Everyone knows about Sir Ernest Shackleton or Amelia Earhart, but there are many adventurers whose accomplishments rival those of the most celebrated explorers, yet most people have never heard of them. This new account tells the true but little-known stories of five men and four women who once made world headlines but have virtually disappeared from the historical record. They are a complex mix of heroes and villains when looked at through a modern-day lens, but all pushed the boundaries of their time accomplishing something truly extraordinary, the lessons of which remain relevant today. Driven by fortune, glory, wanderlust, and an insane desire to achieve the impossible, each of these adventurers had to grapple with unexpected twists, brushes with death, disease, disaster, and treachery. Their accomplishments will both surprise the reader and leave them shaking their head in wonder while asking: 'What in the world were they thinking?'