Incredible Feats

Reverend and strongman Kevin Fast, who’s broken over 30 Guinness World Records, pulled a jet plane over 28 feet to set a new, adrenaline-fueled record. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wayne Gretzky didn’t just break NHL scoring records, he shattered them! Even if you took away all of his 894 goals and just counted his 1,963 assists, he would still have more points than any other player in NHL history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2020, George Hood set out to take back his planking record. With bleeding elbows and abs of steel, he planked for hours, raising thousands of dollars for a gym that supports mental and physical health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a city under attack and an urgent need for militiamen, there was only one person who could ride out to rally them: 16-year-old Sybil Ludington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Kearney was a child prodigy who became the youngest person ever to graduate college. Where does a kid go from there?! The answer will surprise you… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave “The Bullet” Smith Jr. breaks his father’s distance record, and then his own distance record, after blasting out of a 35-foot-long cannon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The tail end of his career was mired with injuries and a year-long suspension, but at 40 years old, Alex Rodriguez became the MLB all-time leader in grand slams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel. Helping her do it? A specialized swimsuit and snacks of fried chicken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the last places on Earth to be settled by humans was the first place on Earth to democratically elect a female president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21-year-old Alberto “Baby” Arizmendi broke his wrist in the second round of a match but still managed to finish the 10-round bout... and win! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two-time Olympic gold medal winner James Cracknell biked across the Yukon in the dead of winter after suffering a traumatic and debilitating brain injury just six months earlier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lorenzo Charles’ slam dunk as time expired gave North Carolina State the national championship and completed their Cinderella run through the NCAA tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maria Tallchief was the first prima ballerina in America and helped turn the famously Parisian art of ballet into a mainstay of American culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“The Hurt Locker” earned Kathryn Bigelow two historic wins, while up against some of Hollywood’s fiercest competition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To win a life-changing sum of money, Dr. Joyce Brothers transformed herself into a boxing expert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23-year-old Angela Hernandez tumbled down a 250-foot cliff in her Jeep in 2018. When she woke up, she was entirely alone, and there was nobody around to help her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Already a legend, Simone Biles adds two more signature moves to her existing two, on her way to becoming the greatest American gymnast of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We fell in love with her characters, then we fell in love with her! Betty White has delighted TV viewers with her talents and charm since 1939 in a remarkable, record-breaking career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pinkerton detective Kate Warne goes undercover to find possible plots to destroy a railroad and instead discovers and thwarts a plan to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mary T. Crowley is a present-day oceanic hero, having spent over 40 years — and on one excursion, over six straight weeks — cleaning tons of plastic waste from open waters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey tamed Cat “Alpha” Zingano in only fourteen seconds to successfully defend her UFC Bantamweight Title. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kristi Yamaguchi landed a triple Lutz to win Olympic gold in 1992, transforming from career underdog to one of the most scintillating figure skaters to ever grace the ice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After British soldiers commandeered her parlor during the Revolutionary War, Lydia Darragh eavesdropped on their plan to ambush her son’s encampment — and risked her life to stop them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stuntwoman Kitty O’ Neil became the fastest woman in the world after piloting a wheeled supersonic jet at over 500 miles per hour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeanne Baret’s passion for plants knew no bounds. To study them, she defied the French Navy, disguised herself as a man, and circumnavigated the globe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anna May Wong has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and over sixty film credits to her name. But to become the first Asian-American TV star, she’d have to quit Hollywood… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite losing a beloved friend and teammate, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke led the Houston Comets to four consecutive WNBA titles, taking home the Finals MVP Award each time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At 20 years old, badminton star P.V. Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win silver in the Olympics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Unboundless bravery and a talent for disguises helped Sarah Edmonds become a war hero who served as a nurse, soldier, courier, and spy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

16-year-old Sacagawea was indispensable to the Lewis and Clark expedition, once single-handedly saving priceless records that could’ve been lost forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She conquered “Phozilla,” then gobbled her way to the top of competitive eating. Miko Sudo is now the #1 female competitive eater, and #5 in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Already a star soccer player, Ashley Martin transferred her kicking skills from the soccer field to the gridiron to become the NCAA’s first female football player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in professional tennis as the first Black player to compete in a Grand Slam Tournament… and the first to win one as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After starting Japan’s first women-only climbing club, Junko Tabei became the first woman to climb Mt. Everest and complete the Seven Summits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Widowed and aimless, Juliette Gordon Low decided to use her wealth to help girls learn life skills… and created Girl Scout troops all over the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once an entrepreneur and activist, Joyce Banda’s greatest effort would come as President of Malawi — rejuvenating its crippled economy and improving human rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While many talented soccer players have won a World Cup, Pelé netted an unprecedented three — more than any other player, ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oprah took a job no one wanted and transformed it into a media empire. Now, she’s an icon and a billionaire — but her path was far from easy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Washington Carver discovered the key to restoring Alabama’s cotton supply and reviving an entire industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katherine Johnson’s meticulous math skills helped the first American into space, the first American orbit the Earth, and the crew of Apollo 11 reach the moon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While most fighters rely on precision punching and submission holds, Bas Rutten developed his own special move… and it’s a kicker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of setting snowboarding records, Chloe Kim dominated the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephen Hawking worked hard to prove two things: that the Big Bang Theory is plausible and that living with ALS is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bruce Lee’s legendary fighting sequences kicked off an obsession with martial arts in America in the ‘70s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One icy lake… Two Croatian freedivers… New world records set at over 15,000 feet above sea level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many couples feel like they’ve been married forever… But Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher actually got pretty close in a union that spanned more than eight decades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1966, women weren’t allowed to run marathons. So runner Bobbi Gibb did what she had to do to run the race anyway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hans Kammerlander would have been happy to set just one record on Mt. Everest in 1996. But there was more in store for the skier… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roll the credits! Alice Guy-Blaché is finally getting her due as a pioneering filmmaker who pushed the boundaries of the medium in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1969 moon landing was completely unprecedented… and almost a complete disaster. What saved the day? A felt-tipped pen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices