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Is This the Most Interesting Opening Paragraph Wikipedia's Ever Published?
Foreign Policy ^ | Thursday, July 11, 2013 | Elias Groll

Posted on 07/11/2013 1:25:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Most Interesting Man in the World, meet your match.

On Sunday, Twitter user Matthew Barrett created something of a sensation by linking to the obscure Wikipedia biography of the British army officer Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart. His tweet -- "This guy surely has the best opening paragraph of any Wikipedia biography ever" -- has been retweeted more than 3,200 times over the past several days.

So just how mind-blowing is the introduction? Judge for yourself:

Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart[1] VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO (5 May 1880 - 5 June 1963), was a British Army officer of Belgian and Irish descent. He fought in the Boer War, World War I, and World War II, was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip and ear, survived a plane crash, tunneled out of a POW camp, and bit off his own fingers when a doctor wouldn't amputate them. He later said "frankly I had enjoyed the war." [2]

On Twitter, some are simply in awe, while others are pointing out that the rest of the bio is pretty stellar too:

(Excerpt) Read more at blog.foreignpolicy.com ...


TOPICS: History; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: dude; rolemodel; soldier
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1 posted on 07/11/2013 1:25:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

An eyepatch and a moustache? The manliness is overpowering!


2 posted on 07/11/2013 1:29:14 PM PDT by Boogieman
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To: Boogieman

He has me shaken AND stirred!


3 posted on 07/11/2013 1:30:36 PM PDT by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: nickcarraway

He Kept Calm & Chived on - KCCO


4 posted on 07/11/2013 1:34:53 PM PDT by NativeSon ( Grease the floor with Crisco when I dance the Disco)
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To: nickcarraway

His favorite bar had human ears nailed to the wall. He would ride a grizzly bear to this bar to enjoy his favorite libation: a ‘Brain Seizure.’


5 posted on 07/11/2013 1:35:19 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives.)
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To: nickcarraway

In the movie someone should’ve made about him he could’ve been played by Tom Selleck!


6 posted on 07/11/2013 1:35:57 PM PDT by MeganC (A gun is like a parachute. If you need one, and don't have one, you'll never need one again.)
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To: nickcarraway

When you click on the link, a popup covers the material and will not go away unless you “sign up.” No thanks.


7 posted on 07/11/2013 1:36:18 PM PDT by Nea Wood (When life gets too hard to stand, kneel.)
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To: nickcarraway

I read his bio on Wikipedia.

I’m pretty sure this gentleman was a hitherto unknown series of Terminator.


8 posted on 07/11/2013 1:37:54 PM PDT by AnAmericanAbroad (It's all bread and circuses for the future prey of the Morlocks.)
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To: MeganC
In the movie someone should’ve made about him he could’ve been played by Tom Selleck!

i was thinking why hasn't this guy's life story been made into a movie?

The only book about him that I could find on Amazon was his autobiography. Seems strange that some historian hasn't written a book about him given all of his exploits.
9 posted on 07/11/2013 1:41:58 PM PDT by Ticonderoga34
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To: Nea Wood

I can’t do much about that but go to the Wikipedia page.


10 posted on 07/11/2013 1:42:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

It doesn’t say what kind of beer he drinks....


11 posted on 07/11/2013 1:48:10 PM PDT by glorgau
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To: nickcarraway

The British Chuck Norris?


12 posted on 07/11/2013 1:48:46 PM PDT by Spruce
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To: AnAmericanAbroad
Wikipedia link
13 posted on 07/11/2013 1:50:36 PM PDT by glorgau
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To: nickcarraway

Doesn’t compare to Harry Flashman’s record.


14 posted on 07/11/2013 1:51:05 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: nickcarraway

Dude was pretty hard core.


15 posted on 07/11/2013 1:52:08 PM PDT by Skooz (Gabba Gabba we accept you we accept you one of us Gabba Gabba we accept you we accept you one of us)
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To: Nea Wood

wikipedia his name.....very interesting gentleman


16 posted on 07/11/2013 1:55:28 PM PDT by Shamrock498
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To: Nea Wood

Sometime, if you Google the title, you can get the article without signing up.


17 posted on 07/11/2013 1:57:35 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: Nea Wood

Sometime, if you Google the title, you can get the article without signing up.


18 posted on 07/11/2013 1:57:35 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: Spruce

“Chuck Norris wishes...” /Sheldon Cooper


19 posted on 07/11/2013 1:59:55 PM PDT by Calvin Locke
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To: glorgau

“Stay thirsty, my friends.”


20 posted on 07/11/2013 2:07:08 PM PDT by Corey Ohlis (Visualize Swirled Peas)
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