Sorry -- no names, dates or references, but for the sake of balance would like to include:
(1) elderly woman who selflessly jumped onto the back of a large crocodile in Queensland Australia, in pitch darkness, because she believed it had seized a baby from a camp of sleeping tourists. She held on to the crocodile grimly with not even a nail-file as weapon, until a quick thinking man shot the beast (which in itself was an amazing feat, in the dark, in the midst of screaming, running people). Luckily that shotgun was at hand, considering the Australian government, on false grounds, forced Aussies to hand over their guns several years ago).
(2) Elderly woman in New York city who chased a mugger who'd ripped her handbag from her arm, after which he took off on a bicycle. Elderly woman, armed only with her walking stick, chased the man for several blocks, according to news reports, and (assisted by motorists) succeeded in regaining her property.
(3) Australia again. Mother and two teenage daughters fought a crazed, knife-wielding attacker who'd broken into their home intent upon killing their young female house-guest. The attacker was the ex-boyfriend of the house guest. When police and ambulancemen arrived, they discovered the house to be awash with blood (as later shown in newspapers). The mother and her daughters were all seriously injured in their brave attempts to save the attacker's victim, who died as a result of her injuries.
(4) Again in Australia: A middle-aged, suburban mother 'Mary' gave refuge to a neighbour, who was married to a violent wife-basher. The wife-basher -- brandishing a gun -- went to Mary's home and demanded entrance, his intention being to shoot his wife. The wife wailed piteously from within and begged Mary not to let him in. Mary, a small-statured woman, bravely barred the door, thus saving her neigbour's life. The wife-basher turned his gun on Mary, who almost died from her wounds. The wife-basher was jailed but gained early parole. He returned to live just doors from Mary, who has been confined to a wheelchair since the incident. The bashed wife emerged unscathed from the attack (please tell me she didn't take her husband back).
(5) Germany: Mother attended the trial of the middle-aged pervert who had raped and murdered her young daughter. Throughout the trial, the mother suffered the horrific evidence of her little daughter's death, but remained composed, believing justice would be done. When the judge imposed a light sentence on the pervert, the mother stood up and shot and executed her daughter's killer. Well done! The mother remains incarcertated for her actions apparently, despite world-wide efforts to gain her freedom.
(6) Queensland Australia. When a trawler (fishing-boat) sank within minutes several miles off the North Queensland coast, it's three occupants grasped a child's surf-float and began .. in pitch darkness ... swimming towards land. They were the captain, his mate 'Jeff', and Jeff's girlfriend. When the captain and the girl were rescued many hours later, they told of Jeff's harrowing, heroic death. Soon after the sinking, they said, they were circled by a large shark which came closer and closer, nudging them as they tried desperately to avoid it. Finally, the shark attacked. Jeff pushed his girlfriend out of the way. Moments later, Jeff screamed as he was dragged below the waves. When he emerged, he had only a bleeding stump where his arm had been moments earlier. The three pushed on, encouraged by Jeff. His girlfriend was by this time crazed with fear. Soon afterwards, the shark again began circling closer and closer. Jeff, already in agony, told his girlfriend and the captain to swim away from him, while he distracted the shark. The girl was hysterical and did not want to go. Jeff instructed the captain to drag the girl away. Then Jeff swam towards the shark. Later, after being rescued, the captain told the media that Jeff had deliberately fed himself to the shark, in order his girlfriend and friend could survive. The captain said that when he last saw his friend, Jeff was held high above the water in the jaws of an enormous shark. Jeff had been punching the shark and calling out messages of love and encouragement to the others. Then he'd disappeared beneath the waves, still in the shark's jaws. This story wasn't sensational enough for the Queensland press; for several days they speculated that the captain (middle-aged, overweight, married, father of several children who had lost everything when his uninsured boat sank) had murdered Jeff. This was subsequently disproved, but not before the weary captain and his family had been forced to move from the town.