The world is a fascinating place, but usually, people don't even bother to think about all the things that make it so interesting. But did you know that all it takes is a change of perspective to unlock all the riveting parts of our planet that you don't normallu think about? For this reason, we've collected some of the most fascinating history and science facts that are guaranteed to make you see things in a whole different light. Ready to get your mind blown? Find out below!
High School Dropout Sues Chemical Company
A farmer from China dropped out of high school when he was only in the 3rd grade. Then, with little education, he decided to do something about the chemical company that was poisoning his village. He decided that he was going to sue the company. He proceeded to spend years studying the law and paying bookstores in bags of corn for the ability to copy their lawbooks. In 2017 he won his lawsuit against the company.
A man with little education taught himself enough about the law that he was able to take on a massive company and win. Resilience and hard work truly paid off.
Doctors Saved Jews From Nazis by Inventing a Fake Illness
The Second World War was a devastating and horrifying time for the world and, in particular, for those that the Nazi party of Germany was after. Families were torn apart and millions had been murdered. However, during that time there were those who sought to assist the people they could. For example, in Italy, there were doctors who saved many Jewish lives by diagnosing them with a fake disease called "Syndrome K."
The doctors had led the Nazis into believing that the disease was extremely deadly and highly contagious. This allowed the Italian doctors to hide their Jewish patients away by quarantining them.
Carpenter Sends 33 Students to College for Free
One person can change so many lives. Such as Dale Schroeder, who was a poor man from Iowa that spent his entire career of 67 years as a carpenter for the same company. After nearly seven decades at the same job, he decided that he was going to spend his entire life savings. With zero children he decided to spend it all on sending over thirty students to college, and they wouldn't need to spend a dime.
The generosity of this single person dramatically changed the lives of dozens. He never even owned more than two jeans. This proves that you don't need to be a billionaire to change lives.
The 9 Nanas Who Secretly Helped Those in Need
In Tennesse, there was a group of women who met in secret in the early hours of the morning. The purpose of these meetings was to find those in need and pay their bills. They would do this all in secret, not even telling their husbands, and then leave clothes and homemade baked goods as care packages for those they had helped. This group of women was called "The 9 Nanas."
The note these women would leave with their gifts would read "Somebody loves you." Their actions can only be described as the truest expression of kindness from strangers.
90% of Icelandic Woman Walked off the Job in 1975
In the late October of 1975, there was a women's strike in Iceland as they fought for equal rights. The strike resulted in a vast majority, around 90%, of women walking out of their jobs and sending the entire country into collapse. Their male counterparts were stunned and couldn't keep the country running with half of the population going on strike. The end result was the Icelandic Parliament passing an equal pay law and, within the decade, electing a female President.
The massively successful strike shows the power of unity. The woman demanded what they deserved and their combined efforts of simply walking off from their responsibilities showed Iceland they needed their women.
Dolly Parton's Children Free Book Program
Dolly Parton is often synonymous with country music. However, the famous singer is also an actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. Her success has brought her to great heights in all of these industries. With her success, she has decided to give back to the communities around her by creating a book program. This program sends children age-appropriate books every single month from birth to the age of 5, at no cost.
All Dolly Parton wanted was for every child to have a book. This woman was not only a country music icon but also a national treasure to everyone impacted by her.
The Dog That Pays for His Biscuits With Leaves
Everyone knows that doggies are the greatest thing in the entire world, and this story verifies that fact. A dog in Colombia saw students paying for biscuits with banknotes. The dog saw a correlation between the green banknotes and the green leaves of the trees around him, so he thought to give it a try. When he arrived at the stall with leaves in his mouth the baker happily accepted them for some biscuits.
With the dog's success at paying with his "banknotes," he continued to grab leaves from the tree in exchange for the yummy treats. He has continued this exchange ever since.
Girl With Down Syndrome Finally Gets Adopted After 20 Rejections
The adoption system is highly complicated due to the process having many regulations and red tape. When a single gay man wanted to adopt a child he found that the system was working against him. When social services informed him that he could only adopt a child with an illness, disability, or behavioral problems, he didn't hesitate. After years of working with the disabled population, he knew he could handle the responsibility.
The man ended up adopting a beautiful girl with down syndrome. As he said when he first held her, "I was overcome with joy; I felt she was my daughter straight away."
The Man Who Wanted to Be Buried With His Bentley
Within Egyptian mythology, it was believed that you could take your material possessions to the afterlife if you were buried with the objects. A millionaire decided to follow this ancient practice and announced that he would be burying his Bentley with him so that he'd have it in the afterlife. However, many became outraged at this news, and his retort to their outcry was priceless. He responded by revealing it was a publicity stunt around organ donations.
As the millionaire said, "People bury things... much more valuable than cars." The guy is not wrong. Why are we outraged about a car when viable organs are going to waste?
The Cow That Moved Out to a Private Island
The slaughterhouses are not places we often want to think about, especially for the meat-eaters amongst us. However, whether a meat-eater or a vegetarian, this story will bring a smile to your face. A cow, that was due to be slaughtered, escaped by breaking down a metal fence and breaking her handler's arm. She proceeded to swim across the body of water near the property to an island where she was the sole resident.
The employee of the slaughterhouse has left the cow to live out the rest of her life in peace on her private island. That cow is now living out many people's dream.
Father Kills a Man and Walks Away Free
The free state of Texas is located in the southern region of the United States of America. Within Texas lives a father and his little girl. Sadly, this little girl was raped by an adult man when she was only five years old. The father learned about this horrific event and responded in a manner that was quite reasonable - he found and beat the rapist to death. The court of Texas did not press any charges against the father.
The grand jury that ruled over the case decreed that the father was able to use deadly force in order to protect his daughter, and we could not agree more.
Steve Buscemi Was a Firefighter During 9/11
The actor Steve Buscemi is famous for his role in movies such as Armageddon and Reservoir Dogs. However, the actor has another claim to fame as a former New York City firefighter in the early 80s. During the infamous 9/11 terrorist attacks that struck the Twin Towers in New York City, the actor went and volunteered as a firefighter. He worked for several days in 12-hour shifts as the firefighters searched the destruction for survivors.
Not all actors were always involved in the world of acting and Hollywood. Several of them even held very interesting careers before they found themselves to be world-famous actors.
They Asked for 50 "volunteer Fathers" and Got 600
Parent-themed events in elementary and middle school are a common occurrence. It was not odd when this middle school in Texas decided to host a "Breakfast with Dads" event for their student body. However, the school soon realized that not everyone had a father figure available to attend. They decided to reach out to the public for support. Instead of getting 50 stand-in fathers, as requested, they had hundreds of men show up.
While not all of our families have father figures, there are some amazing men out there who would do everything in their power to ensure no one feels fatherless.
Women Wins Game Show Against All Odds
Everyone has watched an episode or an entire season of one of the numerous game shows that are televised nightly during the week. You might watch for entertainment or because you want to be challenged by attempting to guess the correct answers before the guests can. In the 1950s, there was a show called "The $64,000 Question," and one evening Joyce Diane was a guest. She ended up winning it all, even though the producers purposely tried to make her lose.
The producers' sexist attempts to prevent Joyce Diane from winning were to give her a question far beyond her perceived ability to answer. Surprisingly for them, Joyce knew the exact right answer.
The 32 Hours Surgery That Left Surgeons on the Floor
Surgery is incredibly complex and is commonly depicted as a highly dramatized procedure on television. What is often overlooked in television is how difficult these procedures can be on the surgeons and the long years it takes for some to be capable of saving lives through such methods. When this patient came in with numerous brain tumors the surgeons rushed them in and spent 32 hours removing them, successfully, from their brain. After the surgery, the surgeons collapsed.
The 32 hours of precise cuts with zero room for error would leave anyone exhausted. The second they knew their patient would survive they couldn't manage another moment on their feet.
Man Exercises for a Year to Fulfill His Marriage Vows
The love between spouses should be unparalleled. After all, this is your partner for life. That undying love for one another was once shown in this Alabama husband and wife. When the wife discovered she would need a kidney transplant her husband was swift to volunteer his, but he was out of shape and couldn't donate. The husband then spent a year getting in shape so that he could have the surgery to donate his kidney.
In the end, he was able to save his wife's life. A true embodiment of the marriage vow "in sickness and in health." This duo is an inspiration to us all.
Mr. Rogers Answers the Fan Mail of a Blind Girl
Mr. Rogers was one of America's greatest treasures and a fond memory for the country to remember. He often was a role model to all those who watched, read, or listened to his various shows, books, and speeches. The man was known for his kindness so it was no surprise that he personally read and answered his fan mail. When one fan, a blind girl, asked him to verbally mention every time he fed his fish he immediately agreed.
The reason for her wish was that she was concerned that the fish were not getting fed, and she could not see when Mr. Rogers did it on screen.
One Man Saved Millions With His Blood
A man named James Harrison found himself in dire need of surgery when he was in his early teens. After over a dozen liters of blood were used, he was able to pull through. He then vowed that he would always donate blood, and in his first donation, it was discovered he carried a rare antigen that cured Rhesus disease. He proceeded to make over 1,000 blood donations which were then used to save 2.4 million lives.
This is possibly the most amazing story about how a single selfless act can save millions. His simple blood donations saved millions of babies from dying from this disease.
Discovering a Lost Twin Through Youtube
The invention of social media and the various entertainment platforms has had many negative effects, but there have been plenty of positive ones. Take the story of Anais Bordier, for example. One day, while scrolling through YouTube, she discovered a YouTuber that looked exactly like her. After reaching out, the pair decided to meet in person. They soon discovered that they were identical twins who were adopted, separately.
Through the power of social media and the ability to connect with millions of people over the internet, these two twins were able to find one another. The internet isn't all bad.
The Orphan Kangaroo and His Teddy Bear
Tragedies, such as being orphaned, are often seen as a human issue, but they can also happen in the wilderness. There was once a baby kangaroo, known as "Doodlebug," that was orphaned at a young age. The baby kangaroo was distraught, and when he found a human he swiftly opened his arms, as if he was asking for an embrace. His rescuer later gave him a teddy bear, and he refused to let go of it.
The kangaroo continued to hold the teddy bear in his embrace. Showing the soft toy the love and affection that he so direly needed from parents who were no longer around.
The Young Man Who Saved 20 of His Classmates
The plague of school shooters is a terrible pandemic in the United States of America. The scariest scenario for students is becoming more and more common. Out of these tragedies have come several heroes, such as Anthony Borges. Anthony was a 15-year-old student who held his classroom door shut while the shooter shot through him and the door. Anthony saved 20 classmates with his heroic actions that day.
After getting hit five times he was rushed to the hospital. Even after all the devastation that had happened to his body, he pulled through.
A Family That Cuddles Together Stays Together
There are some pretty adorable pictures of animals out there in the world. It makes sense since most animals can be so flippin' cute sometimes. If you are wanting an example then look no further than this picture of a family of elephants that are sleeping together, side by side. Elephants aren't traditionally the go-to animals for cute, adorable pictures, but this one has to take the cake.
Elephants have been known to form close bonds with family members and friends that can last dozens of years. It turns out we have more in common than we would think.
The Clean up That Allowed Thousands of Turtles to Be Born
As the world has become more aware of our impact on the environment, we have become more organized about cleaning up the disasters we have caused. For example, Versova Beach in Mumbai was in dire need of a cleanup. This cleanup took them nearly two years, but the payoff was immense. Once the beach was clean, it was again possible for sea turtles to lay their eggs on the sandy shores.
Shortly after this beach's cleanup, the resident around Mumbai saw hundreds of thousands of sea turtles' eggs hatch, and those baby sea turtles were able to begin their lives.
Being Honest Brings Man up From Homeless
There used to be a homeless man named Billy Ray that was living on the streets of Kansas City. One day a woman dropped some change into his cup while she was going about her business. She later realized her engagement ring had fallen off, presumably into the homeless man's cup. Upon her return, he returned the ring, and in thanks, she set up a fund to raise a few thousand dollars for him.
The fund ended up raising nearly 200,000 dollars, and within six months of him returning the ring to her, Billy Ray is no longer homeless and has reunited with his family.
Dr. Marshall Gives Himself Ulcers to Win Noble Prize
Barry Marshall is a medical doctor out of Australia and a Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Western Australia. He was hypothesizing that H. pylori bacteria was causing stomach ulcers. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to make any headway with his research in the medical community. So, he eventually decided to give himself ulcers by consuming the bacteria. After treating the ulcers, he went off to win the Nobel Prize for his research.
This is a prime example of living in a high-risk, high-reward manner. Rather than listening to his colleague and letting his hypothesis die, he went to the extreme, and it paid off.
Billy Joel Reserves His Front Row Seat for True Fans
Billy Joel, also known as "The Piano Man," was and continues to be a massively famous singer and performer. After years of dealing with the boredom of the ultra-wealthy crowding the front row of his shows, he decided to reserve the entire front row of his concerts. This allowed him to avoid scalpers and high rollers. Instead, once the concert began he would have the crew bring down fans from the back row into the front row.
If you were the fan who scrapped just enough money to purchase a Billy Joel ticket in the back row then your year was made when you found yourself suddenly in the front row.
Paramedics Make a Woman's Family Dinner
In Eindhoven, Netherlands there was a woman who was rushed to the emergency room when she called the paramedics during a hypoglycemia event. After the paramedics sent her to the hospital to receive treatment for low blood sugar the two paramedics stayed behind. The first responders prepared dinner for her family and then cleaned up her house for the woman so that when she returned she would find her children fed and her house cleaned.
This is an example of what going above the call duty looks like. The woman must've had her terrible night turn into a pretty amazing one when she came home.
From Homeless to the Board of Directors
In 2017, a man named Elmer Alvarez was homeless on the streets. While living on the streets, he came across a $10,000 check, but instead of cashing it he went and found the check's owner, a successful real estate broker. The real estate broker, Roberta Hoskie, was so touched that she rewarded him with a place to live and gave him a job interview. Within a year, he was on the Board of Directors for Hoskie's Outreach Foundation.
A single decision changed this entire man's life. While he could have cashed the check he instead returned it to its owner and now can help others find affordable housing.
Boston College Gives Free Education to Employees' Children
The pricing of universities and colleges in the United States of America has gotten completely out of control. A majority of the population cannot afford to send their children off to college without taking extreme loans. However, some places, such as Boston College, allow their employees' children to attend their institution for free as long as they are accepted. One janitor sent his five children and saved himself almost $700,000.
The only way that people are able to afford to get their children their higher education is through programs such as these. Thankfully, this man's job allowed him to save himself a fortune.
Father Makes Easter Egg Hunts for the Visually Impaired
Parents of children with physical and mental disabilities have learned how to accommodate their children as they navigate a world that wasn't built for them. One example is Easter Eggs Hunts and how it is practically impossible for those who are visually impaired to participate, but this father wouldn't let his children not have fun. This dad decided to create beeping Easter Eggs so that his blind daughter could participate in the hunt like every other child.
This little girl's Easter memories have forever changed for the better simply because her father was aware of her and her disabilities and made sure to make his daughter feel included.
Dead Man Is the Luckiest Person Alive and Wins Lottery
There is a man named Bill Morgan who lives out in Australia. This man probably felt extremely unlucky when he suffered a heart attack and died for 14 minutes. His luck didn't seem to change when he was revived and ended up in a coma for two weeks. However, upon waking, he decided to celebrate his survival with a lottery ticket. He won $27,000. When the news asked him to recreate the event he won the $250,000 jackpot.
This man went from extremely unlucky to unfathomably lucky within the span of a single month. From dead to a quarter of a millionaire within a mere two weeks. Proof anything can happen.
Koko the Gorilla and Robin Williams' Special Relationship
Koko is one of the world's most famous gorillas for her ability to use some basic sign language. This famous gorilla meet the famous actor Robin Williams back in 2001. The world-famous comedian was able to bring a smile to the gorilla's face after six months of her being in a deep depression. When Williams passed away in 2014 Koko signed a single word, "cry." The man had a massive impact on all of us.
Robin Williams was an amazing man who had been able to bring smiles to everyone who saw his work. His passing was an extremely sad day for the human and animal world.
Cats Have Never Been Sticklers for the Rules
Any owner or former owner of a cat can tell you that cats are more than just house pets. These feline creatures are often the master while their owner quickly learns that they are the actual house guest that is allowed to live there as long as they continue to change the litter box. Turns out that studies have shown that cats can perfectly comprehend the commands we issue, but they just don't care.
This isn't surprising to those cat owners out there. We have known this all along, and there was never any need to conduct a study when we could've just told you.
Homeowner Saves His Property With Sprinklers
Wildfires are extremely dangerous and destroy homes and land across the world. It has caused billions of dollars worth of damage in the United States alone. When a homeowner got the call to evacuate due to wildfires in Kansas he briskly complied, but not before turning on his sprinklers. However, no one would have expected his sprinkler system to save his property. When he returned home after the fire, he found his home and land intact.
The image shows his property and land completely untouched while being surrounded by the destroyed, blackened land. It looks like an oasis in the middle of an unfathomable travesty.
Woman Saves Horse From Suffocation
The realities of humankind's impact on nature can be harsh. However, we oftentimes overlook the way in which humans express complete devotion to the animals around us. Take this woman, Nicole Graham, the proud owner of a horse. When her horse got stuck in the mud she spent three hours holding its head above the mud so that her horse would not suffocate. Thankfully, help arrived in time to save the horse.
The complete devotion this woman had to her horse is not uncommon and can be seen in how animal owners treat their pets every day. Remember to cuddle up to your animals today.
The Most Beautiful Woman Was a Genius
Actress Hedy Lamarr was considered the most beautiful woman in the acting world. Her on-screen beauty made her extremely famous, but it wasn't her acting or beauty that she wanted recognition for. The actress was also an incredibly talented inventor and mathematician who invented a technology that is used until this day. Her frequency hopping spread spectrum paved the way for the modern invention of Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity.
Many of us would find life incredibly difficult without access to our Wifi and Bluetooth devices. So next time you connect remember to thank the hero that made your Netflix binging possible.
The Restaurant Run by Grandmas
There is one fact that we can all agree upon, our grandmas are the best cooks. It would seem that a restaurant owner in New York agrees with this fact. So much so that he does not employ chefs, and instead hires a different grandma to run the restaurant every day. These grandmas will come in and build a new menu each day based on their native ancestry and cuisine.
The name of this restaurant is Enoteca Maria, and it has a rotating list of grandmothers instead of chefs. The only question is how do we sign up our grandma?
Little Girl Survives Days in the Siberian Woods
Dogs are mankind's best friend. If this was ever in doubt then you haven't heard of the three-year-old girl who, in 2014, got lost in the Siberian forest. A forest that is packed with wild bears and wolves. Against all possibilities, this girl survived for eleven days with only her dog to keep her company. She would eat wild berries and drink water from the river before sleeping next to her dog every day she was lost.
In the end, the dog went to her home village to bring rescuers to his best friend, and the girl was saved. Against all odds, this girl survived the wilderness.
Gordon Ramsay Loses a Chopping Competition to a Prison Inmate
If you haven't heard of Gordon Ramsay then you need to come out of the rock you have been hiding under. Ramsay is likely the most popular chef alive with his famous restaurants and startling reality tv show, Hell's Kitchen. One of his cooking shows even involved him going to prison. While he was there Gordon Ramsay was challenged to an onion chopping competition with an inmate. Surprisingly, the inmate won.
After the prisoner had completed their sentence in jail Gordon Ramsay even offered them a job at one of his high-end restaurants in London. We all knew he was a softie.
Married Couple Reunited After 60 Years Apart
It is not uncommon to see those in the army marry their sweethearts before they deploy. This is often because of the numerous benefits that those married to deployed servicemen receive. Therefore it wasn't surprising to see this Russian couple be married only three days before her husband left to join the Red Army. Unfortunately, they were not able to find each other after his deployment for decades.
Luckily, this story has a happy ending. After 60 years they both randomly decided to return to their hometown for a visit. After decades of marriage, the two love birds refound each other.