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We all know the tale of Robin Hood; the man who, along with his gang of merry men, made a name for himself through stealing from the wealthy and giving to the needy. It’s a classic story of anti-capitalism, with uplifting subject matters on how the underprivileged will also be given a preventing chance if the fitting anti-hero lends them an altruistic hand.
Many amongst us have imagined ourselves as our personal variations of Robin Hood, with our ninja-like stealth, overwhelming air of secrecy and gang of dependable fans. We pictured the lower-class wearing us on our backs in a parade as we shower them with gold trinkets and jewels. These days, that more or less thing is absolute best left within the realm of fantasy, what with the FBI and NSA having absolutely zero tolerance for Robin Hoodery of any type. Sleep tight, rich readers, you’re kind of protected from altruistic vigilantism. Still, it’s a nice thing to dream about.
Whether an altruistic burglar named Robin Hood actually existed in history is inconclusive. Fact or fiction, historians don't know. What they do know is that there were several circumstances of real people who lived their lives in the similar approach the Robin Hood of folklore lived his. Maybe the tale used to be impressed by one of these cases, maybe now not. Maybe we’ll by no means to find out. Regardless, the stories themselves stand alone as impressive, selfless and (on occasion) uplifting.
15. Dr. Ozel Clifford Brazil
Physically stealing from the rich and giving to the needy isn’t the one way for one to be considered a logo of Robin Hood. A Robin Hood in the twentieth century can resort to something a little extra summary, like financial-aid fraud, for instance, in order to earn the title. Such is the case of Dr. Ozel Clifford Brazil, a Los Angeles resident native to Detroit. Brazil’s induction into the Robin Hood hall of reputation is because of the super financial reduction he granted hundreds of inner-city African American teenagers — on the expense of the U.S. executive. Ozel acted as mentor to those teens — who differently would have had dim possibilities for further education — and aided their families in acquiring economic relief in order that they would be capable of attend school. Brazil put a dent in Big Money’s checking account in order that a mass of underprivileged formative years might be given a possibility at making their dreams come true.
14. Basil The Blessed
Basil the Blessed went by way of a number of names; Basil, Wonderworker of Moscow; Basil, fool for Christ; or Blessed Basil of Moscow, fool for Christ. He earned each and every of those monikers through his lifetime of fine deeds mirroring the selflessness of Mr. Jesus Christ. Born to serfs in 1468 or 1469 near Moscow, Basil the Blessed was once in the beginning an apprentice shoemaker earlier than becoming a famend, charitable shoplifter. He would steal from the grasping shop owners and supply their products to the needy, which brought him great popularity in the lower-class Moscow neighborhood. His nice deeds ultimately lead him to being thought to be a Russian Orthodox saint, for his altruistic accomplishments that were not conventionally Christian but nonetheless essentially human. As a fascinating apart, Saint Basil was said to own the ability of seeing into the long run, having predicted the Great Fire of Moscow in 1547, as well as his fair share of deaths.
13. Nakamura Jirokichi
Japanese folks hero Nakamura Jirokichi lived between 1797 and 1831 in Edo (present-day Tokyo). He used to be given the unlucky nickname of Nezumi Kozō (that means ‘rat boy’) because of his famed exploits as a sly thief. Jirokichi had two lives — he was once a firefighter and laborer by way of day, and a thief by means of evening. His crafty allowed him many nights of undisturbed robbery for some time, however he was eventually arrested on August 8. 1831, at which level he confessed to stealing over 30,000 ryo (a huge sum of money, inflation thought to be) from over 100 feudal lords. The authorities didn’t set up to recuperate any of the cash, which rooted the legend that Jirokichi had given it all out to the poor. He was executed, in fact. So it goes. In a last act of humanity, on the other hand, Jirokichi had delivered divorce papers to his better halves earlier than being arrested, in order that they would not sign up for him in his execution — as was normal again then.
12. Pablo Escobar
(*15*) used to be a infamous Colombian drug lord and trafficker. Born in Colombia in December 1, 1941 and death famously in his house country on December 2, 1993, Escobar was the only man most accountable for imposing cocaine into the tradition of the United States, supplying an estimated 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the U.S. at the height of his profession. His legacy was once built on a foundation of habit as well as each direct and indirect death, and Escobar is and was regarded as by means of many to be an emissary of evil. However, during his top years, Escobar used to be regarded as a hero to the deficient of Medellin, Colombia. He consistently dispensed money to the lower class through civic activities reminiscent of housing projects; he subsidized kids’s soccer groups and was once chargeable for the construction of faculties, church buildings and hospitals in western Colombia. Devil to the world, maybe, however in the town of Medellin, for a brief time period, Escobar was once seen by means of many as more angel than satan.
11. Pancho Villa
Francisco “Pancho” Villa was once born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula on 5 June, 1878 in Durango, Mexico. He was a key figure in the Mexican Revolution, being credited with necessary victories that lead to the defeat of Victoriano Huerta and Porfirio Diaz. It’s stated that Villa’s career as an outlaw started after he shot a person who had attacked his sister. His reputation varies according to who tells the tale; Villa has been described as a merciless assassin who made it a point to torture his sufferers, as well as a just right man who had his heart out for the poor. Villa and his gang would purportedly scouse borrow money, corn and cattle from rich haciendas and distribute their winnings to the Mexican poor. He was once also known to donate generously to orphanages and children’s charities. During his time as governor of the state of Chihuahua, Villa established and maintained insurance policies in particular assisting the lower class. Bloodstained even though his legacy is, Villa is marked down in history as a man who at all times had a place in his center for the underprivileged.
10. Juraj Jánošík
Born January 1688 in Slovaka, Juraj Jánošík used to be a Slovak highwayman who would in the end transform a people hero of legend in East-Central Europe. Out of all of the historical figures on this record, Jánošík possibly resembled the nature of Robin Hood probably the most, thru his character as well as his procedures. Shortly after being captured through the Hapsburg military, Jánošík was once despatched to jail, the place he met a bandit named Tomáš Uhorčík. They escaped together, and went directly to shape a group of bandits made out of over 30 men. Lead by way of Jánošík, the crew would ambush wealthy travellers along rural roads, take them for all they have, and percentage the bulk of the earnings with the Slovakian poor. Jánošík made it a point to head about the robberies non-violently, and he loved a short lived few years of good fortune earlier than being captured and carried out. He even had a catchphrase that spelled positive theft for any person who heard it: “Stop! Your soul belongs to God and your cash belongs to me!”
9. Salvatore Giuliano
Salvatore Giuliano used to be born on 16 November 1922 in Montelepre, Sicily. He completed prominence in the cultural mess that followed the Allied invasion of Sicily in World War 2. Known in his time as a bandit in Italy and within the legends that followed as a flamboyant, charismatic felony, Giuliano reportedly had 600 other folks underneath his command who stole from the rich and disbursed their income some of the poor. His character is said to have impressed Mario Puzo’s character of Michael Corleone in The Godfather and The Sicilian, both movie and e-book versions. His finish got here in 1950, when a 2,000-officer activity force allegedly situated the bandit and killed him. Allegedly, this is — many that know the story of Salvatore Giuliano say that the overall shootout was an elaborate stage, and that Giuliano had his personal loss of life faked. Anyway, if that was certainly where Giuliano met his finish, it might make him an obfuscated inductee of the 27 Club.
8. Leonarda Emilia
Leonarda Emilia (1842-1873) was once a tender woman from Mexico, primarily based within the state of Querétaro. Her lover was once a French soldier who used to be captured and sentenced to execution. Despite Emilia’s letters to the officials begging them to spare the soldier’s life, he used to be shot anyway. Big mistake, because this lead to some of the exceptional revenge sprees in Mexican historical past. Emilia assumed a brand new id, La Carambada, which means that “The Amazing Lady.” She become a form of vigilante of the technology, leading an outlaw band that stole from rich vacationers and shared the income with the poor. Emilia additionally killed corrupt officials and executive troops who stood in her means. So it goes. Hers is a tale of altruism in addition to revenge, finally. Just to shove it in their face, Emilia loved flashing her breasts to her male sufferers after robbing them. In the hyper-manly Mexican tradition of the ones days, that was once a real kick in the cojones.
7. Kayamkulum Kochunni
Kayamkulum Kochunni was a legendary bandit energetic in India within the early nineteenth century. A devout Muslim who visited his local mosque 5 times a day, Kochunni had a solemn view at the ‘legitimacy’ of the Indian cash gadget, his deficient upbringing main him to increase a skeptical view on moneylenders, landlords and misers. So, in true bandit style, he took manners into his own fingers, taking up a life of freeway robbery in Central Travancore. Like the opposite Robin Hood kindred spirits in this listing, Kochunni is alleged to have stolen from the rich and handed his earnings on to the lower class. He used to be in the end arrested, after which level he died in prison. However, his exploits and passing result in an ideal legacy for Kochunni, which incorporates several songs and films, as well as a shrine dedicated to his title, the place locals go away humble offerings of candles, areca nut, tobacco and ganja.
6. Jake Bugg
Young prodigal indie people singer Jake Bugg was once born Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy Bugg in Nottingham, England, on 28 February, 1994. Notable for his musical accomplishments in spite of his young age, Bugg may be enticing in some Robin Hoodery of his own, albeit with a few sunglasses extra legitimacy. Through his aptly named Robin Hoody Foundation, Bugg provides reduction to the musical systems in financially suffering colleges by means of providing them musical tools and paying for practice session house. He funds this undertaking through taking (we’ll use the term ‘take’ right here, since it’s a semantic cousin of the time period ‘steal,’ making Bugg at least mildly suitable for this listing) cash from advertisers and reallocating it (with the advertiser’s consent) to the foundation. “So after we do an advert they usually need to pay us,” Bugg says, “we ask if it could be conceivable to have some money for the Foundation. If they agree, it’s a real incentive to do the advert for them.”
5. John Dillinger
Infamous American thug John Herbert Dillinger used to be born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 22, 1903. Infamous for his extensive banditry and his two important get away missions from jail, Dillinger is renowned by means of many as one in all American historical past’s largest criminals, and by some as a Robin Hood of his generation. Although his intentions weren’t fully charitable (data indicate he used to be intent on maintaining a positive symbol and receiving toughen from his group), Dillinger dispensed a portion of his proceedings to the lower-class. This passed off all over the American Depression, when occasions had been at their roughest, so the aid was once definitely welcome by those that received it. Actor Johnny Depp, who played Dillinger within the 2009 movie Public Enemies, had this to say about the bandit: "Some people might disagree, but I think he was a real-life Robin Hood. I mean, the guy wasn’t completely altruistic, but he went out of his way not to kill anybody. He definitely gave a lot of that money away. I love the guy.”
4. Boss Yu
One of the more recent Robin Hoods on this list, a man known to his friends and associates as “Boss Yu” was a celebrated philanthropist who was not seen as malicious by the public eye until he was arrested on burglary charges in December, 2014. Yu was known to donate to charity organizations and local welfare houses, all the while maintaining a lavish lifestyle for himself. Following his arrest, it was concluded that Yu had stolen over $80,000 worth of property (including items such as rings, tablet computers, bracelets and gold necklaces) from residents of high-rise buildings. It was also discovered that Yu had treated himself to five-star hotels while he went about his business of high time thievery. His altruistic deeds are enough for us to give him a pass for that, even though a shallow, luxurious lifestyle is no way to remain incognito while you’re trying to be a modern day Robin Hood.
3. Ustym Karmaliuk
Born on March 10, 1787, Ustym Karmaliuk is a folk hero who is commonly known as the “Ukrainian Robin Hood.” Unlike others on this list, Karmaliuk had a bigger political picture in mind, and was more of a revolutionary than a thief. Rather than simply hand the lower-class money and goods, Karmaliuk organized a peasant rebellion that grew steadily between 1814 and 1835, eventually numbering over 20,000 peasants. The peasants and rebel bands he organized targeted wealthy landowners and merchants specifically, and they stole from these upper-class people both as sustenance and as revenge for exploiting them. During his time as revolutionary leader, Karmaliuk organized over 1000 raids on the wealthy estates of the region, and all profits were distributed among the poor. If that’s not Robin Hood on an exaggerated scale, we don’t know what is. After evading escape several times, he was finally killed by a nobleman during an ambush in 1835.
2. Twm Siôn Cati
The mysterious Twm Siôn Cati is a prominent character in Welsh folklore who is popularly described as the Welsh Wizard. Not much is known of his background, but he is thought to have been born around Tregaron, Wales, around 1530. In the folk tales, Twm is a remarkably cunning con man who did indeed rob from the rich, but only seemed to give to the poor when he found some sort of entertainment in it. In one tale, a poor man asked Twm to help him steal a pitcher. Twm agreed, and together they found the merchant they would con the pitcher from. With the poor man unseen behind the merchant’s back, Twn distracted the merchant by saying one of the pitchers had a hole in it. The man denied this, so Twm put his hand inside the pitcher to prove his point. The merchant was still unconvinced, so Twm said, “How, if there was no hole, could I have put my hand inside?” Presumably the merchant began cursing Twm for being an ironic bastard, but by this time the poor man had escaped with his pitcher of choice.
1. Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly is regarded by many to be Australia’s truest version of Robin Hood, and regarded by others to be a bloodthirsty villain. Regardless, he has earned his status as folk legend, which most of us aren’t able to say of ourselves. Born of Irish descent in Victoria, Australia in December, 1854, the visual of Kelly in an armoured suit is a staple of Australian folklore, and the story of his last shootout is legendary. As it goes, Kelly and his gang were fighting a losing battle inside the Glenrowan Hotel. In a last-ditch attempt, Kelly donned a suit of armour and charged at the cops (who severely outnumbered him), shouting, “Fire away, you bastards! You can’t hurt me.” The charge seemed like it was going to work, but unfortunately Kelly was shot in an exposed part of his leg and went down, at which point the officers came upon him. He was subsequently put to trial, was found guilty and was hung. So it goes.
Sources: history.com, italiantribune.com, thestar.co.uk
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