126: Saint Galgano Guidotti Perhaps the real King Arthur Born: 1148, Chiusdino, Italy Died: 30 November 1181, Tuscany, Italy Feast Day: 30 November Galgano was born into a wealthy family and became a knight, known for his temper and worldly way of living. It is said that one night, Galgano had a religious vision in…
125: Martin Couney Neonatal Technician With Possibly No Medical Training Born: 31 December 1870, Most-Likely Alsace, France Died: 1 March 1950, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America Martin saved thousands of babies by displaying them at World’s Fairs and other carnivals–the admission ticket money went to paying their medical bills. He was a pioneer…
124: Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Mesa Police Sergeant Born: 12 February 1982, Mesa, Arizona, United States of America Died: 12 May 2014, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America The man who killed Sergeant Mendoza was four times the legal limit on blood alcohol and had been taking meth and had driven thirty-five miles on four different…
123: Private John Jefferson Williams The Last Casualty of the War Between the States Born: 1843, Jay County, Indiana, United States of America (Or Pineville, Louisiana, United States of America—Sources Differ) Died: 13 May 1865, Cameron County, Texas, United States of America He was killed after the Appomattox Surrender; at the Battle of Palmito Ranch….
122: Alfréd Wetzler Escaped Auschwitz alongside Rudolf Vrba Born: 10 May 1918, Trnava, Slovakia Died: 8 February 1988, Bratislava, Slovakia Alfréd and Rudolf wrote a forty-page long document detailing what they saw and experienced within the camp during the two years they were imprisoned there. Today the document is known by two names, The Vrba-Wetzler…
121: Abdul Sattar Edhi Now This is How You do Humanitarian Work Born: 28 February 1928, Gujarat, India (Today Bantva, on the border between India and Pakistan) Died: 8 July 2016, Karachi, Pakistan Philanthropist, ascetic, and humanitarian who founded the Edhi Foundation. He started his humanitarian work at the age of eleven after his mother…
120) Corrie ten Boom Survived Ravensbrück Concentration Camp and Later Wrote About her War Experiences Born: 15 April 1892, Amsterdam, Netherlands Died: 15 April 1983, Placentia, California, United States of America Original Name: Cornelia ten Boom She was the third operator of her family’s watch shop in Haarlem, Netherlands and she celebrated one hundred years…
119) Ankhesenamun Egyptian Queen and Sister-Wife of Tutankhamun Born: c1350 BC, Ancient Egypt Died: After 1323 BC, Ancient Egypt Original Name: Ankhesenpaaten Ankhesenamun was one of six daughters born to the power couple Pharaoh Akhenaten and Nefertiti, their third of six daughters. In January of 2018 Zahi Hawass began a quest to uncover her royal…
118) Juana Maria The Lone Woman on San Nicolas and the Inspiration for the Classic Scott O’Dell Novel Island of the Blue Dolphins Born: c.1811, most likely San Nicolas Island, California, United States of America Died: 18 or 19 October 1853, Garey, California, United States of America Original Name Unknown She was the last survivor…
117) Watkuese Nez Perce Guide whose name means Lost and Was Found Birth Location is estimated as Idaho, United States of America but it not known for certain Died: 1805, Idaho, United States of America Watkuese reportedly saved Lewis and Clark from being killed by her tribe. She was separated from her tribe (and was…