Weird/Awesome Historical Figures

Zer0 · 08-17-2017, 04:17 PM

"Mad" Jack Churchill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill

A candidate for one of the biggest badasses in history. Fought for Britain in World War 2 armed with only a Scottish broadsword, a longbow and a set of bagpipes. His belief was that "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."

Quote:

In July 1943, as commanding officer, he led 2 Commando from their landing site at Catania in Sicily with his trademark Scottish broadsword slung around his waist, a longbow and arrows around his neck and his bagpipes under his arm,[18] which he also did in the landings at Salerno.

Also, at the town of Pigoletti, he captured the town by throwing so many bombs that the Italians holding Pigoletti thought they were being attacked by half the British Army. [19]

Leading 2 Commando, Churchill was ordered to capture a German observation post outside the town of Molina (it; nl), controlling a pass leading down to the Salerno beachhead.[20] With the help of a corporal, he infiltrated the town and captured the post, taking 42 prisoners including a mortar squad. Churchill led the men and prisoners back down the pass, with the wounded being carried on carts pushed by German prisoners. He commented that it was "an image from the Napoleonic Wars."[20] He received the Distinguished Service Order for leading this action at Salerno.[21]

Churchill later walked back to the town to retrieve his sword, which he had lost in hand-to-hand combat with the German regiment. On his way there, he encountered a disoriented American patrol, mistakenly walking towards enemy lines. When the NCO in command of the patrol refused to turn around, Churchill told them that he was going his own way and "that he wouldn't come back for a bloody third time".[2]

He also lived to the ripe old age of 89.

Oriphiel · 08-17-2017, 04:24 PM

If America ever goes to war with North Korea, and I get drafted, you bet yer ass I'm finding some kind of loophole that lets me bring bagpipes with me.

The Batlord · 08-17-2017, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiomara

Badass of the Week: Julie D'Aubigny, La Maupin

That is a dedicated slut.

Chiomara · 08-17-2017, 04:38 PM

Ching Shih

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AT THE DAWN OF THE 19th century, a former prostitute from a floating brothel in the city of Canton was wed to Cheng I, a fearsome pirate who operated in the South China Sea in the Qing dynasty.

Though the name under which we now know her, Ching Shih, simply means “Cheng’s widow,” the legacy she left behind far exceeded that of her husband’s. Following his death, she succeeded him and commanded over 1,800 pirate ships, and an estimated 80,000 men. In comparison, the famed Blackbeard commanded four ships and 300 pirates within the same century. As a result, Ching Shih is known as one of the most successful pirates in known history.

Ching Shih unified her enormous fleet of pirates using a code of laws. The code was strict, and stated that any pirate giving his own orders or disobeying those of a superior was to be beheaded on the spot. The code was particularly unusual in its laws regarding female captives. If a pirate raped a female captive, he would be put to death. If the sex between the two was consensual, both would be put to death.

There are further accounts of Ching Shih’s code that state that if a pirate took a captive as his wife, he was required to be faithful to her (although others say that captains would have multiple wives). “Whatever they thought about her, it does seem clear that the pirates respected and obeyed her authority,” says Murray.

The Red Flag Fleet under Ching Shih’s rule went undefeated, despite attempts by Qing dynasty officials, the Portuguese navy, and the East India Company to vanquish it. After three years of notoriety on the high seas, Ching Shih finally retired in 1810 by accepting an offer of amnesty from the Chinese government.

Blue Hawk · 08-18-2017, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

That is a dedicated slut.

So godless. You need to repent.

Oriphiel · 08-20-2017, 05:17 AM

Charles Earles Boles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Bart_(outlaw)) - A daring and well spoken "gentleman thief" who robbed Wells Fargo stagecoaches with a shotgun (though he never actually harmed anyone during his robberies). Polite and respectful, he became famous for leaving poems behind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Boles adopted the nickname "Black Bart" and proceeded to rob Wells Fargo stagecoaches at least 28 times across northern California between 1875 and 1883, including a number of times along the historic Siskiyou Trail between California and Oregon. He only left two poems – at the fourth and fifth robbery sites – but this came to be considered his signature and ensured his fame. Black Bart was quite successful, often taking in thousands of dollars a year.

Ironically, Boles was afraid of horses and made all of his robberies on foot. Together with his poems, this earned him notoriety. He supposedly never once fired a weapon during his years as an outlaw.

Boles was invariably polite and used no foul language, despite its appearance in his poems. He dressed in a long linen duster coat and a bowler hat, using a flour sack with holes cut for his eyes as a mask. He brandished a shotgun, but never used it. These features became his trademarks.

On July 26, 1875, Boles robbed his first stagecoach in Calaveras County, California, on the road between Copperopolis and Milton. He spoke with a deep and resonant tone as he politely ordered stage driver John Shine to "throw down the box". As Shine handed over the strongbox, Boles shouted, "If he dares to shoot, give him a solid volley, boys". Seeing rifle barrels pointed at him from the nearby bushes, Shine quickly handed over the strongbox. Shine waited until Boles vanished and then went to recover the empty strongbox, but upon examining the area, he discovered that the "men with rifles" were actually carefully rigged sticks. Black Bart's first robbery netted him $160.

Here are his poems:

Quote:

Originally Posted by wikipedia

I've labored long and hard for bread,
For honor, and for riches,
But on my corns too long you've tread,
You fine-haired sons of bitches.

— Black Bart, 1877

Here I lay me down to sleep
To wait the coming morrow,
Perhaps success, perhaps defeat,
And everlasting sorrow.
Let come what will, I'll try it on,
My condition can't be worse;
And if there's money in that box
'Tis munny in my purse.

— Black Bart

08-17-2017, 04:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,354	If America ever goes to war with North Korea, and I get drafted, you bet yer ass I'm finding some kind of loophole that lets me bring bagpipes with me. __________________ ---------------------- \|---Mic's Albums---\| ---------------------- ----------------------------- \|---Deafbox Industries---\| -----------------------------