Roy Sullivan, Human Lightning Rod

Between 1942 and 1977, U.S. park ranger Roy Sullivan of Shenandoah National Park survived seven separate lightning strikes, more than any other person in recorded history. Each strike left him with fresh injuries, from burned hair and seared shoulders to blown-off shoes, singed eyebrows, and scars that accumulated over three and a half decades of working outdoors.

He kept returning to duty in the park despite the growing legend that storms seemed to “find” him, earning him the nickname “the human lightning rod.” Sullivan ultimately died in 1983 by suicide, but his record of surviving seven lightning strikes still stands.

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