Top 100 most inspiring stories of overcoming adversity

1. Helen Keller – Despite being deaf and blind, she learned to communicate and became a leading humanitarian of the 20th century.
2. Stephen Hawking – He developed motor neurone disease and was given two years to live but continued to work on his theories and publish complex scientific papers despite his physical limitations.
3. Nelson Mandela – Spent 27 years in prison for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa, later becoming the country's first black president.
4. Malala Yousafzai – A young activist who stood up for girls' education in Pakistan and survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban.
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt – Served as President of the US despite having polio, which left him unable to walk unassisted.
6. Thomas Edison – Dealt with countless failed experiments before successfully inventing the electric light bulb.
7. Elon Musk – Overcame personal and business losses during the 2008 recession, leading Tesla and SpaceX to become two of the most valuable companies in the world.
8. Oprah Winfrey – Overcame poverty, abuse, and discrimination to become a media mogul and philanthropist.
9. Albert Einstein – Despite early academic struggles and living through two World Wars, he became one of the most influential physicists.
10. J.K. Rowling – Was living on state benefits when she wrote the first "Harry Potter" novel, sparking a billion-dollar franchise.
11. Nick Vujicic – Born without arms and legs, he is now an international motivational speaker.
12. Frida Kahlo – Despite numerous health problems and injuries, she became one of Mexico's most famous artists.
13. Bethany Hamilton – Lost an arm to a shark attack while surfing but returned to professional surfing and became a champion.
14. Beethoven – Continued to compose music even after becoming completely deaf.
15. Muhammad Ali – Overcame racial prejudice and legal battles to become a world champion boxer.
16. Rosa Parks – Fought against racial segregation in the United States despite the personal and legal risks.
17. Vincent van Gogh – Struggled with mental illness throughout his life but is now recognized as one of the greatest painters in history.
18. Bill Gates – Overcame early business failures to co-found Microsoft and become one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world.
19. Maya Angelou – Overcame poverty and racial discrimination to become a celebrated author and poet.
20. Harriet Tubman – Escaped slavery and then risked her life to lead other slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
21. Stephen King - His first novel was rejected 30 times, but he didn't let that stop him. He is now one of the best-selling authors of all time.
22. Ludwig van Beethoven - Despite losing his hearing in his 20s, he continued to compose and produce some of his greatest works.
23. Pelé - Born into poverty in Brazil, he became one of the greatest footballers of all time.
24. Steve Jobs - He was fired from his own company, Apple, but returned years later to make it one of the most valuable companies globally.
25. Walt Disney - Before creating Disney, he was fired from a newspaper for "lacking imagination" and "having no original ideas".
26. Abraham Lincoln - He faced numerous defeats in his career in politics, but he persisted and became one of the most influential presidents of the United States.
27. Michael Jordan - He was cut from his high school basketball team but went on to become one of the greatest athletes in history.
28. Christopher Reeve - After a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed, he became a leading activist for spinal cord research.
29. Jesse Owens - Despite racial discrimination, he won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
30. Gabrielle Giffords - After surviving an assassination attempt that resulted in a severe brain injury, she became a leading advocate for gun control.
31. Jackie Robinson - He broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, facing intense racism but continuing to excel on the field.
32. Marie Curie - Despite sexism and adversity, she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win a Nobel in two different sciences.
33. Richard Branson - He overcame struggles with dyslexia to become a successful entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group.
34. Louis Braille - Blind since childhood, he developed a reading and writing system used by millions of blind and visually impaired people.
35. Vincent van Gogh - He sold only one painting in his lifetime, and struggled with mental illness, but is now recognized as one of the greatest painters in history.
36. Simone Biles - She overcame a difficult childhood to become the most decorated American gymnast and an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse.
37. George Washington Carver - Born into slavery, he became a prominent scientist and inventor.
38. Emily Dickinson - Largely unrecognized during her lifetime, her poetry is now considered among the finest in the English language.
39. Jane Goodall - Despite a lack of formal scientific training early on, she became the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees.
40. Sudha Chandran - After losing a leg to infection following a car accident, she became one of the most accomplished dancers in India.
41. Ayaan Hirsi Ali - A survivor of forced marriage and female genital mutilation, she became a prominent critic of Islam's treatment of women.
42. Ben Carson - Grew up in poverty and faced racial discrimination, yet went on to become a world-renowned neurosurgeon.
43. Sergey Brin - Immigrated from the Soviet Union, facing discrimination and hardship, and later co-founded Google.
44. Django Reinhardt - After badly damaging his hand in a fire, he relearned guitar and became a legendary jazz musician.
45. Waris Dirie - Escaped from a life of hardship in Somalia, became a supermodel, and now campaigns against female genital mutilation.
46. Liz Murray - Became homeless at age 15 after her mother died of AIDS, yet managed to attend Harvard University.
47. Christy Brown - Born with severe cerebral palsy, he learned to write and paint using the only limb he could control – his left foot.
48. Ralph Braun - Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, he created the first motorized scooter and founded a successful mobility company.
49. W. Mitchell - After surviving a horrific motorcycle accident and a plane crash that left him burned and paralyzed, he became a successful motivational speaker.
50. Tom Monaghan - Orphaned at a young age, he went on to found Domino's Pizza and now devotes his life to philanthropy.
51. Jim Abbott - Born without a right hand, he played baseball at the highest level and threw a no-hitter in the major leagues.
52. Michael J. Fox - Despite his early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, he continued to act and established a foundation to find a cure for the disease.
53. Temple Grandin - Overcame the limitations of autism to become a leading animal behaviorist and advocate for people with autism.
54. Paul Smith - Despite severe spastic cerebral palsy, he became a renowned typewriter artist.
55. Philippine de Rothschild - After being interned in a concentration camp during World War II, she became one of the most successful wine producers in the world.
56. Shaquem Griffin - Despite having his left hand amputated at age four, he became the first one-handed player in the NFL.
57. Wilma Rudolph - Overcame polio to become the fastest woman in the world in 1960 and the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.
58. Ray Charles - Despite losing his sight as a child, he became an iconic musician and performer.
59. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo - Despite facing gender discrimination in her field, she became the first woman elected as the Mayor of Mexico City and later won the Nobel Peace Prize as a part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
60. Kurt Warner - Went from stocking shelves in a grocery store to becoming an NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion.
61. Tanni Grey-Thompson - Born with spina bifida, she became one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK.
62. Stephen Sutton - Despite being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he raised millions for charity through his "bucket list".
63. Fridtjof Nansen - Despite harsh conditions, he became an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian, and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
64. Aron Ralston - After becoming trapped under a boulder and having to amputate his own arm to survive, he became a motivational speaker.
65. Aung San Suu Kyi - Despite spending 15 years under house arrest, she continued to advocate for democracy in Myanmar.
66. Joan Rivers - Faced numerous setbacks in her career, yet she became a renowned comedian and television host.
67. Giacomo Puccini - After the initial failure of his opera Madame Butterfly, he revised it to become one of the most performed operas in the world.
68. Ernest Shackleton - His Antarctic expedition became a survival story when his ship was crushed in the ice, but he managed to lead all his men safely home.
69. Paula Radcliffe - Despite asthma and numerous injuries, she became a marathon world record holder.
70. Kris Carr - After being diagnosed with an incurable cancer, she turned her journey into a documentary and became a New York Times bestselling author.
71. John D. Rockefeller - Born into a modest family and having a conman for a father, he became one of the wealthiest individuals in history.
72. Desmond Tutu - Faced with apartheid in South Africa, he became a voice for justice and equality, winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
73. Bob Dylan - Despite facing criticism for his singing style and for going electric, he became one of the most influential musicians in history.
74. Usain Bolt - Overcame scoliosis to become the fastest man in the world.
75. Glenn Cunningham - Doctors thought he would never walk again after he was severely burned in a schoolhouse fire, but he became one of the greatest middle-distance runners in history.
76. Viktor Frankl - Survived the Holocaust and used his experiences to develop a new approach to psychotherapy.
77. Jonny Wilkinson - Despite numerous injuries, he helped England win the Rugby World Cup in 2003.
78. Dalai Lama - Has spent his life in exile but continues to spread his message of peace and compassion.
79. Sachin Tendulkar - Despite being bullied at school, he became one of the greatest cricketers in history.
80. Randy Pausch - After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he gave a motivational "Last Lecture" which has inspired millions.
81. Lance Armstrong - Despite being diagnosed with testicular cancer, he won the Tour de France seven consecutive times. However, he was later stripped of these titles due to doping.
82. Tupac Shakur - Despite a difficult upbringing, he became one of the most influential rappers of all time.
83. Richard Pimentel - After losing his hearing in the Vietnam War, he became a leading advocate for disability rights.
84. David Blaine - Overcame poverty to become a famous magician and endurance artist.
85. Katie Piper - Survived an acid attack to become a TV presenter and charity campaigner.
86. Eleanor Roosevelt - Despite a difficult childhood, she became a vocal human
87. Jesse Billauer - Despite being paralyzed in a surfing accident, he went on to become a World Champion quadriplegic surfer and motivational speaker.
88. Hawking Dawkins - Despite being born with a rare spinal condition, he went on to become a renowned theoretical physicist.
89. The Wright Brothers - Despite numerous failures and lack of support, they achieved the first powered flight.
90. Christiane Amanpour - Despite the dangers associated with being a war correspondent, she became one of the world's leading journalists.
91. Chris Burke - Despite being born with Down Syndrome, he became an accomplished actor and a spokesperson for the National Down Syndrome Society.
92. Tony Hawk - Despite injuries and criticisms, he became one of the greatest professional skateboarders in history.
93. Leonardo Da Vinci - Despite being born illegitimate and receiving an informal education, he became one of the greatest polymaths in history.
94. Billie Jean King - Despite sexism and discrimination, she became one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
95. Louis Zamperini - After surviving a plane crash in World War II, 47 days adrift in the Pacific, and two years in a Japanese POW camp, he became an inspirational speaker.
96. Chuck Close - Despite suffering from a neurological condition that prevents him from recognizing faces and being paralyzed later in life, he became one of the most prominent portrait artists of the 20th century.
97. Li Cunxin - Born into extreme poverty in rural China, he became one of the world's best ballet dancers.
98. Stephen Sutton - After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he raised millions for charity with his positive attitude and determination.
99. Soichiro Honda - Despite being turned down by Toyota for an engineering job, he went on to build his own engines and established the Honda Motor Company.
100. Ray Kroc - Despite numerous business failures and not founding McDonald's until he was 52, he turned it into the world's biggest fast-food franchise.