Heroes Who Died Protecting Precious Knowledge

If the forces of hatred and stupidity have their way the world will be bombed back to the Stone Age where ignorance will be the norm and violence mongers and religious zealots will reign supreme.

Luckily there are plenty of brave and intelligent people like Khaled Al-Asaad and the Monuments Men who are willing to fight, and if needed die, to preserve humanity's stores of knowledge and culture.

Modern heroism doesn't come much more direct than the bravery exhibited by Khaled Al-Asaad, the Syrian archaeologist who remained at the site of the ancient city of Palmyra to protect it from ISIL.

Khaled stayed until the bitter end stashing the historical artifacts discovered in the city, and he ultimately gave up his life concealing their whereabouts from the forces of stupidity.

And speaking of stupidity- the Nazis, those jerks who acted like they were changing the world for the better when all they were really doing is killing and destroying for the sake of Der Fuhrer's stupid cause.

The smart men and women from the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Program had one simple mission- rescue important works of art from the Nazi fire.

However, this was easier said than done during wartime, which British historian Ronald Belfour discovered when he was killed by a shell burst while moving parts of a medieval altarpiece behind enemy lines. 

Huchthausen was similarly killed in action while trying to protect a cache of priceless art, and even though he was gunned down before the art could be moved soldiers were later able to locate and save it all thanks to his hard work.

Read Unreal Heroes Who Died Protecting Human Knowledge here