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00:00Viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
00:08What if I told you there's a fearless man who tugs heavy machinery with a rather delicate appendage?
00:16This man is going to pull this eight-ton semi-truck, but not with his body, not with his legs.
00:21What he's actually going to do is a lot stranger.
00:24Or that a drunken double dare turned a city street into a landing strip.
00:31He has no lights on, no radio contact or air traffic control.
00:35This landing would be impossible for a sober pilot, but this guy has been pounding drinks.
00:42How about an elderly lion who loves his way into the record books?
00:47He's arthritic, he's so toothless that his tongue just hangs out of his mouth.
00:51When Frasier limps his way over, suddenly the lionesses all perk up.
00:58Before you know it, there's lion cubs everywhere.
01:03These are the feats so astonishing. They are truly unbelievable.
01:07Some war stories are hard to believe, but this one's impossible to forget.
01:25It's a tale of one man, one mission, and one of the most impressive achievements in military history.
01:31It's April of 1945.
01:35A 24-year-old Canadian recon sniper by the name of Leo Major, along with his buddy, Corporal Willie Arsenault,
01:41are crawling on their bellies on the outskirts of Zwolle, Netherlands,
01:45in an attempt to gain information about Nazi troops in the area,
01:50with the hopes that a larger force will then liberate the town from Nazi control.
01:54Major is a war-hardened vet.
01:58Just after D-Day, he took a phosphorus grenade to the face and actually lost an eye.
02:04An injury like that could have gotten a soldier a ticket home,
02:07but Major insists he only needs one eye to shoot as many Germans as he can.
02:12This is supposed to be exclusively a recon mission.
02:18Identify where the Germans are, how many there are of them, and that is that.
02:23It's not supposed to be an active combat situation.
02:27But the Germans spot them, and in an instant, the recon mission explodes into a firefight.
02:33Major and Arsenault begin shooting.
02:36Now, pretty quickly, Arsenault gets shot twice.
02:42Major takes out two more Germans before turning his full attention to his buddy, Arsenault, who is dead.
02:50Major has lost people in combat before, but now he's lost his best friend.
02:57This is personal.
02:59Major decides to take revenge and demolish the entire German garrison all by himself.
03:07Major has done some shockingly brave stuff before,
03:10but to attempt to liberate a town entirely by yourself,
03:14that has suicide mission written all over it.
03:17Instead of going in guns blazing, Major takes a different approach.
03:22He spots a German officer's adagent, the attendant, outside of a tavern.
03:28He sneaks up behind him with his pistol, disarms him, and says,
03:33Take me to your boss.
03:36When he comes face to face with this senior German officer,
03:40Major acts like he's doing the guy a favor.
03:43He tells him that the Canadian forces are ready to pummel this town,
03:48and he says if he wants to save German lives,
03:51they need to leave now.
03:56Major doesn't really know if he is dealing with somebody that is going to take his warning to heart,
04:00or is he just going to stand firm and follow the orders of the Fuhrer?
04:04This is a spectacularly crazy move,
04:08but this officer doesn't understand why anybody would just give up this information,
04:14so he presumes this guy must have some very serious backup nearby.
04:20As a final power move, Major hands the sidearm back to the driver and then disappears into the night.
04:26With the seeds of fear planted, one man embarks on a daring deception to make the Germans believe an entire army is closing in.
04:35Major spends the night creating chaos.
04:37He tosses grenades here, moves to a new position, fires his machine gun there.
04:44To the Germans, it sounds like an onslaught of a battalion, a regiment.
04:49Who knows how many Canadians have surrounded the town?
04:53Any German forces that he does encounter in the streets, he mows them down with his machine gun.
04:59So now, you've got bodies in the streets.
05:03And the coup de grace, when Major finds the Gestapo headquarters, he sets it on fire.
05:11The Germans are freaking out at this point, and as these Nazis start fleeing, he starts picking them off one at a time.
05:18And by four o'clock in the morning, there is not a single Nazi left in Zwolle.
05:26Leo Major has managed to liberate an entire town by himself.
05:33Leo cements his status as a brilliant war hero.
05:36He is awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
05:39He even goes on to serve in the Korean War, where he's awarded yet another Distinguished Service Medal.
05:48To this day, Dutch kids still learn all about Leo Major in school.
05:53But not every incredible feat makes the history books.
05:56Take, for example, the remarkable tale of an ambitious seafaring monk.
06:01So kids get taught in school that Columbus discovered America in 1492.
06:07But there are other theories that have gotten legs over the years,
06:11like the Vikings discovering Newfoundland in the 10th century,
06:16or even the Chinese, shortly before Columbus landing on the west coast.
06:20But long before any of them, one Irish monk may have gotten there first.
06:26A 6th century Irish monk, St. Brendan,
06:32supposedly embarked on a westward journey seeking the Garden of Eden,
06:38the account of which appears in his book, The Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot.
06:45Most scholars read this as an allegory, the story of a religious passion.
06:52But some read into it as an actual literal travelogue,
06:57the story of a voyage from Ireland all the way to Canada.
07:01Allegedly, Brendan travels this 4,500-mile trek,
07:07not in a wood-timbered ship like the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria of Columbus,
07:12but in a leather-hulled, tiny little ship called a Couric.
07:18Now, if this were true, it would rewrite history.
07:20But how can you prove that a small, ancient leather boat
07:25could cross the North Atlantic?
07:28In 1976, a historian named Tim Severin sets out to do just that,
07:34follow the voyage of St. Brendan.
07:38With a team of boatbuilders, scholars, and drinking buddies,
07:42Tim painstakingly makes an authentic courash,
07:45using only methods and materials available at the time of the initial voyage.
07:49Instead of wood planking, the hull is covered with ox hides
07:56that are stretched and stitched together to cover the frame.
08:02Tim sets sail from Ireland in May of 1976.
08:06Bless me, this boat, and all you sail in it.
08:10He heads north and takes Brendan's voyage,
08:13in which he sails in a stepping-stone route,
08:16from Ireland to Scotland to the Faroe Islands to Iceland to Greenland,
08:21and then to Newfoundland and North America.
08:25The North Atlantic is perpetually inhospitable.
08:31The waves and swells are enormous.
08:33But the waves end up being the least of their problems.
08:39A large piece of ice tears a hole in the hull below the waterline,
08:43and they start to flood.
08:45This is basically their worst nightmare.
08:48To make a repair in the hull while you're sinking in frigid water
08:53seems next to impossible.
08:56Miraculously, they are able to stitch a patch over the tear
09:01while they bail the boat out.
09:04They survive, but they still have thousands of miles to go.
09:08This is not a pleasure cruise.
09:10They are near hypothermic.
09:13Their clothes are sopping.
09:14And their food supply is constantly wet,
09:18which means they have to rely on catching seagulls to eat.
09:23Not that it does any help,
09:24because they're constantly seasick
09:26and unable to keep anything down.
09:30Incredibly, Tim and his crew push through
09:32for another 13 brutal months.
09:35And in June of 1977,
09:37the shores of North America are in sight.
09:40To the world's amazement,
09:42Severin and his ragtag crew
09:44actually arrive in Newfoundland.
09:47They're wet, they're bearded, they're emaciated.
09:50But they've made the point.
09:52St. Brendan could have made this voyage.
09:55St. Brendan.
09:5813 grueling months dodging icebergs in a leather boat.
10:03At least they knew which saint to pray to.
10:07When it comes to record-breaking feats,
10:10there's no shortage of unusual accomplishments,
10:12like our next overachiever
10:14who pulls his way to the top
10:15with a surprising body part.
10:19In the city of Tbilisi in Georgia,
10:21an excited crowd gathers around.
10:24In the center of this large crowd,
10:26you have an 8-ton semi-truck.
10:29Standing in front of the semi-truck
10:30is this large, imposing man
10:33by the name of Lasha Padaraya.
10:35At first glance, you might think
10:36this guy's going to attach a harness to him
10:38and he's going to pull this 8-ton semi-truck.
10:40Not the case here.
10:42What he's actually going to do
10:43is a lot stranger.
10:46You see, Lasha uses his ears,
10:48specifically his left ear,
10:50to pull heavy equipment
10:51in front of adoring crowds.
10:53He's already done it with a 7-ton aircraft,
10:56but today he's raising the stakes
10:58and hopefully earning a new world record.
11:00If 8 tons of raw industrial mite
11:03against one delicate ear
11:05doesn't sound like a fair fight,
11:06that's because it isn't.
11:08The human ear is remarkably fragile.
11:11It has 3 small ligaments,
11:133 small muscles,
11:14and that's all that's keeping it attached.
11:17It only takes between 20 and 50 pounds of pressure
11:19to tear those ear ligaments
11:21and even pull the ear wide open.
11:23So what on earth drives Lasha
11:26to attempt something so impossible
11:27or, dare I say, inadvisable?
11:31One day when Lasha is working out in the gym,
11:33he sees another wrestler, as a joke,
11:36lifting these 5-pound weights using his ear.
11:39Now, while everybody's having a good laugh,
11:41Lasha looks at it and says,
11:43I could do that with even heavier weight.
11:45He decides in that moment,
11:46I am going to have the strongest ears on the planet.
11:49And so he starts training.
11:52Lifting heavier and heavier things,
11:54hunks of metal, parts of cars,
11:56whatever's necessary to build up the strength
11:59in that left ear.
12:00All this daily training gets Lasha to the point where,
12:04as far as he's concerned,
12:05his ear is superhuman.
12:08And he decides he has to demonstrate
12:10this power that he has acquired from his practice.
12:13He kicks off these public displays
12:15with a 5.5-ton tow truck,
12:17then a helicopter,
12:19each success pushing the boundaries
12:20of human engineering and medical science.
12:24Now, Lasha's ready to take on
12:26his most daring challenge yet,
12:27the 8-ton semi-truck.
12:29With a crowd gathered around him in the truck,
12:32Lasha attaches this white strap to his ear,
12:34and he starts to blow with all of his might.
12:37And to the crowd's amazement,
12:40the truck moves,
12:41and eventually starts to roll.
12:48Lasha is ecstatic,
12:50but the real miracle here is that
12:52his ear stays attached to his head.
12:57If you think that's wild,
12:59this next feat is a little harder to stomach.
13:04Every year,
13:05thousands of parents rush their kids
13:07to emergency rooms,
13:09panicking because they've swallowed
13:10something they're not supposed to.
13:12Marbles, metal toys,
13:13coins, batteries, you name it.
13:16And they should be worried.
13:17Small objects can lacerate
13:20their throat or their gut.
13:22They can block the intestines.
13:24Batteries can burn the lining
13:25of the digestive tract.
13:27There are a whole host of problems
13:29that could arise.
13:30Thankfully, most kids grow out of this.
13:33But there's one who doesn't.
13:35In 1959 in Grenoble, France,
13:39a nine-year-old boy,
13:40Michel Letito,
13:41develops an unusual eating habit.
13:44He has this insatiable appetite
13:47for really strange things.
13:49Tires, TV knobs, glass, metal.
13:52There is a word for this compulsion.
13:54It's called pica.
13:55And it's a psychological condition
13:57where the sufferer has this compulsion
13:59to eat things that have no nutritional value.
14:02But incredibly,
14:04Michel is able to live through it
14:06and grows up as a healthy kid
14:08who just likes eating crazy stuff.
14:11By the time he reaches 16, though,
14:14Michel realizes this is not quite the curse
14:17his doctors have been telling him.
14:19This is actually a skill
14:20he can turn into an act.
14:22So Michel begins demonstrating
14:24this amazing feat for crowds.
14:27He dazzles audiences
14:28by gobbling down chunks of rubber,
14:31bits of glass and metal.
14:33Nothing is too big,
14:34too sharp,
14:35or too dangerous for Michel.
14:37We're talking 18 bicycles,
14:4015 supermarket trolleys,
14:41seven TV sets,
14:43six chandeliers,
14:44two beds,
14:45a pair of skis,
14:46and a computer.
14:48But his biggest conquest of all?
14:50An entire Cessna light aircraft.
14:53You can't eat an entire plane
14:55in one big lump.
14:57You have to break it up
14:58into little pieces,
14:59which is what Michel does.
15:01I mean, he's eating the propellers,
15:04the rudders, the wheels,
15:05all of it.
15:06Of course, the most amazing thing
15:07is probably not that he ate
15:09the entire plane,
15:10but that he actually suffers
15:12fairly few ill effects.
15:15Obviously, doctors are wondering
15:17how he's not managed
15:18to kill himself.
15:19And some are wondering,
15:20is there some kind of trickery
15:22or sleight of hand
15:22that's involved?
15:23So to check,
15:24they take x-rays in real time
15:27to see what's happening.
15:28And they can actually see
15:29that metal and glass
15:32are going down
15:33through the digestive tract
15:34as he's eating.
15:36Of course, these chunks of metal
15:37and slabs of rubber,
15:39he's not actually
15:39able to digest those things.
15:41Those are just passing through.
15:44Surprisingly, the one thing
15:45he can't eat are bananas.
15:48As crazy as this sounds,
15:50he claims that it reacts
15:51with all the metal
15:52and gives him indigestion.
15:55Michel's feats of outrageous eating
15:57are beyond impressive.
15:59But one thing's for certain,
16:01if you have him over for dinner,
16:03don't use the good silverware.
16:04We've all seen bar bets
16:08go a little too far.
16:10Someone ends up with a dart
16:11in their shoulder
16:12or learns what a urinal cake
16:14tastes like.
16:15But they usually don't end up
16:17making the morning papers.
16:18September 30th, 1956,
16:223 o'clock in the morning.
16:25We see one Thomas Fitzpatrick,
16:27former Air Force pilot,
16:29drunkenly stumbling onto the tarmac
16:31of the Teterboro Airport
16:32School of Aeronautics.
16:34Thomas is there
16:35because he's going to try
16:37to steal a plane.
16:40Thomas is a drinker.
16:41And this whole thing started
16:43in his local Manhattan bar
16:45where he is talking about
16:48how he was the fastest pilot
16:50in his Air Force squadron.
16:52He's telling them all the details
16:53of his many accomplishments.
16:55But he's also pounding drinks.
16:58Then one of Thomas' drunken friends
17:01makes him the bet
17:02that he can't make it
17:03out to Teterboro
17:04and back before the bar closes.
17:07And Thomas is not going
17:08to turn down this bet.
17:09His honor is at stake.
17:11With the clock ticking,
17:13Thomas heads to Teterboro Airport,
17:15highs the lineup,
17:17and zeroes in
17:17on the perfect plane,
17:19a single-engine Cessna.
17:22He then gets it started
17:23and takes off
17:25completely undetected.
17:28He has no lights on,
17:30no radio contact
17:31or air traffic control.
17:32He proceeds to fly to New York,
17:35and the entire time,
17:37no one has figured out
17:38that he has stolen an airplane.
17:40Thomas is attempting now
17:42to land the single-engine Cessna
17:44on St. Nicholas Avenue
17:45and 191st Street,
17:47directly in front of the bar
17:48that he was drinking in
17:49as per the bet.
17:49This is the kind of landing
17:53that would be impossible
17:55for a stone-cold sober pilot.
17:57For one thing,
17:58there are wind gusts
17:59through Manhattan
17:59that wreak havoc,
18:01and these buildings
18:02are pretty close together.
18:03There are cars in the street.
18:05It's just not a safe place
18:07to put a plane down.
18:09But somehow,
18:10Thomas Fitzpatrick
18:12sticks the landing.
18:13Once people realize
18:16he has parked a plane outside,
18:18the bar erupts in cheers.
18:21Except probably for the people
18:22that had bet against this
18:24and have now lost
18:24all of their paycheck.
18:27Everybody is so impressed
18:29with this,
18:29and the New York Times
18:30calls it a great feat
18:31of aerognotics
18:32and a fine landing.
18:34And while he's fined
18:35about $100,
18:36which is roughly $1,200 today,
18:38the owner does not even
18:40want to press charges
18:41for stealing the plane.
18:45Thomas continues to boast
18:47about this achievement
18:48for years,
18:49but people in the bar
18:50are not as enthused
18:51to hear this story.
18:52And the regulars have cycled out,
18:54and new ones are there,
18:55and they don't all believe
18:57this happened
18:57because they did not see it
18:59with their own eyes.
19:00And so they kind of start
19:01to goad him and be like,
19:03yeah, yeah, that's great.
19:04Bet you can't do it again.
19:06Not one to back down.
19:07Thomas sets out
19:08to do the unthinkable again.
19:11On October 4, 1958,
19:13just a little bit
19:13before 1 a.m.,
19:15Thomas, intoxicated,
19:17goes to the same airfield
19:18as before,
19:19steals a single-engine Cessna,
19:21and does it again.
19:23This time,
19:23he puts the plane down
19:25on 187th Street,
19:27right in front
19:27of a Yeshiva University building.
19:29But the reception
19:31is not as good
19:32as the first time around.
19:33For his second stolen flight,
19:35a New York judge
19:36sentences him
19:37to six months in prison,
19:39with the judge stating
19:40that had you been
19:41properly jolted
19:42the first time,
19:43this likely would never
19:44have happened again.
19:45In response,
19:46Thomas blames it on,
19:48quote,
19:48the lousy drink,
19:49a.k.a.
19:50don't blame me,
19:51blame it on the alcohol.
19:54Our next go-getter
19:55doesn't need liquid courage.
19:57He's smashing records sober,
19:58and there are hundreds
20:00on his hit list.
20:03It's a lovely day
20:05in Brooklyn, New York.
20:06Sun is shining,
20:07birds are chirping,
20:09and because this is New York,
20:10a wild-eyed crazy man
20:11starts running
20:12through the streets
20:13with a bottle of milk
20:14balanced on his head.
20:15The guy's name
20:16is Ashita Furman,
20:18and he's training
20:19to beat a world record
20:20to run a mile
20:21the fastest
20:21while balancing
20:23a bottle of milk
20:23on your head.
20:24And the really funny part
20:26is that this is not
20:27the only wacky record
20:28that he's training for.
20:30In fact,
20:31Ashita holds
20:32the most meta record
20:33of all time.
20:34He has the Guinness World Record
20:36for most Guinness World Records
20:38held by one person.
20:41These records include
20:42poem recited
20:44in the most languages,
20:46world's largest incense stick,
20:48fastest 5K
20:49in swimming fins,
20:50world's largest crayon,
20:52heaviest shoes
20:53ever walked in,
20:54and most pumpkins
20:55smashed in a minute.
20:56The previous record
20:57was 15 pumpkins smashed
20:59in one minute,
21:00and we did 31 just now.
21:03Just where does
21:04this insatiable quest
21:05to be the best
21:06of the weirdest
21:06come from?
21:08Long before he's Ashita,
21:09Keith Furman is a kid
21:11determined to find his way.
21:13Back in the 1960s,
21:15a young Keith Furman
21:16becomes obsessed
21:18with the Guinness Book
21:19of World Records,
21:20but he's really not blessed
21:21with incredible
21:22athletic skill
21:23or ability
21:24to actually become
21:26a traditional record holder
21:28himself.
21:28But when he hits his 20s,
21:30he immerses himself
21:31in Eastern spirituality,
21:33in particular,
21:34the teachings
21:35of a guru
21:35by the name
21:36of Sri Chinmoy.
21:38And what Chinmoy
21:39convinces him of
21:40is that it's all
21:41mind over matter.
21:43It doesn't matter
21:44that he's not
21:44the strongest man
21:45in the world
21:46or particularly athletic.
21:47All he has to do
21:49is set his mind to it.
21:51And what Chinmoy does
21:53is enter him
21:54in a 24-hour
21:55bike marathon
21:56and shockingly,
21:58using his meditation
21:59techniques that he's
22:00learned from Chinmoy,
22:02Furman plays his third.
22:04Shocked by his own
22:05accomplishment
22:06and inspired by Chinmoy,
22:08Furman changes his name
22:09from Keith
22:10to Ashita,
22:11which means
22:11protected by God.
22:13And he takes aim
22:14at his beloved
22:15Guinness World Record book.
22:17He starts with
22:17a pretty straightforward goal.
22:19He wants to hold
22:20the Guinness World Record
22:21for the most jumping jacks.
22:22In 1979,
22:24he actually achieves
22:25that world record
22:26by doing
22:2727,000 of them.
22:30Then comes
22:31a game-changing epiphany.
22:33The weirder the record,
22:35the better Ashita's chances
22:37are of claiming it.
22:38Why would you participate
22:40in these normal activities
22:41when you could
22:42instead pioneer
22:43underwater pogo sticking?
22:45Why would you bother
22:46with a marathon
22:47when instead
22:48you could push
22:49an orange with your nose
22:50farther than anybody
22:51else ever has?
22:53His greatest hits
22:54include
22:55underwater juggling,
22:56mountain climbing
22:57on stilts,
22:58pogo stick basketball dribbling,
23:00most candles lit
23:01in one minute.
23:02The list of things
23:03he's done just goes
23:04on and on and on.
23:06He shows no signs
23:08of slowing down.
23:09Maybe the best part
23:10of it all,
23:11as weird as it is,
23:12is that he seems
23:13to be having
23:13an absolute blast
23:15doing it.
23:16Sure, everybody's
23:17good at something,
23:18but it turns out
23:19only one man
23:21is the best
23:22at 700 of them.
23:26History has its share
23:27of silver-haired seducers.
23:30Casanova,
23:31Ben Franklin,
23:31Hugh Hefner.
23:32But one lion
23:33gives them all
23:35a run for their money
23:36and proves age
23:37really is just a number.
23:41In the early 1970s,
23:43a revolutionary idea
23:45takes hold
23:45in zoos.
23:47Rather than cages,
23:49why not a place
23:51where the animals
23:52can roam free?
23:53Thus, in California,
23:54we have
23:55lion country safari.
23:57The general public
23:59is invited
24:00to drive past
24:02big predators
24:03like lions
24:04and tigers
24:05within the supposed
24:06safety
24:07of the family car.
24:11If you tip
24:12the attendants
24:13well enough,
24:14they will throw meat
24:15onto the car itself
24:17so that the lions
24:18climb up
24:19for a meal.
24:20In addition
24:21to being
24:22an attraction,
24:24these wildlife parks
24:26also have
24:27another mission
24:27which is
24:28to breed
24:29captive lions
24:30for selling
24:32to other parks
24:33and zoos.
24:34The problem is
24:35in this California park,
24:37the lions aren't breeding.
24:39What they fail
24:40to realize
24:41is that
24:41these lions
24:42and lionesses,
24:43they grew up together.
24:45They were in the same
24:46packs and groups
24:47so they behave
24:49as if they were siblings.
24:51There's almost
24:51a genetic taboo
24:53from them mating.
24:55In essence,
24:56the lionesses
24:56friendzone
24:57the male lions.
25:00Around the same time,
25:01there's a circus
25:02in Tijuana
25:02that's going bankrupt
25:03and they have
25:04this very old lion
25:06named Frazier.
25:07Lion country safari
25:08agrees to take him in
25:09so he can retire there.
25:12This lion is 19
25:13and that's like 80
25:14in human years.
25:16He's arthritic,
25:17he's so toothless
25:18that his tongue
25:19just hangs out
25:19of his mouth
25:20and he's got
25:21this patchy mane
25:22that looks like
25:22some kind of
25:23sad lion comb-over.
25:26He may not have
25:27the looks
25:27but what this lion
25:28does have
25:29is plenty of mojo.
25:32When Frazier
25:33limps his way over
25:35to where the pride
25:36is sunning themselves,
25:37suddenly,
25:38the lionesses
25:39all perk up
25:40like he is the lion
25:42that they've been
25:43dreaming of.
25:45Soon,
25:45Frazier has a whole
25:47harem of lionesses.
25:49They go with him
25:50everywhere.
25:51They bring him food.
25:53They pillow his head
25:55when he lies down.
25:57They walk beside him
25:58holding him up
25:59because he's so unsteady.
26:02They also breed with him.
26:05A lot.
26:06Before you know it,
26:14there's lion cubs
26:15everywhere
26:16and not like
26:17four or five.
26:19Frazier father's
26:2035 lion cubs.
26:23This is with
26:2411 lionesses
26:25in just
26:2618 months.
26:28No zookeeper
26:29has ever seen
26:30anything like this.
26:32And of course,
26:33this isn't happening
26:34behind closed doors.
26:36This is all on display
26:37for the public.
26:38And in the
26:39freewheeling 70s,
26:41Frazier becomes
26:42a sensation.
26:44The zookeepers
26:45know that they've
26:46struck gold
26:47and so they
26:48make him
26:49their mascot,
26:50naming him
26:51Frazier the
26:52sensuous lion.
26:54He becomes
26:54mainstream famous.
26:56A low-budget movie
26:57is made about him.
26:58Sarah Vaughn
26:59records a song
27:00about him.
27:01People start
27:02producing Frazier
27:03for President
27:04bumper stickers.
27:06According to
27:07some accounts,
27:07Frazier receives
27:08upwards of
27:091,500 fan
27:10letters a month,
27:12many of which
27:13are from
27:13fellow older men
27:14asking,
27:15what exactly
27:16is the zoo
27:17feeding him?
27:18Sadly,
27:19in July of
27:201972,
27:21Frazier the
27:22sensuous lion
27:23who brought
27:23unrelenting joy
27:24to countless fans
27:25and at least
27:2611 female lions
27:28passes away.
27:29What was the
27:31cause of death?
27:32Basically,
27:32he died of
27:33old age.
27:34He was,
27:34after all,
27:35near the human
27:36equivalent of
27:36100 years old.
27:40Frazier ruled
27:41the pride,
27:42but the next
27:42animals you'll
27:43meet are mastering
27:44something totally
27:45different,
27:46the highway.
27:49Anyone who has
27:50ever had a dog
27:50in their life
27:51knows that
27:52nothing gets
27:53them more excited
27:53than saying,
27:54who wants to
27:55go for a ride?
27:56We've all seen
27:57dogs sticking
27:58their heads
27:58out of car
27:59windows and
27:59enjoying the
28:00wind in their
28:00face,
28:01but what we
28:03don't usually
28:04see is a dog
28:05actually driving
28:06the car.
28:082012 in New
28:09Zealand,
28:10some dog
28:10trainers decide
28:11they want to
28:12up the game
28:13for the rescue
28:14dogs that
28:16aren't being
28:16adopted quickly
28:17enough,
28:18and they're
28:19going to train
28:19them to do
28:20an amazing
28:21stunt,
28:22and so drive
28:23a car.
28:24Of course,
28:25you can't just
28:26throw your dog
28:27into the car
28:28and expect it
28:28to take the
28:29wheel,
28:30so they build
28:31a simulator
28:32that they can
28:32tow,
28:33and the dogs
28:34can get used
28:35to how they
28:35have to control
28:36this moving
28:37vehicle.
28:39Meanwhile,
28:40the tech crew
28:41is also modifying
28:42a Mini Cooper
28:43with all of the
28:45same stuff so
28:45that the dogs
28:46could actually
28:47drive a real
28:48life car instead
28:49of just a
28:49simulator.
28:50And after
28:51just eight weeks,
28:52Monty,
28:53a dog with
28:54a scruffy gray
28:55coat is ready
28:56to give it
28:56a whirl.
28:58It's not just
28:59one dog.
29:00They teach
29:01a terrier mix
29:02named Porter
29:03to drive two.
29:04This is the
29:05real deal.
29:06There's no
29:07CGI here,
29:08and so,
29:09of course,
29:10these videos
29:10go viral.
29:13The shelters
29:14are besieged
29:15by adoption
29:16requests.
29:19And so,
29:19in addition
29:19to getting
29:20to teach
29:21dogs how
29:22to drive
29:22cars,
29:23they fulfill
29:24the real
29:25goal,
29:25which is
29:26to find
29:26these dogs
29:27loving homes.
29:31Would I adopt
29:32such an
29:33unbelievable pup?
29:34Yes.
29:35Would I also
29:36hide my keys?
29:38Yes.
29:41There's nothing
29:42heroic about
29:42being a criminal,
29:44unless you're
29:44so incredibly
29:45great at it
29:46that the whole
29:47world has to
29:48applaud your
29:48genius.
29:51It's a quiet
29:52Friday morning
29:53in the upscale
29:54Banco Rio branch
29:55in Buenos Aires
29:56when a group
29:58of men
29:58in costume
29:59come running
30:00in and announce
30:01this is a hold-up.
30:03This is a
30:04very organized
30:05crew.
30:06They immediately
30:06round up bankers
30:07and security
30:08and customers
30:09and secure
30:10them as hostages.
30:11However,
30:11despite their
30:12meticulous planning,
30:13an alarm has
30:14gone off.
30:16And within
30:17minutes,
30:18the entire bank
30:19is surrounded
30:19by police.
30:21One of the
30:22robbers is
30:23wearing a
30:24finely tailored
30:25gray suit
30:26and a yarmulke.
30:28He seems to
30:28be the
30:29ringleader
30:30and he points
30:33his weapon
30:34at the security
30:34guard,
30:35confiscates the
30:36guard's gun
30:37and removes
30:38the bullets.
30:39He takes
30:39the guard's
30:40cell phone
30:40and then goes
30:41to the window
30:42and shows
30:43the phone
30:43to the police
30:44outside,
30:45letting them
30:45know that
30:46if they call
30:46them on
30:47the guard's
30:47phone,
30:48they'll be
30:48able to
30:48negotiate.
30:49What follows
30:50is a tense
30:51game of
30:51cat and mouse,
30:53all playing
30:53out in front
30:54of news
30:54cameras as
30:55the country
30:55watches.
30:57The robbers
30:58release two
30:59hostages and
31:01demand pizza
31:02to feed
31:02everybody and
31:04they say that
31:04after everyone
31:06is fed,
31:07they will then
31:08safely let
31:09the hostages
31:10go.
31:11Police,
31:12assuming that
31:12this might be
31:13a peaceful
31:13resolution,
31:14readily agree.
31:16They can even
31:17hear them singing
31:18happy birthday
31:18to one of the
31:19hostages and
31:20then things
31:21go eerily
31:22quiet.
31:25Hours pass
31:26and finally
31:27the police make
31:28the decision
31:29to storm the
31:29bank.
31:31They're expecting
31:32a firefight
31:33but when they
31:36get in there
31:36all they can
31:38find are
31:38hostages
31:39finishing off
31:40the pizza.
31:41No bank
31:42robbers
31:42anywhere in
31:43sight.
31:44What they do
31:45find?
31:46Discarded
31:46costumes,
31:48discarded toy
31:49guns.
31:50Now they're
31:51worried the
31:52bank robbers
31:52may be posing
31:54as hostages
31:54and they sit
31:56through everybody
31:57but they all
31:57seem to be
31:58legit.
31:59It turns out
32:00that by the
32:01time the police
32:02storm the bank
32:03The robbers
32:05are already
32:06back home
32:07counting their
32:08loot and
32:09watching with
32:10the rest of
32:10the nation
32:10on television.
32:12The police
32:13start scouring
32:14the bank.
32:15They make
32:15their way
32:16to the vault
32:17where all the
32:17safety deposit
32:18boxes are
32:18and they notice
32:19this giant hole
32:20in the wall
32:21that runs
32:22into the
32:23sewer system.
32:25What the police
32:26find is shocking
32:27but that's just
32:28the beginning.
32:29On the other
32:30side of that hole
32:30is one of the
32:31most elaborate
32:32getaway plans
32:33ever conceived.
32:35To escape
32:36via the sewers
32:37they use
32:38inflatable
32:39motorboats
32:39and to ensure
32:41there is
32:42enough water
32:43they create
32:44a series of
32:45dams in
32:46the sewers
32:46to raise
32:47the water level.
32:48As crimes go
32:49this is a
32:50masterpiece.
32:52Another critical
32:53part of this
32:53plan is
32:54to target
32:55the safe
32:55deposit boxes
32:56in the vault.
32:58Because
32:58Argentina
32:59had been
33:00rocked
33:01by a banking
33:02crisis
33:03many wealthy
33:04patrons
33:04keep
33:05cash
33:06bonds
33:07American dollars
33:09jewelry
33:10and safety
33:11deposit boxes.
33:13The best part?
33:14Much of the
33:15cash stored
33:16in these boxes
33:16is unreported
33:18and therefore
33:19untraceable.
33:20The crew
33:20has taken
33:21anywhere between
33:22eight
33:22and eighty
33:24million dollars
33:25in cash
33:26and loot.
33:27Before they
33:28left
33:29they doused
33:29the entire
33:30scene
33:30in chlorine
33:31and then
33:33they spread
33:34hair shavings
33:35that they've
33:36gotten from
33:36local barbers
33:37to confuse
33:38police if they're
33:39looking for
33:40DNA traces
33:40designed to
33:42take them down
33:42a thousand
33:43rabbit holes.
33:44But in the
33:45end even the
33:46most perfect
33:46crimes have
33:47their weak
33:48spots.
33:49One of the
33:50masterminds
33:50Beto De La Torre
33:51is supposedly
33:52caught by his
33:53wife with
33:54another woman.
33:56She tries
33:57to extort
33:58money not
33:59just from
33:59her husband
34:00but from
34:00every person
34:01that was
34:02involved in
34:03the heist.
34:03Because she
34:04doesn't get
34:05what she feels
34:05she deserves
34:06she ends up
34:07going to
34:08the police
34:08and turning
34:09him in.
34:10And that
34:11leads to
34:12the police
34:12capturing
34:12other members
34:13of the gang.
34:15The Banco
34:16Rio gang
34:17does do
34:18jail time
34:19but because
34:20they use
34:21toy guns
34:22they
34:23don't get
34:24very harsh
34:24sentences
34:25and in
34:27the end
34:27they'll all
34:28be known
34:29for accomplishing
34:30maybe the
34:31greatest bank
34:32heist in
34:33history.
34:34Something that
34:35no court
34:35can take
34:36away.
34:38Perhaps the
34:39most unusual
34:40thing about this
34:41criminal feat
34:42is its
34:42inspiration.
34:43Supposedly
34:44the mastermind
34:44Fernando Araujo
34:46got the idea
34:47while watching
34:47Teenage Mutant
34:48Ninja Turtles
34:49which explains
34:50using both
34:50the sewer
34:51and the pizza
34:52during the
34:52robbery.
34:53watching
34:56someone reach
34:56a lifelong
34:57goal is
34:58usually
34:58inspiring
34:59but every
35:00now and
35:00then a
35:01feat is
35:01so strange
35:02you're not
35:02sure whether
35:03to cheer
35:03or call
35:04for help.
35:05Here is
35:06a fellow
35:06named
35:07Gao
35:07Bing
35:08Guo
35:08calmly
35:09sitting
35:09in his
35:10underpants
35:10voluntarily
35:11being covered
35:12in thousands
35:14and thousands
35:15of bees.
35:16This is an
35:17activity called
35:18bee wearing
35:19in which
35:20you just
35:20sit there
35:21as people
35:22cover you
35:22with bees
35:23and you
35:24see how
35:24many bees
35:25you can
35:26handle
35:26before you
35:27tap out.
35:29Gao
35:29Bingguo's
35:30mission is
35:31to get
35:32the world
35:32record for
35:33the heaviest
35:34mantle of
35:35living bees
35:36worn by a
35:38human being.
35:39Gao might
35:39seem like the
35:40only one crazy
35:41enough to try
35:42this but the
35:43tradition goes
35:44way back.
35:45Bee wearing is
35:45a bizarre
35:46pastime but
35:47it does have
35:47quite a history
35:48to it.
35:48It goes back
35:48200 years.
35:51One of the
35:51earliest bee
35:52wares is a
35:53Ukrainian bee
35:54keeper named
35:54Petro Pokoprovich.
35:56Petro is
35:56basically your
35:57Michael Jordan
35:57of beekeeping.
35:58He invents
35:59artificial hives.
36:00He's the one
36:00who first really
36:01starts to
36:01commercialize
36:02gathering and
36:03selling honey.
36:04He is the
36:04man that
36:05creates this
36:06industry.
36:07In 1830
36:08in an ingenious
36:09marketing campaign
36:10for his bee
36:11products he
36:12starts putting
36:13on these
36:14demonstrations
36:14showing people
36:15how many bees
36:16he can wear
36:17on his face.
36:19Not only
36:20does it drum
36:20up business
36:21it launches
36:22an entire
36:22sport of
36:23competitive
36:23bee wearing
36:24and Gao
36:26is trying to
36:27outdo them
36:28all.
36:29The key to
36:29wearing thousands
36:30of bees is
36:32to start with
36:32a single bee
36:33a queen.
36:34Queen honeybees
36:35communicate to
36:37the workers
36:38in their hive
36:39through pheromones
36:40chemical signals
36:41that can draw
36:42them towards
36:43her in a
36:44swarming
36:44behavior.
36:45when Gao
36:46Bingguo
36:47goes for
36:47the record
36:48he attaches
36:49dozens of
36:50queens in
36:50little cages
36:51all over
36:52his body.
36:55An estimated
36:571.1 million
36:59bees swarm
37:00over him
37:01in a full
37:02bee
37:02bodysuit.
37:04Gao is a
37:05professional bee
37:05keeper so he
37:06knows a few
37:06things to try
37:07and make this
37:07a little bit
37:08safer.
37:09For one thing
37:09he knows to
37:10shower before
37:11going through
37:12this process
37:12he's getting
37:13any sort
37:14of body
37:14odor off
37:15of him.
37:15He's also
37:16smoking because
37:16the odor
37:17with his
37:18every breath
37:18is going to
37:19drive the bees
37:20away so he
37:20doesn't end up
37:21getting some
37:21in his mouth.
37:23He's got a
37:23strategy sure
37:24but 240 pounds
37:26of bees don't
37:27exactly play
37:28by the rules.
37:30After two and a
37:31half hours his
37:31external body
37:33temperature though
37:33his skin is
37:34piping hot
37:35because he has
37:36over 2,000
37:38bee stings.
37:38So they then
37:40take him to
37:40a big old
37:41bucket of ice
37:42water and
37:42slowly submerge
37:43him in that
37:44to bring down
37:45that temperature
37:45he survives
37:47he's got his
37:47world record
37:48he calls it a
37:49win.
37:51Think wearing
37:52bees for hours
37:53takes focus?
37:55Try holding on
37:55to a vision
37:56for decades.
37:58It's mid
37:5920th century
38:00in Colorado
38:01and Jim Bishop
38:02is the teenager
38:04with a real
38:05love for
38:06iron working.
38:07Jim had a
38:09hard time
38:09focusing in
38:10school.
38:11He's not
38:12what you
38:12would call
38:13conventional.
38:14One day his
38:15English teacher
38:15loses it and
38:17screams Jim
38:17Bishop you will
38:18never amount
38:19to anything
38:19and he really
38:20took it to
38:21heart and he
38:21dropped out
38:22at 15.
38:23Jim is
38:24directionless
38:25mowing lawns
38:26doing odd
38:27jobs.
38:28One day he's
38:29biking with his
38:30buddies and in
38:31the midst of the
38:32Colorado wilderness
38:33he finds this
38:34pristine plot of
38:36land but it's
38:37got a price tag.
38:39His life savings
38:40$450.
38:42At first he
38:43thinks he's
38:44going to build
38:44a cottage but
38:46as he gets to
38:47work his vision
38:48starts to get a
38:49little grander and
38:51he sees himself
38:52building not a
38:53home but a
38:55castle.
38:56He's supposedly
38:57struck with a
38:58purpose.
38:58The only thing
38:59holding him back
38:59now he has no
39:01more money or
39:02formal architectural
39:03training.
39:03He gets a day
39:05job working
39:06iron but by
39:08night he's
39:09hauling three
39:10tons of rock to
39:12his personal job
39:13site.
39:15And Jim's
39:15philosophy is that
39:17if it's not
39:17nailed down it's
39:18fair game.
39:19So there's bits
39:20of highway rubble
39:22scrap from the
39:23local junkyard
39:24even protected rocks
39:26from state parks.
39:27He gets by with
39:29what he can.
39:30No cranes,
39:31no heavy
39:31equipment.
39:33Every single
39:34rock, every
39:35single beam is
39:36hand placed by
39:38Jim.
39:39This incredible
39:40feat of
39:41engineering and
39:43stubbornness goes
39:44on for 40
39:45years.
39:47This is
39:48Bishop Castle.
39:49By the late
39:5090s it's got a
39:52soaring tower,
39:54a grand ballroom,
39:56stained glass
39:57closed windows.
39:58There's even a
39:59giant fire
40:00breathing steel
40:02dragon powered by
40:03an old hot air
40:05balloon.
40:08So at one point
40:09the government
40:10decides that this
40:11thing might not be
40:12up to code.
40:13But Jim decides
40:15to fight them in
40:16court and just
40:17drive them crazy.
40:19And eventually
40:19the government
40:21just gives up.
40:23Jim's castle
40:25becomes the
40:27destination.
40:28There are
40:29raves,
40:29there are
40:30parties,
40:31some people
40:31even book it
40:32for a wedding.
40:34Tourists still
40:34swamp this place
40:35day and night
40:36and it's all
40:38free.
40:39Jim loves
40:41that people are
40:41actually getting
40:42to enjoy this
40:43thing that he
40:43made.
40:45Sadly,
40:46Jim passes
40:46away from
40:47Parkinson's on
40:48November 21st
40:49to 2024.
40:50his son keeps
40:52the dream alive.
40:53But as of now,
40:54the castle still
40:55is not finished.
40:57Probably just
40:58the way that
40:58Jim wanted.
41:00From a man
41:01who wears his
41:02weight in bees
41:03to metal-eating
41:04Frenchmen,
41:05from super heists
41:06to super fertile
41:07lions,
41:08these are the
41:08stories of feats
41:09so astonishing
41:10they are truly
41:12unbelievable.
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