14. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In December 1935, while attempting to break the speed record for the Paris-to-Saigon flight, French aviator and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his mechanic, André Prévost, crashed in the Libyan desert. With limited supplies, they faced dehydration and hallucinations. On the fourth day, a Bedouin tribesman discovered them and provided life-saving assistance. This harrowing experience inspired Saint-Exupéry’s memoir, “Wind, Sand and Stars,” and influenced his novel “The Little Prince” (completefrance.com).
