10 Of History's Unknown Badasses

hunkofjunk says

sadly, you missed a number of outstanding candidates; here are just a couple.

Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO (5 May 1880 - 5 June 1963), was a British officer of Belgian and Irish descent. He is considered by many to be one of the most remarkable figures in British military history, renowned for bravery, his striking character and the sheer adventure of his long life. Shot through the skull and ankle at the Battle of the Somme, through the hip at the Battle of Passchendaele, through the leg at Cambrai, and through the ear at Arras he spent a fair bit of time in hospitals recovering from wounds. He invariably went to the Sir Douglas Shield's Nursing Home, 17 Park Lane, to recuperate, and became a regular customer.

Carton de Wiart's appearance was by now as striking as his character. The eye patch, empty sleeve, bristling moustache, and tall, lean and fit figure turned heads. His dashing demeanor combined with his phenomenal bravery and remarkable exploits made him a figure of legend. And he was amazingly outspoken. He was a warrior, not a peacetime soldier.

Admiral Sir Walter Henry Cowan, 1st Baronet, KCB, DSO*, MVO (11 June 1871–14 February 1956), known as Tich Cowan, was a British Royal Navy admiral who saw service in both World War I and World War II; in the latter he was one of the oldest British servicemen on active duty. He joined the navy at 13 and when not commanding a ship during WW1 he used to go and fight in the trenches. He was so upset when the war finished he cried on Armistice Day. He finished WW2 fighting with the commandos at the age of 72.

Ranulph Fiennes - "My admiration for Ranulph Fiennes is unbounded and thank God he exists. The world would be a far duller place without him" - HRH Prince Charles.

Fiennes served in the British army for eight years including a period on counter-insurgency service while attached to the army of the Sultanate of Oman. He then undertook numerous expeditions including being the first man to visit both the north and south poles by surface means and the first man to completely cross Antarctica on foot.

Fiennes has written books about his army service and his expeditions as well as a book defending Captain Scott from modern revisionists. In May 2009, aged 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest. According to the Guinness Book of World Records he is the world's greatest living adventurer. In 2000, he attempted to walk solo and unsupported to the North Pole. The expedition failed when his sleds fell through weak ice and Fiennes was forced to pull them out by hand. He sustained severe frostbite to the tips of all the fingers on his left hand, forcing him to abandon the attempt. On returning home, his surgeon insisted the necrotic fingertips be retained for several months (to allow regrowth of the remaining healthy tissue) before amputation. Impatient at the pain the dying fingertips caused, Fiennes removed them himself (in his garden shed) with a fretsaw which didn't work so he picked up a Black & Decker in the "village" with a micro blade and cut them off just above where the blood & the soreness was.

They just don't make them like that anymore...................

TDawg says

you got all your info from wikipedia , so everyone has a hand in thier history. especially fiennes, try looking him up in the libraray, he was a great "adventurer"

brendonia says

I think Erich Hartmann was a bigger badass than the Red Baron. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Hartmann