<ul class="summary-list"><li>Diana Nyad's historic long-distance swim from Cuba to Florida is the focus of the Netflix film "Nyad."</li><li>Since then, Nyad has kept busy by writing op-eds and co-founding a walking initiative. </li></ul><p>Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad's story is back in the spotlight thanks to the Netflix biopic and awards season contender "Nyad."</p><p>Nyad is best known for being the first person to successfully <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/video/diana-nyad-completes-historic-cuba-to-florida-swim/50E05BE1-6192-4037-B5B2-AE2F3E818BC6">swim</a> 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. She completed the feat at age 64 on September 2, 2013, after five attempts.</p><p>The athlete's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diana-nyad-cheating-conspiracy-theory-2013-9">milestone achievement</a> has been mired in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/sports/questions-and-doubt-after-a-record-swim-from-cuba-to-florida.html">controversy</a> since then, with some people<strong> </strong>questioning its legitimacy and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.openwaterswimming.com/wowsa-advisory-boards-decision-on-diana-nyads-2013-cuba-to-florida-swim/">World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA)</a> refusing to ratify her crossing. Nyad <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/marathon-swimmer-nyad-rebuts-her-skeptics-insists-feat-was-squeaky-flna8c11134626">insisted</a> that she didn't cheat to complete her noteworthy swim. </p><p>Here's what Nyad has been up to in the years since her landmark crossing of the Florida Straits.</p><h2>Nyad has written op-eds and co-founded the initiative EverWalk</h2><div type="image" title="Diana Nyad attends the &quot;Swim for Relief&quot; benefiting Hurricane Sandy recovery at Herald Square on October 10, 2013, in New York City." height="1997" width="3000" msid="108337094" hostid="261" sizebytes="469876"></div><p>In recent years, Nyad has written for publications like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/opinion/ocean-temperature-climate-change.html">The New York Times</a> and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/28/simone-biles-diana-nyad-olympics-gymnastics-withdrawal/">Washington Post</a>.</p><p>Nyad <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/02/10/diana-nyad-profile-cuba-florida-swim">previously</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/swimmer-diana-nyad-opens-up-about-her-sexual-abuse-video">alleged</a> that her swim coach, Jack Nelson, sexually abused her when she was 14 years old. She wrote about the effects of the alleged assault in a 2017 essay for the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/opinion/diana-nyad-sexual-assault.html">NY Times</a> and said that she experienced "years of covert molestation." No charges were filed against Nelson, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/sports/jack-nelson-swimmings-version-of-a-chess-master-dies-at-82.html">who died in 2014</a>.</p><p>Nyad competed on season 18 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2014. She was paired with professional dancer Henry Byalikov and got eliminated during week two of the competition.</p><p>In 2016, Nyad and Bonnie Stoll, her coach and longtime friend, co-founded the national walking initiative EverWalk. The pair remain close, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3OBsV0O28v/">traveling the world together</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2searyPyJc/?">competing in tennis tournaments</a>.</p><h2>Nyad's 2015 memoir 'Find a Way' inspired the Netflix biopic 'Nyad'</h2><div type="image" title="Annette Bening and Diana Nyad speaking onstage during Netflix's &quot;Nyad&quot; LA Tastemaker event at NeueHouse Hollywood on January 5, 2024 in Hollywood, California." height="1692" width="2256" msid="108337096" hostid="261" sizebytes="321950"></div><p>Nyad's memoir "Find a Way" was adapted into a feature film released on the streamer in early November, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. "Nyad" stars Annette Bening as Nyad and Jodie Foster as Stoll. Both actors are nominated for awards at the upcoming <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-2024-nominations-winners-list-2024-1">Oscars</a>.</p><p>Nyad has been supportive of the film during awards season, attending screenings with the cast and appearing at events like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thewrap.com/diana-nyad-jodie-foster-power-women-summit-2023/">TheWrap's Power Women Summit</a>.</p>

Where is Diana Nyad now? Everything to know about the athlete at the center of Netflix's biopic 'Nyad' 

<p><div class="image-container full"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/522dff2deab8eaf81322b6b2-1200-783/diana-nyad-swimming.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="diana nyad swimming" width="800" /><p class="source on-image">REUTERS</p></div></div></p>
<p>In the wake of 64-year-old <keyword id="783631" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Diana-Nyad">Diana Nyad</keyword> completing her life-long dream of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/diana-nyad-completes-103-mile-swim-from-cuba-to-florida-2013-9">swimming the 110 miles</a> between Cuba and Florida, some hardcore open-water swimmers are saying <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/diana-nyad-cheating-accusations-2013-9">she had to have cheated</a>.</p>
<p>The criticism is mainly coming from some people on <a href="http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad/p">a MarathonSwimming.org message board</a>.</p>
<p>Based on GPS data that showed a spike in average speed during the middle portion of her swim, commenters believe that Nyad didn't swim the whole way, and perhaps even rode on her support boat for a few hours.</p>
<p>Nyad and her team deny those accusations, and say the speed boost was caused by a rare and beneficial confluence of ocean currents, which scientists agree could have helped her double her average speed.</p>
<p>A Marathon <keyword id="13988" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Swimming">Swimming</keyword> commenter named Andrew Malinaka (an open-water swimmer himself) has spearheaded the movement to analyze the authenticity of Nyad's swim.</p>
<p>Using an application called Firebug, Malinaka <a href="http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad/p3">ripped a bunch of code</a> and GPS coordinates of Nyad's website to make this map of the route she took. The yellow line is her path from Havana to Key West, and she went from south to north:</p>
<p><div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/522df251ecad04086cba226b-960/diana-nyad-swim-map.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/522df251ecad04086cba226b-816-699/diana-nyad-swim-map.jpg" border="0" alt="diana nyad swim map" width="800" /></a><p class="source"><a href="http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad/p3">MarathonSwimming.com</a></p></div></div></p>
<p>Using hundreds of GPS data checkpoints from Nyad's website, <a href="http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad/p5">another commenter</a> put together a graph of her average speed by hour. As you can see (below), her speed more than doubled from her original pace when she hit the 30-hour mark.</p>
<p>The skeptics say that this dramatic and sustained increase in speed followed by a return to her original pace at the end of the swim is suspicious.</p>
<p>Nyad didn't have her crew take continuous video during the 53-hour swim, and didn't have independent media on her support boat. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In addition, commenters claim that the independent observers who verified her swim were biased because they had prior relationships with Nyad, which everyone involved denies.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Because of that, Nyad is at an inherent disadvantage when trying to explain the hump in the middle of this top graph:</span></span></p>
<p><div class="image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/522e00c76bb3f7567d8e5ead-640-320/diana-nyad-speed-graph-1.jpg" border="0" alt="diana nyad speed graph" width="800" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad/p5">MarathonSwimming.org</a></p></div></div></p>
<p>Looking at this data, <a href="http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad/p3">Malinaka wrote</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"So reading this graph, I'm asked to believe that Diana swam 27 hours at her normal pace, picked up some speed the first morning as the Gulf Stream moved in her favor (that's what her diary says), and then BAM! nearly triples her speed as she begins complaining about lung discomfort. She holds an amazing pace for the next seven hours, through the second night's squall with shark divers flippering their fastest to keep up with this rocketing swimmer until dawn, and then...we're back to a nice normal pace as the sun rises on her final day."</p>
<p>To answer Malinaka's question, that's exactly what he's supposed to believe.</p>
<p>Nyad, her team, and even an independent oceanographer say the speed increase was due to lucky currents. Nyad's team did not immediately respond for comment, but <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/sports/questions-and-doubt-after-a-record-swim-from-cuba-to-florida.html?pagewanted=2&amp;_r=0&amp;smid=tw-share">she told the New York Times</a>, "<span>We were definitely traveling north at a faster speed than what I can do on my own. I just got lucky."</span></p>
<p>Typically, the currents in that area of the Gulf go more east-to-west than south-to-north.</p>
<p>But on that day, the current shifted along Nyad's exact path (southeast-to-northeast) and basically put her on a conveyer belt toward Florida.</p>
<p>An oceanographer from Australia looked into the data after someone e-mailed him to ask if Nyad was lying, and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/sep/08/diana-nyad-refute-cheating-cuba-florida">he says the currents really were crazy that day</a>. He told the Guardian:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Many times that current runs west-east and you're constantly fighting the current if you're swimming north. In this case, it was in the shape of an S, and the angle was almost exactly from Havana to Key West."</p>
<p>This is what the currents are like today. You can see that it's going west-to-east, as opposed to south-to-north, and could have made things really tough for Nyad:</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/522df9a5ecad04757bba226b-800-601/florida-cuba-currents-map.jpg" border="0" alt="florida cuba currents map" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/newNCOM/NCOM_GulfStream_currents.shtml">NOAA</a></p></div></div></div></p>
<p>There's no hard evidence that Nyad cheated.</p>
<p>The so-called "smoking gun" for the MarathonSwimming.org people - the sustained increase in average speed for a 12-hour span in the middle of the swim - can be explained by current conditions that scientists say occurred on that day. Their other claims - that Nyad's handlers helped her eat and put cream on her body - having more to do with open-water swimming snobbery than actual cheating.</p>
<p>If the skeptics are going to successfully discredit her swim, they need some concrete evidence.</p>
<p><div class="image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/522dff4d6bb3f7c5788e5eb9-1200-900/diana-nyad-open-water-swim.jpg" border="0" alt="diana nyad open water swim" width="800" /><p class="source on-image">REUTERS/Enrique De La Osa</p></div></div></p>

Why The Diana Nyad Skeptics Think Her Historic 110-Mile Swim Was Fraudulent

<p><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5224da5feab8eace429c0f07-1088-816/diana-nyad.jpg?maxX=480&amp;maxY=360" border="0" alt="diana nyad" width="480" height="360" /><p class="source">AP Images/Ramona Espinosa</p></div></div>After four unsuccessful attempts, 64-year-old Diana Nyad <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23915203">has completed the 103 mile swim from Cuba to Florida</a>, according to the BBC.</p>
<p>This makes Nyad the first person to ever complete the trip without a shark cage.</p>
<p>It took 53 hours of non-stop <keyword id="13988" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Swimming">swimming</keyword> and a team of 35 people on boats beside her but Nyad made it to Key West just before 2 PM Monday.</p>
<p>Nyad first attempted the swim in 1978 in a shark tank. In 2011 she attempted the trip twice with no shark tank, but had to stop because of shoulder pain the first time, and jelly fish stings the second. Her last unsuccessful attempt ended in August 2012 because of jelly fish stings.</p>
<p>On Monday, with just two miles to go, according to her blog, Nyad <a href="http://www.diananyad.com/blog/thanks-2-miles">stopped briefly in the water to thank her crew</a>. She said:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I am about to swim my last two miles in the ocean. This is a lifelong dream of mine and I'm very very glad to be with you. Some on the team are the most intimate friends of my life and some of you I've just met. But I'll tell you something, you're a special group. You pulled through; you are pros and have a great heart. So let's get going so we can have a whopping party. Thank you, all of you, thank you for your generosity."</p>
<p>Congratulations, Diana, that's one heck of a feat!</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"> </p>

64-Year-Old Diana Nyad Completes 103 Mile Swim From Cuba to Florida

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57bf482ab996eb74008b48d4-1820/21453362922_095fcd7f68_k%20(1).jpg" alt="Alex Honnold Yosemite" data-mce-source="Lwp Kommunikáció/Flickr" data-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwpkommunikacio/21453362922/in/photolist-hEk65a-wnTrhN-xKRatD-yFL6nC/"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwpkommunikacio/21453362922/in/photolist-hEk65a-wnTrhN-xKRatD-yFL6nC/">Lwp Kommunikáció/Flickr</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>In October, rock climber Alex Honnold, open water swimmer Diana Nyad, high wire walker Philippe Petit, and BASE jumper Roberta Mancino gathered to discuss their extreme adventures.</strong></li><li><strong>These daredevils said&#xa0;they do feel fear, but they just prepare adequately for their extreme feats.</strong></li><li><strong>"If you look at some objective and it fills you with dread, it's probably pretty inappropriate," Honnold said.</strong></li></ul><hr><p><br>Rock climber Alex Honnold performs feats that the average person could not survive. Even the best professional climbers wouldn't dare try some of his climbs, like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-honnold-free-solo-el-cap-fear-2017-6">scaling the nearly </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-honnold-free-solo-el-cap-fear-2017-6">3,000-foot wall of El Capitan</a> in Yosemite without ropes or protective equipment.</br></p><p>Honnold appears to the rest of us to be fearless - and he's not the only&#xa0;person&#xa0;with that reputation.&#xa0;In October, Honnold gathered with several other renowned adventurers that&#xa0;most of us would consider extreme daredevils: skydiver and BASE jumper Roberta Mancino, tightrope artist Philippe Petit, who's known for crossing between the Twin Towers , and long-distance open water swimmer Diana Nyad. The group&#xa0;discussed "life on the edge" at a <a href="https://festival.newyorker.com/event/fearless/">New Yorker Festival event</a> aptly named "Fearless!"</p><p>These individuals described their relationship with fear, and how they determine&#xa0;if they're&#xa0;ready for some of their biggest challenges. Doing something "impossible" - like swimming 100 miles across open ocean or scaling a cliff without ropes - isn't about a lack of fear, they agreed. It's about adequate preparation.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/522dff2deab8eaf81322b6b2-1200/diana-nyad-swimming.jpg" alt="diana nyad swimming" data-mce-source="REUTERS"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">Nyad spent years swimming in open ocean before finally completing her famous swim at age 64.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>"I personally think fear is part of the human condition," Nyad, who's credited with being the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, told moderator David Grann. "It doesn't mean when Philippe is on that wire or when Alex is clinging onto potato-chip-sized cracks or when Roberta is flying thousands of feet above the Earth that they are going to feel fear then ... But fearless to me means reckless - that you don't care, there's no preparation, 'I'm just going to go, I'm not afraid,' and I just don't believe that professionals like us are truly 100% fearless."</p><p>As Nyad and her fellow panelists put it, it's not that these challenges never scared them. It's that they prepared for them gradually, expanding their comfort zones until a task that previously seemed impossible started to appear in the realm of possibility.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56673437ecad043d220af9b0-1018/man-on-wire%20magnolia.jpg" alt="man on wire magnolia" data-mce-source="Magnolia Pictures"><p class="source"><span>Magnolia Pictures</span></p><p class="caption">Petit prepared for years before his famous high wire walk.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>"I think the feeling of fear is a pretty good indicator" that something is too extreme, Honnold said. "If you look at some objective and it fills you with dread, it's probably pretty inappropriate."</p><p>He said that for years before his record-setting El Cap climb, he'd though about doing it but didn't feel ready. "Starting in 2009, it was on my secret to-do list, and each time I'd drive into the valley and look at it and be like 'oh my God,' and feel kind of sick. So obviously it was not the year to do it. It was only in the past year or two that I could even look at it and be like, 'oh maybe,' I just need to do the proper work and put the time in and figure it out."</p><p>Honnold's&#xa0;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-honnold-free-solo-el-cap-fear-2017-6">brain was recently examined</a> by a neuroscientist, who found that he didn't respond to theoretically "scary" stimuli in the way that other people do. But Honnold said&#xa0;his accomplishment&#xa0;just&#xa0;came down to gradually preparing over time.</p><p>"I know that I experience fear just like anybody," he said. "I used to be terrified of public speaking, there are a lot of things I've overcome over the years. So I know that the fear response exists ... but I think it's just been sort of dampened over the years."</p><p>Mancino, who has flown in a wing-suit over an active volcano, said that&#xa0; doing thousands of skydives&#xa0;prepared her for a time when she slipped and fell off a cliff while getting ready for a BASE jump.</p><p>"I went head down and I was very unstable and I recovered quickly my position because of all of the skydives," she said. "That's why you want to be prepared, you want to do as many skydives, you don't want to go BASE jumping if you don't know how to fly."</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Petit said that he believes some attempts to protect ourselves with helmets and protective gear are giving in too much to fear.</p><p>"By creating those shelters, those carapaces, those armors, we are protecting ourselves, but we are negating ourselves, we are dying," he said.</p><p>Yet at the same time, he said that his high-wire walk between the Twin Towers took years of preparation.</p><p>"I am told by my friends I am an unbearable madman," he said. "Because on the high wire, even a little bold not properly set can cost your life. So I prepare and I am paranoid."</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BCkHnvDGWOY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/americans-scared-government-conspiracy-theories-north-dakota-crash-biggest-fears-2016-11">Here's what Americans fear most in 2016</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/VfZc2PqZ-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div></hr>

The most extreme daredevils alive reveal how they know they're ready for a terrifying feat

<p><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5224da54eab8ead4429c0f07-1200-824/diana%20nyad.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="diana nyad" width="480" /><p class="source on-image">AP Images/Ramona Espinosa</p></div></div>Some hardcore marathon swimmers are questioning the validity of Diana Nyad's historic swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida last week.</p>
<p>The accusations range from petty (she had someone help her eat) to serious (she got on the boat at one point), and they're popping up on various <a href="http://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad">swimming forums online</a>.</p>
<p>Nyad, age 64, is the first person to ever make the 110-mile swim unaided.</p>
<p>Here's what the skeptics are saying:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It's strange that Nyad didn't have someone continuously film the entire 53-hour swim</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">There was no independent news media following the entire race, which there were during her past attempts</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">There was a spike in her swim speed in the middle part of the race, and then a return to her normal pace at the end - which some are speculating means she got on the boat</span></li>
<li>The two independent observers on her support boat knew Nyad</li>
</ul>
<p>Nyad maintains that she didn't cheat, and swam every stroke of the 110 miles.</p>
<p>Her team says she got a boost from a rare, once-a-month current that peaked at 4 miles per hour during the swim's second day - which accounts for the spike in speed that her critics find skeptical. A scientist <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/sports/questions-and-doubt-after-a-record-swim-from-cuba-to-florida.html?pagewanted=2&amp;_r=2&amp;smid=tw-share">told the New York Times</a> that this explanation makes sense, and that she hit the current at the exact right time.</p>
<p>Most of the other criticisms from Nyad's skeptics have to do with marathon <keyword id="13988" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Swimming">swimming</keyword> etiquette.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad">forum on MarathonSwimmers.org</a> is filled with complaints about how much help Nyad was getting during her swim.</p>
<p>Commenters say that the fact that handlers helped Nyad eat and apply cream cheapen her accomplishment. In addition, her wetsuit and jellyfish mask wouldn't have been allowed under English Channel swimming rules, though Nyad never said she was going to follow those rules.</p>
<p>One commentator even accused her of swimming too slowly (which is ironic since she's also being accused of going too fast), writing, "Unbelievably slow. So slow one has to question whether to call it swimming."</p>
<p>Nyad has <a href="http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/did_diane_nyad_cheat_skeptics.html">submitted the data from her swim</a> to three open water swimming federations and the Guinness Book of World Records, the AP reports.</p>

The Marathon Swimming World Is Skeptical Of An 64-Year-Old's Record Swim From Cuba To Florida

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/529ccea86bb3f7fc773706dd-609-304/barbara-walters-jennifer-lawrence-2.png?maxX=800" border="0" alt="Barbara Walters Jennifer Lawrence" width="800" /><p class="source">Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p><keyword id="302230" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Barbara-Walters">Barbara Walters</keyword> has just revealed her list of the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2013/12/just-announced-barbara-walters-picks-for-most-fascinating-people-of-2013/" target="_blank">"Most Fascinating People" of 2013</a>.</p>
<p><span>Here's who made the cut in the annual TV special's 21</span><span>st</span><span> year:</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Oscar winner <keyword id="6367276" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jennifer-Lawrence">Jennifer Lawrence</keyword></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The stars of "Duck Dynasty"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Singer Miley Cyrus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Pope Francis</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Prince George</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Kimye (Kim Kardashian and Kanye West)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">NSA leaker Edward Snowden</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">ABC anchor Robin Roberts</span></li>
</ol>
<p><span>The number one person will be revealed on Walters' annual special "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating <keyword id="6360040" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="people">People</keyword> of the Year." </span></p>
<p><span>The 90-minute program will air<strong> </strong></span>Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 9:30 p.m. ET.</p>
<p>This will be Walters' last "Most Fascinating" special, because she's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/barbara-walters-announces-retirement-2013-5" target="_blank">retiring next year</a>.</p>

Here's Who Made Barbara Walters' List of 'Most Fascinating People' Of 2013

<p><iframe width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hla3ibhUuCU"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Estimating the number of atheists in the U.S. is complex. Some adults who describe themselves as atheists also say they do believe in God or a universal spirit, according to </span><a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise-religion/#belief-in-god">Pew Research Center surveys</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. At the same time, some people who identify with a <keyword id="33523" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Religion">religion</keyword> (e.g., say they are Protestant, Catholic or Jewish) say they do not believe in God. The </span><a href="http://www.religionnews.com/2013/10/21/oprah-interview-stirs-debate-atheist/">debate over the definition and identity of atheists</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> came up recently during Oprah Winfrey's interview with Diana Nyad, a self-identified atheist who recently gained attention for her Cuba-to-Florida open swim.</span></p>
<p>Here's what we know about self-described atheists and their beliefs:<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/527a53ef6bb3f72c699ab764-398-382/ft_5-facts-atheists.png" border="0" alt="FT_5 facts atheists" /><p class="source"><keyword id="141360" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pew-Research-Center">Pew Research Center</keyword></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> 1. </span></strong><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The number of people who identify themselves as atheists in the United States has been rising, modestly but steadily, in recent years. Our aggregated </span><a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/">data from 2012</a> <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">show that <strong>2.4% of American adults say they are atheists when asked about their religious identity,</strong> up from 1.6% in 2007.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">2. Atheists, in general, are more likely to be male and younger than the overall population; <strong>67% are men, and 38% are ages 18-29</strong>(compared with 22% of all U.S. adults). About four-in-ten atheists (43%) have a college degree, compared with 29% of the general public.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">3. Although the literal definition of "atheist" is "a person who believes that God does not exist," </span><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheist?show=0&amp;t=1382390871">according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, <strong>14% of those who call themselves atheists also say they believe in God or a universal spirit.</strong> That includes 5% who say they are "absolutely certain" about the existence of God or a universal spirit. Alternatively, there are many people who fit the dictionary definition of "atheist" but do not call themselves atheists. More Americans say they do not believe in God or a universal spirit (7%) than say they are atheists (2.4%).</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">4. Not all atheists see a contradiction between <keyword id="456894" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="atheism">atheism</keyword> and spirituality. <strong>A quarter (26%) say they think of themselves as spiritual people</strong>, and 3% consider themselves religious people. Four-in-ten atheists (41%) say they often think about the meaning and purpose of life.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">5. Among atheists, <strong>82% say they either often (52%) or sometimes (30%) feel a deep connection with nature and the earth</strong>; among all American adults, 85% either often (58%) or sometimes (26%) feel such a connection.</span></p>
<p><strong>More From Pew Research's Fact Tank: </strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/06/27/why-boys-with-sisters-are-more-likely-to-be-republicans/">Why boys with sisters are more likely to be Republicans </a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/18/the-most-and-least-culturally-diverse-countries-in-the-world/">The most (and least) culturally diverse countries in the world </a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>
<p><a href="http://pewrsr.ch/19MvGh1">Hispanic or Latino? Many don't care, except in Texas </a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>
<p><a href="http://pewrsr.ch/16sFzlG">Digital dating: Online's share of the romance market </a></p>

Here's What We Know About The 2.4% Of Americans Who Are Atheists

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5538f31a6bb3f718045577b2-1300-974/woman-reading-outside-1.jpg" alt="woman reading outside" data-mce-source="Flickr / Pedro Ribeiro Simões" data-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosimoes7/12747607194" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosimoes7/12747607194">Flickr / Pedro Ribeiro Simões</a></span></p><p class="caption">Learn how to make your dreams a reality.</p></div><p></p></div></div>This week, Amazon's editors released a list of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=blogs_omni_link_20160224bl100Bal?ie=UTF8&amp;node=14027821011">100 leadership and success books to read in a lifetime</a>.</p><p>"We chose books to help people plan for their futures and/or deal better with their present," said <a href="http://www.omnivoracious.com/chris_schluep.html">Chris Schluep</a>, senior books editor at Amazon.com. "The same book won't work for every situation, or every person, so you'll see titles sitting beside one another that might not normally share shelf space."</p><p>In other words, while this list does include books by traditional business people, you'll also find works by outspoken entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and Hollywood producers.</p><p>What each of these authors shares is a desire to help people find out what they really want - and to make their dreams a reality.</p><p>Check out the full, ranked list below, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-top-25-leadership-and-success-books-2016-2">learn more about the top 25 here</a>.</p><ol><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mJ5tx">#Girlboss</a>" by Sophia Amoruso</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mJb4u">A New Earth</a>" by Eckhart Tolle</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIt6S2">Andrew Carnegie</a>" by David Nasaw</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPKEuy">Awaken the Giant Within</a>" by Tony Robbins</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1yHVp">Big Magic</a>" by Elizabeth Gilbert</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1yIIG">Business Adventures</a>" by John Brooks</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1yLEl">Change Your Brain, Change Your Life</a>" by Daniel G. Amen</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mJtID">Chicken Soup for the Soul</a>" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Amy Newmark</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mJxIg">Choose Yourself!</a>" by James Altucher</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TItkbI">Crush It!</a>" by Gary Vaynerhcuk <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d075f42e526519008b9b95-331-499/do over.jpg" alt="do over" data-mce-source="Amazon" /><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1yUI6">Do Over</a>" by Jon Acuff</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPKO5a">Drive</a>" by Daniel H. Pink</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkKeaz">Eat That Frog!</a>" by Brian Tracy</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1yWzG">Elon Musk</a>" by Ashlee Vance</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkKkPm">Emotional Intelligence</a>" by Daniel Goleman</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mJRXE">Essentialism</a>" by Greg McKeown</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mJQD4">Execution</a>" by Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, and Charles Burck</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPKTG8">Find a Way</a>" by Diana Nyad</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1z6Hb">First, Break all the Rules</a>" by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPKUKc">Flow</a>" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mK4Ke">Flying Without a Net</a>" by Thomas J. DeLong</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkKKFw">Freakonomics</a>" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mK9xI">Getting More</a>" by Stuart Diamond</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zeql">Getting Things Done</a>" by David Allen</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPL1oZ">Getting to Yes</a>" by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPL1VU">Give and Take</a>" by Adam M. Grant</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zjKy">Good to Great</a>" by Jim Collins</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zky7">How to Win Friends and Influence People</a>" by Dale Carnegie</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zmWM">How Will You Measure Your Life?</a>" by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zqG2">Influence</a>" by Robert B. Cialdini</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mKyA8">Leadership on the Line</a>" by Martin Linsky and Ronald A. Heifetz</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zsxr">Lean In</a>" by Sheryl Sandberg</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPL9F5">Made to Stick</a>" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zyoQ">Man's Search for Meaning</a>" by Viktor E. Frankl</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TItRKL">Meditations</a>" by Marcus Aurelius</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TItVKv">Mindset</a>" by Carol Dweck</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zDsR">Misbehaving</a>" by Richard Thaler</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPLh7w">Oh, The Places You'll Go!</a>" by Dr. Seuss</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zINa">Outliers</a>" by Malcolm Gladwell</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zIwG">Personal History</a>" by Katharine Graham <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d076352e5265bc008b9cdf-332-499/predictably irrational.jpg" alt="predictably irrational" data-mce-source="Amazon" /><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkLSZW">Predictably Irrational</a>" by Dan Ariely</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zOEu">Quiet</a>" by Susan Cain</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zRjD">It Worked for Me</a>" by Colin Powell and Tony Kolt</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zWDW">Siddhartha</a>" by Herman Hesse</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1zVQg">Start With Why</a>" by Simon Sinek</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mLkx8">Steve Jobs</a>" by Walter Isaacson</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIueot">Strengths Finder 2.0</a>" by Tom Rath</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1A2LQ">Stumbling on Happiness</a>" by Daniel Gilbert</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mLq7Y">Superforecasting</a>" by Philip E. Tetlock</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mLuEC">Talent is Overrated</a>" by Geoff Colvin</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPLveI">The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing</a>" by Al Ries and Jack Trout</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPLw2d">The 48 Laws of Power</a>" by Robert Greene</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkMEpI">The 4-Hour Workweek</a>" by Timothy Ferriss</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1AeL8">The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</a>" by Stephen R. Covey</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1AdH5">The Alchemist</a>" by Paulo Coelho</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mLN2n">The Art of Happiness</a>" by Dalai Lama</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1AppI">The Art of Stillness</a>" by Pico Iyer</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkN5Ap">The Art of Strategy</a>" by Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1As4U">The Art of the Start 2.0</a>" by Guy Kawasaki</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkNbba">The Art of War</a>" by Sun Tzu</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPLIP8">The Big Short</a>" by Michael Lewis</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mM1GM">The Black Swan</a>" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkNnY0">The Charisma Myth</a>" by Olivia Fox Cabane</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1ACt5">The Checklist Manifesto</a>" by Atul Gawande</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIuJPA">The Confidence Code</a>" by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIuLqu">The Effective Executive</a>" by Peter F. Drucker</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPLQOF">The Essays of Warren Buffett</a>" by Warren E. Buffett and Lawrence A. Cunningham</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIuO5M">The First 90 Days</a>" by Michael D. Watkins</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1AQ38">The First Tycoon</a>" by T.J. Stiles</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1APfz">The Five Dysfunctions of a Team</a>" by Patrick Lencioni</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1AXvC">The Four Agreements</a>" by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mMOHw">The Gifts of Imperfection</a>" by Brene Brown</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1AZDW">The Happiness Advantage</a>" by Shawn Achor <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56d076702e52651d008b9d62-332-499/the happiness project.jpg" alt="the happiness project" data-mce-source="Amazon" /><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkOh6P">The Happiness Project</a>" by Gretchen Rubin</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPM4Fk">The Hard Thing About Hard Things</a>" by Ben Horowitz</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1B7Dl">The Innovator's Dilemma</a>" by Clayton M. Christensen</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mNa13">The Intelligent Investor</a>" by Benjamin Graham</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkOC9u">The Last Lecture</a>" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkOI0Q">The Lean Startup</a>" by Eric Ries</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1Bi1u">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up</a>" by Marie Kondo</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mNnRU">The Miracle Morning</a>" by Hal Elrod</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPMewr">The Now Habit</a>" by Neil Fiore</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIvqs3">The Power of Habit</a>" by Charles Duhigg</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1BrSBhttp://amzn.to/1TIvsQL">The Prince</a>" by Nicolo Machiavelli and N.H. Thompson</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1Bv4O">The Profit</a>" by Kahlil Gibran</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIvuIe">The Road Less Traveled</a>" by M. Scott Peck</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkPdrY">The Road to Character</a>" by David Brooks</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mNLQg">The Secret</a>" by Rhonda Byrne</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mNNaS">The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success</a>" by Deepak Chopra</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1BEFk">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a>" by Daniel Kahneman</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1BFJj">Titan</a>" by Ron Chernow</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1XPMtrw">Triggers</a>" by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mNXyT">Tuesdays with Morrie</a>" by Mitch Albom</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1QkPI56">Turn the Ship Around!</a>" by L. David Marquet</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1n1BPjQ">Uncertainty</a>" by Jonathan Fields</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIvMPx">Way of the Peaceful Warrior</a>" by Dan Millman</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/21mObpN">What Got You Here Won't Get You There</a>" by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter</li><li>"<a href="http://amzn.to/1TIvRmd">Willpower</a>" by Roy F. 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You Searched For "Diana Nyad" and got 8 results

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