1. fly around the world non-stop in a balloon alone
   climb Mt. Everest without oxygen
2. dive to the bottom of the Marianas Trench

Fossett's fearlessness was legendary. He set his mind to a solo, non-stop balloon flight around the Earth, but that was just one of his many crazy ideas.

1. a large city
   a mountain town
2. a desert village

Fossett grew up in Garden City, California, a sizeable city not far from Los Angeles. But the area was close to the mountains, which is where he spent much of his time.

1. to impress his girlfriend
   as part of a prank
2. to set a record

Fossett was attending Stanford University when he decided to swim to the island to hang a banner that read, "Beat Cal" before a big game. He then swam the six hours back.

1. Camp Fire
   Boy Scouts
2. 4-H

Steve was an active member of the Boy Scouts, and he eventually attained the club's highest rank of Eagle Scout. He mentioned many times in life that the organization was vital to his development.

1. economics
   forestry
2. organic chemistry

He graduated with a degree in economics and then earned an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Fossett turned out to be very good with money and the financial markets.

1. mutual fund manager
   commodities trader
2. computer technology consultant

Fossett dove headfirst into commodities trading, a job that suited his skills. He made millions of dollars by being a savvy trader and businessman. The big bucks helped fund his later adventures.

1. climbing Mount Everest
   swimming the English Channel
2. Iditarod dog sled race

Fossett loved mountain climbing, but the peak of Everest rests in extremely thin air, and his asthma could have caused serious complications from the outset.

1. airship
   solid-fuel rocket
2. human kite

In 2004, he soared above Germany in an airship (or zeppelin). His speed wasn't neck-breaking -- around 70 mph -- but it was the fastest anyone had ever flown one of these vehicles.

1. crossed the Atlantic Ocean
   crossed the Gulf of Mexico
2. crossed the Pacific Ocean

Fossett and his crew were known for incredible sailing speed. Together, they crossed the Atlantic in just 4 days and 17 hours -- nearly two days faster than the previous record.

1. nearly 6 days
   about 3 days
2. about 28 hours

They didn't just beat the around-the-world record -- they shattered it by nearly 6 days. That record has since been topped.

1. got violently ill and had to land
   never even got off of the ground
2. crashed

Near Australia, his balloon drifted into a terrifying thunderstorm that caused his balloon to crash. He plummeted nearly 30,000 feet into the Coral Sea.

1. zero communication with headquarters
   shark-infested waters
2. angry natives

As luck would have it, he plunged right into a sea swarming with sharks. He managed to climb aboard his emergency life raft, but it was hours before he was rescued.

1. broken leg
   fire
2. tsunami

As the balloon slumped towards Earth, one of the propane burners set the capsule on fire. Fossett said later that he was sure that he was going to die. Miraculously, he survived and of course decided to try again.

1. China
   North Korea
2. Russia

The Chinese were not happy that Fossett's balloon was drifting into their airspace. It took diplomatic intervention from the U.S. to prevent a catastrophe.

1. just one
   three
2. six

He knew the record would be tough to accomplish, and he was right -- he failed five times. On the sixth attempt, he finally made it all the way around the planet.

1. Spirit of Freedom
   The Eagle
2. Undaunted

Steve ascended into the skies in the Spirit of Freedom, which combined both hot air and helium to stay aloft. The balloon was about 100 feet tall and required dozens of fuel canisters to keep it floating around the Earth.

1. 13 days
   23 days
2. 31 days

He spent just shy of two weeks in the balloon's closet-sized capsule. His only sleep came in the form of 45-minute cat naps.

1. was scared to look out the window
   was too small
2. hurt his back

The capsule was just five feet tall, meaning Fossett had to hunch over for most of his 13-day trip. And because the cabin wasn't pressurized, he had to wear an oxygen mask.

1. true
2. false

While he was still taking university classes, Fossett married Peggy Viehland. She was his wife until his death.

1. a co-pilot
   refueling
2. a navigation system

Fossett flew around the world alone … without refueling. The journey took him more than 67 hours and required 11,000 pounds of fuel.

1. shattered windows
   tires exploded upon landing
2. electrical malfunction

No windows shattered, but plenty of other things went wrong. In one scary instance, turbulence nearly ripped the aircraft apart ... but it was a later electrical malfunction that ended his journey.

1. true
2. false

Fossett's aircraft problems forced him to touch down early, but he still set the record. He flew for 76 hours and 45 minutes and covered more than 26,300 miles in the process, an amazing feat of endurance.

1. five months
   five weeks
2. five years

He spent roughly a half a decade preparing for the grueling race. For all of his efforts, he was rewarded with a 47th-place finish.

1. 26 miles
   50 miles
2. 100 miles

Fossett entered the Leadville Trail 100-mile race in the mountains of Colorado and finished. He also ran the prestigious (and fast-paced) Boston Marathon.

1. Warren Buffett
   Richard Branson
2. Bill Gates

Richard Branson, of Virgin Atlantic fame, was one of Fossett's friends. He was extremely supportive of Steve's daring undertakings and played a role in many of his escapades.

1. slowest crossing
   fastest crossing
2. longest route

In 1985, he swam the English Channel … really, really slowly. He was presented with a goofy trophy to mark his sluggish accomplishment.

1. crossing a street
   plane crash
2. heart attack

In 2007, he flew from a small airport in Nevada and his plane disappeared. It was though he'd suddenly vanished from the face of the Earth.

1. eight weeks
   eight months
2. never found it

Officials spent more than $1.5 million dollars looking for the famous man -- likely far more than they would have for an ordinary citizen. They never found him.

1. a random hiker
   satellite photographs
2. team of bloodhounds

More than a year later, a hiker found ID cards belonging to Fossett in the Sierra Nevada mountains not far from the airport he departed. A few day later, search teams located his plane, as well as human bones that were subjected to DNA testing, confirming Fossett's death.

1. a massive thunderstorm
   pilot error
2. mechanical failure

Fossett probably encountered downdrafts that pushed his plane into the mountains. No one will ever know for sure, but his inexperience with this type plane may have caused him to miscalculate the plane's capabilities … which then caused his death.