After protests in Tienanmen Square in China were crushed on the previous day, a lone protester stood in the street against the government's tanks.
Professor Timothy Brooks of the University of British Columbia said that the man was probably just an ordinary man who was disgusted with what he had seen over the last few days.
Other persons there were afraid he'd be run over by the tanks and some went out and pulled him away, eventually.
"Tank Man" captured the international imagination as an individual standing up against the overwhelming power of the government.
You'll need to make your own choice about whether you think his actions brave/courageous or foolish. He certainly made a strong point by his actions.
The person that is known as the "father of monasticism" and wrote a book describing the daily schedule of work and prayer for monks was Benedict of Nursia (C).