6 modest heroes who saved many lives

Surprising examples of the present heroic

If you think that a real hero - muscular guy like Rambo, with a bunch of grenades on his belt and large-caliber machine gun at the ready, to deal with crowds of terrorists and criminals who have to disappoint you: the true bravery and courage can be silent and invisible, but they are not less valuable .

Modest heroes are not only respect, but also some degree of perplexity - why did not they tell us all about his exploits? Some of them on this there are special reasons for such obligations to the state, but most often, without exaggeration, the best people of the world simply does not give the glory and fame of any value - they just saved lives. Here you will find six examples of desperate courage and reckless courage and single - boasting and self-admiration.

1. Police, was dissuaded from suicide dozens of people

Kevin Briggs over 22 years patrolling the San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the famous bridge "Golden Gate" - one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Unfortunately, the bridge is popular not only among tourists but also among decided to settle accounts with the life of citizens: Kevin does not just have to save the desperate lost souls who intend to go on his last flight or, for example, to shoot himself.

Someone has calculated that on average every month through Briggs manages to save two potential suicides, so it has long been a familiar part of the service routine for him. Over two decades, a misfire occurred only once: 22-year-old young man has not listened to the arguments and Kevin still committed suicide. This performance could be the envy of many superheroes. For outstanding achievements colleagues gave Briggs ironic, but certainly honorable nickname "The Guardian of the Golden Gate."

2. The British diplomat saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust

Many people know the name of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist, who in the years of persecution and extermination of the Jews has provided shelter and work for many of them, thus freeing about 1,200 people from the gas chambers and the ovens "death camps." Nevertheless, it goes about it, and about Frank Foley - British intelligence employee, who gave life to nine thousand Jews.

He was probably one of the most obscure heroes of the Second World War: a humble servant of the British Embassy in Berlin used his position to forge passports, allowing fleeing Nazi domination freely selected out of the country. Officer Foley even managed to pull out from the clutches of the Gestapo concentration camp prisoners, using visas and travel documents allowing them an alibi.

His feat is almost unknown to the general public, since until his death in 1958 Frank preferred to keep his mouth shut: the information he possessed, could cause considerable harm to the diplomatic relations of the European powers, first and foremost, of course, Germany and the UK . declassified certain circumstances the activities of Foley, recognizing his services to the victims of the Holocaust In 2004, the Government of the United Kingdom.

3. The mechanics of "Titanic" sacrificed themselves so that passengers can evacuate

The catastrophe "unsinkable" "Titanic" became one of the largest in the history of navigation and, although more than a century has passed since the tragedy, she continued to dedicate movies, books, and other works of art. According to eyewitnesses, the sinking ocean liner was like a huge brightly lit city, stretching into the depths of the waters, but few think much about why actually in the "Titanic" almost until the last moment electricity works, because, logically, all the passengers and crew tried to like you can leave the ship soon.

The merit of maintaining the lighting entirely belongs to the engineers and stokers vessel: while crazed with fear by representatives of high society rushed in search of free boats, workers hold selflessly remained in their places. Thanks to the courage of the crew was a light for 45 minutes, which saved many hundreds of lives.

4. The British schoolgirl warned tourists Tsunami

10-year-old Tilly Smith and her family had a rest in the resorts of Thailand, sunbathing on the beaches and examining sights. One day the tourists have noticed an unusual phenomenon: first, if the sea "boil" and then became "swollen" like a yeast dough. Idle beach goers curiously watched the process without feeling any danger, but Tilly knew immediately what threatens to "boiling" ocean - shortly before the lesson of geography they were told about the signs of a tsunami approaching.

The girl immediately cried out in a loud voice his suspicions, but her parents and other "sober" thinking self-confident adults did not believe it and continued to enjoy a unique spectacle. Finally, weeping and cries of Tilly have the desired effect - the Smiths decided to leave the beach, but before that they shared assumptions daughter with one of the beach staff, who immediately ordered the evacuation of campers. The victims of the huge wave of more than 250 thousand people in 13 countries, but on the beach, where Tilly was not hurt anybody, because her family and nearly a hundred other tourists managed to take in a safe area.

5. The surgeon conducted 30,000 operations in a combat zone

The doctors all over the world every day save many lives, but some of them have achieved real skill in the art of pulling patients, they say, "from the world." Such magician anesthesia and scalpel, of course, can be attributed surgeon Gino Strada, specializing in heart and lung transplantation.

Strada - founder and chairman of the Italian organization "Emergency", but respect him not only (and not so much) for this. Gino as a field surgeon traveled to the hottest spots in the world - Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Cambodia and other countries. Strada has provided free assistance to wounded military and civilians, in 25 years of practice he personally spent about 30 thousand transactions (on average more than three operations per day), thanks to him in war zones appeared 47 medical centers, have gone through hundreds of thousands of people .

A brave medic often had to negotiate with radical terrorist organizations to be allowed to post offices as close as possible to the front line, with Gino tried to centers equipped with the latest technology. Strada when asked if he wanted to stop the charity and to return to his native Venice, Gino said: "I probably surgical animal - I like to live in the operating".

6. The head of security service one of the corporations foresaw 9/11

Horrified at the number on the "Twin Towers" terrorist attack victims, many people forget that under certain circumstances they could be much more: for example, if Rick Rescorla, head of the "Morgan Stanley" financial security company (it occupied most of the South Tower) , was not so far-sighted.

Rick, an experienced military and veteran of the Vietnam War, led the company's security department in 1990 and immediately developed its own plan for the evacuation of the building, which after the collapse of the North twin allowed to withdraw for a few minutes of the second tower more than 2,700 employees of the corporation.

Due downright brilliant insight Rica under the rubble of the building of the South were killed only 13 people. Unfortunately, one of them turned out to himself: after the evacuation of most staff Rescorla returned to the tower in search of stragglers, and at this point in her second crashed plane with the bombers at the helm.