Amazing acts of kindness and charity can completely transform lives and bring light to what can often seem to be a dark world. While World Kindness Day may be a long way off (November 13), it is always worth celebrating society’s unsung heroes. These 10 acts astonishingly kind deeds showcase ordinary people who made a huge impact.

10 Acts Astonishing Highlights

10 Phil Packer’s Marathon

Back in 2008, British soldier Phil Packer was wounded in Basra, Iraq, during a rocket attack. Doctors told him that he would never walk again because of his spinal cord injury. However, thanks to Major Packer’s determined attitude, he proved his doctors completely wrong. A series of grueling training sessions, many of which lasted four to six hours per day, primed the military man for the London Marathon.

Around 50,000 steps later, covering over 42 kilometers (26 mi) of circuit, Packer triumphantly crossed the finish line. Doctors insisted that he only walk a maximum daily distance of 3 kilometers (2 mi). Propelled by nothing more than crutches and sheer willpower, it took him almost two weeks to complete the marathon. The exhausting training sessions had left their mark, though. Even before commencing the race, Packer was plagued by back problems.

However, it was all worth it. Packer raised a staggering £637,000 for Help For Heroes—a charity for wounded servicemen and military vets.

His charitable pursuits did not end there. That same year, the major scaled El Capitan (aka The Chief) in Yosemite National Park. From base to summit, the granite rock formation is some 900 meters (3,000 ft).

In 2010, Packer completed another London Marathon. He also performed the National Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for the telethon show Sport Relief and founded his own charity, BRIT, for embattled youngsters. In 2015, yet again, this machine of a man managed to complete the London Marathon—this time in just 14 hours.

9 The 14 Cows

In the terrible aftermath of 9/11, a tribe in Kenya wanted to show its support for the United States and its people. The tribe, known as the Masai, donated one of its most precious resources—cows. They use the sacred animal to produce milk as well as fashion clothing and decorations. Cow dung is even put to use in waterproofing the tribe’s housing.

So, in 2002, the tribal elders gathered together and blessed 14 cows. The tribesmen held aloft signs that read, “To the people of America, we give these cows to help you,” as they danced around the baffled bovine. The herd was then handed over to William Brancick, the former US embassy deputy head in Kenya.

This act was a major gesture of goodwill. The Masai, who know little of North American cities or their towering skyscrapers, bestowed one of their most prized possessions.

Unfortunately, logistical issues prevented the cows from journeying to America. Following years of indecision, US diplomats decided to leave the cows in Kenya and devise a scholarship program. The offspring of the cows funded 14 high school scholarships for local tribespeople. The scholarship program continues to this day.

8 Hairdresser To The Homeless

Mark Bustos is not only a hairdresser to the stars but also a hairdresser to the homeless. Bustos works for Three Squares Studio, one of the most lavish hairdressers in all of New York City. The famed establishment boasts a client list of top celebs, including Naomi Campbell, Chris Evans, and Aaron Paul.

On Sundays, the self-proclaimed “humanit-HAIR-rian” is often seen giving free haircuts to the homeless of Union Square. He has also traveled around San Diego looking for destitute Americans to help.

His Instagram feed is full of pictures of “before and after” haircuts along with stories of his many homeless clients. One picture shows a Texas man named Shane (aka Frankenstein). Shane fell on hard times after moving to San Diego to find work. Bustos first met the destitute man when he was scrawling a message on some cardboard:

Just a few moments after I exited off of the freeway, Shane was right there, with a sign that had one word on it—one word that we all don’t ever want to feel . . . but know the feeling very well. One word that far too many human beings and living creatures die from every single day. His sign simply said, “HUNGRY.”

Bustos prides himself on boosting the confidence of those down on their luck. Some of his clients have even managed to get their lives back together and find work. He is reminded of one homeless man’s response to receiving a free haircut: “Do you know somebody who is hiring? I’m ready to get a job.”

The entrepreneur tells another story of Joe, whom he first met in Union Square. Joe was trying to find shelter from the elements when Bustos offered him a stylish new haircut. Years later, the pair was reunited under happier circumstances:

“This year, I visited the Harlem YMCA to provide haircuts for the men living there. Coincidentally, Joe was first in line for his haircut and was in a bit of a rush because he didn’t want to be late for work.”

7 Le Book Humanitaire

Winning the Quebecois lottery completely transformed Rachel Lapierre’s life. While most people would splash the cash on themselves, Rachel had more altruistic ambitions. Upon discovering her lottery win, she quit her job as a full-time nurse and followed her philanthropic dreams. Bagging a handsome 1,000 Canadian dollars ($780 USD) per week for life, Lapierre, a former beauty queen, used the funds to create her own nonprofit foundation.

The Quebecois woman created a Facebook page that emphasized the plight of Canada’s less fortunate. Members of the public were invited to donate Christmas baskets, blankets, clothes, school equipment, and bicycles.

However, the nonprofit does not survive on material possessions or money alone. A helper’s time is considered just as important: “It’s not only about material things. You might end up driving a cancer patient to a doctor’s appointment,” stated Lapierre.

Set up in 2013, Lapierre’s nonprofit has spent around $70,000 on operations and galvanized thousands of volunteers. Much of the organization’s time, money, and donations go to improving schools, hospitals, and impoverished communities.

6 The Walking Man

James Robertson went beyond the call of duty to keep himself in a state of employment. The Detroit man walked a whopping 34 kilometers (21 mi) each day to get to and from work. Come rain, snow, cold, wind, or shine, James was always prepared for work and did not miss a single day.

James first came to the public’s attention when the Detroit Free Press ran a story on him. Readers heard the tale of the “Walking Man.” James would get up in the early hours of the morning to get a head start. He needed it. His morning walk, including a brief bus journey, would take around five hours to complete. He was destined to make this trek for a decade.

Even so, James’s positive spirit kept him going. During evening shifts, he operates an injection-molding machine at Schain Mold & Engineering. He enjoys his work, loves his colleagues and boss, and never once complained about getting a mere two to three hours of sleep each night.

Hearing of James’s astonishing work ethic, a local student created a GoFundMe campaign to ease the man’s punishing commute. The target goal of $25,000, set by Evan Leedy, was a breeze. Over 13,000 people donated $350,000 within a week of the campaign’s commencement. At this point, not wanting to be greedy, James called for the campaign’s early close.

James was also helped by Blake Pollock, a bank vice president. The two first met when Pollock saw the factory worker trudging through the snow one morning on his way to work. Pollock would often stop and offer James a ride in his car. Pollock helped his friend select a new car (a Ford Taurus) and organized James’s new living arrangements. He then asked colleagues to set up a trust account for the GoFundMe donations.

In the end, the Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights dealership gave James his Ford vehicle for free.

The whole ordeal also highlighted the deficiencies in Detroit’s public transportation network. Thanks to the media attention, changes to the city’s transport links have improved the lives of other Detroiters.

5 No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded

When a homeless man offered his last $20 to a woman stranded on the highway, he could not have anticipated the response.

Kate McClure stopped on Philadelphia’s Interstate 95 after running out of gasoline. Seeing McClure in a panicked state and without any money, Johnny Bobbitt Jr. offered to fetch some gas from a nearby station. The chivalrous man walked 3 kilometers (2 mi) to buy the fuel with his last $20. McClure says that Bobbitt’s generosity was completely unprecedented.

Bobbitt, a Marine vet and trainee paramedic, became homeless in 2016. After a job opportunity fell through, Bobbitt eventually encountered money problems, had minor run-ins with the law, and started taking drugs.

McClure went on to make return trips to I-95, searching for Bobbitt to repay the money. She also gave him winter clothing, water, and extra cash to buy food. Not wanting her rescuer to become cold over the winter, McClure set up a GoFundMe page with her story.

The donations poured in thick and fast, surpassing the original $10,000 goal. Over 14,000 donations later, Kate’s campaign had raised more than $400,000. Some of the proceeds were used to put a roof over Bobbitt’s head. The remaining money was put into a series of trusts, which will be overseen by a financial adviser while Bobbitt searches for a new job.

McClure’s “pay it forward” approach looks set to continue as Bobbitt has already donated some of his money to another homeless man.

4 Paralyzed Man Forgoes Chance To Walk

In 2009, Daniel Black was badly wounded in a cycling accident. The British man was left paralyzed after a motorist collided with his bicycle. For years, Dan needed continuous assistance from his mother, who was forced to give up work to support him.

Over a number of years, a family friend helped to raise thousands of pounds to pay for Dan’s surgery. It was hoped that he would get the opportunity to walk again one day with the aid of stem cell therapy.

However, Dan would soon learn of a disabled boy named Brecon Vaughan. The five-year-old suffers from spastic diplegia cerebral palsy (aka Little’s Disease). The condition presents with increased muscle tone, leading to stiff muscles and coordination issues, particularly in the legs. Spastic diplegia occurs through damage to or abnormal development of the region of the brain that controls motor function.

When locals started raising money for young Brecon, Black felt compelled to contribute his own savings. He donated £20,000 to Brecon’s surgery, representing about a third of the overall campaign goal.

Eventually, Brecon traveled to the United States for his surgery. He is now walking without the use of his walking frame and has the independence to go to school. Meanwhile, Daniel’s sacrifice was celebrated at the 2013 Pride of Britain Award. Incredibly, the humble man did not feel his donation was particularly noteworthy:

“I don’t see myself as worthy of an award because, to me, it wasn’t really anything that major. If more people did more sort of good things, then it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

3 Cassie Swirls

Wielding an arsenal of acrylic paints and glitter, a five-year-old girl is on a mission to help the less fortunate.

Cassandra Gee (aka Cassie Swirls) started painting when she was just three years old. The girl’s mother, Linda, painted for a hobby. She handed her daughter paints and a canvas in the hopes of keeping her little one busy. Cassie’s efforts left her mother stunned: “Oh, my God. That’s better than mine.”

Art lovers first heard of Cassie’s work on Facebook when Linda was researching art classes for her talented daughter. Buyers started lining up as Cassie’s paintings started to gain notoriety, and many of the paintings sold for hundreds of dollars.

Most kids would have pocketed the money and bought candy. But Cassie auctioned off her paintings and donated the proceeds to a slew of charities. The Royal Society for the Blind, the Trailblazer Foundation, and Cancer Council Australia are just a few of the charities to which Cassie Gee has donated money.

In March 2017, Cassie started giving coloring pens and pencil cases to impoverished children as part of the “Got A Pen?” campaign. The following month, she pledged $40 each month to the Bodhicitta Foundation, an NGO that aims to protect vulnerable women and children throughout India. Cassie then donated $100 each to a children’s hospital and a conservation charity for giant pandas.

2 Stephen’s Story

Stephen Sutton was just 15 when doctors told him that he had incurable bowel cancer. In 2013, with just over a year to live, Stephen made a “bucket list” of things to do before he died. He devised Stephen’s Story, his own blog, and published a list of 46 goals.

He played the drums at London’s Wembley Stadium in front of thousands of football fans. He also performed a tandem skydive, crowd-surfed in a rubber dingy at the Slam Dunk Festival, visited CERN, hugged an elephant, organized a charity soccer match, and took part in a flash mob. The list goes on.

However, the No. 1 spot on Stephen’s bucket list would propel him to notoriety. He pledged to raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The straight-A student harnessed his keen understanding of social media to promote his cause. Suffice it to say, his lofty target was quickly surpassed. With the help of a few celebrities, Stephen raised a staggering £3.2 million.

In 2014, Stephen died. His mother, Jane Sutton, accepted her son’s MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). She continues her son’s incredible legacy, raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Jane successfully completed the 2015 London Marathon and helped organize the release of a charity single, “Hope Ain’t a Bad Thing.”

1 Hailey’s Harvest

At the tender age of five, most youngsters are playing video games or nagging their parents for candy. Hailey Fort is very different. The Washington girl saw a man sleeping rough and decided she wanted to do whatever she could to help.

Fort’s Facebook page, “Hailey’s Harvest,” chronicles her many charitable pursuits. Hailey started out discussing her passion for growing food, much of which she donated to the homeless. In a 2014 post, she describes Billy Ray, a man who had been homeless for eight years:

“This is Billy Ray. I have known him for three years. He was the first person I donated food to from my garden. He is a double amputee from his time in the military. He has been homeless off and on for eight years—that is my whole life. He is very nice.”

Hailey’s page is full of similar “Donation Day Stories.” She would set goals of how much food she could harvest before handing it over to the homeless. When winter was approaching, Hailey and her mother often encouraged Kitsap County residents to donate warm clothes and sleeping bags. The pair would then drive around in their van—stuffed to the brim with coats, mittens, toiletries, water, and snacks—and give out donations to the cold and hungry.

Many of Hailey’s street-bound friends were veterans. Upon learning that 40 percent of the male homeless population had served in the armed forces, Hailey made a point of honoring Veterans Day.

In 2015, Hailey hit the national headlines. After reading an NPR article about homelessness, she vowed to build a dozen homeless shelters. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to support the noble project, raising over $60,000.

Using wooden pallets donated by Lowe’s, Hailey got to work. Her first mobile shelter featured a door, windows, curtains, insulated walls, vinyl flooring, roof tiles, and drip rails. Hailey constructed every part of the house while her grandfather, a contractor, oversaw the ambitious build. She then worked with the Housing and Homelessness Program to find a suitable location for the miniature home.

To this day, Hailey continues to produce hundreds of pounds of food for the homeless. The young girl’s garden has now quadrupled in size.

The thought of going under the knife can send shivers down anyone’s spine, but throughout history a handful of daring individuals proved that, when necessity strikes, you can become your own surgeon. Here are 10 people who performed surgeries on themselves and survived, each story more astonishing than the last.

10 people who – Jan De Doot (Open Cystolithotomy) – Rank 10

In the summer of 1651, Dutch blacksmith Jan de Doot took matters into his own hands, literally, by performing an open cystolithotomy to extract a massive bladder stone that had been tormenting him for years.

He had already endured two earlier stone‑cutting procedures performed by local stonecutters, each a nightmare of excruciating pain. Determined not to subject himself to another such ordeal, he resolved to remove the stone himself.

De Doot sent his wife to the market, summoned his brother, and used his brother’s grip on his scrotum to make an incision down to the bladder. The opening was initially too small, so he squatted repeatedly to enlarge it before finally extracting the stone with two fingers.

The stone was the size of a hen’s egg; proud of his triumph, Jan kept it as a trophy, even having it painted gold. In 1655 he commissioned a portrait by Carel van Savoyen, now displayed at Leiden University’s Laboratory of Pathology.

10 people who – Ines Ramirez Perez (Caesarean Section) – Rank 9

In March 2000, alone at home in Oaxaca with her children, Inés Ramirez Perez felt the familiar pangs of labor that had once cost her a baby when she couldn’t reach a hospital in time.

Determined not to lose another child, she instructed one of her kids to fetch a 15‑centimetre kitchen knife, downed three small glasses of liquor, and then sliced an 18‑centimetre opening in her abdomen, spilling her organs onto the floor before pulling the newborn out, all without any anesthesia.

After cutting the umbilical cord, she slipped the organs back into place, sent her son to find a man to stitch the wound, and eventually was taken to a clinic and then a hospital, returning home five days later with her baby in her arms.

10 people who – Aron Ralston (Amputation) – Rank 8

In 2003, while rappelling through Utah’s Slot Canyon, Aron Ralston slipped, dislodging a boulder that slammed his right arm against the rock, pinning it and quickly turning the limb numb and necrotic.

After five and a half days of isolation and futile attempts to chip away at the stone with his multi‑tool, Ralston realized rescue was impossible and resorted to a brutal self‑amputation: he leveraged his body weight to break the bones, then used the tool to slice tendons, flesh, and tissue, finally freeing the arm.

He photographed the severed forearm lodged in the canyon, descended, and was later rescued; his harrowing ordeal inspired the film 127 Hours, cementing his place in survival lore.

10 people who – Zheng Yanliang (Amputation) – Rank 7

In April 2012, Chinese farmer Zheng Yanliang faced a gangrenous, maggot‑infested right leg that doctors refused to treat without a price tag of 300,000 yuan for a single‑leg amputation—and over a million for both.

With only 20,000 yuan to his name, Zheng watched the infection progress for three months until the leg’s flesh turned black and the bone was exposed, leaving him with no choice but to act.

Armed with a saw and a knife, he spent twenty agonizing minutes sawing off the limb, biting a towel‑wrapped stick to endure the pain, and later received donations from sympathetic citizens to have his other leg amputated.

10 people who – Amanda Feilding (Trepanation) – Rank 6

Trepanation—drilling a hole in the skull—has been practiced for millennia, originally to relieve head injuries, cure madness, or let evil spirits escape, and today to stop internal bleeding.

In the early 1980s, British advocate Amanda Feilding sought professional help to perform the procedure herself, but after surgeons balked or withdrew, she took matters into her own hands, using a dentist’s drill under light anesthesia to bore a hole in her cranium.

She emerged hours later, wrapped a scarf around the fresh wound, and attended a party, later claiming the operation improved her wellbeing; she continued to champion trepanation, even running for Parliament in 1983 with the slogan ‘Vote Feilding—Trepanation for the National Health.’

10 people who – Leonid Rogozov (Appendectomy) – Rank 5

In the Antarctic winter of 1961, 27‑year‑old Soviet physician Leonid Rogozov woke with acute appendicitis while stationed at a remote research base, isolated by ice and far from any hospital.

With no other medical personnel on site, Rogozov administered local anesthesia to his abdominal wall, instructed his colleagues on each step, and, despite the searing pain and two hours of blood loss, performed the appendectomy on himself, staying conscious throughout.

The daring feat became Soviet propaganda fodder, especially since it followed Yuri Gagarin’s historic spaceflight; Rogozov earned the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and returned to work just two weeks later.

10 people who – Deborah Sampson (Self‑Appendage Surgery) – Rank 4

During the American Revolutionary War, Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man, adopting the alias Robert Shirtliff, to enlist in the Continental Army, becoming one of the earliest known female soldiers.

After a musket ball lodged in her leg, she faced surgery; fearing exposure of her true gender, Sampson performed the operation herself, a crude but successful procedure that left permanent damage.

Her secret eventually unraveled, leading to an unhonorable discharge and denial of a pension for years, until after extensive public speaking she finally received a pension in 1816.

10 people who – Roland Mery (Sex Reassignment Surgery) – Rank 3

In 2009, 61‑year‑old Roland Mery of the UK grew so desperate for gender‑affirming surgery that, after being told to wait two years, he took painkillers, retreated to his bathroom, and fashioned makeshift tools to remove his own genitals.

He shouted to his wife, “Ring 999, Julie, I’ve done it!” and was soon whisked away by an ambulance to Royal Gwent Hospital, where a doctor praised his handiwork, though authorities mistakenly treated his wife as a suspect.

10 people who – Viktor Yazykov (Abscess Drainage) – Rank 2

In 1998, Russian sailor Viktor Yazykov was midway through the grueling nine‑month Around Alone race when a painful elbow injury blossomed into a dangerous abscess, threatening to burst beneath his skin.

Communicating via email with Dr Daniel Carlin in Boston, Viktor received step‑by‑step instructions to drain the abscess himself; with his solar‑powered computer dead after sunset, he forged ahead that night, cutting into his elbow with a scalpel.

The procedure caused two hours of heavy bleeding, soaking the cabin floor, and left his hand cold and rubber‑like, but he pressed on, later taking red wine, chocolate, and aspirin before passing out.

After contacting Dr Carlin the next morning, he completed his leg of the race, stopped in South Africa for two weeks, and then continued, this time ensuring a reliable power source for future emergencies.

10 people who – Dr. Evan O’Neill Kane (Appendectomy) – Rank 1

On February 15 1921, chief surgeon Dr. Evan O’Neill Kane found himself on the operating table awaiting an appendectomy, only to decide to perform the procedure on himself rather than wait for another surgeon.

He instructed the staff to step back, propped himself up with pillows, injected local anesthetic, and, using mirrors for visibility, sliced into his own abdomen, completing the removal of the inflamed appendix in just thirty minutes.

Kane later explained that the self‑surgery was meant to deepen his understanding of anesthesia and patient experience; eleven years on, he attempted a self‑performed hernia repair, which led to pneumonia and his death three months later.

Delve into the unsettling world of the 10 terrible experiments that took place across the United States, where scientists crossed ethical lines in the name of discovery.

Why These 10 Terrible Experiments Matter

These studies expose how far researchers once went, often ignoring consent and safety, and they serve as stark reminders of why modern ethical standards are essential.

10 Measuring A Dying Man’s Fear

John Deering was a convicted criminal, having killed someone during a robbery, and he was sentenced to face the firing squad in 1932. Approached by doctors just before his death, he agreed to take part in a novel experiment. Electrodes would be hooked up to him, and researchers would determine exactly when his heart stopped.

The heart stopped 15.6 seconds after he was shot. He wasn’t pronounced dead until 150 seconds later.

However, the experiment also investigated something else. In addition to detecting when the heart stopped, the electrocardiogram measured the rate at which it beat, and the researchers used this data to extrapolate how scared Deering felt as he died. Immediately before the execution, the heart pounded at a very high 120 beats per minute. When the sheriff called “fire,” the pulse shot up to 180 beats per minute. Deering had kept a calm exterior during the execution, but newspapers gleefully reported on the experiment by declaring: “You can’t be brave facing death!”

9 Vanderbilt University’s Radioactive Iron

In 1945, researchers at Vanderbilt University set up a study to find out the rate of iron absorption in pregnant woman. Their preferred method of measurement was radioactive iron.

Researchers gave pills to 829 anemic women without telling them they were consuming something radioactive. Thanks to the pills, the women received radiation levels 30 times higher than normal exposure.

The study had a secondary objective: to observe the long‑term effects of radiation on children. The experiment likely caused the deaths of three children: an 11‑year‑old girl and two boys, ages 11 and 5.

Vanderbilt ended up the subject of a lawsuit at the behest of the mothers of the dead children, a lawsuit that they settled for over $10 million.

8 The Boston Project

In 1953, Dr. William Sweet, in conjunction with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, conducted several radioactive injection experiments on terminally ill cancer patients. As with the Vanderbilt experiment, the purpose of the uranium injections was twofold: to study the effects of ingested uranium on the human body and to see if the radioactive material would have any effect on the patients’ tumors. As part of a deal with the government, Sweet agreed to turn over the patients’ corpses to the government for further research on radioactivity.

None of the patients showed any signs of recovery. Many died quickly. In addition, it appears that no patients consented to the experiment.

7 Bacteria Testing In San Francisco

In 1950, fears of biological warfare with the Soviets inspired American officials to test the viability of an offshore attack. The experiment consisted of a single vessel located a few miles away from San Francisco, loaded up with a bacteria known as Serratia marcescens. The bacteria produced bright red colonies on soil or water samples, making it ideal for tracking purposes.

The researchers believed that the bacteria was completely safe for humans. In reality, it caused various respiratory and urinary tract infections. Doctors in the area observed such an increase in pneumonia and UTI cases that Stanford wrote an article about it for a medical journal. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians were exposed to potentially deadly bacteria.

The worst part is that the experiment was completely unnecessary. Similar tests could have been done in a deserted area and in smaller quantities. The only thing the experiment proved was that San Francisco was indeed vulnerable to biological attack.

6 Puppy Obedience Experiments

In Stanley Milgram’s infamous experiments, participants were told to deliver electric shocks to victims, and actors pretended that they really were receiving shocks. Charles Sheridan and Richard King’s variation added a twist: The victim was not faking the cries of pain. Also, the victim was a puppy.

The two men felt that perhaps Milgram’s subjects realized that their victims were faking the reactions, which would explain why the subjects so readily delivered shocks when asked to. Determined to remove that possibility, Sheridan and King recreated the experiment with a puppy who actually received electric shocks.

The volunteers were told that the puppies were conditioned to pose a certain way when prompted by a light. If they stood incorrectly, the volunteers were to throw a switch, giving the puppy an increasingly strong electric shock. Over half of male participants, though distraught, obeyed to the fullest extent. Even more surprising, every single woman fully obeyed, some of them crying the entire time.

5 The Broken Toy Experiment

Researchers at the University of Iowa gave toddlers toys, instructing them not to break them. The researchers had secretly rigged the toys to break in a matter of seconds, subjecting the children to an immediate flood of guilt.

As soon as the toy shattered, the researchers gave a brief “oh, my” to express their disappointment. They then carefully watched the toddlers for reactions, verbal or non‑verbal.

Once a minute passed, the researchers left the room with the broken toy and returned shortly with an identical non‑broken toy, assuring the child that they were faultless in the toy’s breaking. However, like any study involving children, this raises a number of issues about informed consent. (Various parents whose children participated in the study claim that there have been no adverse effects.)

4 Chester M. Southam’s Cancer Experiments

Chester M. Southam was a well‑known cancer researcher in the 1960s, working diligently to study the immune system’s effect on tumors. He wanted to study whether a person already weakened by a different disease would be able to fight off cancer cells. To test this theory, he needed people on which to experiment, and he found them at the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital in New York City. Convincing the medical director of the potential benefits, Southam was allowed to inject 22 people with foreign, live cancer cells to study the effects.

This was nontherapeutic experimentation performed on elderly, terminal patients, so Southam didn’t even get consent. He convinced the medical director that it was common practice not to. (Some were informed that they were to be part of an experiment but were not told the details.) In addition, some of the patients’ doctors told Southam that they didn’t want their patients to be a part of Southam’s experiment, but he used them anyway.

In the end, Southam was censured and put on a year’s probation. The experiment also brought the idea of informed consent back to the forefront of the American medical discussion.

3 The Visual Cliff Experiment

The visual cliff experiment was thought up by two Cornell University researchers, Eleanor Gibson and Richard Walk. A strong glass pane was placed on a table, with one end extending some distance off the tabletop. The checkered tablecloth covered the table, but below the rest of the glass, the distant floor was visible.

Gibson and Walk used this setup to discover whether depth perception was innate in various animals. If an animal avoided walking on glass beyond the table, it could perceive depth visually. They experimented on rats raised in complete darkness and found that the rodents could indeed perceive depth. So they next moved on to human babies.

The babies were made to crawl over the glass. The researchers placed the mothers at the end of the glass, having them call out to their offspring. To get to their mothers, the babies had to crawl across the glass, apparently over a sheer drop. Some babies did seem hesitant to move, implying that they were able to perceive depth—and implying that the experimenters had successfully inspired fear in them.

2 Stateville Penitentiary Malaria Study

One of several human experiments undertaken to further the US effort in World War II, the Stateville Penitentiary Malaria study was designed to test experimental malaria drugs. To find subjects, the government turned to prisons and contracted hundreds of prisoners to become guinea pigs. Even though the men were all sane, mentally capable, and told of the specifics of the experiment, whether or not prisoners can actively consent remains debatable.

No one died due to the experiment, and many prisoners who took part in the study received generous compensation. Most also received reduced sentences for their patriotic service. However, nearly every man who was bitten by an infected mosquito contracted the disease.

1 Robert Heath’s Electric Sex Stimulation

In 1970, Tulane University’s Dr. Robert Heath turned to deep‑brain stimulation to treat what he saw as a problem: homosexuality.

A 24‑year‑old gay man (“B‑19”) suffering from paranoia and depression was chosen as the candidate. Stimulation of the brain’s septal region is associated with pleasure. So Dr. Heath inserted electrodes under the man’s skull and shocked his brain. The man did indeed report extreme pleasure. Offered next the ability to shock himself, the man—a suicidal addict—did so thousands of times, in sessions that lasted hours.

Shortly after, Heath monitored the man’s brain activity while B‑19 masturbated to heterosexual pornography. The subject successfully orgasmed. The final part of the experiment consisted of the patient having sex with a female prostitute that Heath had hired. The doctor continually shocked his brain during this process. B‑19 didn’t seem interested in the woman, sitting still for over an hour, until she approached him and initiated intercourse.

In a follow‑up interview a year later, the patient stated that he had been regularly having sex with both men and women. Deeming the experiment partially successful, Heath moved on to other fields of research, never again attempting to cure homosexuality.

Scientists are often a quirky lot, especially when their subjects have whiskers, shells, or feathers. In this top 10 outlandish roundup we explore some of the most bizarre animal experiments ever recorded, ranging from a monkey that learned to command a robotic arm to earthworms that were made to dance on a speaker. These oddball studies have sometimes yielded surprising insights, even if they sound like something out of a sci‑fi comedy.

10 The Scientist Who Ate a Shrew

Imagine voluntarily swallowing a whole mammal for the sake of science. In 1994 two intrepid New York researchers, Brian D. Crandall and Peter W. Stahl, decided to discover exactly what would happen if a human ingested a northern short‑tailed shrew, digested it, and then examined the remnants that emerged.

They began by carefully skinning and eviscerating the tiny creature, then giving it a brief “light boil” as they described it. One of the pair—identity kept secret—gulped the entire carcass without chewing, allowing the stomach’s acidic churn to do the work.

But the experiment didn’t end at consumption. The duo later collected the shrew’s excreted remains, conducting a meticulous bone‑by‑bone inspection. They found that several key parts never made it out: a major jawbone, four molars, most of the leg and foot, all but one of the thirty‑one vertebrae, and a sizable chunk of the skull.

Because the animal was swallowed whole, the scientists were fascinated by the pattern of damage. Their report noted that while mastication typically fractures bone, the stomach’s corrosive environment caused distinct wear, offering a rare glimpse into how digestive processes affect skeletal material.

9 Playing Hide‑and‑Seek With Rats

Rats may get a bad rap, but these clever rodents have a surprisingly playful side. In 2019 a team of neuroscientists at Humboldt University in Berlin fashioned a miniature arena filled with boxes and shelters, inviting adolescent male rats to engage in a game of hide‑and‑seek against human experimenters.

The rats quickly mastered the rules, devising tactics to evade capture and, when found, scurrying to new hiding spots. Rather than offering food or water as a reward, the researchers tickled the rats and gave them gentle physical affection, discovering that the animals seemed to enjoy the game for its own sake.When caught, the rodents emitted ultrasonic giggles—a high‑frequency chirp that researchers interpret as a sign of joy—before bounding away. Though it sounds whimsical, the study underscored the importance of play in cognitive development and social learning among mammals.

8 Magnetized Cockroaches

When you think of magnets, insects aren’t usually top of mind. Yet researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University discovered that American cockroaches can become temporarily magnetized when exposed to a strong magnetic field.

In the laboratory, the bugs were placed inside a controlled magnetic environment, causing magnetic particles within their bodies to align. Once the field was removed, the insects gradually lost their magnetism, returning to their normal state.

Intriguingly, the decay time varied dramatically—from about fifty minutes in living cockroaches to as much as fifty hours in dead ones. The scientists traced this disparity to differences in viscosity: live cockroaches contain a fluid that lets the magnetic particles re‑orient quickly, whereas in dead specimens the fluid solidifies, slowing the demagnetization process.

The study revealed that cockroaches harbor tiny magnetic particles scattered throughout their anatomy. When magnetized, these particles line up; when the field disappears, they randomize again. While the exact nature of these particles remains a mystery, the findings hint at untapped potential for bio‑magnetic sensing technologies.

Thus, these humble pests may hold more magnetic secrets than we ever imagined.

7 Alligators on Helium

What would happen if a crocodilian inhaled a lighter‑than‑air gas? Researchers at the University of Vienna decided to find out by placing a Chinese alligator inside an airtight tank filled with a safe helium‑oxygen mixture known as heliox.

Helium, being less dense than air, speeds up sound waves, making human voices sound high‑pitched. In the alligator, however, the experiment produced a paradoxical effect: the animal’s bellows actually deepened in pitch, yet acoustic analysis showed an increase in frequency, suggesting that the vocal tract resonated differently under the altered gas composition.

This unexpected outcome indicates that alligators, like birds and humans, modulate their calls by shaping the resonant properties of the air within their throats. By manipulating the gas mixture, scientists gained a clearer window into the biomechanics of reptilian communication.

The insights could extend to our understanding of ancient dinosaur vocalizations, offering a tantalizing glimpse into how extinct megafauna might have sounded.

6 Songbirds on Drugs Sing “Free‑Form Jazz”

From rock legends to rap icons, many musicians have turned to substances for creative sparks. In 2020, a team at the University of Wisconsin‑Madison gave European starlings a small dose of fentanyl, a potent opioid, to see whether the birds would alter their song.

The drug‑induced starlings launched into an improvisational, “free‑form jazz” style, scatting and weaving melodic lines in a manner reminiscent of human jazz improvisers. The researchers noted that the birds’ vocalizations became more elaborate and less constrained by their usual repertoire.

These findings suggest that the pleasure‑centred brain circuits activated by the opioid not only induce euphoria but also boost spontaneous vocal creativity. The study adds to evidence that social song in birds is reinforced by positive emotional states, much like human musical expression.

5 Vibrating Live Earthworms

In 2020 two Melbourne scientists turned up the volume—literally—by placing sedated earthworms on a loudspeaker and watching them quiver. The worms, largely composed of water, responded to the acoustic energy by forming a distinctive pattern known as a Faraday wave.

To conduct the experiment, the researchers first anesthetized the worms with alcohol, then positioned them atop a speaker that emitted a steady tone. Using a laser, they captured the rippling motion that emerged as the sound waves interacted with the watery bodies.Faraday waves are standing wave patterns that arise on fluid surfaces when driven by periodic forces. In this case, the vibrations caused the worms to behave like tiny liquid droplets, producing rhythmic undulations that could be precisely measured.

The team believes that mastering such non‑invasive, wave‑based stimulation could eventually inform safer brain‑computer interface technologies, offering a potential low‑impact alternative to invasive neural implants like Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

4 Chicken Walks Like a Dinosaur

Studying dinosaurs is tricky; the creatures vanished 65 million years ago, leaving only fossilized bones. In 2014, a Chilean research group devised a clever workaround: they attached a prosthetic tail to a domestic chicken, a modern descendant of theropod dinosaurs.

By fixing a small artificial tail to the bird’s posterior, the scientists shifted its center of gravity, prompting the chicken to adopt a more dinosaur‑like gait. Video footage captured the bird’s altered stride, which resembled a miniature, clumsy version of a Jurassic predator.

The experiment demonstrated that modest morphological changes can dramatically affect locomotion, offering a living window into how ancient dinosaurs might have moved.

3 Monkey With a Mind‑Control Robot Arm

In 2008, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh unveiled a stunning demonstration: a macaque monkey learned to operate a robotic arm solely through brain signals. The monkey, equipped with a cortical implant, guided the prosthetic limb to retrieve marshmallows.

The implant consisted of an array of electrodes placed in the motor cortex, capturing neuronal firing patterns. These electrical signals were translated in real time into commands that drove the robot’s shoulder, elbow, and claw‑like hand, allowing the primate to perform precise movements without any physical contact.

This breakthrough paved the way for advanced prosthetic devices for humans, offering hope to individuals with paralysis to regain independent control over artificial limbs.

2 Drugged Spiders Weave Odd Webs

NASA’s space‑flight research program isn’t limited to rockets; in 1995 scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center explored how psychoactive substances affect arachnid architecture. They exposed spiders to marijuana, caffeine, and amphetamine, then observed the resulting webs.

The marijuana‑treated spiders began a web, then abandoned it midway, producing an incomplete pattern. Amphetamine‑fed spiders spun enthusiastically but created chaotic webs riddled with large gaps. Meanwhile, caffeine‑influenced spiders produced structures that blended the regular radial design with spiraling, mandala‑like motifs.

These oddball results highlight how neurochemical modulation can dramatically reshape instinctual behaviors such as web‑building, offering a quirky glimpse into the neural underpinnings of complex construction.

1 The Sex Life of Rats Wearing Different Pants

Fashion isn’t just for humans; in the 1990s Egyptian scientist Ahmed Shafik set out to test whether a rat’s choice of trousers could influence its mating success. Over the course of a year, 75 male rats were fitted with tiny pants made from cotton, wool, polyester, or poly‑cotton blends.

The study revealed that rats sporting natural fibers like cotton or wool enjoyed significantly higher rates of successful copulation, whereas those dressed in synthetic polyester blends struggled to find partners.

Shafik hypothesized that the static electricity generated by polyester created a subtle electrostatic field around the genital area, dampening sexual drive. Humorist Mary Roach offered an alternative view, suggesting that the sheer absurdity of a rat in trousers might simply make it less attractive to potential mates.

Either way, the experiment underscores how even the most trivial‑looking variables can sway animal behavior in unexpected ways.

When it comes to operating rooms, the phrase “never events” should be a clear warning sign – mistakes that simply must not happen. Yet the reality is far messier, and the top 10 disastrous slip‑ups listed below prove that even seasoned surgeons can get it spectacularly wrong.

10 Year-Old Gets Wrong Heart And Lungs During Transplant

In 2003, 17‑year‑old Jesica Santillan endured what many label the most catastrophic never‑event ever recorded. Three years earlier, her parents had smuggled her into the United States hoping for life‑saving treatment for her failing heart and lungs. Philanthropist Mack Mahoney, moved by her story, covered the costs for a transplant at Duke University Hospital.

On February 7, 2003, the operation began, but instead of compatible organs the surgical team used a donor set with the wrong blood type – the donor was type A while Jesica’s blood type was O, a lethal mismatch. Her body rejected the transplanted heart‑lung pair, triggering seizures and forcing her onto life support.

Two weeks later a second transplant was attempted with organs that matched her blood type. Although the new organs functioned, the damage from the first failed graft was irreversible – Jesica suffered permanent brain injury and remained on life support for a time before finally being weaned off.

At the moment of her death, roughly 200 patients across the U.S. were awaiting a heart‑lung transplant. Jesica’s case not only wasted two donor sets but also robbed other desperate patients of a chance at survival.

Why This Is a Top 10 Disastrous Case

9 Year-Old Woman Undergoes Heart Surgery For A Respiratory Infection

At Mediclinic Kimberley Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, an 83‑year‑old patient named Rita du Plessis was mistakenly taken to the operating theater for an invasive heart procedure that was meant for another individual. Rita had originally sought care for a respiratory infection.

Both Rita and the actual heart‑surgery candidate shared the same physician. When the surgeon received the order to bring the correct patient into the theatre, a name mix‑up occurred and Rita was wheeled in instead. After the operation, her family received a call announcing a successful heart surgery.

The error only came to light when the physician, still searching for the intended patient, realized the mix‑up and informed the staff. He later called Rita’s relatives to explain the blunder and offer an apology. The hospital did not bill Rita for the unnecessary procedure.

8 Woman Loses Breast To Cancer She Didn’t Have

In April 2015, 49‑year‑old Eduvigis Rodriguez underwent a mastectomy for what was believed to be an aggressive cancerous lump in her left breast. The surgery proceeded, and the breast was removed, only for post‑operative pathology to reveal that the tissue was benign – the lump was actually sclerosing adenosis, a non‑cancerous overgrowth.

The initial cancer diagnosis originated from a biopsy at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, after which Rodriguez was referred to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan for definitive surgery. However, Lenox Hill staff failed to reconfirm the diagnosis, despite surgeon Dr. Magdi Bebawi signing paperwork indicating that such verification had taken place.

Following the unnecessary mastectomy, Rodriguez required reconstructive surgery. Court records later disclosed that she also suffered a surgical hernia and a pulmonary embolism as complications from the unwarranted procedure.

7 Wrong Patient Undergoes Brain Surgery

In 2018, Kenya’s Kenyatta National Hospital made headlines after a patient received brain surgery intended for a different individual. Both men arrived unconscious and were placed in the same ward, but a mislabeling of identification tags caused the wrong patient to be taken to the operating theater.

The intended surgery targeted a blood clot within the brain. Instead, the patient with a simple swollen head was brought in, and surgeons began the procedure. It wasn’t until two hours later, when they failed to locate a clot, that they realized the grave mistake.

The hospital responded by suspending the neurosurgeon, anesthetist, and two nurses involved. In a twist of fate, the patient who actually needed the clot‑removal surgery had improved on his own and no longer required the operation.

6 Elderly Woman Dies After Receiving Brain Surgery For A Jaw Displacement

Oakwood Hospital in Michigan found itself under intense scrutiny after 81‑year‑old Bimla Nayyar underwent an unnecessary brain operation. Nayyar had originally been admitted for a displaced jaw, a condition expected to be treated with a relatively straightforward procedure.

During her stay, a CT scan from another patient – showing bleeding in the brain – was mistakenly attributed to Nayyar. Believing she faced a life‑threatening intracranial hemorrhage, the medical team hurriedly scheduled emergency neurosurgery.

In the operating room, five burr holes were drilled into her skull before the right side was opened. Surgeons soon discovered no bleeding. The family was told of the error, but the gravity of the mistake was not fully disclosed. Nayyar never regained consciousness, remained on life support for 60 days, and was eventually taken off the ventilator on March 11, 2012. A lawsuit later awarded her family $21 million.

5 Doctor Amputates Wrong Leg During Surgery And Another Patient’s Toe Without Permission

In February 1995, Dr. Rolando R. Sanchez faced a courtroom drama after mistakenly amputating the healthy leg of 52‑year‑old Willie King, who was supposed to have his diseased leg removed. The error unfolded when a nurse, reviewing King’s file, burst into tears and alerted the surgeon that the wrong leg was pre‑pped for surgery.

Sanchez attempted to deflect blame, pointing to a faulty blackboard schedule, an erroneous operating‑room roster, and a mis‑entered computer record that all listed the incorrect limb. The leg had even been pre‑operated on before Sanchez’s arrival, adding to the confusion.

His medical license was suspended in July 1995 after a second blunder: he removed the toe of patient Mildred Shuler without her consent. Shuler had been undergoing foot surgery for diseased tissue when Sanchez claimed a bone “popped” and excised the toe to prevent infection.

4 Healthy Patient Loses A Healthy Kidney During Surgery He Didn’t Need

At St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, an unnamed patient walked out of surgery with only one kidney after being confused with another individual slated for a tumor‑removing nephrectomy. The real patient’s CT scan clearly indicated a malignant growth requiring removal.

Due to identical names, the healthy‑kidney patient was mistakenly wheeled into the operating theater. Post‑operative analysis revealed that the excised kidney was perfectly healthy, exposing a failure in patient‑identification protocols.

Hospital officials cited the name‑confusion and a lapse in age verification as the root cause, emphasizing that a more diligent check could have prevented the loss of a perfectly functional organ.

3 Day-Old Boy Mistakenly Gets A Frenulectomy

The University Medical Center in Lebanon, Tennessee, unintentionally performed a frenulectomy on a newborn named Nate, a procedure that trims the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth. The surgery was meant for a different infant.

A nurse was dispatched to retrieve Nate for the operation, and his mother, Jennifer Melton, assumed the baby was being taken for a routine post‑natal check‑up. She only realized the mistake when the nurse began explaining the benefits of the tongue‑clipping surgery.

Jennifer, aware that her baby was healthy and didn’t need any oral surgery, questioned the identity of the infant handed to her. The nurse later confirmed the mix‑up, and the pediatrician admitted to operating on the wrong baby. An apology followed, but Jennifer pursued legal action.

2 Doctor Removes Woman’s Reproductive Organs Instead Of Appendix

In March 2015, an unnamed woman in the United Kingdom visited a hospital run by the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, complaining of abdominal pain. After tests indicated appendicitis, surgeons prepared to remove her appendix.

During the operation, however, the surgeon mistakenly excised an ovary and the adjacent fallopian tube. The doctor tried to downplay the incident, blaming poor vision and noting that the appendix and fallopian tube can appear similarly worm‑like.

This was the surgeon’s third major error in two years. In September 2013, he had removed fatty tissue from a patient who also required an appendectomy, leaving the patient in severe pain until a second surgery was performed. In another case, he removed a skin tag instead of a cyst. After these incidents, medical authorities banned him from treating further patients.

1 Doctor Removes Wrong Testicle During Surgery

In 2013, Steven Hanes was scheduled for a procedure at J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania to remove a painful, damaged right testicle. Instead, surgeon Dr. Valley Spencer Long mistakenly excised the left testicle.

Long claimed the mix‑up occurred because the patient’s testicles had somehow swapped positions. Hanes sued both the surgeon and the hospital, ultimately receiving an $870,000 settlement.