She was left alone in the Arctic ice for 2 years—with only a cat for company.
This is how Ada Blackjack survived.
In 1921, Ada Blackjack, a young Inuit mother desperate to provide for her ailing son, joined an Arctic expedition as a seamstress. She wasn’t an explorer, nor a hunter—just a woman trying to earn money.
The mission, led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, sought to claim Wrangel Island for Canada. Ada was the only woman, and the only Inuk among four white male explorers. When supplies ran low, the men set off for help across the ice… and never returned.
Ada was left behind with a dying teammate and a cat named Vic. Soon, it was just her and Vic—alone in subzero wilderness, 700 miles from help.
She taught herself to shoot a rifle.
She fended off polar bears with a knife.
She sewed her own mittens when her fingers froze.
She trapped foxes. Ate seal. Read the Bible aloud.
And through it all, Vic curled close to keep her warm.
Two years later, rescuers arrived. She was still alive. Thin. Worn. But unbroken.
The world nearly forgot her. The men got the headlines.
But today, we remember Ada Blackjack for what she was:
Just…wow! Look at that face - true grit and resolve etched all over it.
Also, Vic looks incredibly well cared for, given the odds of the unimaginable challenges she had to overcome.
Maddog said
Apr 16 3:15 PM, 2025
Now, I dont want to hear any of you womenfolk bitching about making dinner.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Syl said
Apr 16 4:01 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Now, I dont want to hear any of you womenfolk bitching about making dinner.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Sometimes I wonder why the womenfolk in your life haven't butchered and cooked you.
Anonymous said
Apr 16 4:04 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Now, I dont want to hear any of you womenfolk bitching about making dinner.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Sometimes I wonder why the womenfolk in your life haven't butchered and cooked you.
Too much gristle.
Maddog said
Apr 16 4:18 PM, 2025
Anonymous wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Now, I dont want to hear any of you womenfolk bitching about making dinner.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Sometimes I wonder why the womenfolk in your life haven't butchered and cooked you.
Too much gristle.
I'm melt in your mouth tender. Sorta like wagyu beef..
Anonymous said
Apr 16 5:15 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Now, I dont want to hear any of you womenfolk bitching about making dinner.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Sometimes I wonder why the womenfolk in your life haven't butchered and cooked you.
Too much gristle.
I'm melt in your mouth tender. Sorta like wagyu beef..
Fried or boiled?
Maddog said
Apr 16 7:20 PM, 2025
Anonymous wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Now, I dont want to hear any of you womenfolk bitching about making dinner.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Sometimes I wonder why the womenfolk in your life haven't butchered and cooked you.
Too much gristle.
I'm melt in your mouth tender. Sorta like wagyu beef..
Fried or boiled?
Only a Neanderthal would fry or boil wagyu..
Anonymous said
Apr 16 7:51 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Now, I dont want to hear any of you womenfolk bitching about making dinner.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Sometimes I wonder why the womenfolk in your life haven't butchered and cooked you.
Too much gristle.
I'm melt in your mouth tender. Sorta like wagyu beef..
Fried or boiled?
Only a Neanderthal would fry or boil wagyu..
Whoosh.
Syl said
Apr 18 4:08 PM, 2025
Amazing woman No2.
Maddog said
Apr 18 4:50 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Amazing woman No2.
Nah. She had some good genetics.
Anonymous said
Apr 18 5:17 PM, 2025
No. 3?
Henrietta Lacks. An African-American woman became an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her [cancer] cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.
"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.
Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than 20 years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family - past and present - is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of." Book: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Immortal-Life-Henrietta-Lacks/dp/0330533444
The book is well worth a read.
Syl said
Apr 18 5:27 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Amazing woman No2.
Nah. She had some good genetics.
Millions of women have good genetics.
They don't become an enigmatic icon and are still admired and lusted after the world over, 63 years after their death.
Magica said
Apr 18 5:37 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Amazing woman No2.
Nah. She had some good genetics.
Millions of women have good genetics.
They don't become an enigmatic icon and are still admired and lusted after the world over, 63 years after their death.
Beautiful 😁
Maddog said
Apr 18 5:51 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Amazing woman No2.
Nah. She had some good genetics.
Millions of women have good genetics.
They don't become an enigmatic icon and are still admired and lusted after the world over, 63 years after their death.
Nah, she was lucky too.
What exactly did she do that separates her from any other Hollywood actress?
Heck, your first female PM accomplished far more than her. Although I don't think she looked nearly as good naked..😉
Anonymous said
Apr 18 5:54 PM, 2025
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Amazing woman No2.
Nah. She had some good genetics.
Don't all beautiful people?
Maddog said
Apr 18 6:00 PM, 2025
If you were to say Marilyn was a tragedy (like say Amy Winehouse) I'd agree. I don't think that makes one amazing, but a victim of their own poor choices and demons..
Tough cookie..👍
What a woman.
Just…wow! Look at that face - true grit and resolve etched all over it.
Also, Vic looks incredibly well cared for, given the odds of the unimaginable challenges she had to overcome.
It's not like you have to hunt it, butcher it and find a way to cook it on the frozen tundra..😁
Sometimes I wonder why the womenfolk in your life haven't butchered and cooked you.
Too much gristle.
I'm melt in your mouth tender. Sorta like wagyu beef..
Fried or boiled?
Only a Neanderthal would fry or boil wagyu..
Whoosh.
Amazing woman No2.
Nah. She had some good genetics.
No. 3?
Henrietta Lacks. An African-American woman became an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her [cancer] cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s.
"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.
Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than 20 years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family - past and present - is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of." Book: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Immortal-Life-Henrietta-Lacks/dp/0330533444
The book is well worth a read.
Millions of women have good genetics.
They don't become an enigmatic icon and are still admired and lusted after the world over, 63 years after their death.
Beautiful 😁
Nah, she was lucky too.
What exactly did she do that separates her from any other Hollywood actress?
Heck, your first female PM accomplished far more than her. Although I don't think she looked nearly as good naked..😉
Don't all beautiful people?