While most of today’s hermits seclude themselves as a form of passive protest against society, the underlying rationality behind such acts of isolation isn’t much different than the reasoning used by the 10 hermits who spent decades in utter solitude for religious or philosophical purposes.

1. Baal Shem Tov

Baal Shem Tov, born Israel ben Eliezer and often called Besht, is best known as the father of Hasidism. His life is shrouded in legend and fable, and as such most of the details of his life are a topic of debate. He is said to have been born to parents who were nearly 100 years old. He was orphaned at a young age when they both died of old age.

After a relatively nondescript young life in which he worked in various synagogues and schools, Besht went into the Carpathian Mountains, where he lived and meditated on mysticism and spirituality. His reputation as a healer spread far and wide, as did the fact that he conversed with and dressed like “simple people,” something which irked some parts of the Jewish community. Although he never wrote down any of his teachings, they were recorded by his followers and later formed the basis of Hasidism.

2. Julian Of Norwich

Julian of Norwich is perhaps best known for being the author of the first book written in the English language by a woman, her magnum opus Revelations of Divine Love. She’s now known primarily through that book, and while most of the details are missing, we do know that Julian was already in her cell (a room attached to a church) by the age of 30.

It was at the age of 30 that a sickness struck her, one which was so serious that she was given the Last Sacraments. However, she pulled through and the visions she received inspired her to write about the love of God. She often struggled with the evil ravaging the world at the time, and she fought to reconcile that idea with the concept of God’s love. When Julian questioned God and pressed Him for an explanation, He assured her that she need not bother—she would forever remain ignorant of the reasoning. Her year of death, as well as the cause, is a mystery. All that is known is that she was dead by 1423, as her cell was empty.

3. Saint Paul

Widely considered to be the first Christian hermit, Paul lived during the time of Christian persecution at the hands of the Roman emperor Decius. One such persecution was that of a young male Christian who was tied to a comfortable bed and forced to have sex with a woman. He then bit his tongue off, spat it in the woman’s face, and was martyred. Hearing of these and other persecutions, Paul fled into the desert, where he lived in a cave for anywhere from 60 to 90 years, depending on the source.

While in the desert, Paul was fed by a raven who brought him dates and bread. He also encountered Anthony the Great in the wilderness, who had been told in a vision to seek out the elusive hermit. They spoke throughout the night, and Paul told Anthony that he was dying. He asked Anthony to bury him with a special cloak, which was back in the city. When Anthony returned, Paul was dead and his soul was being lifted to heaven by a host of angels. Unfortunately, Anthony had forgotten his shovel, but, similar to the story of Mary of Egypt, two lions showed up and dug a hole with their claws.

4. Zhang Daoling

The legendary founder of the Way of the Celestial Masters sect (otherwise known as the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice), a branch of Taoism, Zhang Daoling lived a relatively nondescript life as a hermit in the mountains of the Sichuan province of China. The nickname for his sect derived from the fact that people paid five pecks of rice every year as a sort of membership fee. Daoling began it after the famed Taoist philosopher Laozi supposedly came to him in a vision, and it became the first organized Taoist church in Chinese history.

Giving up his life of solitude to lead his new followers, Daoling preached against what he saw as a lack of respect for truth and goodness in the people of China. The new sect also rejected the traditional sacrifices, which often involved blood and animals, in favor of joss sticks, incense, and boiled vegetables.

5. Saint Mary Of Egypt

One of a handful of saints who began their lives entrenched in sin, Mary of Egypt was a prostitute in the city of Alexandria, servicing sailors who came into port. Fleeing to the city at the young age of 12, she refused money for her services, instead supporting herself mainly through begging. She later convinced a group of sailors to take her to the Holy Land.

When she got there, Mary tried to enter a church but the Holy Spirit kept her body from crossing the threshold. The sight of an icon of the Virgin Mary caused her to confess her sins and weep. Under the guidance of the voice of the Virgin Mary, she then went into the wilderness across the Jordan River, where she remained alone for 40 years. The future Pope Zosimus was said to have come upon Mary while on his own journey in the desert. She told him her entire story and he gave her communion. Later, after her death, Zosimus was preparing the burial rites when a lion appeared out of nowhere; it dug a grave for Mary with its paws before burying her itself.

6. Pope Celestine V

Dubbed the “hermit pope,” Celestine V was known as Peter of Morrone in his early life. He withdrew from society at an early age, and the strict piety with which he led his life attracted many followers. He later organized them into a group which would come to be known as the Celestines. The pivotal moment in Peter’s life came when he predicted that God would strike down the College of Cardinals, who had gone two years without choosing a successor for Pope Nicholas IV.

In the face of the prophecy, the cardinals voted to just go ahead and elect Peter as the new pope. He refused the nomination at first, even going so far as to try to flee. However, the cardinals would not change their minds, and he was soon brought to Naples, where he became Celestine V and was kept on a short leash by King Charles II. Having spent most of his years outside society, Peter knew that he wasn’t up to the job, so he tried to resign and escape into the mountains. Unfortunately, his successor, Pope Boniface VIII, tracked Peter down and stuck him in prison, where he remained until his death.

7. James Lucas

Known as the “Hertfordshire Hermit,” James Lucas was a well‑educated doctor with a few minor eccentricities. After his father died, those eccentricities were exacerbated and, after his mother died 19 years later, they became uncontrollable. He moved into his parents’ estate in Hertfordshire and refused to execute their wills, choosing instead to barricade himself inside the house. It quickly fell to ruin, as Lucas chose to only live in the small back kitchen, wearing nothing more than a blanket fastened with a wooden skewer.

Though unwilling to mingle with anyone outside of his home, he was more than happy to receive visitors, especially tramps and children. His most famous guest was the author Charles Dickens, who wrote about Lucas in a story called “Tom Tiddler’s Ground” in the literary magazine All The Year Round. Lucas was found by one of his watchmen while having a stroke, and he died a short while after. A large sum of money was found hoarded in his living room.

8. Gerasimus Of The Jordan

Although the exact year of his birth is unknown, Gerasimus was born in Lycia in Asia Minor. Born into a relatively wealthy family, he decided to become a monk and headed into the Jordanian desert to live a life of solitude. However, his lifestyle and his ideas attracted followers, and he eventually built a monastery near the Jordan River for them all to stay in. Strict rules of asceticism were followed by the tenants of the monastery, with Gerasimus going so far as to only allow the eating of bread, dates, and water during the week. Cooked food and wine was allowed on the weekend.

Perhaps the story for which Gerasimus is best known is that of the lion with a thorn in its paw: A lion limped up to the saint with its paw in the air, clearly in pain. Gerasimus removed a thorn from its paw, and the lion would not leave his side after that. It was given the name “Jordan” and was assigned to be a guardian to the donkey which Gerasimus sent to fetch water. When Gerasimus died, the lion was distraught and lay down on his grave, refusing to move until it died a few days later.

9. William ‘Amos’ Wilson

William Wilson’s story begins in 18th‑century Pennsylvania and involves his sister Elizabeth. She was tricked into having sex with a man named Joseph Deshong, who pretended to have marriage on his mind. In reality, he had no intention of marrying her. When she gave birth to twins, he followed her home and lured Elizabeth and the newborns into the woods, where he murdered the babies and then fled the scene. Elizabeth was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. William pleaded with the governor to release her, and eventually a pardon was granted. He raced home to save her, but he was too late—she had been hanged moments before he arrived.

Discouraged and saddened by his sister’s fate and by the injustice of society (Deshong was never found), William headed back to his birthplace and lived in a cave for the last 19 years of his life, gaining the nickname “The Pennsylvania Hermit.” He supported himself by making millstones, eschewing any other contact with civilization. After his death, his writings were published in a number of different newspapers.

10. Anthony The Great

Born in central Egypt, Anthony was raised by Christian parents and attended church regularly. Described as an obedient and attentive youth, Anthony lost his mother and father when he was only 18. Less than six months after their deaths, he overheard a sermon that changed his life. The man preaching spoke of Jesus saying to sell your belongings to the poor and follow him in order to receive treasure in heaven. Anthony quickly sold everything his parents had left him, entrusted the care of his sister to a household of virgins, and immediately began a life of asceticism.

Apart from the normal dangers of living a solitary life in the desert, Anthony was said to have squared off against the devil (as many saints are wont to do), who tempted him with “phantasms of sexual allurements.” He was able to fend off Satan, who appeared to him personally under the guise of a young black boy. Widely regarded as the “father of monks,” Anthony died at the age of 105. Many of his sayings were collected in the book Sayings of the Fathers.

11. Herman’s Hermits

An English beat group widely popular in the 1960s, Herman’s Hermits formed in 1962 in Manchester. Younger than either the Rolling Stones or the Beatles, they were seen as more appealing to the teens of the day, especially those in the United States. Their most popular songs included “I’m into Something Good,” “Silhouettes,” and “I’m Henry VIII, I Am,” a British music hall song dating back to 1910. The group disbanded in 1971 after years of declining album sales.

Welcome to our roundup of 10 strange forgotten pastimes, where we dive into the oddball amusements that once thrilled crowds before modern entertainment took over. With all of the seemingly endless options for amusement we have today, it’s easy to forget that this hasn’t been the case for very long. Before the Internet gave us immediate access to whatever we feel like watching, listening to, or reading at the moment, those who came before us could get up to some pretty weird things in pursuit of a good time.

10 Strange Forgotten Pastimes Of Decades Past

10 Telegraph Sports

Practically as soon as the telegraph enabled instantaneous communication over hundreds of miles, local sports clubs in several major cities began using it to organize competitions with clubs in other states. For years, citizens could see scores posted in their local newspapers for the most recent telegraph sports matches.

The idea appears to have originated with bowling clubs and soon caught on, spreading to other sports. A 1905 issue of Shooting and Fishing magazine reported on the results of a telegraph shooting match between the Washington, D.C. Revolver Association and the Smith and Wesson Revolver Club of Springfield, Massachusetts. Telegraph bowling leagues in particular were very popular in the first two decades of the 20th century but largely died down by the 1920s.

9 Wax Bullet Dueling

Dueling with pistols was still a popular, if prideful and lethal, pastime in America in the early 1900s. Especially in the South, taking up arms over petty slights was still seen as a way to potentially elevate one’s social status, and refusing a challenge to duel could make one a social pariah. But for a brief time, dueling became a spectator sport. Participants faced off wearing black robes and face masks, and used wax bullets.

The sport originated in France, with a “School of Dueling” being established in Paris. Wax bullet dueling was even featured in the 1908 Summer Olympics, with rules based on the honor codes of classic dueling. The duels were not completely without danger. The wax bullets could still cause some damage without proper protection, and spectators had to be wary of their eyes, as a stray hunk of wax could put one out.

8 Staged Train Crashes

Humans have always been suckers for spectacle, from the Roman Colosseum to the latest Marvel film in IMAX 3‑D. But in years past, spectacle could be hard to come by without putting oneself in danger. Enter “Head‑On” Joe Connolly, perhaps the most famous promoter of the biggest events of their day: staged, head‑on crashes between two locomotives.

Between 1896 and 1932, Connolly staged no less than 73 of these events, sending 146 trains to their fiery deaths. The first, and most infamous, of these staged wrecks ended in catastrophe. William George Crush, an executive with the Texas Railway Company, proposed the idea as a way to drum up ticket sales, and it took place outside a makeshift temporary city—“Crush, Texas”—in September 1896. Over 40,000 spectators showed up to watch, but the impact caused both trains’ boilers to explode, sending flaming debris raining down on the crowd. At least three died, and many more were injured.

7 Bed Pushing

One strange campus craze, originating at the University of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and quickly migrating to Canada, was reported on by Time in February 1961: bed pushing. That is, pushing full‑size beds mounted on wheels over long distances and difficult terrain.

Canadian students “from Nova Scotia to British Columbia” could be seen pushing beds anywhere and everywhere, “over highways, prairies and frozen lakes.” At the time, the record for distance was an incredible 1,600 kilometers (1,000 mi), set by an Ontario University team that “kept its Simmons rolling night and day for a week.” But the standing world record was set in 1979, years after the craze peaked, by students at Pennsylvania’s St. Vincent College. The team pushed their bed in circles around a shopping center for 3,000 kilometers (1,980 mi).

6 Truckin’

The phrase “Keep On Truckin’ ” originated with a Blind Boy Fuller blues song in the 1930s but seemed to really catch on the ’70s, when it seemed to appear on every other shirt practically overnight. It appears to simply be an innocent way to express that one should keep going no matter how difficult things become, but American college students—with some inspiration from artist Robert Crumb—turned the phrase into a strange and pointless activity.

Crumb’s comic strip, “Keep On Truckin’,” featured caricatures of men walking with a pronounced, exaggerated strut, leaning back while making wide, swooping leg motions. College kids—the strip’s target audience—took this immediately to heart, and began copying the cartoonish walk in real life. The phenomenon was first documented in campus newspapers in 1970 but died out by the mid‑’70s. Perhaps this was because Crumb was finally granted a copyright for his original image, used without license on merchandise for years, in 1977.

5 X‑Ray Shoe Fittings

In the 1920s, X‑Rays were a strange and wonderful invention with a futuristic name. Scientists could hardly conceive of the potential; they could also hardly conceive of the potential dangers. This explains why, during that decade, X‑Ray shoe fitting machines became all the rage in shoe stores across America—though they contained radioactive material, with no protection in place to keep this radiation from leaking into the atmosphere.

They were called “Shoe Fitting Flouroscopes,” and kids and adults alike loved them. By the early 1950s, there were over 10,000 of these extremely hazardous radioactive devices in department stores throughout the land. They were banned in the 1970s once the dangers became known, and while a few scattered cases of foot cancer in older patients have been linked to the machines, exactly how many may have been sickened will probably never be known.

4 Balloon Jumping

Yes, the 1920s loved futurism, and nothing was more futuristic than flight. Science fiction of the time was packed with flying cars and bizarre airships, and some rich sportsmen thought of a way to bring the future into the present: balloon jumping.

The jumper was attached by a harness to a large balloon, large enough to provide some lift but not so large (ideally) that the jumper would drift off into the sky. Participants could achieve a kind of moonwalk‑type bounce, flying up over trees, fences, and even houses. Sports publications throughout the 1920s fawned over this new sport, calling it safe, easy, and fun, but it never quite caught on among the public at large—perhaps due to a 1927 balloon jumping death in the UK, in which an experienced parachute jumper died while partaking in the activity.

3 Fox Tossing

Going back much further, one can imagine that the opportunities for amusement were even more scarce in the 18th century. One forgotten sport, described in a German hunting manual from 1720, was known as “Fuchsprellen”—roughly translated, “Fox Tossing.”

The idea was to lay a series of tarps over a large outdoor playing area. Then, several foxes—along with badgers and small wildcats—would be let loose. Participants would chase them around, waiting for the moment when a hapless animal was positioned perfectly on one of the tarps; two players would then grab the tarp at either end and quickly pull it taut, launching the animal as high into the air as possible.

While one might think that such ridiculous activities involving cruelty to animals are a thing of the distant past, this is not necessarily so.

2 Octopus Wrestling

In the 1950s and ’60s, skin diving was a popular pastime. It was quite competitive, with divers vying to see who could dive the deepest or stay submerged the longest, but soon enough a new element was added to the competition: how large an octopus could be wrangled to the surface.

While incredibly illegal today, octopus wrestling became a popular spectator sport in the Pacific Northwest. Competitors had to find and extract an octopus from its lair and wrestle it to the surface of the water; they were judged on the weight of the animal, with extra points awarded for forgoing any breathing equipment. In 1963, over 5,000 spectators showed up to Puget Sound in Washington State for the World Octopus Wrestling Championships. Organizers guaranteed action by placing a few octopi in strategic locations along the beach, as they had to ensure an exciting match; the event was being televised.

1 Auto Polo

In 1912, a Kansas Ford dealer held what he hoped would be the first of many sporting matches with an eye toward generating business. It was held between the two inaugural teams, the Grey Ghosts and the Red Devils, of America’s newest sport: Auto Polo.

It was played pretty much exactly as one might expect, like traditional polo but with cars instead of horses. As cars were initially marketed as a replacement for horses, this makes a strange sort of sense. In this first match, held in a Kansas alfalfa field, two teams of three men competed: two men to drive the car and one to swing a giant mallet at a basketball‑sized rubber ball. Despite (or perhaps because of) the likelihood of crashes, injuries and deaths, the sport skyrocketed in popularity for the next several decades, with the last matches taking place in the mid‑1950s.

When you search for the top 10 best movies spanning a century, most lists zero in on genres or single‑year winners. This roundup, however, takes a broader, decade‑by‑decade approach, weighing box‑office pull, critical acclaim, awards, and cultural impact to crown a standout from each ten‑year slice.

Top 10 Best Films By Decade

10 1920s—Metropolis

The roaring twenties may not scream “cinematic gold” at first glance, yet it birthed groundbreaking works like Battleship Potemkin, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Nosferatu. Feature filmmaking was proving its staying power, turning the silent medium into a pure visual storytelling craft that could captivate audiences without a single spoken line.

Emerging as the decade’s crowning achievement, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis dazzles as a lavish expressionist sci‑fi epic. Though it predates synchronized sound, the film compensates with a sprawling, dystopian cityscape that still feels fresh today. Production stretched over 17 arduous months, turning the set into a near‑nightmare for everyone involved.

Lang’s ambition blew past the original budget, ending up roughly two‑and‑a‑half times larger than planned. The movie pioneered visual tricks such as the Schüfftan process—named after visionary VFX wizard Eugen Schüfftan—where mirrors projected actors onto meticulously crafted miniatures, creating awe‑inspiring effects.

Metropolis stumbled at the box office, earning scathing criticism from the likes of H.G. Wells, who dismissed it as “foolishness, cliché, platitude, and muddlement.” Decades later, painstaking restorations rescued the original footage, allowing modern audiences to finally recognize it as one of cinema’s all‑time greats.

9 1930s—The Wizard Of Oz

The 1930s delivered a parade of classics—Duck Soup, King Kong, Bringing Up Baby, M, Gone with the Wind, and City Lights—yet none achieved the universal reach of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. While the story had already been adapted seven times, none matched Victor Fleming’s Technicolor‑rich musical extravaganza.

When the film premiered, it was already the eighth cinematic rendition of L. Frank Baum’s tale. Earlier stage productions and silent versions were charming, but they couldn’t compete with the vibrant, full‑color spectacle that Fleming orchestrated.

The movie’s daring switch from black‑and‑white to Technicolor mid‑story became a hallmark of cinematic history, showcasing the magical power of color. Even viewers today, many of whom have never experienced a 1930s film, instantly recognize the iconic ruby slippers and the yellow‑brick road.

The Library of Congress has noted that The Wizard of Oz “has been seen by more viewers than any other movie,” underscoring its unparalleled cultural impact and cementing its place as the decade’s most influential picture.

8 1940s—Citizen Kane

The 1940s opened with Charlie Chaplin’s bold The Great Dictator and continued with a slew of masterpieces—Double Indemnity, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Grapes of Wrath, and Casablanca. Amid this golden era, one film rose above the rest: Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane.

Welles’s fame from narrating The War of the Worlds caught RKO’s eye, prompting the studio to offer him a contract that covered acting, producing, writing, and directing. He seized the chance, and his debut effort became a semi‑autobiographical drama inspired by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.

Released in 1941, the tale of the enigmatic Charles Foster Kane and his elusive “Rosebud” initially flopped financially, failing to recoup its costs. Critics praised its innovation, but audiences stayed away, and the film didn’t earn its legendary status until the mid‑1950s.

Since then, Citizen Kane has topped countless polls, hailed by the American Film Institute, critics, and directors alike as the greatest movie ever made, a testament to its lasting artistic brilliance.

7 1950s—Sunset Blvd.

The 1950s were dominated by titans such as Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Ingmar Bergman, producing gems like Some Like It Hot, Singin’ in the Rain, North by Northwest, and Rear Window. Yet the decade’s standout is Billy Wilder’s 1950 noir‑drama Sunset Blvd.

Though you may not have sat through the full feature, you’ve certainly seen snippets—this black‑comedy masterpiece is a staple of film‑school curricula and pop‑culture references alike. The story follows struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis as he becomes entangled with former silent‑film star Norma Desmond.

Wilde’s film is peppered with cameo appearances by silent‑era legends such as Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, and H.B. Warner, lending authentic gravitas to the tale of faded fame and desperate ambition.

Sunset Blvd. earned high praise upon release and secured a spot among the all‑time greats. It was among the first selections for preservation by the National Film Registry, underscoring its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

6 1960s—Psycho

The 1960s ushered in a surge of sci‑fi brilliance with 2001: A Space Odyssey, alongside spaghetti westerns like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and psychological thrillers such as Dr. Strangelove, Lawrence of Arabia, and Rosemary’s Baby. Yet the decade’s crown jewel is Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Psycho stands as a masterclass in suspense, redefining the thriller genre with its razor‑sharp storytelling and iconic shower scene. It quickly eclipsed Hitchcock’s earlier works to become his most celebrated film, often outranking classics like Rear Window and North by Northwest.

The film turned a modest $800,000 budget into a $32 million box‑office juggernaut, cementing its status as a commercial triumph. It’s widely regarded as the first true slasher film, laying the groundwork for countless horror successors.

Psycho’s influence ripples through every major thriller and slasher movie released after 1960, securing its place as a cornerstone of cinematic terror.

5 1970s—The Godfather

The 1970s delivered a staggering array of unforgettable movies—Star Wars, Annie Hall, Alien, Apocalypse Now, and A Clockwork Orange—yet the decade’s definitive masterpiece is Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather.

If you ever made it through film school without watching this saga, you likely missed a cornerstone of modern cinema. The film chronicles the Corleone family’s rise from 1945 to 1955, spotlighting Michael Corleone’s evolution into the new Don.

The Godfather blends violence, romance, and intricate character work, earning universal acclaim. Marlon Brando’s legendary performance revitalized his career, leading to roles in Apocalypse Now, Superman: The Movie, and Last Tango in Paris.

Its cultural imprint is massive; the movie is consistently listed among the greatest ever made and remains the benchmark for gangster cinema. Its sequel, released the same decade, built on this foundation, but the original remains the true trailblazer.

4 1980s—Raiders Of The Lost Ark

The 1980s gifted audiences with The Empire Strikes Back, Labyrinth, Beetlejuice, The Princess Bride, and The Goonies. While the decade brimmed with fantasy, sci‑fi, and comedy, Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark claims the top spot.

Harrison Ford’s charismatic Indiana Jones—an archaeology professor‑by‑day, Nazi‑fighting adventurer‑by‑night—delivers a perfect blend of romance, action, and humor, turning a simple treasure‑hunt plot into pure cinematic joy.

The 1981 release became an instant blockbuster, inspiring imitators like Romancing the Stone and influencing later adventure epics such as The Mummy. Its impact reverberated through the following decade and remains a cultural touchstone.

Raiders sparked a beloved franchise, spawning two successful sequels and a fourth that, while less acclaimed, kept the legend alive. A fifth installment is slated for release in 2022, proving the adventure’s enduring appeal.

3 1990s—The Shawshank Redemption

The 1990s churned out powerhouses like Pulp Fiction, Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, Fight Club, and The Silence of the Lambs. Yet among this rich tapestry, The Shawshank Redemption reigns supreme.

Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novella follows Andy Dufresne, a banker wrongfully convicted of murder, as he navigates life behind bars and forms a deep friendship with fellow inmate Red.

Darabont masterfully balances hope and despair, delivering a shocking escape that catches both the warden and audience off‑guard. The film’s storytelling brilliance shines despite its initial theatrical flop.While the movie barely recouped its budget in cinemas, it amassed award nominations, enjoyed a resurgence through re‑releases, and ultimately thrived in the home‑video market. Today, it’s a staple of television line‑ups and a beloved ’90s classic.

2 2000s—Spirited Away

The 2000s introduced the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man, tug‑filled emotions in Up, and Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Amidst this wave, Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away stands out as the decade’s crowning achievement.

The enchanting tale follows Chihiro (Sen) as she works in a witch’s bathhouse after Yubaba transforms her parents into pigs. Determined to rescue them, Chihiro must navigate a surreal spirit world steeped in Japanese Shinto folklore.

Every frame of Spirited Away is a living painting—Miyazaki’s signature meticulous artistry ensures no moment is wasted. The film’s visual splendor, combined with a hauntingly beautiful score, earned it the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Its universal appeal and masterful storytelling have cemented Spirited Away as a timeless masterpiece, captivating audiences worldwide and solidifying Miyazaki’s legacy.

1 2010s—Boyhood

When you think of the 2010s, blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame, Get Out, The Social Network, and The Grand Budapest Hotel might spring to mind. Yet the decade’s most distinctive film is Richard Linklater’s quietly revolutionary Boyhood.

Linklater committed to a twelve‑year shooting schedule, coaxing Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, and Ellar Coltrane to return annually and film their characters’ natural aging. The result is a genuine coming‑of‑age saga that follows Mason from age six to eighteen.

Each yearly segment may feel modest on its own, but together they weave a compelling portrait of growing up in Texas, capturing the subtle shifts of family dynamics, friendships, and personal aspirations.

In an era dominated by superhero spectacles and high‑octane action, Boyhood’s intimate, patient storytelling resonated with critics and audiences alike, earning accolades and solidifying its place as the top film of the decade.

Top 10 Remakes Better Than The Original Movies

Finding the perfect pairing in comedy is tougher than it sounds – you can’t just mash two funny names together and expect fireworks. That’s why we’ve compiled the top 10 best comedy duos, because true chemistry is a rare commodity. Throughout history countless acts have tried, but genuine rapport remains a scarce treasure. For a duo to truly shine, both performers must bring their A‑game, ensuring the partnership isn’t lopsided.

Film has given these pairs a grand stage to showcase their wit, and many of the most memorable partnerships have spanned generations. By examining the past hundred years, we can spotlight the top 10 best comedy duos, each representing a distinct decade from the roaring 1920s to the streaming‑savvy 2010s.

Top 10 Best Comedy Duos Overview

10 1920s—Laurel & Hardy

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy remain arguably the most iconic comedy partnership ever assembled, even though they stopped sharing the screen many years ago. Their alliance sprang from vaudeville roots and the silent‑film era, where their complementary styles clicked effortlessly.

Back then, many pairs leaned on a funny man versus a straight man formula, yet both Laurel and Hardy were natural jokesters. This dual comic energy let them consistently harvest laughter, and whenever the routine demanded a serious tone, each delivered it flawlessly.

Their collaboration began in the early 1920s, though they weren’t officially billed as a duo until a short film in 1926 cemented their partnership, birthing the legendary Laurel‑Hardy act.

They rose to iconic status during the 1920s and sustained their momentum well into the 1940s, with their last joint feature, Atoll K, released in 1950. Over the course of their partnership they appeared together in 107 films, including 32 silent shorts, 40 early talkie shorts, and a host of television guest spots.

Their pioneering work helped steer the evolution of comic cinema for generations, a legacy still evident today. Even Mark Hamill has proclaimed, “If you don’t like Laurel and Hardy, you are no friend of mine,” echoing the admiration of countless fans.

9 1930s—Pitts & Todd

While Laurel & Hardy ruled the 1920s and early ’30s, they weren’t the sole comic force navigating the Depression era. Teams such as Wheeler & Woolsey delivered laughs, yet another pairing deserves a spotlight.

Hal Roach—who had previously launched Laurel & Hardy—conceived a female comedy duo, and in 1931 he assembled the first prominent women’s team: Thelma Todd paired with Zasu Pitts. Their collaboration holds a special place in comedy history and marks a milestone for female performers.

Roach matched a glamorous blonde bombshell, renowned for comic relief, with one of the era’s most versatile character actresses, and the chemistry clicked. Though their partnership was brief, the body of work they left behind remains timeless.

Together they produced 17 short subjects, even scoring a cameo from Laurel and Hardy in one of their reels. The collaboration dissolved after just two years when Pitts departed the team.

Roach attempted to revive the formula by rotating new female partners, but each effort fell short of recapturing the original magic that Pitts and Todd had created.

8 1940s—Abbott & Costello

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello stand as perhaps the most recognizable pair of their generation. Both cut their teeth in vaudeville before transitioning to radio and eventually the silver screen. While most associate them with the legendary “Who’s on First” sketch, their repertoire extended far beyond that.

During the 1940s and ’50s, Abbott & Costello ruled the comedy landscape. They toured widely throughout the ’40s, even performing for troops during World II, and at one point became the world’s highest‑earning entertainers.

Their presence spanned every medium: live stage shows, early television appearances, radio domination, and a wildly successful film career.

Their cinematic partnership began in 1940 with the modest feature One Night in the Tropics, where they played supporting characters. Nevertheless, they stole the spotlight and proceeded to deliver hit after hit throughout the decade.

Altogether they produced 25 films in the 1940s and kept collaborating into the ’50s. By 1957 they called it quits, citing career exhaustion and personal friction. Nonetheless, their legacy endures, most famously through the “Who’s on First” routine, performed an estimated 15,000 times.

7 1950s—Martin & Lewis

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis form another timeless comedy duo. They first teamed up in 1946, delivering live club performances, and by 1949 they were dominating the radio airwaves.

Their act blossomed on a foundation of improvisation and slapstick, mastering the straight‑man/funny‑man dynamic to perfection. Over time they migrated their routine from stage to radio, then television, and finally film.

The duo’s cinematic debut arrived in 1949, and the bulk of their joint movies arrived in the subsequent decade, where they reigned supreme. Martin & Lewis headlined 16 feature‑length films during the 1950s, delivering classics such as Sailor Beware, Living It Up, and You’re Never Too Young.

During the ’50s they officially billed themselves as Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, a move intended to ease future solo pursuits. Their partnership dissolved in 1956, leading to a two‑decade silence between them, until a 1976 reconciliation, facilitated by Frank Sinatra, brought them back together.

6 1960s—Lemmon & Matthau

The 1960s could have crowned the Smothers Brothers if they’d focused on film rather than TV variety, but for cinema‑centric duos the crown belongs to Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Unlike many on this roster, Lemmon and Matthau didn’t fit the classic comedy duo mold. Their on‑screen interactions frequently featured bickering characters, yet the undeniable chemistry between them shone through.

Off‑camera the pair were close friends, while on‑camera their characters often despised each other. This tension proved comedy gold in films such as The Fortune Cookie and The Odd Couple.

The Odd Couple remains their most celebrated collaboration, opening doors for further joint ventures. Decades later they reunited for the Grumpy Old Men pair of films, proving their chemistry remained fresh. In total they shared the screen in eight movies, with their 1960s work standing among the era’s finest comedies.

5 1970s—Cheech & Chong

The 1970s proved a fertile ground for comedy, birthing talents like Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Monty Python. In the realm of duos, the decade both opens and closes with Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.

They first teamed up in 1971, turning their popular stand‑up act into hit studio recordings and a string of feature films. Their joint creations largely centered on counter‑culture, free love, and a heavy emphasis on marijuana.

Their affection for weed inspired a film where they traverse the nation in a van crafted from “Fiberweed,” complete with… aromatic exhaust. Cheech & Chong enjoyed massive popularity throughout the ’70s and into the ’80s, the latter decade actually housing most of their movie output.

Nevertheless, their breakout hit remains the 1978 classic Up in Smoke. The partnership dissolved in 1987 as Cheech pursued a solo path, stepping away from the drug‑centric material. They eventually reconvened in the early 2000s, rekindling their collaboration.

4 1980s—Wilder & Pryor

Historically, most successful comedy duos shared a similar racial background, predominantly Caucasian. Prior to Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder joining forces, many attempts were made to forge a mixed‑race partnership, yet none matched the impact of this pair.

Their on‑screen partnership kicked off in the previous decade with 1976’s Silver Streak, a respectable effort though not their pinnacle. The 1980 film Stir Crazy is widely regarded as their crowning achievement. They kept the momentum with See No Evil, Hear No Evil in the ’80s, and concluded with 1991’s Another You.

Their collaboration extended beyond joint starring roles; Gene Wilder appeared in the 1974 classic Blazing Saddles, a script co‑written by Pryor. Although Pryor was initially slated for a part, studio decisions favored Cleavon Little, delaying their first shared screen appearance.

The on‑screen chemistry between Wilder and Pryor became legendary, each effortlessly playing off the other’s strengths. However, Pryor’s battles with substance abuse strained their off‑camera friendship. Nonetheless, mutual respect and admiration endured throughout their collaborations.

3 1990s—Farley & Spade

The 1990s boasted a plethora of comedy duos, many springing from Saturday Night Live. While Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s Wayne’s World produced two films, no discussion of ’90s pairings is complete without Chris Farley and David Spade.

Their on‑screen chemistry ranks among the finest ever witnessed, despite stark stylistic differences. Spade delivers deadpan sarcasm, whereas Farley embodied a physical, self‑deprecating humor, willing to smash coffee tables or mock his own size for a laugh.

Both appeared in minor roles in Coneheads, but their inaugural true partnership arrived with Tommy Boy, pairing the off‑screen friends in comedic gold. The following year they reunited for Black Sheep, again showcasing their synergistic chemistry.

Tragically, their joint ventures ceased after Farley’s premature death in 1997, merely a year after Black Sheep hit theaters. Spade’s absence at the funeral sparked rumors of a rift, yet he later clarified that attending was emotionally overwhelming, reflecting the depth of their friendship.

2 2000s—Pegg & Frost

Choosing the premier comedy duo of the 2000s proves challenging, as the decade showcased stellar pairings like Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly, and John Cho & Kal Penn. Nevertheless, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost rise to the top.

Their collaboration kicked off in 1999 with the TV series Spaced, where their remarkable chemistry blossomed and continues to this day. In the early 2000s they starred together in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy.

The trilogy comprises Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End (released in 2013, slightly beyond our decade focus). The first two entries are arguably their finest joint efforts, and they persist in collaborating across film and TV.

Their latest joint venture arrived with the Amazon Prime series Truth Seekers in October 2020. Both remain close friends and frequent collaborators, a partnership poised to endure well into the coming decade.

1 2010s—Fey & Poehler

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler first crossed paths in 1993, quickly forging a close friendship. Shortly thereafter they began collaborating, and by the turn of the millennium both were staples on Saturday Night Live.

Throughout the first ten years of their careers they labored side‑by‑side, primarily in television. Their inaugural film collaboration arrived with the 2002 release Martin and Orloff, a title that slipped under most viewers’ radars.

In 2004 they unleashed the cultural phenomenon Mean Girls, catapulting both careers skyward. They reunited for Baby Mama in 2007, and by 2015 they jointly headlined the comedy Sisters.

In 2019 they teamed up again for Poehler’s directorial debut, Wine Country, which premiered on Netflix and earned a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. They also shone as co‑hosts of the 2021 Golden Globes, a non‑film showcase that nonetheless highlighted their chemistry, even as they navigated thousands of miles of lockdown separation.

People sometimes talk about that eureka moment when something occurs to them, and a great discovery is made. And it’s called a moment because it seems like it happens instantly. But if you spend years working on something before that moment, did it really happen instantly? Or was it a discovery years in the making? History is full of examples of discoveries that took an incredibly long time, some might argue too long, to make. In some cases these discoveries took decades.

10. The Mystery of Bobby Dunbar

Bobby Dunbar disappeared in the summer of 1912 when he was just four-years-old. His family had gone camping in Louisiana and the boy wandered off in the night sometime. At first it was assumed he’d drowned in the lake, but his hat was later found much further away. Suddenly, the idea that he had been kidnapped came to mind. What started as a tragic tale soon became more and more bizarre.

Nearly a year later, a drifter traveling with a young boy in Mississippi was arrested. The boy was about Bobby’s age and the man’s story made no sense. He said he’d been traveling with the boy for a year but his mother, Julia Anderson, had given permission. Anderson agreed, but she said it had just been for a few days. The Dunbar family went to see the boy and accounts of whether the boy recognized them vary. But finally, Mrs. Dunbar identified the boy as Bobby based on some moles and a court agreed. The Dunbars took custody of the boy and returned home.  

Suspicious that things were hinky, a newspaper paid to bring Anderson to town. She was shown Bobby and four other boys of the same age. She couldn’t identify the one that was supposedly her son and none recognized her. The next day she was able to identify him but by then it was too late. She went home alone.

Bobby Dunbar was raised by his parents, became a man, had a family of his own, and died in 1966. Years later, the granddaughters of Dunbar and Anderson met up to put the story to rest. Through DNA testing they were able to confirm Bobby Dunbar was not actually Bobby Dunbar at all. He really had been the son of Julia Anderson and the real Bobby Dunbar had never been found. 

9. A Missing Ring Turned Up After 47 Years

Losing a ring is not all that uncommon an event. People probably lose jewelry all the time, and it has to be upsetting in the moment but you eventually get over it. Debra McKenna no doubt got over losing her class ring in a Maine department store back in 1973 when she’d taken it off to wash her hands and forgotten about it by mistake. Since it was just a class ring and not something like an engagement ring, though the man she eventually married gave it to her, she probably never thought about it again until 2020. 

The ring showed up in the mail in 2020 after it was found by a man named Marko Saarinen. Saarinen didn’t find it in that department store, however. Nor did he find it in Maine. He was using a metal detector in a forest near a town called Kaarina in southwest Finland. 

The man read the inscription, SM, and looked up the school’s alumni association. They tracked down the owner, and his wife, and got the ring back to its rightful owner. 

8. The Greatest Ball Game of All-Time

The 1960 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees has been called the greatest world series of all-time. The Yankees were seen as the dominant powerhouse team but the Pirates took them all the way to game seven when Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates hit a game winning home run in the 9th inning to take the series. It was the first time a series had been won with a home run; it was an incredible upset and it was down to the wire. It was everything sports fans love. And it seemed like it was lost. 

For years there were no tapes whatsoever of that final game. VCRs didn’t exist in 1960 so fans were not recording it at home. TV stations reused tapes back in the day so all old games from before the 1970s had been erased. Fortunately, no one had accounted for how big of a baseball fan Bing Crosby was.

Crosby, who was part owner of the Pirates, was afraid to watch the game live. He thought he’d jinx their chances. Instead, he went to Europe and had the game recorded so he could watch it later. Then he stored the tape in his wine cellar where the precise temperature and humidity perfectly preserved it until 2010 when it was discovered again. The game was restored and transferred to DVD and can now be watched by fans once more.

7. The De-Extinction of the Lord Howe Stick Insect

Species go extinct at an alarming rate with some estimates saying a few dozen species vanish every day. One of the species we came to terms with losing in 1983 was the Lord Howe Island stick insect.That was when it was officially declared extinct, though no one had seen one since about 1920.

The bugs were discovered in 1918 with a shipwreck on the very tiny, mostly desolate island. Rats from the ship are believed to have invaded and eventually killed off the native insect population and that, as they say, was that. 

Despite their apparent extinction, in 2001 some of the insects were rediscovered on a tiny little volcanic outcropping called Ball’s Pyramid, 23 km off the coast of the main island. The island has barely any vegetation on it at all but what it does have turned out to be a habitat for the bugs. They identified just 24 of the bugs. 

One breeding pair was rescued and taken to Australia. From them, 13,000 eggs were harvested and now a breeding program has been set up in zoos around the world.

6. Glass Sponge Reefs 

The world below the waves is still a mystery and every day we discover new creatures that live in the ocean’s depths. By that same token, we lose many species as well. One thing we thought was long since dead is the glass sponge. These sponges are known to build reefs, growing up to nearly 46 centimeters tall, and the reefs they create become habitats for all kinds of fish and other marine species. They use silica dissolved in the sea water to build delicate skeleton-like structures, which is where the glass name comes from.

Obviously this is a good thing for the ecosystem and the sponges are a species worthy of protection. That’s ironic, of course, because up until recently they were thought to be extinct. And not just a little extinct, either. It was believed they had died off about 100 million years ago. Their remains, called mummies, are well known and a 2,900-kilometer reef of ancient glass sponges stretches from Spain to Romania.

In 1987, off the coast of BC in Canada, new reefs of living glass sponges were discovered, proving the ancient species had not vanished as once thought, they were just deeper than anyone expected them to be.

5. Randy Bachman’s Missing Guitar

Randy Bachman was famous for his work in ’70s rock bands Bachman Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who. His most famous songs include “Takin’ Care of Business” and “American Woman.” He wrote that last one on a 1957 Gretsch guitar that he’d bought as a teen and was basically his signature instrument. He learned how to play guitar using it and he played it all the time. Until 1977 when someone stole it from a hotel room. 

Bachman said he was remarkably possessive of the instrument. He slept with it and he chained it to hotel toilets so no one could steal it. But it was the day that his road manager took it, just long enough to check out of their hotel and then pick up the band, that someone managed to steal it for real.

For decades Bachman lamented the loss and was hopeful he’d find it again one day. In 2020, a fan named William Long who’d heard about the loss in a YouTube video figured he could help out with his own skills as an investigator. Remarkably, after learning the guitar inside and out and scouring the internet for images, Long discovered the guitar in Japan where a musician named Takeshi had bought it in 2016. He had no idea it had been stolen but agreed to trade Bachman for another one.

In the summer of 2022 at the Canadian embassy in Japan, Bachman met with Takeshi and traded him another guitar for the stolen one. He went out of his way to find a nearly identical guitar, in fact, made the same week and with a nearly identical serial number. 

4. A Car Discovered After 20 Years

Imagine how frustrated and angry you’d feel if you discovered someone had stolen your car. That happened in 1997 to a man in Frankfurt, Germany. He parked in a garage, went about his day and came back to find the car missing. Twenty years went by and then the garage was set to be torn down but the owners had one small snag – there was a car parked in it still. It was that man’s car.

Turns out the man had forgotten where he parked. For 20 years his car hadn’t moved at all, and so he discovered it exactly where he’d left it all those years ago. By that time it was rusted out and immobile, but definitely not stolen.

3. The Glowing Wounds of Civil War Soldiers

A lot of crazy things can happen in war but you rarely expect to hear about wounds glowing blue and healing faster than normal, at least not outside of science fiction. But that happened at the Civil War Battle of Shiloh and for years it remained a mystery.

The massive battle saw 40,000 Confederate soldiers square off against the Union with as many as 16,000 casualties. As The wounded waited up to two days in the mud for treatment,some began to glow blue at night. It was noted that those who did glow had a better survival rate. 

It wasn’t until 2001 that a non-supernatural explanation was discovered. A bioluminescent bacterium called Photorhabdus luminescens that lives in soil, which inhibits pathogen growth by secreting an antibiotic compound, could have been growing in the wounds and inadvertently saving the lives of the soldiers. 

2. Twins Accidentally Swapped at Birth

About 1 in 250 natural pregnancies results in twins. Fraternal twins are more common than identical twins and about two-thirds of those pregnant with twins will have fraternal twins. So there’s not necessarily any reason to be shocked if you have twins and they don’t look alike. Certainly, in 1974 in the Canary Islands when twins Begona and Delia were born, their mother wouldn’t have been suspicious.

It would be 28 years before anyone realized that there was a third baby at the hospital that day. A girl named Beatriz was accidentally swapped for Delia and the two sisters, who were identical, were now believed to just be fraternal since of course Beatriz didn’t look like her sister. 

The women only found out when a friend of one of the twins met the other, got confused, and arranged a meeting. A DNA test soon followed, and the twins realized the truth of what happened. Despite that, they were reluctant to share the news. Their biological mother learned first but the mother who raised Delia wasn’t told for almost 9 years. She didn’t take it well. 

1. Relocating Bouvet Island

You may have heard that buying land is a good investment because no one makes it any more. That’s mostly true, but it doesn’t mean you can still discover land every once in a while. Sometimes it just gets lost and needs to be re-found, which is what happened to Bouvet Island.

Bouvet Island is the most remote place in the world and 1,750 kilometers from Antarctica, its closest neighbor, and an island no one would or should ever want to visit. It was discovered in 1739 and consists of rock and ice and a handful of penguins. Plus it’s where Alien vs Predator was set. Explorer Jean-Baptiste Bouvet de Lozier discovered it on an Antarctic exploration mission and then promptly mislabelled it on a map such that it went missing again for another 69 years because no one knew how to find it. 

When it finally was rediscovered, it was hundreds of kilometers from where Bouvet had recorded it so no one was even sure if it was the same place. It wasn’t until 1898 when it finally had a fixed location on maps.

It is difficult to give accurate statistics regarding the number of children that go missing every year, given that this type of data is not available in many countries. However, an estimated 460,000 children are reported missing every year in the United States alone, and 112,853 children in the United Kingdom.

The term “missing” can encompass a variety of scenarios, from children that have run away to a child that has gone missing under a set of unknown circumstances to children that either family members or strangers have kidnapped.

Regardless of the circumstance behind a child’s disappearance, each passing day, month, and year leaves the family with more questions than answers, especially when there are no solid leads or clues about the child’s whereabouts. Sadly, some cases are never solved.

However, for the families on this list, just when all hope seemed lost, they received a true miracle—a notification that their child had been found 20, 30, or even 50 years after their disappearance.

Here are the stories of ten abducted children who were miraculously reunited with their families decades later.

10 Mao Yin

Mao Yin was born on February 23, 1986, in China and was described as a “very clever, cute, and healthy” baby. However, on October 17, 1988, when Yin’s father was bringing him home from nursery school, the toddler asked for water, so the two stopped near the entrance of a hotel in Xian. Unfortunately, as Yin’s father attempted to cool down some water for the boy to drink, Yin was taken.

Yin’s mother worked tirelessly to find her son by handing out approximately 100,000 flyers, quitting her job, appearing on local TV networks, and even volunteering for a group called “Baby Come Back Home,” which helped parents locate their missing children. While Yin’s mother helped 29 other children find their way back home to their families, her own son was still missing.

Then, on May 10, 2020, Mother’s Day in China, and over 30 years after the disappearance of their son, Yin’s parents received the news they had desperately been waiting for. Yin had been located.

Thanks to an incoming tip regarding a man who had purchased a child from Xian in the late 1980s, police were able to use a photo of Yin as a young boy and create an adult image of what he might look like. The image was then run through a government database which located a man with a similar resemblance. From there, a DNA test was done, confirming the man was indeed Mao Yin.

Yin had been sold to a childless couple for $845 (6,000 yuan) and raised under the name Gu Ningning, never aware that his parents had spent the last three decades searching for him. They were reunited on May 18, 2020.^[1]

9 Melissa Highsmith

Alta Apentenco had put an ad in the local Fort Worth, Texas, newspaper in 1971 searching for a babysitter for her daughter, Melissa Highsmith. Unfortunately, while Apentenco was at work, her roommate allowed Highsmith to go with a woman who answered the ad. This was the last time the 21-month-old girl was seen.

Numerous tips came in over the years, although none of them panned out. Highsmith’s family never gave up hope of finding their daughter. Then, in one final attempt to locate their missing daughter, on November 22, 2022, Highsmith’s father submitted his DNA to the 23andMe website, which matched him to the three children of a couple named John and Melanie Brown.

“Melanie” turned out to be Melissa, who was still living in Fort Worth, Texas, just a few miles from where she was abducted. Highsmith was reunited with her family on November 24, 2022, Thanksgiving Day, after 51 long years.^[2]

8 Holly Clouse

In 1980, married couple 21-year-old Harold “Dean” Clouse Jr. and 17-year-old Tina Gail Linn Clouse, along with their baby Holly left their home in Volusia County, Florida, for Dean to pursue a carpentry position in Texas. The couple wrote letters to their families back home, but the last time anyone received correspondence from the couple was in October of 1980. However, a few months later, Dean’s family received a phone call from someone claiming to have information about the couple.

The caller, who identified herself as “Sister Susan,” stated she was in possession of the couple’s car, which they were willing to return in exchange for $1,000. Dean’s family agreed to meet the caller at a racetrack in Daytona, Florida. It was during this encounter that “Sister Susan,” along with a group of other women, stated Dean and Tina had joined their religious group and wanted no further contact with their families and were giving up their possessions.

Naturally suspicious, Dean’s family contacted authorities, who reportedly took the group of women into custody, although no formal police report was ever recorded.

Then, on January 12, 1981, Dean and Tina’s bodies were found in a wooded area near Houston, Texas. However, at the time, the bodies could not be identified, only known as the “Harris County Does.” It was not until October 2021 that genetic genealogy would provide a break in the case and allow the Clouses to finally be identified.

While their families were glad to finally have answers, the question remained—what happened to Dean and Tina’s daughter Holly? Therefore, in an attempt to find answers, the Hope for Holly Project was launched, and thanks to DNA tests, screening, and the use of genealogy, Holly was located eight months later in Oklahoma. She was finally able to connect with her family 42 years after her disappearance, on what would have been her father’s 63rd birthday.

Investigators in the case have learned that Holly was dropped off at a church in Arizona in November of 1980 by two women belonging to a nomadic religious group. The investigation into Dean and Tina’s deaths is still ongoing.^[3]

7 Li Jingwei

When Li Jingwei was only four years old, he was kidnapped from his village in Zhaotong, China, by a neighbor and sold into a child trafficking ring in 1989. Jingwei was then taken to live with another family in the Henan province, over 1,118 miles (1,800 kilometers) away.

While Jingwei was very much aware of his abduction growing up, given that he had been taken so far and had no recollection of his own name, his parents’ name, or the name of his village, returning home seemed impossible.

On the other hand, Jingwei could remember the most vivid details of his village, such as where trees and bamboo shoots grew, the twists and turns of roads and rivers, and even where cows grazed, and he often drew maps of his village as a child. It would be Jingwei’s photographic memory that would lead him back home.

In a final attempt to find his parents, Jingwei drew a detailed picture of his village on December 24, 2021, and posted it to the video-sharing app Douyin. The drawing went viral and was shared across social media platforms, eventually getting the attention of the Ministry of Public Security, which then began assisting Jingwei in his search.

Shortly after that, authorities were able to locate a woman they believed was Jingwei’s mother, and on December 28, 2021, a DNA test confirmed their findings. Jingwei was finally reunited with his mother on January 1, 2022, more than 30 years after his abduction. Unfortunately, his father had already passed away.^[4]

6 Jermaine Mann

On June 24, 1987, 21-month-old Jermaine Allan Mann was abducted by his father, Allan Mann Jr., during a court-ordered visit in Toronto, Canada. Later that year, Mann moved to the United States, creating a new life for himself and Jermaine using fake birth certificates. He also later told Jermaine that his mother was dead.

Although it took nearly three decades, thanks to more than 200 tips received by authorities in both the United States and Canada, they were able to track down Mann using facial recognition. He had been living in Vernon, Connecticut, under the alias of Hailee Randolph DeSouza. Mann was arrested on October 26, 2018, by officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after discovering his birth certificate was counterfeit. Jermaine and his mother were finally reunited on October 27, 2018, after 31 long years.

Mann was charged with making false statements and making false statements to obtain HUD housing after having received more than $180k in housing and Medicaid benefits during his time in the United States. Mann was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was ordered to be deported to Toronto to face abduction charges after serving his sentence in the United States.^[5]

5 Carlina White

When Joy White and Carl Tyson’s 19-day-old daughter, Carlina, began running a high fever on August 4, 1987, they brought her to the Harlem Hospital in New York for treatment. Little did they know that was the last time they would see their daughter. A woman named Ann Pettway, who pretended to be a nurse taking the baby for treatment, kidnapped Carlina and raised her under the alias of Nejdra Nance.

However, as Carlina grew older, she noticed the lack of resemblance between herself and her “mother.” Her suspicions only grew when Pettway could not produce a copy of her birth certificate or social security card, claiming Carlina had been given to her by a woman who used drugs.

It wasn’t until December 2010 that Carlina went on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website. Imagine her surprise to find a photo similar to her own baby pictures. Carlina then called their hotline and was put in touch with her mother, Joy White.

DNA tests later confirmed Carlina was, in fact, her missing daughter, and they were reunited in January 2011, 23 years after her abduction. Pettway turned herself in on January 23, 2011, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.^[6]

4 Sun Wei

Four-year-old Sun Wei was walking home from kindergarten in Lianshan Yi when he was given sweets by a stranger, lured into a van, and kidnapped in 1995. He was taken to the city of Jieyang, sold to a couple, and given a new name and birthdate. While Sun Wei’s identity was changed, he never forgot his kidnapping.

The boy’s father, Sun Zhenghua, reported the kidnapping to the police, but given that he and his wife had no photographs of their son, finding him seemed impossible. However, Zhengua refused to give up and began a cross-country journey, working odd jobs across several provinces in hopes of finding his son. Unfortunately, his attempts were unsuccessful. Refusing to be defeated, Zhengua later registered his DNA with the Chinese missing persons’ authorities.

When Sun Wei was 14 years old, he quit school to begin working and was later persuaded by his friends to register his DNA in the missing person’s database as well. The family was reunited in October 2015, 20 years after Sun Wei’s kidnapping.^[7]

3 Dollie Ann Henson

At the age of five, Dollie Ann Henson (who was born Darlene McDaniel) was playing at a neighbor’s house in Houston, Texas, when the woman asked her if she wanted to go on a train ride. Little did Henson realize at the time that the “train ride” was a kidnapping. She was taken to Louisiana before ending up in San Francisco, California, 1600 miles (2,574 kilometers) away from her family.

Henson’s kidnapper changed her name, birth date, and birth certificate, even going so far as to keep any information that would lead to Henson’s past locked in the trunk of her car. While Henson’s kidnapper claimed her biological family never wanted her, that wouldn’t stop Henson from eventually finding them. However, the challenge was a bit harder after a fire destroyed all the documents in the car, and her kidnapper passed away in 1977.

After getting married and having children of her own, Henson told them the story of her abduction. It was her daughter Kia’Ora who contacted a local television station that allowed Henson to go on-air and share her story on November 12, 2009.

Miraculously, Henson’s family members happened to be watching the broadcast, and they were able to connect by phone on November 13, 2009. Unfortunately, Henson’s birth mother had already passed away, but she was able to spend Christmas that year getting to know the rest of her family and making up for the previous 55 years.^[8]

2 Susan Gervaise

Susan Gervaise, born Susan Preece, had a rough beginning as a young child. Her mother was a single mom, and she and her six siblings lived on a traveler’s site, in and out of foster care in Yorkshire, England.

Therefore, when a Scottish couple who also lived on the site offered four-year-old Gervaise the opportunity to go to Disney World in 1969, her mother agreed. The couple asked Gervaise’s mother for her birth certificate as well so “she could be put on their passport.” Unfortunately, this ruse was nothing more than a disguised kidnapping that would take Gervaise from Canada to New Zealand and Australia.

While Gervaise claimed she had “a cherished life where she was spoiled rotten” with her traveling family, it wasn’t until she was 16 years old that she found out she had been stolen from her family. Gervaise later moved to Australia as an adult, got married, and had three children, never thinking much about her “real family.” That is, until a friend of Gervaise’s, who had been adopted, caused her to think about what her family must have gone through all these years.

Gervaise then located a Facebook page dedicated to the auburn of Pontefract, where she had been taken, and posted her story. Within 30 minutes, her family had been found. Gervaise was reunited with four of her six siblings and other family members in September of 2022, 53 years after her disappearance. Unfortunately, Gervaise’s biological mother had passed away eight years prior.^[9]

1 Feng Lulu

At 22 months of age, Feng Lulu was abducted in 1989 while playing outside her home in Xinxing, China. Lulu was later sold to another family and renamed Zhang Qianqian. While her foster family later claimed that Lulu’s parents couldn’t afford her as the reason they sold her, that was far from the truth.

However, thirty years would pass before the All-China Women’s Federation learned of Lulu’s parents’ search for their missing daughter and assisted them in contacting local police. Thanks to a “statistical database,” Lulu was located, and a DNA test confirmed her identity on March 30, 2021.

On April 2, 2021, Lulu was reunited with her parents after 32 long years and was able to meet her younger brothers and sister for the first time.^[10]