Name: 10 People Who Were Made Famous By Tragedies
Uploaded: 2026-02-13T17:08:32.000Z
Duration: 14 min 32 s
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From the time he moved into the World Trade Center, Rick was aware that it posed unusual security risk, partly because of its symbolism, its sheer size, its recognizability.

And today we're exploring the most famous instances in history where a person became famous due to experiencing a tragedy that turned them into a legend of humanity.

Tank man, standing in front of a column of tanks, no one around him.

He was all on his own, with his shopping bag in his hand.

He climbed on top of the tank, banged on the lid, said, get out of my city, you're not wanted here.

In 1989, a day after the Chinese government forced protesters to leave Tiananmen Square in Beijing after being stationed there for six weeks, we which led to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

However, holding shopping bags was the unidentified person known as Tankman, who'd seen enough and stood in the tank's path.

The iconic photo of him would become a symbol of rebellion when it was published.

Tankman then climbed on the first tank to talk to the crew.

Shortly after, people in blue appeared and dragged the hero away.

Some accounts believe he was jailed, while others claim he was executed.

That raises the intriguing possibility that he's still alive.

The fact that we have not heard from him since that amazing incident tells me he's still alive.

He's still there, he has not been caught and he's certainly not telling anybody that he's the man.

The destruction ended at 11 o' clock in the morning on November 11, 1918.

Just too late for one of the names on this wall.

Henry Gunther grew up in a German American family in Baltimore's Highlandtown neighborhood.

After four years and millions dead, the armistice was signed to end World War I.

The document which dealt with the Allied Powers victory over the Central Powers and the progression towards peace was set to come into effect at 11am on November 11, 1918.

After being signed at 5, at 10:59, in the French commune of Chaumain Davaindvillet, a US army squad which had Gunther within its ranks, discovered a group of German soldiers as the clock ticked forward.

At 10:58am, Private Gunther had stood up, was charging towards the German lines when he was shot by a German machine gun.

Not knowing about the end of the war, he charged at the platoon.

The Germans, who were unsuccessful in informing Gunther about the armistice, were forced to fatally shoot him, making him the Last American and possibly the final soldier fatality of the war.

When I look at that, I feel like he received the honor that he deserved for what he did.

I can't recall in my career going to a story like that where it had happened in those circumstances and in that environment.

In 2007, the McCann family from the UK was vacationing in Portugal.

One night, Jerry and Kate left their three children in the apartment while they dined with friends at a nearby restaurant, checking on the kids often.

Yet when the parents returned for the night, many Madeline was missing.

Described as one of the most heavily publicized missing person cases in modern times.

To this day, Madeline's whereabouts and what happened to her remain a mystery.

There was quite a laissez faire attitude.

And that was one of the criticisms, that the police activity didn't really get going until the next day.

Over the years, there have been reported sightings of her across several nations, yet none of which have been confirmed to be accurate.

There have been multiple suspects in determining who was responsible.

However, at the time of writing, no one has been formally charged.

And so it was like this spin cycle of lunacy.

And a lot of this stuff would just enter the narrative and would stay that to this day.

I get people saying things that are completely wrong.

Coroner's men put a sheet on the body as soon as they're done.

In 1947, the remains of Short were found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles, California.

Working as a server at the time, reports soon emerged with claims Short had wanted to be an actor, leading to additional interest in the case.

As a possible nod to this, the press immediately began nicknaming her Black Dahlia, seemingly in reference to the noir film the the Blue Dahlia.

With Elizabeth's dark hair and propensity for dark clothing, reporters nickname her the Black Dahlia in local newspapers.

And she was seen for the final time with a young salesman she'd been dating named Robert Manley.

While the police developed a list of over 150 suspects, no one was formally charged in relation to Short's murder, leaving it still unsolved to this day.

Yet that hasn't stopped people from theorizing who was responsible, making Short better known in pop culture for her sad demise rather than the life she led.

How was Elizabeth Short portrayed in these years since she was killed?

Portrayed as a movie mad girl who got parts in a lot of movies of the time, including Casablanca.

Joan of Arc, do you know if you are in God's grace?

Born to a peasant family In France around 1412, life for Joan changed as a teenager when she claimed to have experienced visions featuring Christian figures.

With her country fighting the Hundred Years War against England, Joan believed she was sent to save France.

In 1429, Charles VII handed Joan armor and a horse and sent her to Orleans, which was under siege.

Who gave the order for me to be brought to this side of the river?

It's good to see your ugly damn face again.

The French are inspired by Joan, resulting in their victory and turning the tide in the war.

However, in 1430, Joan was captured during the siege of Compigne.

During an infamous trial in 1431, Joan was found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake.

Rather than causing her name to be a loss to history, this turned Joan's story into legend.

I had covered the courts in many areas of this country, but the Till case was unbelievable.

I mean, I just didn't get the sense of being in a courtroom.

In 1955, Till, who lived in Chicago, Illinois, went to visit family in Money, Mississippi.

One night, the black teenager was abducted from his great uncle's house by Roy Bryant and his half brother, J.W.

They accused Till of making a pass at Roy's wife, Carolyn, who owned a local store.

A few days later, Till's body was found in the river.

It's not clear exactly where Emmett Till's body was thrown or exactly where it was found, but

three days after his kidnapping, Emmett Till's body was found.

Bryant and Milam were found not guilty of the murder by an all white jury.

Shortly afterwards, they admitted to killing Till publicly but faced no repercussions.

His murder drew attention, direct racism within the US and black people losing their lives at the hands of white people, turning Till's story into a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

A juror later revealed that the jury had stalled to make it look good.

They wouldn't have taken so long to return to the courtroom, he said, if they hadn't stopped to drink pop.

The Lacks family began to learn more about what had been done with their mother's cells.

They decided to approach lawyers to see if they could claim some of the money.

I went to the lawyers because I wanted to find out what is happening with her cell.

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10 People Who Were Made Famous By Tragedies

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