5 (more) people who made history, and you don't even know them
TRANSCRIPT
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them!
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
We have shared some incredible stories of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things, and just recently spotlighted 10 amazing women
whose Footprints made history.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
Continuing our tradition of preservation at America's Footprints, here are 5 more people who made history...some of which are still very much alive today.
And yet we are willing to bet you probably haven't heard of any of them!
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
But let's test that theory by starting with a top news story from the early 80s.
Do you recognize the name “Arland Williams?”
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
Meet the 46-year-old nobody who happened to be on the last flight he would ever take. In 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a bridge in the middle of a snowstorm.
#1 - Arland D. Williams
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Six severely injured people managed to swim out before the plane sank, gathering by the tail. Problem was the river was filled with ice. So rescue by boat was near impossible, as they continued growing more weary. Finally a rescue helicopter arrived, dropping a line down for the survivors. After pulling one man to safety, the next in line was Williams.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
Despite a lifelong fear of water, he decided to put the rescue ring into another survivor's hands rather than take it himself. After rescuing the second person, down came the line again. And once again, Williams passed it to the next survivor.
#1 - Arland D. Williams
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This same process repeated until everyone was brought to safety...except Williams. In the final moments, the plane's tail had moved and sunk to the bottom, dragging Williams down with it. But thanks to his heroic and selfless acts, 5 people can continue now recount the tale of the man that gave the ultimate sacrifice to save them.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
There's a laundry list of reasons why the Footprint of Venus Ramey, better known as Miss America 1944, has made history.
#2 - Venus Ramey
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For starters, she was the only Miss America whose name graced the most successful B-17 flying fortress of World War II. As if shielded by a crude painting of her likeness, the Venus Ramey flew 68 missions without losing a single man. But that story is peanuts to what happened to her six decades later.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
In 2007, four men robbed a tobacco farm in Kentucky. The now-elderly Venus noticed the robbery right away, but rather than call the police, this 82-year-old beauty pageant veteran grabbed her walker and her .38...slowly stepping outside to deal with the perps.
#2 - Venus Ramey
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Ramey confronted the men, who piled back into their car and tried to escape. But Venus braced herself against the walker, and calmly shot all four of their tires flat. She then held the men at gunpoint until she could flag down a passing driver. With the situation well in hand, she decided it was then time to call the police.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
During the Vietnam War, Thompson's plane was shot down in 1964. He took a bullet in his back and broke it in the process. He was subsequently captured and held as a prisoner of war for 9 years. For months his captors wanted him to sign papers saying that he was treated well. Using the most profane words one would think of, Thompson refused. His beatings and torture became relentless as a result, and he eventually gave in...signing the paper. As a reward, he was moved into a prison with others, in which the beatings and torture continued. Though he managed to escape five times, he was always recaptured.
#3 – POW Jim Thompson
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Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
At one point during his captivity, he even became so weak that he suffered a heart seizure. And though he survived that scare, death kept knocking on his door.
Thompson was becoming so frail that another prisoner once reported that he thought the enemy had placed a corpse in the cell next door. Yet the Green Beret managed to hold on until he was finally released in 1973, weighing just 90 pounds.
#3 – POW Jim Thompson
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Thompson unfortunately took his final breath not too long after he was released. But time is relative, because his death came 30 years later, of natural causes.
It is a tragic tale from the Footprints of a man who sacrificed so much, and yet still managed to see a brighter future ahead as opposed to giving up hope.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
Rescorla is know as the man who predicted the 9/11 attacks, and helped save 2,700 people. Well...sort of. Remember the failed truck bomb attack by extremists in 1993? Well that day left an impression on Rescorla. So when he was promoted to director of security for Morgan Stanley in the mid-'90s, he decided to prepare for what he felt was another imminent attack.
#4 – Rick Rescorla
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By 1997, the former Army colonel and Vietnam veteran had constructed his own evacuation plan, which he insisted on holding a drill for twice a year.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
When 9/11 came and the first plane hit the North Tower, Rescorla jumped into action. Despite his superiors demanding he NOT use his evacuation plan, Rescorla ignored his 'orders' and got people out. By the time the second plane hit the South Tower, only 17 minutes after the first attack, Rescorla's plan had already evacuated 2,700 people out of the building...safely. But in the process of saving others, Rescorla himself sacrificed his own life.
#4 – Rick Rescorla
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Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
Laurie Ann Eldridge was a 39-year-old single mom with a disabling back injury. She was outside one day when she noticed a car stuck on the railroad track near her house. And in the car was an elderly woman named Angeline Pascucci.
#5 – Laurie Ann Eldridge
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Suddenly she heard the unmistakable wail of a train coming from around the corner. And because of the turn in the track, the engineer couldn't see the car stuck on the rails. That's when Eldridge sprung into action.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
Despite the fact that Eldridge hadn't run in 10 years, she bolted to the car...barefoot. Unaware of what was about to happen, Pascucci thought she was being robbed and didn't open the door. So Eldridge had to reach through the car window, unlock the door, and wrestle the old lady
#5 – Laurie Ann Eldridge
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out of her car, rolling down a side embankment seconds before the train totaled the car. Pascucci survived unscathed. Eldridge, on the other hand, took away some severely cut-up feet from all the splinters she'd stepped on during the rescue. But she later received the Carnegie Hero Fund Award for her heroism...and patience with the elderly woman.
Brought to you by: 5 (More) People Who Made History,
And You Don't Even Know Them
So which story was your favorite?
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