Vesna Vulović

Vesna Vulović was a flight attendant, which means she helped people on airplanes. One day, her plane had a big problem! An explosion made the plane break apart high in the sky.

Vesna fell a super, super long way, like falling from the tippy-top of a giant skyscraper many times over! But guess what? She survived!

It’s like falling off the tallest slide at the playground and landing perfectly safe. She is famous for surviving the highest fall ever without a parachute.

Vesna fell from about 33,333 feet! That's higher than any mountain you can imagine, and way, way higher than a tall building. She was the only person on the plane who survived the crash. When she woke up, she had lots of boo-boos, like broken bones, but she was so brave. Even though she fell so far, she wasn't even scared of flying afterwards! That’s pretty amazing, right?

Because Vesna survived such an incredible fall, everyone thought she was super special. She became a hero in her country, Yugoslavia. Even though she was hurt, she wanted to keep flying, but the airplane company gave her a different job in the office. People loved her story and thought she was very strong. She showed everyone that even after something scary, you can be brave and strong.

Later in her life, Vesna made other brave choices. She stood up for what she believed in, even when it was hard. She wanted her country to be a good place for everyone. Even though she lived a quiet life at the end, her story of surviving the fall and being brave is remembered by many people. She is a true inspiration!