- [Narrator] Patience is a
virtue, as the old saying goes, and there are some people
who demonstrate patience to an almost God-like level. Great works of art,
multinational business, world-beating athletic achievements: all of these require patience because feats like these can take
many years to achieve, and it's not always easy to know if you're succeeding at any given moment. Some people, however, are
patient for the wrong reasons, and I'll be taking a look at them too. So join me as I take a tour of some of the most patient people
the world has to offer. 10. Robert Shoesmith Back in August 2011,
British garbage collector and marketing whizz Robert
Shoesmith started waiting for the iPhone 4S to come out before it had even been announced. This involved camping
outside the Apple Store in London's Covent garden
during the highly changeable British summertime for over two months. Thanks to his tech-inspired patience, Mr Shoesmith managed to achieve a lot of corporate sponsorship
from companies like Cadburys, Skype, Mountain Dew,
Domino's Pizza, Innocent, Kleenex, Helly Hansen, Weight
Watchers, and Gillette. The phone was available to
buy on the 14th October 2011, but despite all of his
Robert's best efforts, he wasn't actually the first
to get his hands on the phone and was beaten by Ami
Yang from New Zealand. This just goes to show that patience doesn't always pay off, especially if you're
waiting for Apple tech. Mr Shoesmith did however
witness a smash-and-grab raid on the Apple Store on October 10th, so at least he got some
excitement out of the long wait. Shoesmith does, however,
have a more successful and more patient predecessor named... 9. Greg Packer Greg is what's known as a
'professional line sitter', and he is universally
recognised as the first man on earth to buy the first iPhone, which he achieved after
having camped outside the 5th Avenue Apple Store for four days. Greg was also the first
member of the public to shake George Bush Jr's hand when he was first inaugurated
and is known as one of the most quoted
people in American media, so much so that reporters
have been advised not to take quotes from him. Other names that have been attributed to the former highway
maintenance worker are 'man on the street' and the 'iLoser'. Stay patient, Greg. 8. Tendai Monks Have you ever thought
about doing a marathon? How about one marathon
per day for 100 days? How about one marathon per
day for 100 days each year for seven years, and
for the last two years you have to do two marathons per day? If you think that sounds impossible, you need to check out the Tendai monks and their insane Kaihōgyō practice. Kaihōgyō means 'circling the mountain' and it's a gruelling,
seven-year-long journey conducted for 100-200 days
a year by Tendai monks who wish to achieve
the title of dai-ajari, or living saint. Only 48 marathon monks have
completed the challenge since 1885, and the
stakes are pretty high: after the first 100 days,
if you don't manage to complete the required 30-60km per day, you're expected to kill yourself, and all monks participating
in the challenge must carry a knife and
a rope for this purpose. There's also a trial in the
fifth year of the practice called doiri where you
must chant 100,000 mantras for nine days without
food, water or sleep. If this practice isn't an
incredible example of patience, persistence, and training,
then I don't know what is. 7. William Reid Stowe This man is an American artist and mariner who claims to have completed
the longest continuous sea voyage without resupply
or stepping on land, which was 1,152 days long. Reid Stowe also broke the record for longest solo sea voyage
without resupply on day 964, after his wife, who had joined him for the first 306 days, had to leave the boat to give birth. Personally, I can't imagine
spending one month on a boat, let alone almost 3 years, so Reid Stowe's resilient patience seems very impressive to me. Sadly, none of Reid Stowe's
achievements have been officially recognized by the World Sailing Speed Record Council, because they are unable to
recognize 'human condition' categories because they
can be too expansive. Reid Stowe will be remembered
by endurance sailors around the world for his accolades, but what would you expect from someone who appears to be more fish than man? 6. David Blaine Being patient when you're
alone is one thing, but having patience when you're
suspended 30ft in the air in a plexiglass box scrutinized
by the general public is whole different ball game. Back in 2003, magician and
illusionist David Blaine showed incredible patience
and determination when he performed this Christ-like
feat of endurance, living in a transparent hanging box without food for 44 days. I mean, it's not like
he was in the desert, but it's impressive nonetheless. During the stunt, Blaine lost 60lbs and had symptoms of starvation, depleted bone and organ
mass, heart palpitations, breathing problems and
loss of skin pigmentation. Critics have said that it's
possible Blaine's 4.5 liter allowance of water per
day was laced with glucose and sodium supplements,
though no solid food for 44 days is still pretty astonishing. During the stunt, Blaine was harassed by the British public,
who pelted him with eggs, paint-filled balloons,
and even golf balls. One prankster even flew
a hamburger attached to a remote control
helicopter up to the box to taunt the starving artist. Whatever you think of this stunt, Blaine's patience was pushed
to the absolute limit, and in the end, he succeeded. 5. Colin Angus In July 2004, Colin Angus
became the first man ever to complete a self-propelled
circumnavigation of the world. He crossed two oceans, three
continents, and 13 countries, travelling either by foot,
canoe, rowboat or bicycle. His journey was beset with problems, like when his expedition
partner Tim Harvey left him in Siberia, or when he
had to be rescued from a high seas storm by a
Russian research vessel. Angus travelled around 43,000km,
or roughly 26,700 miles, to achieve this feat, which took almost two years to complete. The journey started by bike in Vancouver and took Colin through
Alaska, across the Bering Sea, along the length of Siberia, into Europe from Moscow to Portugal, then across the Atlantic to Costa Rica, after which they cycled the
8,300km back to Vancouver. A trip like this requires
unbelievable patience and determination as well as a high level of physical fitness,
which is why I think Colin deserves the title of one of the most patient people in the world. 4. Michelangelo Between 1508 and 1512, the
Florentine artist Michelangelo painted the breath-taking
and world-famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The complex and colourful
fresco is celebrated for its realistic figures, vast
size, and innovative process, but it also required a great deal of patience to complete. Every day for four years
Michelangelo would paint the ceiling atop a wood
platform that he built on a bracket attached to the side of the building's interior. The work was carried out
in extremely uncomfortable conditions because he
had to work with his head tilted upwards for long periods. The result of his patience
and skill was a work of art that has lasted
for more than 500 years and is appreciated by thousands of visitors every single day. Another particularly patient
artist was Auguste Rodin, who spent 37 years creating his monumental sculptural piece The Gates of Hell, which depicts a scene from the Inferno, the first section of
Dante's Divine Comedy. The intimidating work
stands at 6 metres high, is 4 metres wide and 1 metre deep, and contains 180 individual figurines. 3. Injured Brits In the UK in 2018, Sylvia
Marsh, a 79-year-old woman fell and broke her hip on the
pavestones in her back yard. Despite frequent calls from her family to the emergency services,
an ambulance did not arrive to help her for three and a half hours. By that time the woman
was freezing and shaking, and her arm had gone numb. The overstretched
Ambulance Service in the UK also left four people waiting
for more than 50 hours, and on one call the Welsh
Ambulance Service took over 62 hours to respond. Many of these are extreme
cases, but the average time it takes in the UK for
an ambulance to respond is over 120 minutes,
which wouldn't be ideal if you had a gunshot wound. Still, with ambulance
rides in the Unites States costing anywhere between
400 and 2700 dollars, at least in the UK it pays
to be a little more patient. 2. Man with an arrow in his chest In February of 2015, a
picture surfaced on Reddit of a man waiting patiently
for medical attention with an arrow sticking out of his chest. He appears to be smiling,
and his son is sitting next to him, holding the
bow, apparently guilty. The image is amazing,
and it's truly an emblem of exactly what it means to be patient. Why does the kid have a
bow in the hospital though? And why does he appear to
have only three fingers on his right hand? Many questions were raised as
a result of this photograph, so reddit user
Riotsquad9000 made an appeal to the original poster for answer. Fortunately, the original
poster tuttibossi did eventually reply, and
revealed that yes, it's fake, and he took the picture
of the set of a commercial for an insurance company. Nevertheless, it's a funny idea, and I think we can all
take a little inspiration from this image of saint-like patience. As an honourable mention let's take a look at one of the most patient
animals in the world... This Man's Dog. In a display of faithfulness, loyalty and unerring patience, this man's trusty hound
appears more than happy to keep the time-bendingly slow pace set by his elderly owner. The dog doesn't tug or bark,
instead taking its time and sticking close to its owner. For those who truly believe that dogs are man's best friend, the
footage of this patient pooch is more than enough proof of that, and it might also bring a tear to the eye. Anyway, let's get back to humans, and take a look a look at possibly the most astonishing act of patience. 1. Scott Weaver If you've ever made a
sculpture out of toothpicks, you'll know that it's a painstaking task that takes a great deal of concentration, a steady hand, and most of all, patience. Well, patience is something
Scott Weaver has in buckets. Scott's day job is a grocery store clerk, but when he takes his apron
off at the end of the day, he becomes one of the world's
greatest toothpick sculptors. Scott has made all kinds of different large-scale
sculptures out of toothpicks, but perhaps his most inspiring work is a 9-foot-tall replica
of San Francisco called Rolling Through The Bay. It took Scott 35 years and
more than 100,000 toothpicks to create this masterpiece
that meticulously represents famous landmarks and destinations
from the City by the Bay. This video demonstrates the
kinetic aspect of the sculpture, which involves 5 different
pathways along which balls can roll through the city,
travelling past famous landmarks like the Transamerica Pyramid
and the Rice A Roni cable car. Scott admits that there are in fact a few toothpick sculptures
that are larger than his one, but none of them have
the kinetic qualities that Rolling Through The Bay does. Scott's patience has enabled him to build some incredible pieces of work, and he stands as a shining example of someone who has
brought joy to their life through working on something
little by little, every day. Even this questionable hat, Anyone else really want to
see this thing set alight? Sorry Scott, but I think it
would be a sight to behold. So, do you think you
have more patience than any of these people? And what was the most patient
thing you've ever done? Let me know in the comments section below. As always, thanks for watching,
and see you next time!
