First up National Geographic, April 24:
Man Bitten by Shark, Bear, and Snake Had Odds of 893 Quadrillion to One
Outdoor enthusiast Dylan McWilliams has had a rough few years, but he isn't turning his back on nature.
893.35 quadrillion to one. That’s the likelihood of what’s happened to 20-year-old Dylan McWilliams. He was bitten by a shark, attacked by a bear, and bitten by a rattlesnake—all in just over three years.
Last week, McWilliams of Grand Junction in western Colorado was body boarding off the island of Kauai, Hawaii, when he felt something hit his leg. "I saw the shark underneath me. I started kicking at it—I know I hit it at least once—and swam to shore as quickly as I could,” McWilliams told the BBC. The wound required seven stitches and the teeth marks suggested it was a tiger shark.
Shark attacks do occasionally happen in Hawaii, especially by tiger sharks, said George Burgess, director emeritus of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida. However, the odds of being attacked by a shark in U.S. waters is one in 11.5 million, he said. For perspective, the average American has about a 1 in 5,000 chance of being struck by lightning during a lifetime.And a repost from 2011. Caveat up Front: There is NO documentation for half these incidents:
While shark attacks get all the media attention, you’re more likely to be attacked by a bear. McWilliams, who has been backpacking across the U.S. and Canada for the past few years, also managed to beat 1 in 2.1 million odds of being injured by a bear. Last July, a black bear bit him on the head while he was sleeping on a camping trip in Colorado. He escaped by poking the bear in its eye. Park authorities caught the bear, found McWilliams’ blood under the bear's claws, and put the animal down. It took nine staples to the back of his head to close McWilliams’ wounds.“A North American black bear that attacks a human is generally hungry,”...MORE
Remember When the Unluckiest Man in the World Won the Lottery?
Here's the version of the story told by ManInstitute
(your source for everything manly)
Frane Selak – Nothing Says Manly Like Cheating Death 6 Times
| Frane Selak | |
| Born | 1929 in Croatia |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Music Teacher |
| Background | A lifetime of cheating death |
| Man Rating | 8 |
With juggernauts like these and countless other manly men out there, it really makes you wonder what an average everyday guy can do to knock his man ranking through the roof. Obviously he could do the little things like growing a sweet beard and playing sports, but these aren’t going to put you into a whole new class of manliness.
Frane Selak, a Croation music teacher, began his campaign to boost his man ranking in 1962. His campaign of extreme awesomeness consisted essentially of showing how real men can escape deadly situations. It is unconfirmed, but it is rumored that he heard that the Man Institute was in the works and felt the need to man up so he could later be an inspiration to real men everywhere.
In January of 1962, Frane boarded a train in Sarajevo. He was headed to Dubrovnik, likely to score with women and fist fight for fun. Frane was well on his way when the train derailed. It plunged into an icy-cold river, killing 17 of his fellow passengers and breaking Frane’s arm. Frane managed to escape the cold water with his life and a few well deserved man points.
In 1963, Frane was on a plane flying from Zagreb to Rijeka. The flight seemed to be going well when all of a sudden, the door blew off of the cockpit. Frane was ejected from the cockpit and miraculously landed in a haystack, suffering only minor cuts and bruises, while the plane crashed and killed 19 passengers.
In 1966, Frane was travelling on a bus which went off the road and plunged into a river. Familiar territory for Frane. He escaped with no injuries; however, 4 other passengers lost their lives.Lucky, unlucky, it's all in how you look at it, right?
In 1970, Frane was cruising in his car when he began having car trouble. Frane used his man-instincts and vacated the car, running from it as the faulty fuel-pump caused the car to burst into flames.
In 1973, Frane was again driving, only this time his car caught fire while he was in it. He managed to stop the car and evacuate, losing only his hair from the flames.
In 1995 Frane was crossing a street when an out of control city bus struck him sending him flying onto the concrete. Frane then got up and walked it off, suffering only minor injuries.
In 1996, Frane was driving when he found an out of control United Nations truck heading straight for him. Frane chose to drive his car off a cliff to avoid the head-on colission. Frane managed to free himself from his car and cling to a tree as his car plummeted 300 feet down the cliff and exploded.
After finishing this 44 year man point accumulation, Frane decided he had enough of cheating death and figured it was time to get rich and live the sweet life. He went and purchased a ticket for the Croation lottery and won $1 million....
The Telegraph takes up the story
Frano Selak: 'world's luckiest man' gives away his lottery fortune
The 81 year-old won £600,000 five years ago in the lottery in Croatia, to celebrate his fifth marriage, after earlier surviving plane and train crashes.
He also survived other disasters including landing on a haystack after falling out of a plane door that had blown open.
Now the pensioner has decided that "money cannot buy happiness" and has decided to live a frugal life.
He has sold his luxury home on a private island, given away his fortune to family and friends and moved back to his modest home in Petrinja, which is south of Zagreb, in the centre of the country.
He kept the last bit of his winnings for a hip replacement operation so he could enjoy life with his wife and also so he could build a shrine to the Virgin Mary to give thanks for his luck....MORE
