Some moments in history defy logic, science, and even death itself. These incredible stories of survival showcase just how resilient and determined the human spirit can be, even in the most unthinkable situations. From disasters at sea to brushes with cannibalism and war, these tales will leave you speechless, and a little more grateful for your next quiet day.
9. Juliane Koepcke
In 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke survived a plane crash in the Peruvian rainforest after falling over 10,000 feet still strapped to her seat. She was the sole survivor of the crash after the plane was struck by lightning and broke apart mid-air. Alone, injured, and surrounded by jungle, she trekked for 11 days before being rescued, making hers one of the most jaw-dropping stories of survival ever recorded.
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8. Hugh Glass
In 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass was attacked by a grizzly bear and left for dead by his expedition crew. With a broken leg, infected wounds, and no weapons, he crawled over 200 miles to safety. He claims an incredible achievement of willpower that inspired the film The Revenant.
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7. The Andes Flight Disaster
In 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team’s plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. Stranded for 72 days in freezing temperatures with no food, survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism. Of the 45 people on the plane, only 16 survived. Their eventual rescue shocked the world and remains one of history’s most debated stories of survival.
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6. Alexander Selkirk
A Scottish sailor marooned on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific in 1704, Alexander Selkirk survived for four years and four months by hunting, fishing, and building shelter. By the end of his isolation, he could run goats down by foot. It was also said that he used feral cats to protect him from rats that attacked during the night. His experience later inspired Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe and is one of the earliest documented stories of survival.
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5. Ada Blackjack
In 1921, Inuit woman Ada Blackjack joined a doomed expedition to Wrangel Island in the Arctic. When her team died or vanished, she survived alone for eight months, hunting seals and foxes, building boats, and sewing parkas out of reindeer skin until she was rescued. She represents a remarkable story of courage in extreme isolation.
4. Aron Ralston
In 2003, hiker Aron Ralston became trapped by a boulder in Bluejohn Canyon in Utah. When he was descending the canyon, a boulder dislodged, crushing his right hand and trapping his arm. After five days without food or water, he amputated his arm with a pocketknife to escape. His experience became one of the most well-known modern stories of survival and inspired the film 127 Hours.
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3. Poon Lim
During WWII, Chinese sailor Poon Lim survived 133 days on a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean after a German U-boat sank his ship. With only a few supplies, he caught rainwater and fish to survive. His endurance broke survival-at-sea records and amazed naval experts.
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2. Tami Oldham Ashcraft
In 1983, Tami Oldham Ashcraft and her fiancé were caught in a hurricane while sailing from Tahiti to San Diego. After the storm killed her fiancé and disabled their boat, she navigated over 1,500 miles to Hawaii alone, proving to be a harrowing journey that also inspired the 2018 film Adrift.
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1. Vesna Vulović
A flight attendant for JAT Airways, Vesna Vulović holds the world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute, 33,000 feet, after her plane exploded midair in 1972. She miraculously lived, making her tale one of the most unbelievable stories of survival of all time.