20+ Unbelievable Stories of People Surviving the Impossible

As human beings, we can endure a lot more than you might think when pushed to the limit. It's not an easy thing, though, on your body or your mind. These stories are emotional, and still, people bravely shared their stories of surviving against all odds in a variety of situations.[/SocialIntro] [post_page_title]Alexander Selkirk[/post_page_title] To start, let's step back in time to a historical story of survival. If you've ever heard of Robinson Crusoe, Alexander Selkirk is the privateer who helped to inspire the story. [caption id="attachment_1731" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Flickr // Debbie[/caption] In the real story, in 1704, in a burst of temper, Selkirk told the captain of a ship he was on that he'd rather be stranded than sail on the dirty ship. Unfortunately for him, the captain called his bluff and left him being. He was stranded alone for over four years before he was finally rescued.

The man behind the story is Aron Ralston. As the name of the movie suggests, he was trapped for about six days before realizing he wouldn't be rescued. Upon this realization, he used a multitool he took hiking with him and escaped via removal of his right arm, which was what was trapped in between a rock and the boulder that shifted to trap him.

The pair stayed on the ill-fated ship until the last minute, helping others on lifeboats. Ultimately, Williams' father didn't make it and the athlete was in the water with frostbite when help arrived. While they wanted to amputate his legs, Williams refused and was back up and playing just three months later.

After a total of 438 days lost at sea, Alvarenga landed on Ebon Atoll after catching sight of land. This is where he found Emi Libokmeto and Russel Laikdrik at their vacation home. With a language barrier between them, it took some finessing but they managed to communicate and get him to a hospital.