Incredible Feats

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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Washington Carver discovered the key to restoring Alabama’s cotton supply and reviving an entire industry.

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.

While most fighters rely on precision punching and submission holds, Bas Rutten developed his own special move… and it’s a kicker. 

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

Stephen Hawking worked hard to prove two things: that the Big Bang Theory is plausible and that living with ALS is possible.

Bruce Lee’s legendary fighting sequences kicked off an obsession with martial arts in America in the ‘70s.

One icy lake… Two Croatian freedivers… New world records set at over 15,000 feet above sea level.

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.

In 1966, women weren’t allowed to run marathons. So runner Bobbi Gibb did what she had to do to run the race anyway.

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… 

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.

The 1969 moon landing was completely unprecedented… and almost a complete disaster. What saved the day? A felt-tipped pen.

How many great-grandmothers do you know who are also competitive gymnasts? Meet Johanna Quaas, who kept competing well into her 90s.

In 1972, the Miami Dolphins were still a fairly new franchise. But that season, they proved they had the chops to beat the NFL’s best — and make history while they were at it. 

The invention of the transistor helped three physicists clinch a Nobel Prize — but not even sharing the illustrious award could mend their broken bond. 

Desmond Doss was a pacifist and a medic who was mocked for his beliefs before saving 75 soldiers during one of the bloodiest battles of WWII. 

27-year-old Captain Matthew Webb made himself a household name after swimming nearly 40 miles unassisted across the jellyfish-filled English Channel.

While most songwriters dream of writing even just one hit single, country music legend Dolly Parton wrote two utterly iconic songs… in one day.

Needing a big spectacle to draw viewers and land a lucrative TV contract, the NFL tapped Motown legend Diana Ross to sing the national anthem at the biggest game of the year.

Shea Diamond wrote her first song while serving a 10-year prison sentence. Now, the singer-songwriter has gone from behind bars to behind the mic.

Would you rather have a #1 hit song in four different decades, or the most popular Christmas song of all time? Thankfully, Mariah Carey doesn’t have to choose.

Robyn Fenty wasn’t a household name in 2003 when she auditioned for an American music producer in Barbados. Now, she’s the wealthiest female musician in the world.

What would you do to keep a family legacy alive? Geoff Smith spent over four months living underground after his mom’s record was broken by an American.

With a terminal and highly stigmatized diagnosis, Magic Johnson rallied to play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game… and was named Most Valuable Player.

Ken Jones’s solo hike in Romania became a fight for survival when he was engulfed by twin avalanches and forced to crawl for days to find help.

When Katharine Graham was installed as head of a small D.C. newspaper, she turned it into a historic institution, publishing risky journalism that changed the course of American politics.

It was Brian vs. Brian at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, where only one could be crowned the best male figure skating champion in the world. 

A French engineer and a British architect teamed up in 1993 to design and build the Millau Viaduct — a record-breaking bridge that spans a gorge.

Yankees pitcher Jim Abbott — who was born without a right hand — pitched a no-hitter in a 1993 game against the Cleveland Indians. 

In 1893, boxing matches didn’t end until someone was knocked out — explaining how Andy Bowen and Jack Burke once boxed for over seven hours.

In a breath-taking stunt, daredevil Travis Pastrana put his life in the hands of three near-strangers when he went skydiving without a parachute. 

Marie Curie’s discoveries saved millions of lives — at the expense of her own. 

Years of studying, months of planning, and a nighttime break-in were all precursors to a 1974 stunt in New York City — but this was no heist. It was a high-wire act by Philippe Petit.

Jesse Owens became the most decorated Olympian at the 1936 Berlin Games, despite Hitler’s best efforts to see Aryan athletes triumph. 

Benjamin Von Wong used 168,000 recycled drinking straws to create a towering art installation. The record-breaking structure was dubbed “The Parting of the Plastic Sea.” 

A childhood experiment helped turn Judit Polgár into a chess prodigy, but not everyone was willing to recognize her chops — until she bested her idol in a 2002 tournament. 

A political prisoner in South Africa for 27 years, Nelson Mandela was unjustly regarded as an enemy of his country before he helped radically transform it. 

At first, all 14-year-old William Kamkwamba wanted to do was power a lamp so he could read at night. But the young Malawian inventor’s ambitions soon grew far bigger… 

The 1980 Winter Olympics match-up between the U.S. and Soviet Union hockey teams pit young amateurs against reigning champions. But U.S. coach Herb Brooks had a few tricks up his sleeve… 

Kenya’s first female professor, Wangari Maathai, went up against a dictator to protect green space in Nairobi. The movement she started has gone on to plant over 51 million trees. 

When three hikers found themselves stranded on the tenth highest mountain in the world, Daniel Aufdenblatten and Richard Lehner risked their own lives to pull off a daring rescue.

Breast cancer survivor Nicky Spinks has run hundreds of miles through the wilderness, breaking records as she conquered steep, muddy, mountainous routes. 

For decades, family members and sleuths have tried to determine what really happened the night of the fire. As of yet, they have been unsuccessful. But the clues remain, the questions linger, and the case unofficially stays open…  This episode is presented by Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. For more of history’s greatest puzzles, follow Unexplained Mysteries free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In the aftermath of the fire, a startling number of tips, twists, and witnesses came forward regarding the fate of the Sodder children. Their father, George, followed the clues for decades, driven by a suspicion of the “official” story and a belief that the blaze was no accident. This episode is presented by Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. For more of history’s greatest puzzles, follow Unexplained Mysteries free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Early Christmas day in 1945, Jennie Sodder woke up to her house on fire. The blaze consumed her home, and five of her young children. Or did it? Strange events, prescient remarks, and a lack of human remains hinted at more nefarious — though no less tragic — outcomes.  This episode is presented by Unexplained Mysteries, a Spotify Original from Parcast. For more of history’s greatest puzzles, follow Unexplained Mysteries free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

To save his island home from flood-driven erosion, Jadav Payeng began planting trees. Decades later, there’s over a thousand acres of forest. And he’s still planting.

In a much-anticipated 1964 match, he floated like a butterfly… stung like a bee… and defeated the champion boxer that everyone had favored to win.

Kiko Matthews spent nearly two months rowing over 3,000 miles in the Atlantic Ocean to raise money for the hospital that twice saved her life.

After a bar fight in 1893, James Cornish was rushed to Chicago’s first interracial hospital, helmed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, for a pioneering open-heart surgery. 

12-year-old Tom Schaar trained on one of the only Mega Ramps in existence to become the first person ever to land a 1080 on a skateboard.

By 1887, the Kellers had run out of ideas on how to educate their 6-year-old daughter, Helen. Enter 21-year-old Anne Sullivan, whose unusual methods would revolutionize the way deaf and blind children around the world would be taught.

With a dire cancer prognosis and an unfulfilled dream, professional jockey Bob Champion resolved to win the Grand National race with his horse, Aldaniti. 

They said it couldn’t be done. That it was physically impossible for a human body. But in 1954, Roger Bannister proved everyone wrong by running a mile in under 4 minutes. 

Vanessa O’Brien is the first and only woman to have reached our planet’s highest peak and lowest depth. 

Former art student Cindy Jackson holds the record for most cosmetic procedures, while performance artist Lucky Diamond Rich boasts layers of tattoos in the most unlikely places.

Dickey Chapelle became one of the first woman war correspondents during WWII, sneaking onto the front lines and putting her life on the line to cover stories.

Racing pioneer Janet Guthrie made motor sports history after qualifying to compete in both the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500.

In 1999, Robbie Knievel launched his motorcycle straight over the edge of the Grand Canyon in a stunt not even his father, the famed Evel Knievel, had ever attempted. 

Serena Williams faced her stiffest competition at the 2017 Australian Open in Melbourne. But we don’t call her the GOAT for nothing.

Diana Nyad was 26 when she dreamed up a long-distance swim from Cuba to Florida. Several decades and multiple attempts later, she did it.

No sleep tonight! 17-year-old Randy Gardner stayed awake for days on end, in what started as an experiment to see if sleep deprivation could induce paranormal abilities.

Bob Beamon shot into the air for an epic, world record-breaking long jump at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to ever walk through outer space. But his inaugural spacewalk nearly ended in disaster… twice. 

They say it takes a village to raise a child. How about rescuing one? In 1987, hundreds of people came together to save a toddler trapped in a well. 

A secret Navy-funded mission gave one oceanographer the opportunity to find the Titanic’s final resting place, over seventy years after a tragic maritime disaster sank the steamship.

The opening scene of the ‘95 Bond film “GoldenEye” showcases a record-setting bungee jump performed by stuntman Wayne Michaels.

Manny Pacquiao has won more world titles in more weight classes than any other boxer in history. 

You’re 69 years old, planning your next birthday celebration. How about a swim in the ocean — handcuffed, shackled, and pulling rowboats filled with people? 

Pigs, lollipops, and very high stakes: When tennis players Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs faced off in a so-called “battle of the sexes,” they spared no effort — in skill or in spectacle. 

When a celebrity Arctic explorer assembles an inexperienced team to claim Wrangel Island for the British Empire, Ada Blackjack signs on as the party’s seamstress...

Annie Edson Tyler’s 1901 tumble down Horseshoe Falls was actually a get-rich-quick scheme. 

17-year-old Jackie Mitchell went up against the greats, and pitched strikes that left Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig slouching back to the dugout. 

Babe Didrikson Zaharias was a Renaissance woman of sports, proving to 1930s America that anyone can be an all-around phenomenal athlete. 

An assassination attempt on Malala Yousafzai’s life only served to further amplify the young leader’s verve for education advocacy.

In 1947, anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl set out to prove a point, and crossed over 4,000 miles of open ocean to do it.

In 2011, Alain Robert scaled a soaring skyscraper in Dubai. At 2,717 feet high, it’s the tallest structure in the world.

A voice in a dream helped Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa make the comeback of a lifetime.

When a tugboat capsized off the coast of Nigeria, a team of divers was sent in after nearly 3 days to recover bodies. But one man had survived.

Climbing hand over hand up a thin metal tower, Dana Kunze scaled the equivalent of 16 stories before plummeting straight down — for a record-breaking 172-foot dive. 

Burning wires, faulty brakes, armed soldiers… Geraldine Mock’s 1964 solo flight around the world wasn’t the smoothest. But every bit of turbulence was worth it to pay homage to her hero, Amelia Earhart.

It was the Great Houdini’s last act before his untimely death — a trick so dangerous and inventive, he found a way to patent it and keep its secrets safe from copycats.

A 1962 NBA game between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks set the stage for Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary scoring record.

Monsoon rains, jail time, malaria… Explorer Mario Rigby experienced all of it and more as he walked and kayaked through Africa, traveling over 7,500 miles south to north.

In 2020, champion eater Joey Chestnut broke his own world record for most hot dogs consumed in 10 minutes. #AmericanHero? 

Think backflips are hard? Try doing a double… in a wheelchair. That’s exactly what Aaron Fotheringham did in 2010, just a few years after inventing a new brand of daring athletics.

Violet Jessop survived shipwreck, after shipwreck, after shipwreck — all in the span of 5 years. After each disaster, the ocean liner stewardess went right back to work.

Leaving his climbing ropes behind, Alex Honnold scaled the 3000-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in 2017. His free solo feat took a grueling 3 hours and 56 minutes. 

“Grandma” Emma Gatewood spent nearly 150 days hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1955, becoming the first woman to hike the entire trail solo. 

For a 26.2 mile race over thousand-year-old cobblestones, Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila opted to run barefoot… then set a world record. 

A scoreboard snafu left the crowd outraged — then thrilled — after Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci’s routine in the 1976 Olympics.

June 2012: Nik Wallenda stares out over thousands of feet of metal cable stretched across Niagara Falls. But he’s not afraid. Performing daring stunts is in his blood. 

After doctors told her she'd never walk again, Wilma Rudolph did the unthinkable... and became a record-breaking Olympian with the nickname of "Fastest Woman in the World."

A day of deep-sea fishing turned dangerous when a storm knocked two fishermen way out into the Pacific. As 2013 turned to 2014, many gave the men up for dead — but Jose Salvador Alvarenga survived. 

Wim Hof, aka “The Iceman,” can endure subzero temps like no other. Who else can say they’ve run a half marathon in the Arctic Circle barefoot, wearing nothing but shorts?

Mo’Ne Davis electrified the baseball world during the 2014 Little League World Series with her talent on the pitching mound.

Before he played The Mountain in HBO’s Game of Thrones series, Hafthor Bjornsson beat a 1,000-year-old Viking record.

Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic Athlete ever, but his career hit rough waters after a 2014 DUI arrest. He had one more chance to prove himself: Rio 2016. 

Dashrath Manjhi hammered and chiselled his way through a mountain for two decades to make medical care more accessible for his village.

In 2012, Jagger Eaton became the youngest person ever invited to compete in the X Games. You can bet he skated right through it. 

After a streetcar crashed into a lake, champion finswimmer Shavarsh Karapetyan dove into the polluted water to rescue its passengers. He saved dozens of lives… but the story was covered up for years. 

Dubbed the “Octomom,” Nadya Suleman is the eighth woman in known history to birth octuplets. Her kids are the only known surviving set of octuplets, ever.

Dean Karnazes is not your typical ultramarathoner. He can run for literal days, fueled by massive amounts of junk food consumed on the go. 

Now this is peak performance: Jordan Romero is the youngest person to summit the tallest mountain in the world… And he didn’t stop there.

He’s the first person to ever hold 100 World Records at once. Ashrita Furman broke so many records, he invented new games just so he could set new records. 

Brace for impact… With the plane’s engines failing and 155 lives on the line, veteran pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III had seconds to decide his next course of action.

Sarah Breedlove’s job prospects were slim, so she started her own business—and in 1919, the daughter of two formerly enslaved people became a self-made millionaire.

Hold your breath: In 2016, William Trubridge broke the world record for freediving, which he had set himself back in 2011. 

Barbara Hillary was the first African American woman to reach both poles... which she did in her 70s, after surviving lung cancer.

Annie Oakley was an extraordinary markswoman, and the star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

Peggy Whitson has spent more time in space than any other NASA astronaut… And that’s not the only space record she holds.

In 2006, a dire circumstance unlocked superhuman strength in Tom Boyle. Nine years later, a similar scenario helped 19-year-old Charlotte Heffelmire save a life.

In 2018, Andrzej Bargiel’s climb up the world’s second highest mountain took three days. But it was his eight-hour ski descent that set a record. 

Juliane Koepcke’s incredible feat is two-in-one: In 1971, she fell two miles out of a plane and lived. Her next challenge? Surviving the rainforest she landed in.

Nellie Bly’s record-breaking trip around the world made her an international sensation. But did you know her 1889 journey was inspired by a sci-fi novel?

“Fearless” Felix Baumgartner skydived from the edge of space in 2012, breaking the sound barrier using only his body. 

Humanity’s most daring achievements are coming together in the new Spotify Original from Parcast! Every weekday, Incredible Feats introduces you to a new story of jaw-dropping physical strength, mental focus, and bizarre behavior. Join comedian Dan Cummins as he profiles the people who turned the impossible into the incredible, breaking records and making history along the way.  Incredible Feats premieres September 14th, with new episodes every weekday, Monday through Friday. Listen to Incredible Feats free on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!