There are several modern adventurers who have made their mark in several activities such as trekking, cycling, snorkeling and others. Given below are the top 10 modern adventurers.
1. Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Sir Ranulph Fiennes and his 2 friends became well known for their expedition around the world using only surface transport. The expedition called the Transglobe Expedition could be completed in 3 years. Fiennes was named the greatest living adventurer in the year 1984 by the Guinness Records. Fiennes finished 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days in 2003.
2. Mike Horn
Horn, a South African modern adventurer started out on his expedition without the use of motor vehicles in 1999. Horn crossed South America on foot and traversed Africa by bike. He has also climbed 2 peaks of 8000 meters and reached the North Pole on foot. The Pangaea Expedition is a 4 year expedition led by him currently to foster the conservation of natural resources and protection o environment.
3. Bertrand Piccard
Piccard is a great adventurer and a scientist. He and his friend became famous for their balloon ride all over the world in 1999. This ride later came to be known as the “the last great adventure of the 20th century.” He is thinking of going around the world in 2011 in his own solar powered light weight plane whose development is under process.
4. Ed Viesturs
Ed Viesturs is a cautious climber and a high-altitude mountaineer who was almost successful in climbing the climb Mount Everest, falling short just by 300 feet. He was adjudged the first American to have climbed all fourteen of the world’s 8000 meter peaks in 2005.
5. John Goddard
He is a great adventurer who is known for various pursuits such as riding an ostrich, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and starring in a Tarzan film. He also has to his credit many world records as a civilian jet pilot. This modern adventurer has also retraced the steps of Alexander the Great and Marco Polo and has explored the Congo and Nile river beds.
Zhenli Ye Gon was accused of transferring a drug called pseudoephedrine into Mexico, where he ran his business. When his mansion was inspected, authorities found 200 million dollars in cash alone. It was so astonishing that they couldn’t help but take a photograph of the money.
Frank Lucas was a drug lord during the 1960s. Because he did not hire middlemen, he saved a lot of money. He bought the heroin from Golden Triangle and moved it about in coffins. The popular film American Gangster was made on his life.
Klaas Bruinsma was a Dutch drug leader who was fondly referred to as De Lange because he was very tall and liked to hear the sound of his own voice. He liked black and wore dark clothes at all times. It was recently revealed that he was close to Mabel Wisse Smit.
Zambada is among the most sought after drug dealers in and around the United States of America. He is wanted by the FBI and the fact that he is said to be the most dangerous drug dealer of all time, should give you an idea about his power and reach.
Manuel Noriega was a part of the CIA even though they knew that he indulged in embezzlement and trafficking. He protected those who were close to him and used the bank discreetly and without the knowledge of the CIA.
Kate Morgan was staying at a hotel and was found dead a few days after she checked in. Ever since that day, guests at the hotel say that they hear strange noises coming from one particular room and their lights switch on and off by themselves
Staff members of this hotel say that they can hear a lot of noise coming from the grand ballroom only when it is empty, loud childish giggles can be heard in the halls when there are no children around and several guests have complained about ghosts that enter their rooms way after midnight just to watch them sleep.
This is the name given to the ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole, a woman who died under mysterious circumstances in 1726. Somebody was brave enough to shove a camera in her face which is how we know that she has no eyes, only empty sockets.
Clifton Hall was bought by a man named Anward Rashid quite recently. A few days later, his wife found a girl glued to the television set at about 5 in the morning. Naturalyl, she thought it was her eldest daughter but when she called out to her, there was no response. This is when she went to her daughter’s room and found her fast asleep.
This ghost walks through a street in the United States- she has long dark hair and while sometimes her face is clean, other times it is smeared with blood. Keeping one thing in mind- if your back seat is empty, she will definitely hitch a ride with you whether you like it or not.
Action heroes have the superhuman ability to dodge bullets almost every time without getting hit even once. Henchmen are obviously bad shots who never took part in target practice sessions. Almost every action film will include such a scene but the audience will still cheer every time when the hero remains unscathed.
When the protagonist of a film is trying to find important Government information, all he needs is a few short minutes and a regular laptop. These movies forget to mention the fact that Government data is still mostly on paper. The main character always knows exactly what to do and manages to save the day by the end. Movies like Enemy of the State and Mission Impossible are testaments to this fact.
The movie is about to end and there is a showdown between the good guy and the bad guy. The bad guy is pointing the gun at the good guy and the audience hears a shot. They expect the hero to fall but miraculously, the bad guy keels over and we see a third person who managed to make it just on time. This scene was played out bit by bit in movies like Reservoir Dogs, A History of Violence and Die Hard.
This scene plays out in almost every other thriller or horror movie. The bad guy is finally dead and the good guy turns his back on him and at the same time looks relieved. The next thing we know, the bad guy lets out a scream and the action resumes.
The James Bond protagonists always look chiseled and fresh no matter how many punches have been thrown in their direction. In addition to that, the women in such films always wake up with their makeup and hair in place.
Charles Wrightsman bought this painting by Goya and paid about 392,000 dollars. He wanted to take it with him to the United States. The Government managed this and it was stolen almost immediately after being hung in the gallery. The thief owned up in 1965 and said that he planned to use the money for a good cause.
Since beautiful art is created in Italy, it is only normal that the art thefts will take place there as well. When Piero della Francesco’s painting, The Flagellation of Christ was stolen from Ducal Palace, it was said to be the biggest art crime in almost a hundred years. Those who stole the art wanted to sell it in the international market.
Nine paintings were stolen in 1985 from a museum in Paris. It includes those created by Renoir, Corot and Monet. A known gangster was said to be behind this crime. The paintings he stole were recovered in Corsica about 7 years later.
The guards of a particular museum in Mexico realized in 1985 that priceless pieces were missing from the Miztec, Maya, Zapotec and Aztec sculptures. These objects were extremely expensive and were not too big in terms of size which is what made it fairly simple to remove them from the glass sheeting without getting caught.
Those who broke into this particular museum had obviously been planning for years. They entered trough the skylight and walked across several canvases. They stole about ten drawings and 18 paintings some of which were worth 4 million dollars. Rayfish with Basket of Onions was among the most priceless of the lot and only 14 were recovered. The thieves must have made about 10 million dollars at the time which made it the largest art crime in New York City.
Death Valley, California, is a place where rocks can be found to move on their own. Surrounding the racetrack are pebbles and boulders strewn all about. Strangely, some of the rocks really do move, though others stay completely still. While some people are of the view that the movement of the rocks is caused by magnetic forces, others feel that the phenomenon is caused by prevailing winds.
This impressive sight can be seen in Mauritania, at the southwestern tip of the Sahara desert. This land formation is so large, with a diameter of 30 miles, that it can in fact be seen from outer space. Originally, this structure was believed to have been formed by a meteorite impact. However, geologists now feel that it is the result of uplifting and erosion.
The Atacama Desert receives less than 1mm of rain per year and is considered to be the driest place on the planet. The desert is the product of the Andes rain-shadow. The trade winds which move east along South America begin to lose all moisture when they hit the steep slopes of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is located against the western slopes of the mountain range and therefore receives very little precipitation.
These caves, found in a mine in Chihuahua Mexico, have some of the biggest crystals ever discovered and are a spectacular sight. Made of Gypsum, the crystals were allowed to grow unimpeded and hence are worth a mention among the world’s top-most geological oddities.
During the initial stage of the Puu Oo eruption in January, 1983, these amazing lava fountains erupted first. They later formed a wall of magma 100-160 feet high along the Eastern Rift of Mount Kilauea following a fissure.
This is a town in Russia which is said to be the resting point of those who are said to be working on the Mount Yamantaw which is a 5,389 feet tall mountain. It is believed that the United States is trying to build a massive nuclear facility there or a bunker.
Despite the name, these archives are not ‘secret’. While you are given the liberty to inspect and scrutinize any document, you are not permitted to walk into the archive. If you wish to find a document, you must send in a request after which it will be delivered to you.
This club is in Disneyland and sells great liquor. It is private and is considered to be restricted feature of this popular theme park. The address plate simply reads ‘33’ and one must pay at least 10,000 dollars in order to become a member. But don’t hold your breath- the waiting list is 14 years long.
This metro system is underground and is said to be secret. It was built during Stalin’s time and was called the D-6. Neither the FSB nor the Moscow Metro Administration has established its existence. The metro system is about 200 meters deep and has 4 lines.
This club was established in 1693 and is an exclusive club only for English men. It is well known for its ‘betting book’ and the consequent unusual gambles that these men make. So why is it restricted? This is because women cannot enter or join this club and if you are a man who wishes to enter it, you will have to go through a long-drawn process and satisfy a number of conditions.
Anybody who has heard a baby laugh is sure to agree with the fact that it is one of the most fascinations sounds in the world. It is beautiful and innocent and will make you giggle too! The best part is that it is fairly easy to make a baby laugh!
Those who live by the beach are extremely lucky as they can hear this sound through the day. If you are having a bad day, all you need to do is walk till the sandy shores and listen to this sound for hours at a stretch. It is fascinating because it will make you marvel at nature’s sheer ability to make you happy!
This sound can be heard in about three dozen places worldwide. Basically, when the various layers present in sand dunes move against each other due to fast winds, a fascinating and loud booming sound is emanated. It may scare you at first but once you realize why it is happening, you will want to sit down on the cool sand and listen till the sun goes down.
When lightening crackles through the air, dogs, cats and other forest animals hide under whatever they can find. But if you are in the safety of your home, you will find that this deep and startling sound is actually quite fascinating.
If you find a large forest, do walk into it as you will find yourself surrounded by tree. The wind will blow and you will hear the crackling of a million leaves across the area. The sound will be mesmerizing in itself and you will make it a hobby to hike through the plush green soil every day!
This tradition is native to the Ainu people and they carry out the slaughter of such bears that are hibernating in their caves. They retrieve her cubs and raise them for a few years after which they are choked to death as well. They do this because they believe that bears are god-like creatures that walk amongst us.
This tradition is carried out by an ethnic group of Indonesia. When a person dies, they wrap up the corpse and keep it in the house. They believe that this will help preserve the soul that stays intact till the body is buried.
The Masai Tribe is native to parts of Tanzania and Kenya and their traditions are quite bizarre in the sense that they greet each other on religious holidays by spitting on each other. Also, the men take a new born into their arms and spit on it repeatedly. The belief behind this is that if they don’t, the child will be on the receiving end of some bad luck for the rest of their lives.
It was recently discovered that Romans, in the past, would have meals with the corpses of loved ones and also feed the food to them. They did so with the help of such pipes that were attached to their organs. They then poured food, honey and wine through it.
The Yanomamö are such tribes which belong to parts of Brazil and Venezuela. Because they try to stay away from modern life and stick to their traditions, many of them are still in use. When a family member of the tribe dies, they burn the body thoroughly and then eat the ashes.
