100/200
Bauby blinked memoir, published; died two days after release.

French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke at age 43 and became paralyzed. He had locked-in syndrome, so his mind was clear but he could only move his left eyelid. Bauby used blinking to write a 130-page memoir that became a bestseller. He died just two days after the book was published.

99/200
Orangutan Karta escaped, then peacefully returned after 30 minutes.

In 2009, Karta, a Sumatran orangutan at Australia’s Adelaide Zoo, ingeniously short-circuited her enclosure’s electric fence by jamming a stick into the wires and piled up debris to climb the wall. After escaping, she sat on the fence for about 30 minutes before calmly returning to her enclosure on her own. Zookeepers described Karta as highly intelligent and said she showed no aggression during the incident.

98/200
China and Russia plan Moon nuclear plant for ILRS.​

China and Russia plan to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2033–2035 to power their joint International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The reactor would provide continuous energy for lunar exploration, complemented by solar arrays and in-situ resource utilization tested during China’s 2028 Chang’e-8 mission.

97/200
Medieval eyesalve rivals antibiotics; garlic, wine, bile prove effective.

A 10th-century English medical text, Bald’s Leechbook, contains a recipe for an eyesalve made from garlic, wine, leek or onion, and cow bile, left to ferment for nine days in a brass bowl. Tests in 2015 revealed it to be as effective as modern antibiotics against MRSA and other bacteria.

96/200
Martin Pistorius, conscious yet immobile, chronicled his 12-year ordeal.

At age 12, Martin Pistorius fell into a mysterious coma, leaving him fully conscious but unable to move or speak for 12 years. Doctors believed he was in a vegetative state, but he eventually regained communication abilities and authored a book about his experience.

95/200
Japanese man discovers he was switched at birth; lives poor.

In 2012, a 60-year-old Japanese truck driver learned he had been switched at birth in 1953 at San Ikukai Hospital in Tokyo. His biological parents belonged to a wealthy family, while the infant who took his place eventually became the head of a real estate company.

94/200
Man finds comics worth $3.5M, including Batman’s debut.

In 2012, while cleaning out his late great-aunt’s home, a man discovered 345 well-preserved comic books in a closet. The collection included Detective Comics No. 27 (Batman’s first appearance), Action Comics No. 1 (Superman’s debut), and Batman No. 1. Altogether, the collection sold for $3.5 million.

93/200
Australian man lives 105 days with titanium artificial heart.

In November 2024, an Australian man with heart failure became the first person to leave the hospital with a fully implanted artificial heart. He lived with the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart, made of titanium, for 105 days before receiving a donor heart transplant in March 2025. The device uses magnetic levitation to replicate natural blood flow, marking a significant advancement in treating end-stage heart failure.

92/200
2008: Student dies from pasta contaminated with Bacillus cereus bacteria.

In 2008, a 20-year-old Belgian student died after consuming spaghetti left unrefrigerated for five days. The cause was Bacillus cereus, a bacterium associated with “Fried Rice Syndrome”, which produces toxins in starchy foods left at room temperature.

91/200
Man overboard after cruise contest survives 20 hours, jellyfish stings.

In 2022, after winning a free drink in an air-guitar contest on a cruise, James Michael Grimes woke up overboard in the Gulf of Mexico. He treaded water for nearly 20 hours, enduring jellyfish stings and a sea creature encounter before rescue.