Buzz
The world is filled with more evildoers than saviors, and films often distort this truth. More often than not, it's the righteous who suffer defeat. This list highlights 10 individuals who dedicated themselves to improving the world. Some championed justice when no one else would, while others stood up for the voiceless. A handful simply stepped up when the moment demanded it. Despite their sacrifices, they were met with sorrow and rejection. Though their lives may have ended in tragedy, humanity benefited immensely from their efforts.
10. Hugh Thompson
The My Lai Massacre remains a dark stain on American history, reshaping public perception of the Vietnam War. For Major Hugh Thompson Jr., this realization came too late. Witnessing the indiscriminate slaughter of Vietnamese villagers by American forces, he knew something had to be done.
On March 16, 1968, Major Thompson, piloting his helicopter, heard gunfire below. Descending to investigate, he and his crew were horrified by the scene. American troops had been ordered to kill every Vietnamese person in sight, resulting in the deaths of 504 civilians, including 210 children under 12 and 50 toddlers under 3. Defying his training, Thompson took a stand. He landed his helicopter, aimed his weapon at his fellow soldiers, and vowed to fire if they continued the massacre. The killing stopped. Thompson and his crew evacuated the wounded and reported the atrocity to their superiors, halting future missions and saving countless lives.
At the time, Thompson was far from being hailed as a hero, and some still dispute his actions. Called before Congress to explain his decisions, he faced harsh criticism from representatives who argued he should face a court-martial. Public opinion was equally hostile, with Thompson receiving constant death threats and finding mutilated animals on his doorstep. For three decades, the Army ignored his bravery. Only eight years before his passing did Thompson finally receive the Soldier’s Medal, a long-overdue acknowledgment of his courage.
9. Joseph Goldberger
In the early 1900s, the Southern United States faced a devastating crisis: pellagra. Affecting 3 million people, the disease caused severe symptoms, including skin deterioration, mental instability, and, in nearly 100,000 cases, death. Joseph Goldberger traveled from New York to combat the epidemic but encountered another pervasive issue in the South—racism.
Today, pellagra is known to result from a deficiency in nicotinic acid, but this was unknown at the time. In the 1910s, people believed the disease was contagious. Goldberger’s experiments revealed its connection to poor nutrition. By offering early release to volunteers, he fed prisoners a diet of corn, biscuits, rice, and yams—staples of the Southern diet. Within weeks, they developed pellagra symptoms, which disappeared after switching to a balanced diet. Despite clear evidence, Southerners rejected his findings, partly due to Goldberger’s Jewish and Northern background, which made them resistant to his critique of their way of life.
To prove his theory, Goldberger took extreme measures. In 1916, he organized “filth parties,” where he, his wife, and 16 volunteers injected themselves with blood from pellagra patients. He even consumed cakes mixed with patients’ skin, mucus, urine, and feces. Despite these drastic efforts, many still refused to accept his conclusions. Goldberger tirelessly advocated for his findings until his death in 1929, though pellagra wasn’t effectively addressed in the South until the late 1940s.
8. Buzz Aldrin
In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin achieved what no one else in history had—landing on the moon. While fulfilling the dreams of millions, Aldrin struggled with the weight of his role in this monumental achievement. He described his feelings as “magnificent desolation,” a sentiment that nothing on Earth could match.
After returning to Earth, Aldrin was overwhelmed by the endless publicity and photo opportunities. He longed to return to work, but with the Space Race over, there was little left to accomplish. Feeling dejected, he spent days in bed, only rising to drink or seek fleeting excitement through infidelity. By July 1971, he resumed work as a test pilot, but his despair persisted, exacerbated by physical pain and worsening alcoholism.
1974 marked Aldrin’s lowest point. Following his father’s death and a divorce from his wife, Joan, he married his girlfriend, Beverly, but the marriage quickly failed. His alcoholism spiraled out of control, leading to missed engagements and a drunken arrest after he damaged his girlfriend’s door. By 1978, Aldrin hit rock bottom, divorcing Beverly and vowing to change. In October 1978, he took his last drink, joined Alcoholics Anonymous, and has remained sober for over four decades.
7. Kevin Carter
The photograph exudes death. A dark vulture looms over a frail, emaciated child, who struggles to crawl toward a food aid station. The child’s skeletal frame is painfully visible, and both the vulture and the viewer sense the inevitable end. For the child, it might have been near; for the photographer, it certainly was.
Kevin Carter’s life was steeped in turmoil. He began his career chronicling racial violence, wars, and uprisings in South Africa. His most iconic image, “The Vulture and the Little Girl” (also called “The Struggling Girl”), became one of history’s most famous photographs. Capturing the despair of the 1993 Sudanese famine, the image raised global awareness and spurred donations. While Carter was celebrated for his photographic skill and humanitarian impact, earning a Pulitzer Prize, he also faced intense criticism.
At the Pulitzer ceremony, some attendees voiced their disapproval. A South African journalist falsely accused Carter of staging the photo, while others criticized him for not helping the child. Carter had already internalized this guilt. His depression began the moment he took the shot. Though the girl’s fate remains unknown, Carter was haunted by the belief he could have saved her. These thoughts persisted as he witnessed police killings of protesters and mourned the murder of his friend, Ken Oosterbroek.
Carter’s life and career spiraled downward. His long-term relationship ended, and he carelessly left film reels in random places, losing interest in photography. His sole focus became “white pipe,” a potent mix of marijuana and tranquilizers. Two months after winning the Pulitzer, Carter’s life ended tragically. He parked his truck by a river, connected a hose to the exhaust, and succumbed to the fumes at just 33 years old.
6. Chiune Sugihara
Patriotism manifests in many ways. While Germany and Japan collaborated to divide the world during their imperial expansions, one Japanese diplomat, Chiune Sugihara, secretly sabotaged the German war effort from within. Stationed in Lithuania, Sugihara chose to defy his country and government for a higher cause, sacrificing everything in the process.
Soon after World War II began, Sugihara issued transit visas to thousands of Jewish refugees, despite explicit orders from Tokyo to stop. A directive from the foreign ministry stated that no more visas were to be issued “under any circumstances.” Defying these orders, Sugihara and his wife, Yukiko, worked tirelessly, forging visas day and night until their hands were raw and their bodies ached. Even as he fled Lithuania, Sugihara continued to distribute visas from his departing train. The exact number of lives he saved from Hitler’s atrocities remains unknown, but conservative estimates suggest at least 6,000.
Sugihara’s return to Japan was far from triumphant. His superiors knew he had disobeyed direct orders, and despite his adherence to the Samurai Code, he faced severe criticism for his defiance. The lives he saved mattered little to his critics. He was dismissed from his post, disgraced, and left to live in poverty, struggling to find employment. Japan did not formally recognize his heroism until 2000, 14 years after his death.
5. Oliver Sipple
Luck is unpredictable. A single moment can destroy a life, while another can save it. On September 22, 1975, two lives were irrevocably altered in the blink of an eye.
Oliver Sipple never sought fame. He was simply taking a walk when he spotted President Gerald Ford. Amid the crowd surrounding the president, Sarah Jane Moore drew a .38 caliber revolver. Her first shot missed Ford by six inches. As she prepared to fire again, Sipple, a former Marine, intervened, tackling Moore and disarming her.
The Secret Service praised Sipple for his bravery, but the media thrust him into the spotlight. For the growing gay rights movement, Sipple’s heroism was a chance to challenge stereotypes about gay men being weak or unmasculine. Without Sipple’s consent, Harvey Milk revealed his sexuality to the San Francisco Chronicle. Sipple tried to stop the story, but it was too late. His sexual orientation became public, even reaching his parents.
After the news broke, Sipple’s family disowned him. His mother cut off contact, and his father told his brother to forget Sipple existed. He was barred from his mother’s funeral. Isolated and rejected, Sipple turned to alcohol. Struggling with schizophrenia, his mental health deteriorated. During his darkest moments, he regretted saving Ford’s life. In January 1989, Sipple died alone, with only a bottle of Jack Daniels beside him. His body was discovered ten days later. He was 47.
4. Gary Webb
Gary Webb’s legacy as a hero remains controversial. Critics argue he was careless with facts, while supporters celebrate him for exposing one of America’s most damaging instances of government corruption. Regardless of perspective, all agree his tragic downfall was undeserved.
In 1996, Gary Webb’s groundbreaking report, *The Dark Alliance*, revealed how Contra rebels in Nicaragua used CIA support to traffic cocaine into the United States. The cocaine was converted into crack, devastating primarily African American communities, while the profits funded the Contras. Webb’s report did not claim the CIA intentionally targeted black populations or orchestrated the operation, but it highlighted the agency’s awareness and inaction.
While *The Dark Alliance* was not flawless, its bold narrative sparked significant public outrage. Evidence was limited, and accompanying graphics implied stronger CIA ties to the crack epidemic than the report explicitly stated. Nevertheless, the story compelled Congress to act, with Senator John Kerry leading an investigation that largely confirmed Webb’s findings. However, other officials and institutions responded differently.
Mainstream media outlets, including the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, collaborated with the CIA to discredit Webb. Follow-up stories attacked his credibility and misrepresented his claims. Despite initial support from the San Jose Mercury, Webb’s employer eventually distanced itself due to pressure from other journalists. Isolated professionally and personally, Webb took his own life in 2004. The Los Angeles Times’ obituary labeled him a “discredited reporter,” failing to acknowledge their role in his downfall.
3. Ignaz Semmelweis
It’s astonishing that such a simple idea sparked controversy. Ignaz Semmelweis, a pioneer of early germ theory, proposed a revolutionary concept: people should wash their hands. For this idea, he paid the ultimate price.
In 1847, Semmelweis led the maternity ward at Allgemeine Krankenhaus, a Viennese hospital plagued by high mortality rates. One in six women succumbed to “childbed fever” after childbirth, a mysterious condition causing severe infections in the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. While contemporary theories blamed cold air or curdled breast milk, Semmelweis’ suggestion that doctors might be spreading the disease was dismissed as absurd.
Semmelweis observed that deaths were more frequent when doctors attended births. He theorized that doctors, often rushing from autopsies to deliveries, were unknowingly transferring harmful substances from corpses to patients. Implementing mandatory handwashing before entering the maternity ward reduced mortality rates by 93%.
Despite the dramatic success of his policy, Semmelweis faced fierce opposition from the medical community. Doctors refused to accept responsibility for the deaths, and without a scientific explanation for his findings, Semmelweis was ostracized. Jobless and isolated, his mental health deteriorated. In 1865, he was committed to an asylum, where guards fatally beat him later that year. Today, we honor his legacy every time we wash our hands.
2. Gareth Jones
Among the countless deaths linked to the Holodomor, Gareth Jones’ demise stands out as particularly bizarre. Recognized as one of humanity’s worst genocides, the Soviet Union’s engineered famine in Ukraine claimed over 10 million lives. At the time, few grasped the magnitude of Joseph Stalin’s atrocities—except for Gareth Jones.
In 1931, Welsh journalist Gareth Jones was sent to Ukraine to investigate the Soviet Union’s apparent modernization during the Great Depression. Accompanied by HJ Heinz II, heir to the Heinz food empire, Jones witnessed the devastating famine firsthand. His diaries became the first public record to use the term “starve” in connection with the Holodomor. Jones documented the harrowing stories of those who perished from hunger, often sharing food when he could. In March 1933, he published an article exposing the truth to the world.
However, Jones’ revelations were met with resistance. Walter Duranty, a New York Times reporter and staunch Stalin supporter, dismissed Jones’ account in an article titled “Russians Hungry but not Starving.” Duranty downplayed the atrocities, and Jones was discredited as a sensationalist. Despite witnessing the suffering himself, Jones was ostracized, while Duranty won a Pulitzer for his misleading reporting.
Banned from the Soviet Union, Jones traveled to Asia in 1934. In Japanese-occupied China, he and a companion were kidnapped by pirates. Sixteen days later, Jones was shot and killed the day before his 30th birthday. Some believe his death was a tragic coincidence, while others suspect Soviet involvement as retribution for exposing their crimes. Regardless, Jones’ death adds another layer of sorrow to an already tragic story.
1. Robert O’Donnell
For 58 hours, the entire nation watched in suspense. A tiny well in a West Texas backyard became the center of attention when 18-month-old Jessica McClure fell 22 feet into it on October 14, 1987. Rescue efforts drew a massive media presence, with thousands of emergency personnel working tirelessly. Firefighter Robert O’Donnell emerged as the hero, cradling Baby Jessica after her dramatic rescue. America’s admiration for Jessica quickly turned into widespread acclaim for O’Donnell.
O’Donnell was showered with awards and accolades. Parades in Midland and across Texas celebrated his heroism, and he became a guest on popular TV shows like “G.I. Joe Search for Real American Heroes” and “3rd Degree.” Even Vice President George H.W. Bush and Oprah Winfrey sought to meet him. By the end of 1987, O’Donnell’s fame rivaled that of the most prominent figures in the country.
For three days in October, Midland, Texas, captured the nation’s attention, but it quickly faded. O’Donnell’s story took a tragic turn as he struggled to cope with his fleeting fame. While he believed he deserved recognition, others did not share his view. Colleagues mockingly called him “Robo-Donnell” for his obsession with reliving his heroic moment. As opportunities for books and movies vanished, O’Donnell battled chronic migraines, relying on prescription painkillers that caused stomach bleeding and slurred speech. His addiction cost him his marriage, job, and ultimately his life. In 1995, at 37, he ended his life with a shotgun.
