29. The man with Iron Fist dies of yellow fever
Henri de Tonti and his iron fist tell another story of an extraordinary moment in history. Born in the mid-1600s in Naples, Henry later joined the French Army. It was in battle that he suffered the injury that earned him the nickname “Iron Fist.” After losing his hand in a grenade explosion, he was fitted with an iron hook to replace it. His accomplishments were not slowed by his military given disability. He went on to be part of more expeditions, threaten the Iroquois and die of yellow fever in what is now Alabama.