Christopher Lee, born in 1922, began his remarkable military career during World War II. In 1939, at just 17, he volunteered for the Finnish forces during the Winter War against the Soviet Union. Though his role was limited, it marked the beginning of his wartime contributions.

In 1942, Calvin Graham enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 12 by forging his mother’s signature and using a stolen notary stamp. He practiced talking in a deep voice and even shaved to appear older. Despite the challenges, Graham passed the dental check by pointing out other underage boys in line. His determination led him to the USS South Dakota, where he participated in significant battles in the Pacific Theater.

Shortly after Albert Einstein’s death on April 18, 1955, Dr. Thomas Stoltz Harvey conducted the autopsy at Princeton Hospital. Harvey removed Einstein’s brain, weighing 1230 grams, and took it to the University of Pennsylvania. There, he injected it with formalin and photographed it from various angles.

Paul Karason became known worldwide as “Papa Smurf” due to his startling blue skin. This unusual condition began after he started using colloidal silver to treat health issues in the early 2000s. Paul ingested the silver solution and also applied it topically to his face. Colloidal silver is a suspension of silver particles in liquid, historically used for its supposed antibacterial properties.

In 1969, during a period of significant racial tension in the United States, Fred Rogers made a memorable and impactful statement on his beloved television show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” In an episode aired that year, Rogers invited François Clemmons, who played the role of Officer Clemmons, to join him in a simple yet profound act.

Franz Reichelt, an Austrian-born French tailor, was fascinated by aviation and the possibility of human flight. In the early 1910s, he dedicated himself to designing a parachute suit, a garment that he believed could save pilots who needed to escape from damaged aircraft.

In the late 19th century, a fierce battle raged between two giants of innovation: Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. This “War of the Currents” was a struggle to determine the future of electric power distribution in the United States. Edison championed direct current (DC), while Tesla, backed by George Westinghouse, advocated for alternating current (AC).

Ibrahim Yücel, a Turkish man from Kütahya, made headlines in 2013 for his extraordinary and desperate attempt to quit smoking. After losing his father to lung cancer, Yücel, a 42-year-old mechanic, was determined to break free from his 26-year smoking habit. He tried various methods to quit but found himself relapsing every time.

On a late September night in 1956, Thomas Fitzpatrick, a World War II veteran and skilled pilot, made headlines with a daring and impromptu stunt. After a night of drinking, Fitzpatrick accepted a bar bet that he could fly from New Jersey to New York City in under 15 minutes.

Katherine Johnson, born on August 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, displayed an extraordinary aptitude for mathematics from an early age. By 13, she was attending high school, and by 18, she graduated summa cum laude from West Virginia State College with degrees in mathematics and French.