#ThrowbackToday: The 23-year-old who foiled a hijack at the cost of her life

What does it take to be courageous beyond measure in the face of adversity? Not just for oneself, but for others too. If this question has baffled you, all you need to do is look at the lives of bravehearts like Neerja Bhanot.

September 5, 1986 was the day when Neerja, a flight attendant with Pan American, was on Pan Am Flight 73 that was hijacked by a Palestinian terrorist group called Abu Nidal Organization. It was taking off from Mumbai for the United States via Karachi and Frankfurt when the terrorist took charge. But the 23-year-old soiled their plans to a great extent.

Not only did the Chandigarh-born help a few crew members escape, but she also hid the passports of boarders which the terrorists were seeking and more importantly, kept the plane from taking off. It was when she was helping three children that she was shot dead. This was just two days before her birthday.

Neerja was dubbed as "the heroine of the hijacking" worldwide and received the Ashoka Chakra posthumously, becoming the youngest to do so. Tales like hers inspire to no end and remind us that a good heart can indeed change the world. Just like it did for one of the children on board that day, who was just seven then and is now a captain for a major airline and cites Neerja as his inspiration.