Extraordinary People: Yoghurt Guru & King of the Beggars

Every day last week, I tried to pick up and follow the story of one person who has achieved something extraordinary. I ended up with the stories of three people who can be considered world changers. Their achievements required skill, effort, or at least an extra-DNA of courage.

Turkish Yoghurt Entrepreneur

Hamdu Ulukaya (pictured above), the founder of the Chobani Greek yoghurt brand taught Americans to eat yoghurts. His healthy products managed to compete with coconut water and all the commercial goods topping the supermarket shelves.

He says that the yoghurts the Americans had been eating for years were a farce, too weak and too sweet. He brought the Greek yoghurt to the US 15 years ago. Since then, Hamdu has become a millionaire and his company supplies 36% of all yoghurts sold in the US.

The World's Most Famous CIA Agent

Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old man without a university education got a job at the CIA thanks to his talent and computer skills. He then went on to leak millions of secret documents on top-secret NSA programmes to newspapers. Although intended as an anti-terrorist vigilance, the leaked surveillance methods being used by the US government collided with human rights.

Opinions all around the world differ on whether he is a hero or a traitor. However, thanks to him, people now know of the ‘big brother' societies they are living in. Upcoming days will determine whether Snowden's case will be the turning point in the campaign against the secret monitoring the people.

Beggar with £50,000 Income

Sitting on his sleeping bag with his dog, ‘beggar' Simon Wright preyed on the mercy of passers-by. But in reality, his annual income from begging was about £50,000 and he lived in a £300,000 flat in Fulham. He worked almost every day for three consecutive years on the lucrative Putney High Street and people from nearby shops confirmed that he would come daily to change £200 to £300 in coins for notes.

People from the local area are outraged, and if found guilty of fraud, he could spend a maximum of five years in prison.

Erik Redli is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. Read more of his posts here.

Share with friends