyhä was credited with 505 confirmed kills of Soviet soldiers. A daily account of the kills at Kollaa was made for the Finnish snipers. Remarkably, all of Häyhä's kills were accomplished in fewer than 100 days – in other words, approximately five kills per day – at a time of year with very few hours of daylight."

"The Soviet's efforts to kill Häyhä included counter-snipers and artillery strikes, but on March 6, 1940 Häyhä was shot in his lower left jaw by a Russian soldier. He was picked up by fellow soldiers who said "half his cheek was missing", but he did not die, regaining consciousness on March 13, the day peace was declared. Shortly after the war, Häyhä was promoted from Alikersantti (Corporal) to Vänrikki (Second Lieutenant) by Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. No one else has gained rank so quickly in Finland's military history."

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Mary of Exeter

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Hans-Ulrich Rudel

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Charles Upham

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Sir Ranulph Fiennes

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Corporal Léo Major

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Adrian Carton de Wiart

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