TopYaps

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• 5 Badass Last Words Said By Soldiers Facing Death
• 7 Greatest Weakness Of Mankind
• 6 Famous Indians Who Died In Air Crashes
• 10 Badass Civil Engineering Marvels

5 Badass Last Words Said By Soldiers Facing Death Posted: 04 Nov 2013 01:27 AM PST When facing imminent death, men are either reduced to a scared mess or raised to heroic heights. People say all kinds of things as their last words before facing death. Only a few manage to say something totally badass that leaves a legacy long after they are gone. Soldiers have been recorded to say certain last words before facing their deaths that would make any Hollywood screenwriter hide his face in shame for not coming up with something that awesome. Here are 5 totally badass last words of some dying soldiers that make you wonder about their invincible spirit. 5. “I could shoot better!” Hannie Schaft Hannie Schaft wasn’t technically a soldier but she was a Dutch resistance fighter during WWII who fought the Nazis by distributing resistance newsletters and stealing ID cards for her Jewish friends. She was arrested on April 17, 1945. She was sentenced to death after days of interrogation. When two soldiers brought her outside to shoot her, she said these lines when one of them shot her at close range and missed! Now that’s one way to go and leave your murderers feeling inept and cowardly. 4. “I am not ordering you to attack. I am ordering you to die.” Lt. Colonel Mustafa Kemal Lt. Colonel Mustafa Kemal was a Turkish commander during the First World War. On April 25, 1915 British warships were closing in on Battleship Hill. The Turkish soldiers were badly outmatched in both number and arms. When he saw a few Turkish soldiers running away from the British he stopped them and said these totally awesome line. It inspired the soldiers and they fought as if they had nothing to lose and actually managed to hold off the allies till reinforcements arrived and the Turks ended up winning the Battle of Gallipoli. Kemal went on to become the president of the Turkish Republic. Any man who can motivate other men to go and die, has to be a great leader. 3. “We will firght them Sir, until hell freezes over, and then we will fight them on the ice!” A Confederate Officer This is what an officer of the Confederacy told General Lee before the Battle of Gettysburg. Both sides knew that the battles were going to be very costly and the South was outnumbered and knew it was probably the beginning of the end. At such a time it is hard to keep up morale of an army but if you have soldiers such as this one then you have no problem. Considering the huge number of casualties that both sides suffered, the officer who said these lines most probably died too. 2. “They have got us surrounded; the poor bastards!” Unnamed Medic During World War II, the Battle of the Bulge was a horrific event where many lives were lost. A group of allied soldiers were trapped in a small village near the town of Bastogne in Belgium. As the German forces closed in on all sides, a Corporal of East Company asked a medic whose name has been lost to history as to why they weren’t evacuating. In reply the medic said, “Haven’t you heard? They’ve got us surrounded; the poor bastards!” Now that’s one way of looking at it. And it turned out that he was right because the 12,000 soldiers were able to hold off the Germans till General Patton arrived with his army. 1. “If there is one among you who wished to kill his emperor, here I am.” Napoleon Bonaparte When Napoleon was defeated for the first time he was exiled to Elba. He thought he had been made the king of Elba and started raising an army to take back France. Out of the 13,000 residents of the island he was able to convince about 600 men to join his army and he promised them that he’d win back Paris soon. When he landed on French shores, an army of 8000 troops was waiting to meet his 600 at Grenoble. He famously went ahead of his ragtag group and faced the 8000 men of the French army, opened his shirt and said the above lines to them. This had the effect that all of the 8,000 men started shouting and cheering Napoleon as their Emperor. And indeed in a few days he was back in power in Paris for his 100 day reign till Waterloo. The post 5 Badass Last Words Said By Soldiers Facing Death appeared first on TopYaps.

7 Greatest Weakness Of Mankind Posted: 04 Nov 2013 01:04 AM PST Humans are the strongest and most intelligent beings we know to exist in the universe. Within a short period of few thousand years, they have evolved from jungle roaming nomads to a race which has stepped on moon and is capable of exploring other planets. They have conquered jungles, oceans, mountains, and strongest of animals with their superior intelligence. The skills developed by one generation are transferred to another, thus speeding the progress of mankind. Unfortunately though, mankind has its own weaknesses which have also been passed on from generation to generation. Here is choice of 7 greatest weakness of mankind, which is growing in numbers with each passing day. 7. History repeats itself: George Barnard Shaw asked, "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience?" We make mistakes but fail to learn from them, be it from the history of mankind or from our own personal life experiences. Our mistakes of the past can be our strength of future, as it teaches us an unforgettable lesson. How often do we take advantage of our failures and learn from them? The tendency to repeat the same mistakes with bigger negative consequences is one of the weaknesses of mankind which mocks its intelligence. 6. Failing to live in present: We know that we have not much control over our future, nor can we change the past. Even though people are aware of this they are known to either worry  about future or regretting about past while forgetting to make the best of their present, which is the only time they control and can change. Worrying about things that have happened which cannot be changed, which may happen in future or which may never happen is something only humans are capable of doing. They miss out on so many opportunities in their life because they have developed anxiety due to worrying too much. 5. Focusing on sex: Unlike other animals, human beings focus and give a lot importance to sex. In the words of Catherine Hakim, that in reality "sex is no more a moral issue than eating a good meal", but for mankind much of the morality is focused on sex. On the other hand, we find people being obsessed with sex too. The ever growing porn industry, use of sex appeal in ads to name a few, shows the obsession of humans with sex. The absence of estrus period in humans which allows them to enjoy sex throughout their life has made sex not just a way of procreation but a very important part of human life. 4. Momentary Pleasures: Giving in to momentary pleasures without thinking about the consequences has been one of weaknesses of mankind since time immemorial. We come across many cases where the temptation of pleasure for a moment has been responsible for people destroying their own lives and unfortunately those of their fellow beings. 3. Procrastination: When a stitch in time can save nine, we always postpone picking up the needle and stitching on time. Rather than doing what is important, people often end up doing something that is insignificant and more enjoyable, even when they know that it is going to be setback in future. When it comes to some simple things like appreciating our children, telling our spouse how much we love him/her, people like to put it off for some other day, only to live in regret and guilt for not having done it on time. 2. Greed: When every other living thing on earth takes enough for its survival and safety, mankind has always been greedy to hoard more than they will ever need in their lifespan. From kings to common man, the greed of people has no end. Gold, money, power, land, love or just anything, humans want more than their share and requirement. Greed is one of a most embarrassing weakness of mankind which defies his wisdom and intellect. 1. Selfishness: Global warming, imbalance in eco system, suffering of people and extinction of many species of animals are just some of the consequences of the human selfishness. Mankind is known to pursue and acquire what in their own interest, overlooking the wishes, wants and even the implications of their actions on the life of others, on society, or our environment. Though being selfless and helping is preached by every religion f the world, the selfishness of mankind still rules their lives. The post 7 Greatest Weakness Of Mankind appeared first on TopYaps.

6 Famous Indians Who Died In Air Crashes Posted: 04 Nov 2013 12:48 AM PST Flights are scrutinized, investigated and monitored by well trained professionals before they take off, making it one of the fastest and safest forms of transportation available in modern times. It is said travelling by air is much safer than traveling by train or on roads. Unfortunately, things go wrong as they are bound to and accidents do happen. Many Indians have lost their lives in air crashes; some to due unavoidable accidents, some due to human blunders and some because of negligence. Many of those citizens of India have been forgotten, leaving few famous personalities who are remembered for their untimely death due to air crashes. Here is the list of 6 famous Indians who died in air crashes. 6. Sanjay Gandhi: Sanjay Gandhi, son of then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, died from head injuries he received in an air crash near Safdarjung Airpot on 23 June 1980. At the age of 33, he left behind his young wife and new born son, along with his mourning family. Sanjay Gandhi was flying a new aircraft of the Delhi Flying Club along with Captain Subhash Saxena. He lost control while performing a loop over his own office in New Delhi and crashed. Both the passengers were killed in this unfortunate accident. 5. Soundarya: The talented and beautiful actress Soundarya and three others were killed when their private jet Cessna 180 crashed on the outskirts of Bangalore on April 17, 2004. The versatile actress received not less than 6 film fare awards besides, silver lotus award and other recognitions in her career spanning 12 years. When she was on her way to campaign for BJP in Andhra Pradesh for upcoming elections, her plane crashed minutes after takeoff in an open field, just 500 meters from the airport, burning everyone on board beyond recognition. 4. Madhavrao Scindia: Son of the last ruling Maharaja of Gwalior, Madhavrao Jivajirao Scindia, a great political figure of Congress Party, was killed in a plane crash on 1st October 2001. He was conferred the title of Maharaja of Gwalior in 1961 and held the title until 1971 when the Government of India abolished all official symbols of Princely states in the country. Aged 56 years, Madhavrao Scindia and 7 of his co-passengers were killed when their plane crashed on the outskirts of Manipuri district in UP. Madhavrao Scindia also served as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 1990 to 1993. 3. YSR Reddy: Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, two times Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh died when the Bell 430 helicopter he was travelling crashed in the dense Nallamal forest on 2nd of September, 2009. The other members on board were P. Subramanyam – special secretary of CM, S.C. Wesley- chief security officer, S. K. Bhatia – group captain and M.S. Reddy – captain. All were killed and their bodies charred beyond recognition. YSR Reddy is considered the most popular CM of Andhra Pradesh due to his popular welfare schemes for development of common people. The popular broadcast station BBC recognized him as a champion of social welfare schemes. 2. Homi J. Bhabha: Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the visionary behind India’s Three Stage Nuclear Power Programme, lost his life when the Air India Flight 101 he was travelling on crashed near Mont Blanc, on 24 January 1966. His death was a great blow to the nuclear program in India. The crash was rumored as assassination attempt, which involved the name of CIA, to paralyze India's nuclear program and military power.  A few minutes prior to the crash, the pilot had radioed the control tower informing them everything in the airplane was working fine. It was also followed by the declaration of Homi Bhabha that India could produce a nuclear device in a short time. Whatever the cause or reason for the crash, losing one of the most brilliant minds was a great loss to India and scientific world. 1. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: Though Netaji’s death remains one of the greatest mysteries of modern India but if believed in the reports submitted by Captain Yoshida Taneyoshi, and many other sources, Subhas Chandra Bose died in a local hospital of Taipei, following burn injuries he received after the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Mitsubishi Ki-21 Bomber crashed following engine trouble. Subhas Chandra Bose, was a revolutionary freedom fighter who tried to liberate India from British rule by power rather than following the non-violence policy of Mahatma Gandhi. Though his military efforts during the WWII did not bear fruits, he is remembered as the brave heart of India. His death and disappearance is followed by many controversies, some which claimed that he was alive but hiding. The post 6 Famous Indians Who Died In Air Crashes appeared first on TopYaps.

10 Badass Civil Engineering Marvels Posted: 03 Nov 2013 10:18 PM PST Civil engineers build buildings, dams, bridges, tunnels, railway lines, canals etc. to improve the infrastructure of the country. Sometimes they build to dazzle and amaze tourists. Civil engineering is definitely an interesting discipline of engineering as you get to see what effects your work is having on the common men. Civil engineers have created some badass works throughout history. Let’s look at some such cool projects of civil engineering. 10. Channel Tunnel: The Channel Tunnel is the 50.5 km undersea tunnel linking UK with France across the English Channel. It has the longest undersea portion in the world at 37.9 km although the Seikan Tunnel in Japan is longer in overall length. It was a major project that included 5 construction companies from both UK and France and 5 banks in total. The American Society of Civil Engineers elected the Channel Tunnel as one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World. 9. Trans-Siberian Railway: The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway line in the world. It connects Moscow with the Sea of Japan on the Far East of Russia across Siberia. Lines branch off to connect with Mongolia, China and North Korea. It is a work in progress and is still being expanded. It is a great marvel of civil engineering connecting the cold Siberian remote areas of Russia to the capital. 8. Palm Islands: Palm Islands in Dubai are an insane piece of engineering. The Arabs are building artificial islands in the sea that are shaped like palm trees. It will increase the beach area of Dubai by many fold so the tourists have endless beaches to get tanned on. They are also building a group of islands that will be shaped like the world and people will be able to buy individual countries! 7. Sidu River Bridge: Sidu River Bridge in China is the highest bridge in the world at more than 500 meters from the gorge bottom. It is one of a series of bridges and tunnels through the mountains in China on the G50 Huyu Expressway that connects Shanghai and Chongqing in Western China. China has been building roads all across the country and over 50,000 miles of roads have been built already, taking over America as the largest road network in the world. 6. Oresund Bridge-Tunnel: The Oresund Bridge is a double track railway and road bridge that turns into an undersea tunnel halfway to Denmark from Sweden. The bridge starts from Sweden to the artificial island of Peberholm, from where it turns into a tunnel all the way to Amager in Denmark. It is a great piece of engineering marvel in the modern world. 5. Delta Works: Delta Works is a group of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees and storm barriers that protects the low lying areas of Netherlands which are lower than sea level. Delta Works along with Zuiderzee Works protect Netherlands from the sea and will be important as the sea level rises further in the future due to global warming. They have been considered as one of the modern wonders of the world. 4. Eerie Canal: Built in 1825, the Eerie Canal connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and played an important role in the population surge in the state of New York and reduced transportation costs by 95% resulting in a great boom in industry and business. The canal contains 36 locks that end up raising boats and barges almost 170 meters from the Atlantic to Lake Eerie. 3. Panama Canal: The Panama Canal joined the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean and cut short the distance from New York to San Francisco by 4,000 miles. It was a great civil engineering project that was finished in 1914. Before this canal opened ships had to go all the way around South America’s Cape Horn and took 67 days on the 12,000 mile route. The Panama Canal changed the shipping business greatly by reducing this time. 2. The Great Wall of China: The Great Wall of China is a civil engineering marvel from the time when no one had formed the term civil engineering. But none the less a great amount of engineering was required to build this longest structure in the world. Even now no structure has come close to the 4,160 miles of the Great Wall. The fact that it was built when there were no modern techniques of engineering makes it even a bigger accomplishment of civil engineering. 1. Pyramids of Giza: The pyramids of Giza are another masterpiece of engineering at a time when engineering hadn’t been imagined as a branch of study. Even today’s engineers are baffled by how the ancient Egyptians built these impressive structures. It is still a matter of debate as to how the massive stones were dragged that far and lifted that high. The precision of the architecture is another surprising thing about the pyramids. The post 10 Badass Civil Engineering Marvels appeared first on TopYaps.

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