Most Inspirational People in History

History has introduced you to a collection of exceptional people from the most unexpected of backgrounds. International schools in Manila show the best coverage of the history of these people. These people are the epitome of living life to the fullest, no matter what odds they faced they continue to strive for what they believe in and work in that direction. If you’re looking for a role model you are in the right page because the following people will inspire you to get the best out of you.

Ludwig Van Beethoven

ludwig beethoven
Photo Courtesy: kingofwallpapers.com

Beethoven is a name that any musician is familiar with or have come across. Known for his classical and romantic compositions, Beethoven was born into a musically inclined family that developed his interests in the art. But as he grew older his hearing deteriorated until he was completely deaf. This challenge never stopped him from writing the most beautiful symphonies you could ever hear.

Nick Vujivic

Photo Courtesy: opiwiki.com
Photo Courtesy: opiwiki.com

Born with a rare condition called Tetra-amelia syndrome, which is when you are born without all four of your limbs. As you can imagine it is hard for a child to live this way as it is, add on to that how society can be cruel at times. This all equals a childhood that is no walk in the park. He overcame all this and started his own NGO called ‘Life Without Limbs’. He then went on to graduate with a degree in Accounting and Financial Planning, became a motivational speaker and was an author of multiple books all about life, hope and overcoming disabilities.

Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch
Photo Courtesy: oyag.com

Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was given 3 months to live, but by God’s grace live much longer than that. Before dying 2 years after his diagnosis he gave a lecture titled: “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”

This lecture was centered about his journey of checking off his list of childhood dreams and accomplishing them all. This was a lecture that gained popularity in YouTube. He also co-authored the book called “The Last Lecture” that gives off the same feel and message.

Stephen Hawking

Photo Courtesy: thefamouspeople.com
Photo Courtesy: thefamouspeople.com

Stephen Hawking is a known cosmologist, renowned for his work on black holes and gravitational singularities. Another thing he is known for is his condition called motor neuron disease, which basically paralyzes his arms, legs and voice. Even with this disability his numerous theories prove that he is one of the brightest minds to ever grace this earth. You can experience his brilliance displayed in a book he authored “A Brief History of Time.”

Jessica Cox

jessica cox
Photo Courtesy: karlaakins.com

Jessica Cox was born with no arms yet this disability never stopped her from living a normal life. She graduated with a major in Psychology and is still able to write, drive a car or brush her hair just like anyone else would. She can also dance and has a black belt in taekwondo. What she does which not everyone can do is fly a plane, not only that she is also the first pilot to have no arms. Her whole life is a story worth telling and says that no disability can stop you from having a normal life.

The people on this list are examples of people that face their own personal challenges yet are still able to not just live regular lives but be excellent at it. You now have no excuse not to grab each opportunity and live life to the fullest.

Things You Thought Were True 

Fruit Bat

It’s always best policy to take anything someone says with a grain of salt. There are very few absolute truths, so the more commonly held truths are usually false. Below, some age old classic myths are cleared up.

Sugar makes kids hyperactive.

The idea that sugar makes kids hyperactive has been debunked for decades, yet it’s still a commonly held opinion. If there is a connection between sugar and activity, it hasn’t been proven. There are many factors that parents overlook by operating under the assumption that sugar is causing kids to act out. Age of the child, environment, activities and interactions have a greater effect on a child than diet. There are potential medical concerns with too much sugar in a child’s diet, but hyperactivity probably isn’t one of them.

Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis.

Most likely perpetrated to get others to stop an annoying habit, studies on knuckle cracking and arthritis are inconclusive at best. The funniest study was from a doctor who, after warnings by his mother, cracked only the knuckles on his left hand for 60 years, finding no discernible difference between his two hands. Still, swollen hands or reduced grip strength may be a different result to watch out for.  

Bulls hate the color red.

Spanish matadors used red muletas centuries ago, probably because that is the color of their flag. Bulls charge at the object in motion, not a specific color. They are color blind.

Bats are blind.

Bats can fly perfectly well at high speeds in dark caves, though not necessarily because they are able to see in complete darkness. They use a process called echolocation, in which they make noise and listen for the vibrations from objects. Bats do have a keen sense of sight, most as well as humans, and some even see in color. Next time someone says you are blind as a bat, take it as a compliment.

Vikings wore horned helmets.

Helmeted vikings was a stereotype that began with artists in the nineteenth century. The use of ornaments on a helmet likely would have made battle harder on vikings. They typically wore carefully riveted cone or dome shaped iron helmets. Breaking this myth is less romantic, so people will probably go on believing vikings wore very elaborate costumes like Thor.

Restarting your computer is bad for the hard drive.

Common thought prevails that it takes strains a computer more to start than to keep running. In a lot of ways, machines respond to stimuli like humans. A computer needs exercise, but also can get keeps the system refreshed. Like restoring the immune system, the computer keeps strength to deal with corruption or viruses. To start fresh reduces load times and enables faster performance like a well-oiled machine

Alcohol kills brain cells.

Drinking in moderation is fine. Long-term brain damage has been noted with heavy drinkers, but some of that is due to nutritional deficiencies rather than alcohol specifically. Alcohol impairs function, reducing communication between neurons by restructuring brain cells, not killing them. The notion of killing brain cells is more true within the developing brains from unborn babies to teenagers. But, alcohol is still dangerous and causes other problems, specifically esophageal cancer. Also, it’s a myth that humans use only 10% of the brain. In fact, the entire brain is at work all the time.

Hands-free phones are safer while driving.

In most, if not all, states, hands-free devices are a permissible form of cell phone use while driving.  However, that doesn’t make hands-free devices safer. They provide a false sense of security for drivers. Plus, having a conversation on the phone has shown that drivers process images slower and have only half the normal field of view. Studies have shown little to no difference between dangers of handheld and hands-free devices.

IT jobs are not sustainable after age 35.

The IT industry has a long history of ageism. However, routine tasks are typically outsourced to specialists, people who need a specific knowledge, not knowledge of all computer systems. Many positions have huge need for workers, while employers can’t wait around several years for an expert to graduate. Fields like analytics and marketing are well-suited for literature or music backgrounds, not necessarily math or computer science backgrounds. Basically, if someone is willing to do those jobs, they can get hired at any age.

The Dwarves are the greatest rock and roll band in the world.

For twenty-five years, the Dwarves have not been shy or humble about acknowledging that they are the greatest and even named their last album “The Dwarves Invented Rock and Roll”. All that time, the Supersuckers have held the same claim. In fact, their website header lists them as “The Greatest Rock-N-Roll Band in the World.” I tend to believe the Supersuckers with evidence from an interview by Dwarves’ singer Blag Dahlia, in which Supersuckers’ singer Eddie Spaghetti clearly tells his peer in rock that the Supersuckers are the greatest, to no objection.