Russian means strong! The cult of physical strength has always existed in Russia. It is no coincidence that the main characters of folk tales were hefty heroes. There are plenty of strong men in our history.
Kings and governors.
1) Evpatiy Kolovrat
Evpaty Kolovrat can be called the most powerful Russian governor. The "Tale of the Devastation of Ryazan by Batu" tells how Evpaty and his retinue entered into an unequal battle with the hordes of the Mongol-Tatars "And Evpaty beat them so mercilessly that the swords were blunted, and he took the Tatar swords and cut them." Batu sent his best hero Khostovrul to deal with Yevlampiy. Kolovrat cut him in half to the saddle. The Mongol-Tatars were able to defeat the Kolovrat squad only with wall-beating guns, and Batu gave the body of the voivode to the remnants of the squad for an honorable funeral - a case unique in ancient Russian history.
2) Skopin Shuisky
Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky was an invincible commander of the Time of Troubles. He suppressed the Bolotnikov uprising, negotiated with the Swedes, began to reform the Russian army, but was poisoned by the daughter of Malyuta Skuratov due to the political intrigues of Dmitry Shuisky. According to the descriptions of contemporaries, Mikhail Vasilyevich was distinguished by a heroic build. Skopin-Shuisky's broadsword is kept in the historical museum. A heavy weapon, for a very strong man.
3) Peter the Great
Peter the Great can be safely called the most powerful Russian tsar. His height was 204 centimeters, and his physical strength amazed the views of your contemporaries. Peter twisted coins with his fingers, turned iron pans into a ram's horn, and personally checked the suitability of a horseshoe for his horse Lisetta, breaking one after another. More than one folk tale has been composed about the power of Peter the Great.
4) Alexander III
The Russian Emperor Alexander III possessed outstanding physical strength. From his youth, he did not like secular entertainment, preferring riding lessons and physical education classes to balls and receptions. The brothers said about him: "Sasha is our Hercules." The emperor had to use his strength in an extraordinary situation.
October 17, 1888, during the return from the Crimea, there was a famous crash of the imperial train. The roof of the carriage, in which the family of Alexander III was, began to fail. The emperor took the falling roof on his shoulders and held it until his wife and children got out alive and unharmed from the rubble. After the rescue of the family, Alexander III did not hesitate and rushed to help other victims.
Wrestlers and strongmen
5) Grigory Rusakov
Kuryan Grigory Rusakov became a world-famous wrestler after his debut in the Donbass, where he worked in a mine. After conquering Russia, Rusakov won world championships in Argentina (1913) and Paris (1915). Like other eminent fighters, he was personally released by Nicholas II from military service. But not everything was smooth in Rusakov's life. He was prosecuted three times in 1929, 1938, 1944. Rusakov was also known for repeatedly entering into demonstration fights with bears, bending horseshoes and rails, and once in London he defeated a bull in a fight.
6) Ivan Poddubny
Everyone knows who Ivan Poddubny is. This is the most famous Russian strongman, weightlifter, wrestler. Interestingly, Poddubny lost his first fight. This motivated him very much: he set himself a tough training regimen, exercised with two-pound weights, a 112-kilogram barbell, gave up tobacco and alcohol, and doused himself with cold water. Until the end of his life he carried a cast-iron cane with him. He didn't lose again.
Conquered Poddubny and America. There he collected full halls, competing according to the rules of American wrestling. From the United States, he actually fled, terminating the predatory contract and leaving the Americans the fees due to him. At the end of his life, Poddubny admitted that the only force that could defeat him was the women: “All my life, a fool, they knocked me off the path.”
7) Ivan Zaikin
Ivan Zaikin is one of the most famous Russian strongmen. World wrestling champion, weight lifting champion, circus artist, one of the first Russian aviators. Foreign newspapers called Zaikin "Chaliapin of Russian muscles." His athletic numbers caused a sensation both in Russia and abroad. In 1908, during a tour in Paris, Zaikin shocked the audience by tearing any chains, bracelets and ties, bending metal beams. Zaikin carried a 25-pound anchor on his shoulders, lifted a long barbell on his shoulders, on which ten people sat, and began to rotate it (“live carousel”).
8) Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Gakkenshmidt was called the "Russian lion" and "the most powerful man of the turn of the century." He was a World Wrestling Champion and world weightlifting world record holder. Georg went in for sports since childhood, to strengthen his legs he practiced climbing the spiral staircase to the spire of the church with two-pound weights.
The merit of the fact that Gakk became a wrestler belongs to the "father of Russian athletics" Dr. Kraevsky - he convinced Georg that he could become the strongest in the world. And Kraevsky was not mistaken - Gakk conquered Russia, Europe, and America. Gakk with one hand squeezed out a barbell weighing 122 kg, squeezed out a barbell weighing 145 kg on a wrestling bridge. With his arms crossed on his back, Gaak lifted 86 kg from a deep squat. With a 50-kilogram barbell, the athlete squatted 50 times. Today, this exercise is called the “hack squat”.
9) Petr Krylov
Pyotr Krylov was a strongman and permanent winner of competitions for the best athletic figure. As a child, he chose an idol for himself - the athlete Emil Foss, who entered the arena in silk tights and leopard skin. Krylov set several world records. In the “wrestling bridge” position, he squeezed 134 kg with both hands, with his left hand - 114.6 kg.
Press in the "soldier's stance": with his left hand he lifted a two-pound weight 86 times in a row. Krylov was called "the king of weights". He was the founder of spectacular tricks that other athletes then repeated, and today paratroopers: bending a rail on their shoulders, driving a car over the body, raising a platform with a horse and rider.
10) Grigory Kashcheev
In this photo with prominent and far from small wrestlers, Grigory Kashcheev stands out with his height - 218 cm and his uniform - a simple kosovorotka. In 1906, Grigory Kashcheev met world-class wrestlers for the first time and became friends with Zaikin, who helped him enter the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put all eminent strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Poddubny and Zaikin, he conquered Paris at the World Championship. Having started so brilliantly, Kashcheev’s career did not work out - the wrestler became a downshifter, refused the most profitable offers, left everything and went to his village to plow the land.
11) Alexander Zass
Alexander Zass was called "Iron Samson". He carried a horse around the arena or a piano with a pianist and dancer located on the lid; caught with his hands a 90-kilogram cannonball, which was fired from a circus cannon from a distance of 8 meters; tore off the floor and held in his teeth a metal beam with assistants sitting at its ends. In the famous attraction Man-shell, Alexander Zass caught with his hands an assistant who flew out of the muzzle of a circus cannon and described a 12-meter trajectory over the arena.
In 1938, in Sheffield, in front of an assembled crowd, he was run over by a truck loaded with coal. Samson stood up and, smiling, bowed to the audience. Zass was one of the first to introduce isometric exercises into his training system. This allowed him to strengthen his tendons so much that, with his small weight, he managed to set records that have not been beaten so far.
12) Ivan Shemyakin
A two-meter giant, Ivan Shemyakin, at his first lesson at an athletic school, was able to push a barbell of only 72 kilograms with both hands, but this did not bother him. He began to train hard. The training brought results: Shemyakin won the kettlebell competitions of the Cycling and Athletic Society and took the third prize at the Russian Championship.
In 1908, in St. Petersburg, Shemyakin showed a unique power number - a metal beam was bent on his shoulder. In 1913, participating in the world championship, held in the St. Petersburg circus "Modern", Ivan Shemyakin defeated the famous Ivan Zaikin, and the powerful, evil on the carpet, Nikolai Vakhturov and took first place. Shemyakin also defeated other world-famous wrestlers, but his meetings with Ivan Poddubny always ended in a draw.
13) Ivan Lebedev
In 1916, Ivan Lebedev (strongmen called him "Uncle Vanya") published the book "Guidelines on how to develop your strength by exercising with heavy weights." Lebedev not only developed athletics and wrestling in Russia, but he himself was a noble strongman. He studied with the same coryphaeus of the "Russian power" Vladislav Kraevsky. Lebedev published the Hercules magazine and was the first promoter in Russia.
His notes are interesting even today. Regarding the mode of life, he wrote: “The human body does not tolerate restraints, but every excess is harmful. As for food, I definitely do not advise eating meat: it introduces putrefactive decomposition products into your body and forms uric acid, which poisons the body. The basic rule for eating: chew as slowly as possible. Drinking alcohol and smoking is not advised at all. Sleep - 7-8 hours. Dress without wrapping and without wearing warm underwear. Fresh air and water (souls or baths) are necessary for every person who wants to be strong and healthy.
14) Vasily Alekseev
Vasily Alekseev - the last hero of the Soviet era. The “Russian Bear” (as foreign fans called it) twice became the Champion of the Olympic Games, six times the World Champion, six times the European Champion, and held first place in the USSR championships for seven years. During his sports career, Vasily Alekseev set 80 world records and 81 USSR records. He is also the "eternal" owner of the current world record for the sum of three exercises - 645 kg (now there are no competitions in this discipline).
Vasily Alekseev competed with himself, from time to time setting new records in the championships. It was he who opened the era of the "six hundred", the first to conquer the six hundred kilogram peak. From 1989 to 1992, Alekseev coached the national team and the United Weightlifting Team. During his coaching work, none of the members of the team was injured. One of his devoted fans is Arnold Schwarzenegger.
15) Yuri Vlasov
Another brilliant Soviet weightlifter is "iron man" Yuri Vlasov. Olympic champion (1960), silver medalist of the Games (1964), 4-time world champion (1959, 1961-1963), 6-time European champion (1959-1964; in non-Olympic years, championships were held as part of the world championships), 5-time champion of the USSR (1959-1963). Yuri Vlasov set 31 world records and 41 USSR records (1957-1967). Yuri Vlasov was twice the standard-bearer of the USSR delegation at the opening of the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games.
16) Ivan Denisov
Let's move on to modern strongmen. The traditions of kettlebell lifting in Russia are strong today. One of the strongest kettlebell lifters in the world is Ivan Denisov, a representative of the Chelyabinsk kettlebell lifting school, a master of sports of international class. Ivan Denisov is a multiple Champion of Russia, Europe and the World, a multiple record holder of Russia, Europe and the World. In 2005, at the World Championships in Moscow, Denisov set absolute world records in clean and jerk equal to 175 lifts and a combined total of 281 points. Previously, the records belonged to Sergey Mishin and have been unchanged for more than ten years.
17) Alexander Karelin
"San Sanych" Karelin at birth weighed 6.5 kilograms, at the age of 13 he had a height of 178 cm and a weight of 78 kilograms. Already 4 years after joining the section, Karelin became the world champion among youth. During his sports career, the wrestler collected all kinds of titles, won 887 fights, lost only two times. Three times he took Olympic gold, 9 times he became the world champion, 12 times - the champion of Europe, 13 times he took gold at the championships of the USSR, CIS and Russia.
Alexander Karelin was awarded the Golden Belt four times as the best wrestler on the planet. On February 20, 1999, Karelin fought the Japanese fighter Akira Maeda. "Russian Bear" used in the ring only the arsenal of native Greco-Roman wrestling. Maeda managed to land a few kicks at the beginning of the fight, but within a minute, he turned into a training dummy for practicing throws.
18) Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor Emelianenko, "the last emperor", remained undefeated for almost ten years, which is unprecedented in the history of MMA. Emelianenko is a four-time MMA heavyweight world champion according to Pride FC, two-time according to RINGS, two-time according to WAMMA, four-time world champion and seven-time Russian champion in combat sambo. Honored Master of Sports in Sambo and International Master of Sports in Judo. This summer, the "last emperor" returned to the sport. On December 31, we will be rooting for him at a tournament in Japan.
Writers
19) Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy was a powerful old man. There were rings and a trapezoid in his house, there was a horizontal bar in the yard. The writer worked with kettlebells until old age. Once he remarked: “After all, you know, I lifted five pounds with one hand.” It's hard to doubt it. At the age of seventy, the “Yasnaya Polyana elder” overtook the boys in running, swam well, and rode well.
A year before his death, in 1909, when Tolstoy was 82 years old, he defeated all the guests in a “hand wrestling” in a playful argument. Tolstoy, who became one of the first fighters for sobriety and a healthy lifestyle, said: “For me, the daily movement of bodily work is as necessary as air. With assiduous mental work without movement and bodily labor, there is real grief.
20) Vladimir Gilyarovsky
Another Russian strongman from literature is Vladimir Gilyarovsky. At the age of sixteen, he ran away from home. Having traveled two hundred kilometers on foot from Vologda to Yaroslavl, he was employed in a burlatskaya artel. At first, barge haulers doubted whether to take the boy, but Gilyai had amazing physical strength, pulled out a penny from his pocket and easily rolled it into a tube. Mikhail Chekhov recalled the first visit of “Uncle Gilyai” to Chekhov’s house: “He immediately became “you” with us, invited us to feel his iron muscles on his hands, rolled a penny into a tube, twisted a teaspoon with a screw.”
Hello))
Having started publishing articles on preparing for the holidays, I don’t want to “leave” the topic of relaxation for household topics, so today’s article will be, especially since there haven’t been similar ones on the blog for a long time)
Although it is difficult to call it purely entertaining, reading about people who, despite numerous failures, have achieved their goal is both interesting and informative.
We are all people and we all tend to doubt: is it worth starting a business, is it worth striving for a goal, will it work out, will there be enough strength? Some people spend their entire lives in this turmoil. And some try to do something, but at the first failure they give up: “After all, fate favors only the lucky ones, doesn’t it? Can I be one of them?"
Read interesting stories from the lives of great people. They did not give up, they respected themselves and showed a lot of wonderful personal qualities. As a result, we have achieved a lot.
Thomas Alva Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was not lucky initially: he was the youngest child in the family of a merchant who managed to lose all his miserable savings. Thomas was sent to school, but after four months the boy was put out the door, declaring "a brainless dumbass."
And he turned out to be an amazing person, this Thomas Edison, interesting facts are living proof of this. He began to invent toys for himself because his parents had no money to interrogate for "any nonsense" and at the age of ten he built a toy railway and a sawmill.
The guy was twelve when he started selling apples on the train, and spent all the money he earned on his passion, chemistry. By cunning or flattery, he won the right to equip a luggage car for a laboratory and learned to print a newspaper (it became the first weekly publication for passengers).
But two years later, a fire broke out in his carriage. According to one of the legends, the senior conductor threw the boy out of the train, and the printing press and assorted flasks with retorts followed him. As a result of a strong blow, Thomas lost his hearing, but survived and did not give up.
He never allowed himself to be disappointed or doubted, which is why his success story is so amazing.
Inventing the famous incandescent lamp, Thomas Edison made 1999 (!) Experiments and only in 2000 did he achieve what he wanted.
Once a certain young man asked him: what is it like to be wrong 1999 times? “Young man,” Edison replied, “I have never made a mistake. On the contrary, I invented 1999 ways of how not to make light bulbs.
The Beatles
The fifties thundered in England. People shook off the ashes of war, they wanted to dance and sing. Bands popped up like mushrooms after the rain, and many of them played the whimsical skiffle.
Hooligan John Lennon also wanted to try. He knew how to compose songs, and just at that time an exemplary boy Paul McCartney turned up on his arm, he famously strummed rock and roll on the guitar and even knew how to tune it! In addition, he found a friend named George Harrison - also a great guitarist. It seems that all the components of success were, but he did not expect them around the next corner.
For fans and everyone who loves the Beatles interesting facts .
Far from immediately they found "their" fourth participant. His place was taken by a variety of people, one of them was not even a musician.
The record labels showed no interest in the newcomers, stating that "they sound bad, the guitar bands are out of fashion, so there is no future for these guys."
At the Decca recording studio, the Beatles were rejected on the grounds that: “We don't like their sound. They have no future in the music industry."
During the first tour to Hannover (Germany), the group was deported outside the country.
However, producer Brian Epstein believed in his young protégés, and he was completely right.
Walt Disney
They say the perpetually unemployed dad got drunk drunk and beat little Walty. He cried from pain and resentment, and his mother read fairy tales to him - to calm him down. Perhaps that is why, being already a 12-year-old boy, he decided to become a cartoonist.
Fate did not want to smile at Walty for a long time, but he still turned out to be worthy to head the list of people who did not give up.
Walt drew cartoons and comics, submitting them to various magazines and getting rejected everywhere. And at the age of 18 he got a job as a cartoonist and was expelled in disgrace "for unsuitability."
Together with a friend, he started his own business, earning "crazy money" (135 dollars), but the business fell apart. Then Walt began to draw cartoons in the garage, however, his first dilogy about Alice by Carroll crashed. Disney then came up with a lucrative character named Oswald the rabbit. This time, the rights to it were stolen by an insidious deceiver.
Walt gritted his teeth and created Donald Duck. And also Mickey Mouse to him for company. However, about both of them, everyone was sarcastic, and indeed, it became a good form to criticize the “mouse studio”, nevertheless, things were going on.
But as soon as decent amounts loomed in the accounts, competitors poached the best Disney animator, his best, longtime friend. And that's when the resilient Walt broke down. He drank, and then decided to take his own life. Luckily, doctors saved him, allowing the Walt Disney success story to continue.
The cartoonist was slowly pulling himself out of depression and financial collapse. I thought of selling souvenirs with characters from my cartoons, thus getting money for the production of Snow White. But to attack again - the project ate all the profits from souvenirs, and not a single bank gave a loan to Disney. He started drinking again due to a nervous breakdown. Then he still found five million to continue filming.
He always went ahead through a lot of obstacles. His idea of building Disneyland turned out to be another hassle. Even his own brother called the future park a "cheap fair". But today the whole world knows the name of Walt Disney.
He is part of the culture, the founder and innovator in the world of cinema. In addition: the owner of 29 Oscars, the Order of the Legion of Honor and more than seven hundred other distinctions. And he left his heirs a billion-dollar fortune.
Success stories of rich people
Oprah Winfrey
It is impossible to list in a few words all the failures, difficulties, insults that fill the success story of Oprah Winfrey. She was able to earn a capital of two and a half billion on ... intimate conversations. But it didn't come to that right away. 
Her mother was a frivolous girl of eighteen years of age. She gave birth to a daughter "accidentally" and disliked from the moment of birth. She threw her grandmother in the Mississippi wilderness, and she herself went to the city in search of happiness. Grandmother was a kind, sensitive and caring person. Thanks to her, talents were discovered early in the girl: she loved to “interview” animals, and at the age of 5 she delivered such heartfelt speeches in the church that everyone said: “The Holy Spirit descended on the child!”.
But then Oprah was taken in by her unfortunate mother. They lived in terrible poverty, in addition to everything else, a girl from the age of nine was repeatedly subjected to sexual violence by her cousins. As a result, having matured a little, she could not stand it and ran away wherever her eyes looked. She gave birth and buried a premature baby, wanted to commit suicide, got hooked on drugs and slept with pushers for a dose.
Only when she got to the house of her own father, she began to stand on her feet. And even she was able to break into television, however, with great difficulty, then a woman with a dark skin color was considered a creature of the lowest grade. She was pointed to the door everywhere as "unsuitable", for example, Oprah was fired from the Baltimore news because of excessive emotionality.
Today she is an idol and the idol of Americans, her programs are watched with bated breath. And all this Oprah Winfrey certainly deserved.
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone, "Sly" was born into a family of impoverished Italian immigrants, in the creepy New York quarter of "Hell's Kitchen". The birth was difficult for the baby, the nerve endings on the face were damaged. Therefore, part of his cheek, tongue and lips remained paralyzed.
He studied at a special school for difficult teenagers, grew up among drug addicts, bandits and prostitutes, having learned a simple truth from childhood: if you want to survive, strike first. Needless to say, the success story of Sylvester Stallone turned out to be incredibly complex?
Stallone dreamed of cinema: he starred in crowd scenes, went to screen tests, wrote unsuccessful scripts, played several "passing" roles ... But it was as if no one had seen him, he was invisible! His crazy dream of becoming an actor was openly mocked.
Tired of endless lack of money, his wife left him. Sly had only a dog left, and an empty, cold apartment - heating and electricity were turned off for the malicious defaulter. Then the dog had to be sold in order to buy food and not die of hunger. Reluctantly, because friends are not sold, he did it - there was nothing to feed the dog. Sly swore that he would ransom him as soon as he got hold of the money.
Where there! He found himself at a dead end, forced to warm himself in public libraries, until he finally came up with a script about the boxer Rocky Balboa, timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of US independence, however, the script was not wanted anywhere at first.
Finally, a couple of young producers agreed to take the risk and offered $15,000 for the script. But they did not need Stallone as an actor, who offered himself "in the appendage." And he categorically refused any offered money, because he wanted to play Rocky himself.
As time went on, the producers raised the stakes: $100,000, $250,000... Sylvester said no. Bent over from poverty, he continued to say "no" and eventually got his way - he was taken to the main role by paying the original price for the script.
And his dog, sold for $ 50, Stallone bought back, giving him the entire fee - 15,000.
After the premiere of the film, he woke up famous. Then there were many ups and downs. He is considered the record holder for nominations for the infamous Golden Raspberry. Many whispered that it would be better for Sly to leave the cinema. He was declared bankrupt several times and forced to sell his share in the Planet Hollywood cinema for debts.
But, like his favorite characters in his films, Stallone finds the strength to get up after every fall.
beyoncé
This is now the beautiful Beyoncé - the idol of millions, one of the highest paid singers, and in the past, not everyone recognized her talent. It is worth telling Beyoncé fans interesting facts about her biography.
As part of a girl group, she took part in the most prestigious talent competition on national television. And... was defeated.
After the first failure, she decided to continue her career only at the suggestion of her parents for the sake of which her father quit his job, and her mother was engaged in the image of a girl, but everything turned out terribly wrong: the producers either agreed to “take under the wing” of the young Destiny's Child, then tore up contracts, the girls mercilessly scandalized between themselves. Beyoncé's parents were so exhausted that they announced a divorce.
And only a few years later the project still started working. And today her fortune is estimated at three hundred million dollars.
Steven Spielberg
The name of Steven Spielberg on the poster of any film is a sign of quality. Nowadays, the author of "Jurassic Park", "Indiana Jones", "Jaws", "Alien", "Saving Private Ryan", "Poltergeist", "Terminal" and a host of other chic paintings is known not only to moviegoers.
And if you like the work of Steven Spielberg, interesting facts from his biography will definitely impress you.
First, he is extremely scrupulous about his name. If he considers the finished film to be substandard, he will definitely demand to remove the mention of himself from the credits.
Secondly, in his youth, he tried to enter the Film School at the University of California, but received low scores in exams and failed twice.
Deciding to go the other way, he became a student at a technical college, and in his spare time he shot his first short film, which was noticed at the Universal Pictures studio. Since then, Stephen has steadily moved forward.
And Spielbegr nevertheless entered the film school, but only 37 years after the first failures))
Examples of strong personalities
Joy Mangano
History knows many strong personalities and examples of famous people whose biography may well be a role model.
One of these is an American housewife named Joy Mangano, a real-life example of the notorious American dream coming true.
This woman was born with an inventive streak. She lived in poverty, went to work early, the first job for her was a veterinary clinic. After seeing enough of the naughty flea dogs, Joy invented a flea collar that could glow in the dark.
But since she was a teenager, she could not bring her idea to life. Instead, it was done by the “senior comrade”, to whom the idea brought millions. The offended girl decided that next time she would definitely grab fate by the tail and become an example of people who have achieved success from scratch.
A few years later, already a mother with three children, she came up with a miracle mop. The device had a cotton rag and a simple squeezing mechanism - if you have something similar in your house, then remember that we need to say thanks to the ordinary American Joy Mangano for the self-squeezing mop))
For the first batch of one hundred mops, the inventor collected money from acquaintances, humiliated herself and begged. And then... in 20 minutes at the TV store, she managed to sell 18,000 pieces. Today they are sold at ten million a year, and Joy has become one of the richest women in business - she built an Empire to develop useful little things in the household.
Michael Jordan
In each segment of science and technology, art and sports there is a unique strong personality - examples of people-athletes are a vivid confirmation of this.
The famous basketball player Michael Jordan did not aspire to anything special as a child.
He was lazy, arrogant to teachers and did not study well. He only liked sports. More precisely - baseball, where he achieved excellent results, becoming the champion of his state.
And then he was fascinated by basketball. But the guy didn’t come out tall, the coach didn’t believe in a short player and didn’t take him to the senior team.
After being kicked out of the college basketball team, he went home, locked himself in his room, and burst into tears. However, Michael began to give his all in the "little league" and decided to compensate for this with a high jump, which later became his trademark and for which he received the nickname "Air Jordan". Michael even grew ten centimeters.
“I lost almost three hundred games. I missed over nine thousand times. I was constantly failing. And that’s the only reason he succeeded,” Jordan will later say.
Now you understand why you can't give up for anything? Even if life is in full swing and constantly hits you on the top of your head - fight, and let the success stories of the rich and famous become your foothold. Do not listen to those who want to lower your self-respect.
Einstein said: "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, it will die - confident in its stupidity."
About the same incredible stories of people, but not so famous, who achieved what they dreamed about, you can read in the articles: and.
We are all very different. Some people radiate self-confidence, while others constantly show indecision and insecurity. Obviously, it is much easier to manipulate a weak person than those who are called "strong personality". Examples of a person who always occupies a dominant position can be cited ad infinitum. But is it possible to say unequivocally who such a strong person is and how he differs from others?
Who can be called a strong person?
It is difficult to accurately describe all the qualities of a strong personality, but the main distinguishing features can still be distinguished:
- High levels of self-confidence and self-belief.
- The ability to control your emotions.
- A very important point is that a strong person has a high degree of independence: he is independent of the opinions of others, various prejudices and public opinion.
- A strong individual always knows what he wants from life and perseveres to achieve his goals.
- A strong person looks at the world from the position of reason and knows how to analyze events sensibly.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive description of a person who can safely be labeled a "strong personality." Examples of a person with such qualities do not have to hiccup among famous and prominent people. After all, not all people who hold serious government posts can be called a strong personality.
People with strong character live among us. They do not necessarily hold prestigious positions and lead others. They just remain themselves, do what they love and do not succumb to the influence of the crowd. 
Strong = Successful?
Naturally, it is much easier for a strong person to succeed. If a person has a goal and he constantly strives for it, then they usually say about him that he is a strong personality. Examples of a person who does not strive to succeed, on the contrary, do not command respect from society. Such people are considered weak-willed and insecure.
But can it be argued that success and purpose are one and the same? Is it really only a person who has achieved success, can be attributed to the prestigious category of "strong personality"? People often do not fully understand the expression "strong man". Indeed, by the word "success" we often mean money, power and fame.
In fact, a self-sufficient person makes her own choice, regardless of the opinions of others. For such people, success is not wealth, influence and fame. For them, success is not succumbing to other people's influence and doing what they personally want. It turns out that the goal and success are different things in the public understanding, but they are completely identical for a strong personality. 
The ability to be an individual, to have your own opinion and adequately assess your strengths and weaknesses - this is what characterizes a strong personality. You can see examples of a person who is strong in spirit and character not only on the TV screen or in glossy magazines, but also in the tram, on the street or at work. Or maybe you are a really strong and self-sufficient person and are an example for many people.
Being inspired by the example of strong people, you can achieve success simply because you will not lose faith in yourself. Remember that in the most difficult situations there is a solution. And there are people who have proven that success is achievable, it's just that sometimes you need to work for it.
Well-known creative personalities at the beginning of their creative careers often fail. There is no need to go back to the depths of centuries for examples. So, cult director Steven Spielberg gained popularity immediately. He made two unsuccessful attempts to enter the film school and twice his candidacy was rejected with the words "too mediocre". By the way, the stubborn director finally graduated from this institution after 37 years. In addition to worldwide recognition, he has a bachelor's degree.
Examples of well-known politicians also show that a strong character helps to achieve a lot. For example, Winston Churchill recognized as the greatest Briton in history, according to a poll conducted by the BBC in 2002. And although a fair amount of time has already passed since this poll, on the scale of history, the personality of this politician cannot be overestimated. But we are interested not so much in his political activity as in his grandiose work on himself. After all, he became prime minister only at the age of 65, and this was preceded by serious work. This person called the difficulties overcome the realized opportunities.
Not only in the world of politics you can meet people who are strong in spirit. Sometimes a vocation and a favorite thing helps to stay afloat. The famous scientist of our time, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is an example of this. After the diagnosis was established, doctors believed that he would live only 2 years. However, now his name is widely known, he made many discoveries, popularizes science, writes books, was married twice and flew in zero gravity. And all this - with paralysis, which at first left him mobile only a finger on his hand, and today - only one muscle of the cheek.
Chemist Alexander Butlerov, being a student, he completely set a fire at the university where he studied at that time. The reason was an unsuccessful experiment of an unlucky researcher. As punishment, he was given a sign "great chemist", with which he had to pass in front of all the students. But years later, he really became a great chemist.
And the inventor of the light bulb Thomas Edison made 1000 unsuccessful attempts before his invention worked. However, he himself did not consider them failures. He claimed to have simply found 1,000 ways to make a light bulb. This man was ready to sort through 6,000 materials in order to find the right one, and was distinguished not only by his ability to work, but by his strong desire not to give up.
You don't have to be a famous singer or an accomplished writer to inspire people to move forward. If we talk about heroic resistance to circumstances, we need to remember Nika Vujicic. This man was born without arms and without legs at all, with one small process instead of a leg. After a difficult childhood and a suicide attempt, Nick took on the cause, and today he speaks to huge audiences, telling people that any life, even accompanied by difficulties, is of great value. He, like Stephen Hawking, has a great sense of humor. The first periodically voices himself in shows and projects using an artificial speech synthesizer, and the second comes up with funny nicknames for his limb. Here you can read the biography of Nick Vuychich.
Giuseppe Verdi did not enter the Milan Conservatory, where he was advised to find a teacher from the city musicians, if he still wanted to study music. Years later, the same conservatory fought for the right to bear the name of the famous musician.
Composer Ludwig van Beethoven received from his teacher an unequivocal verdict: "Hopeless." And at the age of 44 he lost his hearing. But neither one nor the other turned him away from music and did not prevent him from writing it.
Sometimes talent needs to be revealed, and for a long time others do not see it. For example, in the biography of the singer Fyodor Chaliapin there is a pretty funny episode. Being constrained in finances, he went to look for work as a journalist and a singer in the choir. Together with him, his friend Alexei Peshkov tried his luck, whom we know as Maxim Gorky. The paradox is that Chaliapin was taken to the newspaper, but his vocal abilities were rejected, and the future writer Peshkov was accepted to sing, but they did not find any talent for writing. Fortunately, life still put everything in its place.
Attentive readers may have noticed that only men are represented in our list. But this does not mean that history did not know strong women. We have prepared . Remember that the will, the desire to achieve heights in life and at the same time be a worthy person does not depend on age, gender, or anything else. Try, make mistakes, but don't be afraid of mistakes. And don't forget to press the buttons and
There are a lot of people who have changed the world. These are well-known doctors who came up with cures for diseases and learned how to perform complex operations; politicians who started wars and conquered countries; astronauts who first orbited the Earth and set foot on the Moon and so on. There are thousands of them, and it is impossible to tell about all of them. This article lists only a small part of these geniuses, thanks to which scientific discoveries, new reforms and trends in art appeared. They are individuals who changed the course of history.
Alexander Suvorov
The great commander, who lived in the 18th century, became a cult person. He is a person who influenced the course of history with his mastery of strategy and skillful planning of war tactics. His name is inscribed in golden letters in the annals of Russian history, he is remembered as a tireless brilliant military commander.
Alexander Suvorov devoted his entire life to battles and battles. He is a member of seven wars, led 60 battles, not knowing defeat. His literary talent manifested itself in a book in which he teaches the younger generation the art of warfare, shares his experience and knowledge. In this area, Suvorov was ahead of his era for many years ahead.
His merit, first of all, is that he improved the tendencies of warfare, developed new methods of offensives and attacks. All his science was based on three pillars: onslaught, speed and eye. This principle developed in the soldiers a sense of purpose, the development of initiative and a sense of mutual assistance in relation to their colleagues. In battles, he always went ahead of ordinary soldiers, showing them an example of courage and heroism.
Catherine II
This woman is a phenomenon. Like all other personalities who influenced the course of history, she was charismatic, strong and intelligent. She was born in Germany, but in 1744 she came to Russia as a bride for the Empress' nephew, Grand Duke Peter III. Her husband was uninteresting and apathetic, they almost did not communicate. Catherine spent all her free time reading legal and economic works, she was captured by the idea of the Enlightenment. Having found her like-minded people at court, she easily overthrew her husband from the throne and became the full-fledged mistress of Russia.
The period of her reign is called "golden" for the nobility. The ruler reformed the Senate, took church lands into the state treasury, which enriched the state and made life easier for ordinary peasants. In this case, the influence of the individual on the course of history implies the adoption of a mass of new legislative acts. On account of Catherine: the provincial reform, the expansion of the rights and freedoms of the nobility, the creation of estates following the example of Western European society and the restoration of Russia's authority throughout the world.
Peter the First
Another ruler of Russia, who lived a hundred years earlier than Catherine, also played a huge role in the development of the state. He is not just a person who influenced the course of history. Peter 1 became a national genius. He was hailed as an educator, "the light of the era", the savior of Russia, a man who opened the eyes of the common people to the European style of life and government. Remember the phrase "window to Europe"? So, it was Peter the Great who "cut through" it to spite all envious people.
Tsar Peter became a great reformer, his changes in the foundations of the state at first frightened the nobility, and then aroused admiration. This is a person who influenced the course of history by the fact that, thanks to him, progressive discoveries and achievements of Western countries were introduced into "hungry and unwashed" Russia. Peter the Great managed to expand the economic and cultural boundaries of his empire, conquered new lands. Russia was recognized as a great power and appreciated its role in the international arena.
Alexander II
After Peter the Great, this was the only tsar who began to carry out such large-scale reforms. His innovations completely updated the face of Russia. Like other famous personalities who changed the course of history, this ruler deserved respect and recognition. The period of his reign falls on the XIX century.
The main achievement of the king was in Russia, which hampered the economic and cultural development of the country. Of course, the predecessors of Alexander II, Catherine the Great and Nicholas the First, also thought about the elimination of a system very similar to slavery. But none of them dared to turn the foundations of the state upside down.
Such drastic changes took place rather late, as a revolt of discontented people was already brewing in the country. In addition, reforms stalled in the 1880s, which angered the revolutionary youth. The reformer tsar became the target of their terror, which led to the end of the transformation and completely influenced the development of Russia in the future.
Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich, a famous revolutionary, a person who influenced the course of history. Lenin led a revolt in Russia against the autocracy. He led the revolutionaries to the barricades, as a result of which Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown and the communists came to power in the state, whose rule spanned a whole century and led to significant, cardinal changes in the lives of ordinary people.
Studying the works of Engels and Marx, Lenin advocated equality and condemned capitalism in every possible way. The theory is good, but in practice it was difficult to implement, since the representatives of the elite still lived, bathing in luxury, and ordinary workers and peasants worked hard around the clock. But that was later, but at the time of Lenin, at first glance, everything turned out the way he wanted it to.
During the reign of Lenin, such important events as the First World War, the Civil War in Russia, the cruel and ridiculous execution of the entire royal family, the transfer of the capital from St. Petersburg to Moscow, the founding of the Red Army, the complete establishment of Soviet power and the adoption of its first Constitution fall.
Stalin
People who changed the course of history... The name of Iosif Vissarionovich burns in bright scarlet letters on their list. He became the "terrorist" of his time. The founding of a network of camps, the exile of millions of innocent people there, the execution of entire families for dissent, artificial famine - all this radically changed people's lives. Some considered Stalin the devil, others God, since it was he who at that time decided the fate of every citizen of the Soviet Union. Of course, he was neither one nor the other. The frightened people themselves put him on a pedestal. The cult of personality was created on the basis of general fear and the blood of the innocent victims of the era.
The person who influenced the course of history, Stalin, distinguished himself not only by mass terror. Of course, his contribution to the history of Russia has a positive side. It was during his reign that the state made a powerful economic breakthrough, scientific institutions and culture began to develop. It was he who led the army that defeated Hitler and saved all of Europe from fascism.
Nikita Khrushchev
This is a very controversial person who influenced the course of history. His versatile nature is well demonstrated by the tombstone erected to him, made of white and black stone at the same time. Khrushchev, on the one hand, was Stalin's man, and on the other, a leader who tried to trample on the cult of personality. He launched cardinal reforms that were to completely change the bloody system, released millions of innocently convicted from the camps, pardoned hundreds of thousands of those sentenced to death. This period was even called the "thaw", since persecution and terror ceased.
But Khrushchev did not know how to bring big things to an end, so his reforms can be called half-hearted. The lack of education made him a narrow-minded person, but excellent intuition, natural sanity and political flair helped him stay in the highest echelons of power for so long and find a way out in critical situations. It was thanks to Khrushchev that he managed to avoid a nuclear war during and even turn the bloodiest page in the history of Russia.
Dmitry Mendeleev
Russia has given rise to many great universals that have improved various areas of science. But Mendeleev should be singled out, since his contribution to its development is invaluable. Chemistry, physics, geology, economics, sociology - Mendeleev managed to study all this and open new horizons in these areas. He was also a famous shipbuilder, aeronaut and encyclopedist.
The person who influenced the course of history, Mendeleev, discovered the ability to predict the emergence of new chemical elements, the discovery of which is still taking place today. His table is the basis of chemistry lessons at school and at the university. Among his achievements is also a complete study of gas dynamics, experiments that helped to derive the equation of state of a gas.
In addition, the scientist actively studied the properties of oil, developed a policy of injecting investments into the economy and proposed to optimize the customs service. His invaluable advice was used by many ministers of the tsarist government.
Ivan Pavlov
Like all individuals who influenced the course of history, he was a very intelligent person, possessed a broad outlook and inner intuition. Ivan Pavlov actively used animals in his experiments, trying to highlight the common features of the vital activity of complex organisms, including humans.
Pavlov was able to prove the diverse activity of nerve endings in the cardiovascular system. He showed how he could regulate blood pressure. He also became the discoverer of the trophic nervous function, which consists in the influence of nerves on the process of regeneration and tissue formation.
Later, he took up the physiology of the digestive tract, as a result of which he received the Nobel Prize in 1904. His main achievement is considered to be the study of the work of the brain, higher nervous activity, conditioned reflexes and the so-called human signaling system. His works became the basis of many theories in medicine.
Mikhail Lomonosov
He lived and worked during the reign of Peter the Great. Then the emphasis was placed on the development of education and enlightenment, and the first Academy of Sciences was created in Russia, in which Lomonosov spent many of his days. He, a simple peasant, was able to rise to incredible heights, run up the social ladder and turn into a scientist, whose trail of fame stretches to this day.
He was interested in everything related to physics and chemistry. He dreamed of freeing the latter from the influence of medicine and pharmaceuticals. It was thanks to him that modern physical chemistry was born as a science and began to develop actively. In addition, he was a famous encyclopedist, studied history and wrote chronicles. He considered Peter the Great an ideal ruler, a key figure in the formation of the state. In his scientific writings, he described him as a model of the mind that changed history and turned the idea of \u200b\u200bthe management system. Through the efforts of Lomonosov, the first university, Moscow, was founded in Russia. Since that time, higher education began to develop.
Yuri Gagarin
People who influenced the course of history... Their list is difficult to imagine without the name of Yuri Gagarin, the man who conquered space. Starry space has attracted people for many centuries, but only in the last century, mankind began to explore it. At that time, the technical base for such flights was already well developed.
The space age was marked by competition between the Soviet Union and the United States. The leaders of the giant countries tried to show their power and superiority, and space was one of the best ways to demonstrate this. In the middle of the 20th century, competition began over who could send a man into orbit faster. The USSR won this race. We all know the famous date since school: on April 12, 1961, the first cosmonaut flew into orbit, where he spent 108 minutes. This hero's name was Yuri Gagarin. The day after his journey into space, he woke up famous all over the world. Although, paradoxically, he never considered himself great. Gagarin often said that in those one and a half hours he did not even have time to understand what was happening to him and what his feelings were at the same time.
Alexander Pushkin
It is called "the sun of Russian poetry". He has long become a national symbol of Russia, his poems, poems and prose are highly valued and revered. And not only in the countries of the former Soviet Union, but all over the world. Almost every city in Russia has a street, square or square named after Alexander Pushkin. Children study his work at school, devoting to him not only school time, but also extracurricular time in the form of thematic literary evenings.
This man created such harmonious poetry that it has no equal in the whole world. It was with his work that the development of new literature and all its genres began - from poetry to theatrical plays. Pushkin is read in one breath. It is characterized by accuracy, rhythmic lines, they are quickly remembered and easily recited. If we also take into account the enlightenment of this person, his strength of character and deep inner core, then it can be argued that he is really a person who influenced the course of history. He taught people to speak Russian in its modern interpretation.
Other historical figures
There are so many that it would be impossible to list them all in one article. Here are examples of a small part of Russian figures who changed history. And how many others are there? This is Gogol, and Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. If we analyze foreign personalities, then one cannot fail to note the old philosophers: Aristotle and Plato; artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Monet; geographers and discoverers of lands: Magellan, Cook and Columbus; scientists: Galileo and Newton; politicians: Thatcher, Kennedy and Hitler; inventors: Bell and Edison.
All these people were able to completely turn the world upside down, create their own laws and scientific discoveries. Some of them made the world a better place, and some almost destroyed it. In any case, every person on planet Earth knows their names and understands that without these personalities, our life would be completely different. Reading the biographies of famous people, we often find ourselves idols from whom we want to take an example and be equal in all our deeds and actions.
