8 Unbelievable Acts of Bravery in the Face of Disaster

Rick Rescorla, the head of security for Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center, played a crucial role in saving thousands of lives during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Using his military experience and strict evacuation drills, he calmly and efficiently led employees down the stairs and out of the building, even singing to keep their spirits up. Rescorla was last seen going back into the South Tower to search for more people before it collapsed.

Arland Williams Jr. was a passenger on Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed into the icy Potomac River after takeoff in 1982. As a helicopter arrived to rescue the survivors, Williams repeatedly passed the rescue line to others, ensuring they were saved before him. Tragically, he drowned before he could be rescued, but his selfless actions saved the lives of five fellow passengers.

Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, risked her life to save thousands of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Using her position as a public health worker, she smuggled the children out in ambulances, suitcases, or through secret tunnels, and then provided them with false identity papers and safe shelter. Despite being arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, she never revealed the identities of the children she saved.

Desmond Doss, a combat medic during World War II, displayed incredible bravery during the Battle of Okinawa. As a conscientious objector, he refused to carry a weapon, but still served on the front lines, risking his life to save wounded soldiers. Doss is credited with singlehandedly saving the lives of 75 men while under constant enemy fire, and for his heroic actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Aitzaz Hasan, a 15-year-old Pakistani schoolboy, sacrificed his life to prevent a suicide bomber from entering his school in 2014. When he saw the suspicious man approaching the school gates, he confronted him and grabbed onto him as the bomber detonated his explosives. Hasan's brave actions saved the lives of hundreds of students inside the school.

Frank De Martini and Pablo Ortiz were two construction managers working in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Despite the chaos and danger, they led the rescue of dozens of people trapped in the North Tower, using their knowledge of the building's structure to break through walls and navigate blocked stairways. Both men lost their lives when the tower collapsed, but their heroism saved countless lives that day.

In 2007, Wesley Autrey, a construction worker from New York City, saw a man suffering from a seizure fall onto the subway tracks just as a train was approaching. Without hesitation, Autrey jumped onto the tracks and lay on top of the man, holding him down in the shallow trench between the rails as the train passed just inches above them. His quick thinking and selfless actions saved the man's life.

Lenny Skutnik, a government employee, was near the Potomac River when Air Florida Flight 90 crashed in 1982. Seeing a woman struggling in the freezing water and too weak to reach the rescue line from a helicopter, Skutnik dove into the icy river and swam to her, pulling her to shore and saving her life. His bravery in the face of extreme danger was widely celebrated and inspired others to perform acts