Batman, in the comics, survived having his spine broken by Bane. Rasputin, per reputation, survived multiple deadly attacks before finally succumbing. Neither of them measure up to Wenseslao Moguel.
Moguel was a fighter under Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution, and was captured after the Battle of Celaya by the Constitutionalists. In an effort to prevent internal uprisings, captured rebel fighters were typically killed. That was to be Moguel’s fate, sentenced to death without the opportunity for a trial.
He was lined up against a wall and shot by the nine Constitutionalist army riflemen of a Mexican firing squad. As he lay on the ground, the presiding officer walked over and delivered the coup de grace, a final shot to his head.
Then they left, moving onward to other military duties. It was unthinkable that a man could be shot ten times – once in the head – and not only still be alive, but be able to remain still through the pain in an effort to convince his killers that he was dead. Unthinkable, but true.
After they had departed, he crawled away to get medical attention. Not only did he survive, he flourished, telling his story more than twenty years later on the Ripley’s Belive It Or Not radio show in 1937. He had significant facial injuries due to the gunshot wound and bullet scars across his body, but he was alive and had cemented his place as one of the toughest men in history.
Here’s a song about him, from a previously mentioned Night Owl:
Question of the night: Who’s the toughest man or woman you’ve met, and why?
