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John Goddard Createst his 'Life List'
On John Goddard's fifteenth birthday, he decided to write a list of 127 things he wanted to do before he died. His list included things he wanted to: explore, study, climb, photograph, explore underwater, visit, swim in, and accomplish. -
John's Time in the War
When John turned eighteen, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and was stationed in Foggia, Italy with the 15th Air Force 463 Bomber Squadron for three years. After serving in World War II and receiving numerous honors, he established records as a civilian jet pilot, including a speed record of 1,500 mph in the F-111 Fighter-Bomber, and an altitude record of 63,000 feet in the F-106 Delta Dart. -
First Accomplishment
Jon went to the Nile, and in a grueling 4,160 mile, nine month kayaking expedition which the Los Angeles Times called "the most amazing adventure of this generation.", he became the first man in history to ever explore the length of length of the longest river He was attacked by viscious hippos and crocodiles, bitten by a poisonous snake, and shot at by river pirates but he survived. -
Next Checkoffs
After the ar, John Goddard searched the entire length of the Congo River all alone by kayak. He scaled the Matterhorn in a raging blizzard after several professional guides refused to go along, and explored the Amazon River by himself. -
More Accomplishments
John navigated the length of the Congo and Colorado River. He re-traced the journeys of Marco Polo and Alexandar the Great. He took photographs big moments throughout the trips. -
Cultures he Studied
By 1954, he studied the cultures of the Congo, New Guinea, Brazil, Borneo, the Sudan, Australia, Kenya, the Philipinnes, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Alaska. He learnt the cultures and lived in some for up to a week. In a video, Goddard explains that when he interacted with primitive cultures in rural parts of the globe, he left behind any pretenses and stereotypes and always tried to become one of them. -
John's Recalls his Favourite Events so far
John accomlished studying Navaho and Hopi Indians, learned to fly a plane and rode a horse in a Rose Parade. He enjoyed photographing Yosemite, Niagara, Victoria and Sutherland Falls. He loved when he explored Okefenokee Swamp, and the Everglades. His favourite visiting moments were the Great Wall of China, Blue Grotto, Tower of London and the Dead Sea. He also circumnavigated the globe four times, and caught a ten pound lobster. -
Swimming
By September of 1955, John swam in Lake Victoria, Lake Suerior, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Titicaca, and Lake Nicaragua. When John went deep sea diving and running rapids, he almost drowned four times. -
Personal Achievments
On John's list he put a bunch of achievements he wanted to accomlish for himself. There are fifty four, and he accomplised forty nine of them. His favourites are: travel through the Grand Canyon on foot and by boat, live to see the 21st century, marry and have children, explore depts of the sea, build own telecope, write a book, run a mile in five minutes, high jump five feet, and milk a poisinous snake. -
Mountains Climbed
By the time John was 32, he had climbed mountains many people could only dream of scaling. He climbed Mt. Huascaran, Peru,Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Ararat, Turkey, Mt. Kenya, Mt. Cook, New Zealand, Mt. Popocatepetl,
Mexico, The Matterhorn, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Fuji, Mt. Vesuvius, Mt. Bromo, Java, Grand Tetons, and Mt. Baldy, California.