| 1 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[folder:Historical Heart-Warmers (Ancient Day to 1950)]] |
| 4 | * Normally there would be nothing heartwarming about a slave owner. They may in fact be some of the most vile human beings alive. But Bartolomé de las Casas, known as the first human rights activist, bucks that trend. After reading a particular quote from the holy Bible[[labelnote:Ecclesiasticus [=34:18=]]]He that sacrifices a thing wrongfully gotten, his offering is ridiculous, and the gift of unjust men are not accepted. The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the wicked. Whoever brings an offering of the goods of the poor, does as one that killed the son before the father's eyes. The bread of the needy is their life. He that defrauds them of it, is a man of blood.[[/labelnote]], he came to realize the errors of his way. After first freeing his own slaves and giving the land he had been given by the Spanish crown to them, he began campaigning fiercely for the rights of indigenous slaves, becoming a man of the cloth and using his influence to help as many slaves as he could (by, among other things, offering death bed repentance to those who freed their slaves). He wasn't completely free of bigotry, as he was for most of his life only concerned with the indigenous people the Spaniards had enslaved, and not, say, the African American slaves of the American colonies, and he still believed in conversion, but he was still one of very, ''very'' few people to recognize the human rights centuries before they were a thing. |
| 5 | * Poor little Louis XVII, the ill-fated son of Marie Antoinette. He was only eight when he was yanked from his mother's arms, imprisoned in solitary confinement, abused, and brainwashed into accusing his mother of sexually abusing him, and repeatedly taunted by his holders that his parents no longer loved him. He finally died of tuberculosis at the age of ten. The examining physician who surveyed his whipped, beaten body [[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/heart-of-the-dauphin cut out his heart]], then smuggled and preserved it until it could be returned to Louis' relatives, who could not bring themselves to believe it belonged to their nephew. Fast-forward to over 200 years later, after [[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/scientists-crack-louis-xvii-mystery-279721.html extensive DNA testing]], the petrified organ of Louis XVII was finally laid to rest in the royal crypt at Saint-Denis with his parents and given an extravagant funeral. [[http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20040609/french-faction-gives-royal-childrsquos-heart-funeral-fit-for-a-king Details here.]] |
| 6 | * Sacagawea reuniting with her Lemhi Shoshone people during the Lewis & Clark Expedition. A 17 year old girl, she had been kidnapped and sold into sex slavery by the time she was 13 and gave birth to her first child during the expedition, but fate would see her reunite with her family after being separated by half a continent. Meriwether Lewis recorded the reunion in a journal entry that can move one to tears even with hundreds of years between us. |
| 7 | --> |
| 8 | *** August 17: On setting out at seven o’clock, captain Clarke with Chaboneau and his wife [Sacagawea] walked on shore, but they had not gone more than a mile before captain Clarke saw Sacajawea, who was with her husband one hundred yards ahead, began to dance, and show every mark of the most extravagant joy, turning round him and pointing to several Indians, whom he now saw advancing on horseback, sucking her fingers at the same time to indicate that they were of her native tribe.... [When trade negotiations were ready] Sacajawea was sent for; she came into the tent, sat down, and was beginning to interpret, when in the person of [Chief] Cameahwait she recognized her brother: she instantly jumped up, and ran and embraced him, throwing over him her blanket and weeping profusely: the chief was himself moved, though not in the same degree. After some conversation between them she resumed her seat, and attempted to interpret for us, but her new situation seemed to overpower her, and she was frequently interrupted by her tears. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton Emperor Norton of San Francisco]]. A man with still-unknown psychological problems (though it is believed that he lost his entire net worth in the stock market, which mentally shattered him) declares himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, and the whole of San Francisco ''went along with it''. When a policeman tried to arrest him and have him committed, the city was so outraged that he was immediately released (and formally 'pardoned' the officer). Thereafter, when Norton walked the streets, police saluted him. The most expensive restaurants would feed him for free so they could put up plaques saying they had Imperial approval. He even issued his own money, which was counted as legal currency within the city. When his Imperial uniform grew shabby, the city council replaced it, and when he died, 30,000 people lined the streets to mourn him--out of a city population of around 230,000. His tombstone even reads "Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico". The city of San Francisco took this eccentric, psychologically troubled man and made him their mascot, and let him be to them what he believed he was. If that's not heartwarming, nothing is. |
| 11 | ** Norton's release from the police was summed up rather beautifully by their chief: "He had shed no blood; robbed no one; and despoiled no country; which is more than can be said of his fellows in that line." |
| 12 | ** Norton was so heartwarming and [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome awesome]] that the Discordians made him a [[http://discordia.wikia.com/wiki/Emperor_Norton saint.]] |
| 13 | *** And for good reason -- this was, after all, the man who managed to disarm rather severe racial tensions (Asians and Whites) by kneeling between the two groups and ''praying''. |
| 14 | ** Norton had some ideas that were ahead of his time. For example, he forbade religions and religious sects to fight among themselves, and he "[[http://www.therealmrscience.net/13801.html decreed the creation of a 'League of Nations' to promote world peace]]". And the bridge that he thought (in 1872) should be built between San Francisco and Oakland was constructed in 1936. One day, it may even bear the name of the [[http://www.emperorsbridge.org/ Emperor Norton Bay Bridge]]. The resolution supporting the renaming of the bridge is [[http://www.ecv58.com/nortonproc.htm a paean of praise to the Emperor]]. |
| 15 | ** On his funeral, he was suppose to be buried in a simple pauper's casket of redwood (as it was found that he only had a mere 5 dollars to his name). When the association of businessmen Pacific Club heard about this, they donated the money to provide him a rosewood casket and full funerary services. When the city heard, people from all walks of life were in attendance; the rich and the poor, the social elite and outcasts, and both holymen and pickpockets. Even in death, this eccentric man managed to unite the people of San Francisco one last time. |
| 16 | * Even Creator/HPLovecraft gets one. He regarded himself as a sickly coward for much of his life (likely one reason his AuthorAvatar Randolph Carter served in the [[LegionOfLostSouls French Foreign Legion]] at UsefulNotes/WorldWarI). But when his neighbor's house caught fire, the Old Gentleman was seen calmly helping to get furniture and valuables out and making sure everyone was okay. |
| 17 | * Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite [[note]] Dynamite was ironically invented to make mining safer only to end up being used as a weapon. [[/note]] opened a French newspaper [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated to find his own obituary]]; ''The merchant of death is dead''. It was in fact his brother, Ludvig who had passed away. It shook him to his core. When he died eight years later, everyone was shocked when his will--changed after the event--stated that his fortune be used to create a series of prizes to be awarded to the people who confer "the greatest benefit to mankind". Now it's known as the Nobel Prize, given to those recognized for crowning achievements in Physics, Chemistry, [[UsefulNotes/NobelPrizeInLiterature Literature]], Peace, and Physiology or Medicine. |
| 18 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus]] |
| 19 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Oates Captain Lawrence Oates]] was a member of the ill-fated British [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Nova_Expedition Terra Nova Expedition.]] After weeks of enduring sub-zero temperatures whilst trudging kilometers in the featureless wasteland, they finally and successfully reached the South Pole... [[AllForNothing only to find that they had been beaten there]] by a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amundsen%27s_South_Pole_expedition Norwegian expedition]] led by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Amundsen Roald Amundsen]] only 35 days earlier. So the Party began their return to base camp, but on the way they were beset by problems, and one of their number (Edgar Evans) died due to head injuries sustained falling down a crevasse. They tried to press on but a massive blizzard had impeded their progress. Oates, who had sustained severe frostbite on one of his feet, knew he was slowing down the expedition and as there was only limited food left to get to a nearby resource station, he knew that if they did not make it there on time, they would all perish. So one morning he woke up, painfully put on his shoes and clothes, turned to his adventuring companions -- some of whom had wives and children -- and said [[FaceDeathWithDignity "I am just going outside and may be some time"]]. The rest of the party understood what it was he was saying, and despite attempts to dissuade him, [[HeroicSacrifice Oates willingly walked out into the blizzard to his death]], his intention being to free up enough resources for the rest of his men to make the expedition home to Britain. [[TearJerker Sadly, it proved not to be]]. The party never made it back to base camp and the only reason we know of this is that is recorded in the diary of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Falcon_Scott Robert Falcon Scott,]] leader of the expedition. Captain Oates' body has never been found, but a cairn and cross was erected nearby with the following words: |
| 20 | -->''"Hereabouts died a very gallant gentleman, Captain L. E. G. Oates, of the Inniskilling Dragoons. In March 1912, returning from the Pole, he walked willingly to his death in a blizzard, to try and save his comrades, beset by hardships."'' |
| 21 | ** Relating to the story, the United States' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amundsen–Scott_South_Pole_Station scientific research station at the South Pole]] is named after Amundsen ''and'' Scott, commemorating the courage and sacrifices of both men and their respective crews. |
| 22 | * Another heart-warming Antarctic moment: In 1928, Norman Vaughan dropped out of [[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Harvard]] to join Richard Byrd's Antarctic expedition. During this, Byrd named a mountain after Vaughan, though they didn't climb it. The mountain waited. And waited. Then in 1994, an expedition was formed for the first ascent. On December 16 of that year, Mount Vaughan was finally climbed. The first man on the summit? Norman Vaughan himself, ''three days before his 89th birthday''. |
| 23 | * French explorer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cartier Jacques Cartier]] was an accomplished seaman, never losing a ship or a man on his voyages. As a result, he was very popular, and men were often eager to join his crew. |
| 24 | * By all contemporary accounts, Milton S. Hershey was an affable and honest businessman who took workplace safety and improving the living conditions of his employees very seriously, to the point where he considered employees' well being a higher priority than expansion. The only other responsibility for which he reserved the same level of priority was, reportedly, producing good quality chocolate. |
| 25 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Richelieu The Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu]] was, in spite of his renown as one of history's premier schemers, also famous for being a [[NiceToTheWaiter polite]] and considerate master to his personal servants, and was mourned deeply by his entire staff after his death. |
| 26 | [[/folder]] |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[folder:Historical Heart-Warmers [=(1950 to 2000)=]]] |
| 29 | * Creator/MarilynMonroe's second husband Joe [=DiMaggio=] who after her death arranged her funeral and would send half a dozen roses to her grave 3 times a week for the next 20 years until his death. He never remarried or talked publicly about Marilyn or exploited their relationship, unlike others. His last words were, [[TearJerker "I'll finally get to see Marilyn."]] |
| 30 | * Tropers who were alive in 1965 might remember the story of Suzy Dewey. Miss Dewey, aged six, had leukemia. She first made the papers at Christmas 1965 when the drugs caused her hair to fall out. Her hard-working dad couldn't afford a wig. Public response to the story was immediate and Suzy got her wig. Upon hearing Suzy wanted a dollhouse for Christmas, two young men stole a model cabin from a state park for her. Cub Scout pack 3189 finally sent a legitimate one. In December 1966, Mr. Dewey was contacted by a man who said he worked for Jerry Lewis and invited the family to Disneyland. The day before they were to leave, they discovered the invitation was a hoax. Cue headlines like "Meanest Man Has Laugh at Dying Child's Expense." You couldn't buy this kind of publicity. Immediately a wealthy Los Angeles woman, who asked to remain anonymous, financed the trip and sent gifts for Suzy and her siblings. Frank Sinatra sent a talking Porky Pig. On December 28, 1966, Suzy Dewey arrived in the Magic Kingdom. She passed away two months later. |
| 31 | * When Creator/SylviaPlath killed herself in 1962 by inhaling the fumes from her gas oven, she laid out breakfast for her two children, opened their bedroom window, and sealed the cracks around their door. She lost the will to live months before she went through with killing herself, but she still cared enough about her children to protect them. |
| 32 | ** As with some others, YMMV on that...considering that by doing so, she basically made sure the first thing her children would start the day with is finding out their mother had killed herself. |
| 33 | *** Given that she was suffering from extreme depression, a mental state which does not lend itself to rational thinking, the very fact that she was together enough to do what she did tips it over, albeit in a bittersweet fashion. |
| 34 | * Carl Sagan and The Blue Dot speech. |
| 35 | * Creator/{{Disney}} was said to treat some of its employees incredibly well. Website/{{Cracked}} released two articles on the subject (seen [[http://www.cracked.com/article_21914_6-hidden-sides-disneyland-only-employees-get-to-see.html here]] and [[http://www.cracked.com/article_21011_6-things-nobody-tells-you-about-working-at-disney-world.html here]]), in which employees discuss the bosses giving cast members lots of freedom to keep the guests happy. The bosses also threw the cast members impromptu parties with free food, even providing them benefits out of the blue. The turnover rate in the parks was once extremely low, and cast members were reported to be very happy with their jobs. |
| 36 | ** Although in recent years, employees have been [[https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-dreier-flaming-disneyland-employee-survey-20180228-story.html undervalued, disrespected and underpaid.]] A 2018 survey found that most struggle to keep a roof over their heads and cannot afford proper healthcare because the company cares more about making a quick buck. |
| 37 | *** For her part, Abigail Disney (Roy O. Disney's granddaughter) [[https://insidethemagic.net/2019/07/abigail-disney-disneyland-ba1/ was incensed at the conditions at Disneyland]]. |
| 38 | ---->''“I was so livid when I came out of there because, you know, my grandfather taught me to revere these people that take your tickets, that pour your soda,” she continued. “Those people are much of the recipe for success.”'' |
| 39 | * Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, owner of association football club [[UsefulNotes/EnglishPremierLeague Leicester City]], overseeing their logic-defying run to the Premier League title in 2015/16. He was widely beloved by everyone from the first team (who referred to him as 'the Boss') down, defying the stereotype of the detached owner, instead coming off as a genuine NiceGuy. He even remained on good terms with Claudio Ranieri, title-winning manager (coach) who he'd sacked on the grounds that it was NothingPersonal (Ranieri's tactics were no longer working, and Leicester were at risk of dropping out of the division). When he died in a helicopter crash after a Leicester City home match, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was one of the first on the scene, seen sprinting towards the burning wreckage with complete disregard for his own safety, and Leicester's first team squad were seen in tears at the funeral in his native Thailand. Ranieri also attended, both the funeral and the memorial service in England, being one of the first to lay flowers. More generally, his death was greeted with widespread mourning across English football. |
| 40 | * By all accounts, Lawrence Welk was this to his musical family, albeit one not to be trifled with, if Cissy King's account of her departure from his syndicated variety show in late 1978/early 1979 is anything to go by. |
| 41 | * Cover Corporation and ''WebAnimation/{{Hololive}}'' CEO and founder Motoaki "YAGOO" Tanigo is described by his employees as one of the most respectable bosses that they've ever worked under. Hilariously enough, the talents treat him as a ButtMonkey in-universe with him taking everything in stride and even found some of the jokes at his expense that are ActuallyPrettyFunny. And even with the jokes where fans claim that "[[MemeticMutation his dream is dead]]", he reveals to the audience and his staff that his dream to have the idols actually have fun using Cover Corp's technology while fulfilling his talents dreams has been his greatest joy and the talents are clearly fulfilling it. It's these traits that fans will claim that YAGOO will always be the "best girl". |
| 42 | * The [[https://globalnews.ca/news/5759055/woodstock-iconic-photo-couple-still-together/ Woodstock couple on the iconic album cover are still together fifty years on.]] And they're not the only ones. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGWYDjsGzV4 Another couple]] who met on the way to the festival in 1969 have been married ever since and had always lamented they had no photos from the event to share. They were overjoyed when, in a documentary marking Woodstock's fiftieth anniversary, they were able to view footage of their young selves the very day after they first met. |
| 43 | [[/folder]] |
| 44 | |
| 45 | [[folder:Wishes Made]] |
| 46 | * Erik Martin, a 13-year-old cancer patient, [[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011740342_electronboy30m.html rescued the Seattle Sounders, saved the city from super villainy]] [[spoiler:in the form of ''Series/DeadliestCatch'''s Edger Hansen and Jake Anderson, AKA Dr. Dark and Blackout Boy]], and was presented with the key to the city, doubling as a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for both him and the Make A Wish Foundation. |
| 47 | * A young girl named Natalie [=McDonald=] who was dying of cancer wrote to Creator/JKRowling, who surprised her with a phone call. She wanted to know how the series was going to turn out since she wouldn't live to see the last books published. Rowling read the girl some of her notes about the rest of the series, and gave Natalie a place in Gryffindor House. From ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'': |
| 48 | -->"I do hope this year's batch of Gryffindors are up to scratch," said Nearly Headless Nick, applauding as "[=McDonald=], Natalie!" joined the Gryffindor table. |
| 49 | [[/folder]] |
| 50 | |
| 51 | [[folder:Lost and Found]] |
| 52 | * When a woman found a lost teddy bear, she used Twitter to [[http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/lost-bear-twitter-home/ reunite him with his owner]]. |
| 53 | * [[http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/boy-loses-beloved-stuffed-toy-monkey-three-years-142737946.html A little boy lost his beloved stuffed monkey on a trip to Rocky Mountains National Park. Three years later, his mom found it on eBay.]] |
| 54 | * [[http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/maine-girl-returns-lost-money-gains-awesome-reward-192000010.html An eight year old girl in Maine, Florida found $4,000 in a wallet. She returned it to the owners. Best part? It didn't cross her mind if she could keep the money instead.]]r |
| 55 | [[/folder]] |
| 56 | |
| 57 | [[folder:Sanrio]] |
| 58 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaii The entire culture for cuteness and its impact in Japan]]. [[AmericansHateTingle While cuteness is mostly viewed as immature or silly in the West]], Japan takes their love of anything cute to a whole new level! For example there are street signs, posters, etc. that feature cute characters. [[ValuesDissonance While this can raise alot of eyebrows for foreigners that ever visited Japan]], it's still very sweet to see how Japan shows its appreciation for anything cute and [[RealMenWearPink some men aren't afraid of admitting it to one another.]] |
| 59 | ** Meanwhile, somewhere atop a giant strawberry, {{Creator/Sanrio}}'s [[note]]the company that created Franchise/HelloKitty[[/note]] cute culture has gone global. Founded by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shintaro_Tsuji Shintaro Tsuji]], who really does have a strawberry-shaped desk, and has been making tons upon tons of merchandise with now-familiar mascots -- Hello Kitty, [[Anime/OnegaiMyMelody My Melody]], Little Twin Stars, [[PreciousPuppy Cinnamoroll]], Tiny Poem and many others -- since 1974. An especially heartwarming moment is how Sanrio treated Mell, the fuzzy bunny in the "Wish Me Mell" series. She is a very shy rabbit who appeals to young people too shy to express themselves. On the day of her official debut, Sanrio announced that Mell was too shy to come out of her egg-shaped house. Fans were implored to [[AudienceParticipation send her as many messages and Tweets as possible to encourage her to show her face]]. A month later in 2011, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_OZiVGfWck the character was finally revealed]], to a warm reception from Japanese fans. Once the character started gaining popularity in later years, Sanrio created an [[http://ameblo.jp/wish-me-mell/ official character blog for Mell on a Japanese blogging website called Ameblo,]] [[https://vine.co/u/1103277496285208576 a Vine Account,]] and an [[https://twitter.com/Wishmemell official character Twitter account]]. It's extremely cute and heartwarming to see how much love and appreciation the company gives to their characters as well as the fans. Even Sanrio's slogan is uplifting -- ''Small Gift, Big Smile.'' |
| 60 | * Sanrio is also so popular in Japan that they even have their own theme parks in Japan -- one called "Sanrio Puroland' and the other "Harmony Land" -- dedicated to everything related to Sanrio and each character. Each park occasionally puts on shows featuring a popular character and dealing with good or bad situations or celebrating a holiday. But there is one attraction for both of their theme parks that really shows their appreciation of cuteness. The "Sanrio Character Boat Ride", hosted by Cinnamoroll, guides riders through various universes for each Sanrio character, inviting them to Hello Kitty's wedding with Dear Daniel. In the finale, they all come to the wedding with a sweet song. The attraction ends with chimes playing in the background as you are heading back to the loading area -- and the last thing you see before leaving is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxciOKs-sDc Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters saying farewell to you]] (in the Harmony Land version) or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXhvS5WCiM Cinnamoroll and his friends saying a goodbye message]] (in the Puroland version). |
| 61 | ** On the topic of Puroland, the company made Wish Me Mell become an actual honorary staff member of Sanrio Puroland in 2014. To celebrate this, Sanrio Puroland's official Youtube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDr7h0rHVSM&list=PLddZH89PjCMNrT3LgBHuKr1_Zs-fcW0JH&index=2 uploaded a series of short videos (8 in total)]] titled ""メルの夢にむかってがんばる日記"" showing the character's progress on becoming a staff member. Such as cleaning up the stores, getting kindly corrected on making mistakes, and cheering up guests. The most touching is the video showing Puroland's real life staff holding a dedication ceremony on becoming an official staff member including throwing a suprise birthday party for her. |
| 62 | * Sanrio responded to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake-tsunami that hit Japan [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr2YKKBsrJ8 with this short music video]] titled "Messages of support from the Sanrio characters". Sanrio sends the message that in dark times for the people of Japan, friendship, joy and hope are still possible. |
| 63 | * [[https://i.imgur.com/y7oHl9Q.jpg Sanrio's collaboration]] with ''Anime/YuriOnIce''. A "family-friendly" company from a country in which LGBT people still lack full legal equality, openly supporting an anime that depicts an interracial relationship between two men, one from Japan, and one from Russia (which has cracked down on LGBT rights), who [[spoiler: kissed for the first time InUniverse on international television]] in a country that has taken baby steps towards equality for LGBT people (China). |
| 64 | * On April 7, 2019, My Melody became a radio DJ on the [[https://www.tokyosmart.jp/mymelody/ internet radio network]] ''TS ONE'' called ''My Melody's My Melo Therapy'' [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWkSpYmaQ_RCOnIasmYRxg/videos in Japan]]. "My Melo Therapy" is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qKiruW1fgo hosted by My Melody]] where she would [[AudienceParticipation answer questions submitted by]] [[FourthWallMailSlot listeners online]] and offering advice while playing soothing music. |
| 65 | * Due to the [[UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic COVID-19 pandemic]], Sanrio Puroland decided not to throw a special birthday ceremony like they traditionally done with other Sanrio Characters for [[SweetSheep My Sweet Piano]]'s birthday on July 6th, 2021. However, Japanese user Naoki Tachibana decided to make a short but sweet video to celebrate her birthday titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgIjnw1t3bY マイスウィートピアノの誕生日を一緒に祝おう ("Celebrate My Sweet Piano Birthday Together")]]. The video features Piano making sign language to the Japanese lyrics of the [[HappyBirthdayToYou "Happy Birthday Song"]] but gets very flattered when her name comes up. |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Fighting Bigotry]] |
| 69 | * UsefulNotes/JackieRobinson's entry into baseball. Before you move this to the Sports section, realize that this watershed event has implications far beyond baseball or even sports. Now, it's clearly an awesome moment but why heartwarming you ask? Because even though Robinson put up with racist abuse that was extreme even by 1947 standards there are numerous examples that not all people are bad. Some highlights... |
| 70 | ** Some of the Brooklyn Dodgers stated that they would not play with a black man. Team owner Branch Rickey and manager Leo Durocher both stated whoever didn't want to play with Robinson could "pack their shit and take a trade." |
| 71 | ** Jewish ballplayer Hank Greenberg, no stranger to racial abuse, actually gave Robinson a quick pep talk and basically told him to beat the bigots "on the field". |
| 72 | ** Robinson teammate Pee Wee Reese went out and put his arm around Robinson's shoulder during one home game when the abuse was nearly unbearable. |
| 73 | *** This moment was immortalized in [[http://www.thinkbluela.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/6-20-13-Robinson-Reese-Statue.jpg a statue unveiled in 2005 in Brooklyn]]. |
| 74 | ** Phillies manager Ben Chapman specifically incited his team to chant "nigger" at Robinson during the games they played against the Dodgers and insinuated that their pitchers would aim for Robinson's head. The Dodgers as a team indirectly let it be known that any attack on Robinson, no matter how little, would be swiftly settled both on the field and off. |
| 75 | ** There was also the City of UsefulNotes/{{Montreal}} where Jackie played in 1946 as a member of the Dodgers' minor league team, the Montréal Royals. In that season, Jackie was subject to even more abuse than in his later Dodger period, almost to driving him to a nervous breakdown. However, Robinson survived in part because the population of Montréal made their city a welcome oasis where he was the local hero with a level of adoration so powerful that when the Royals won the Minor League World Series there, Robinson was chased by his exuberant fans right to his departing train. As one observer said, "It was the first time when a black man was chased by a mob with love, instead of lynching, on its mind." |
| 76 | *** Of course, this being Montréal people weren't as judgmental about skin colour. Just judgemental about whether one spoke English or French. (Outside of Montréal, the rest of Québec is a different story as far as racial and religious prejudice, as Jewish actor Creator/WilliamShatner could tell you.) |
| 77 | *** Well there was a book in the sixties that labeled French-Canadians "the white niggers of North America" so there was probably a good deal of sympathy there. |
| 78 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Guard_Riders The Patriot Guard Riders]]. To put it succinctly, the WBC or Westboro Baptist Church was protesting Iraq. This is ok, they have a right to protest, yes. Then they showed up at the funeral of SPC Meyers of St Joseph, Missouri, and numerous other military funerals and other sites, claiming that [[InsaneTrollLogic God is killing American service members because the US tolerates gay people]]. [[http://www.patriotguard.org/ They]] are operating in every state of the US to shield the mourning families from protesters by drowning them out with their motorcycles. They cooperate with the law enforcement. They do not use violence. And these are members of the ''Hells Angels'', a Biker gang well-known for their (real and exaggerated) violent tendencies. It says a lot that they refuse to stoop so low as to give in to their goading. |
| 79 | * Once upon a time, in a distant land, there lived a prince, who after receiving education in a foreign land, met a young girl. They fell in love and married, [[MalignedMixedMarriage unfortunately being rejected by both their families due to their marriage of inconvenience]]. After being rejected by both their kingdoms, the couple began to build a nation in the midst of poverty and a region of conflict, turning it into an oasis of a nation that it is today. [[http://www.innertemple.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33%3Aseretse-khama&catid=22%3Ahistorical-articles&Itemid=30 Seretse and Ruth Khama of Botswana]], everybody. |
| 80 | * UsefulNotes/MalcolmX had a profoundly moving Heartwarming Moment in 1964 after his pilgrimage to Mecca. Consider that this was a man who grew up in the '30s and '40s in Jim Crow America, which was not a particularly fun time to be black; three uncles were murdered by white men and his grandmother raped by a white man; the Klan threatened the family several times, once while his mother was pregnant with him, burned down their home, and later murdered his father; the insurance company wouldn't give his mother the benefits of her husband's life insurance policy, claiming the man committed suicide in spite of evidence to the contrary; she was considered unfit to be a mother by authorities and committed to a mental institution for 26 years while Malcolm and his siblings were split up by social services and put in abusive foster homes; in spite of his good grades and ambitions to become a lawyer, both peers and teachers told him it would never happen, so he dropped out; he took degrading jobs serving obnoxious racists and turned to crime on the side, which he was jailed and suffered for. He joined the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist movement. This was a man who had every reason to be as angry as he was, then Malcolm when to Mecca on pilgrimage and saw the brotherhood of humanity in a whole new way and [[https://youtu.be/3xXB48l-OlE came back with this to say.]] |
| 81 | ** Also Malcolm's [[http://www.malcolm-x.org/docs/tel_rock.htm telegram]] to George Lincoln Rockwell, a leader of the American Nazi Party, during the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan's "Hate Bus" tour of the South in response to the Freedom Rider movement. It counts because, much as he and UsefulNotes/{{Martin Luther King|Jr}} disagreed on methods fighting racism, he at least acknowledged they were fighting the same fight and was willing to defend King. |
| 82 | --> '''Malcolm X:''' ''This is to warn you that I am no longer held in check from fighting white supremacists by Elijah Muhammad's separatist Black Muslim movement, and that if your present racist agitation against our people there in Alabama causes physical harm to Reverend King or any other black Americans who are only attempting to enjoy their rights as free human beings, that you and your Ku Klux Klan friends will be met with maximum physical retaliation from [[TheUnfettered those of us who are not hand-cuffed by the disarming philosophy of nonviolence]], and who believe in asserting our right of self-defense -- by any means necessary.'' |
| 83 | * The two young women in [[https://youtu.be/FbWmBUONtFY]] episode of "What Would You Do?" All day, people came and went seeing a Muslim woman (apparently) being verbally abused and refused service--and these two girls finally stepped in and, most importantly, ''refused to stand down''. |
| 84 | ** The man whose son had just returned from a year in Iraq, sharing a tearful hug with the Muslim girl who helped design the experiment, though the whole thing doubles as a TearJerker. |
| 85 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Smith Samantha Smith]]. In the 1980s, during the Cold War, this kid wrote a letter to Soviet Premier Andropov (whom the western media assumed was going to be forbidding) and ''politely asks him to not have a nuclear war.'' Andropov wrote back, saying that he really did want peace, and invited her to visit the USSR and see that they were not so different after all. She accepted. |
| 86 | ** There's a TearJerker in that she was killed under three years later in a plane crash. There's a statue in Russia, of a little girl holding a white dove. |
| 87 | ** At the time of her death, Soviet citizens were banned from the county where her funeral was held. The State Department relaxed that rule to allow a Soviet diplomat to speak at her funeral. [[https://youtu.be/938rqj7MdD8 see video]] |
| 88 | * Four words: ''[[https://youtu.be/L_YBplucfuk I Have a Dream]]''. |
| 89 | * Right in the front of the famous march on Selma was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a personal friend of Dr. King, who later said this: |
| 90 | -->"For many of us the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and prayer. Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying." |
| 91 | * A Website/YouTube video set up by some Canadian teens as a social experiment has one of them dress up as a Muslim woman while another harasses her on the street. Nobody tolerated it, every bystander came to defend her and one guy in particular responded to the continued onslaught of bigotry by punching the actor out. |
| 92 | * On Friday June 26, 2015, The US Supreme Court ruled that Same-Sex Marriage is legal across all 50 states. Website/{{Twitter}} celebrated with the #[=LoveWins=] ForcedMeme; if you used it in a tweet a rainbow heart would be added to your account. |
| 93 | * In August 2013, the family of autistic teenager Max Begley got an [[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/disgusting-father-hate-filled-letter-euthanize-autistic-son-nuisance-article-1.1431505 extremely offensive letter]] from an anonymous mother annoyed at the sounds he made while playing in the backyard. The letter tells Max's family to "take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses and donate it to science" and concludes by telling the family to either "move or euthanize him." The letter went viral on the Internet and Max's neighborhood rallied around him to ensure that he and his family felt welcome. You can see Max's mother's response [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/28/karla-begley-response-hate-filled-autism-note_n_3831153.html here]]. |
| 94 | * On September 11, 2016, Alexis Arquette, an actress and transgender rights activist (herself being post-op) died of AIDS related complications. Reportedly, almost a day after, a former lover [[{{Jerkass}} tried to cash in on her death]] by selling a sex tape involving Arquette, which was subsequently purchased by xHamster who immediately destroyed the video and publicly denounced what this scumbag was doing, saying; |
| 95 | --> '''Alex Hawkins:'''[[note]]Spokesman for xHamster[[/note]] Ms. Arquette was an icon and activist in the trans community and we could not see someone smear her memory the way the selling party was trying to do. We acquired the tape and subsequently destroyed all copies of it. We hope people will remember Ms. Arquette for the activist that she was and that her memory will continue to live on. |
| 96 | ** Although it's a happy thought that xHamster would choose to do this, there's also the reality that [[YouBastard there would be a company who would buy this tape and then post it on the internet as an exclusive article]] [[SpeakIllOfTheDead and tarnish the memory of a dead person for a quick buck]], especially since Gawker was shut down for doing something similar to Hulk Hogan. It really says a lot when a ''porn site'' publicly decries this practice. |
| 97 | * When the New Zealand parliament voted in favor of marriage equality, [[http://youtu.be/DW4DXOAXF8U?t=1m15s dozens of people in chamber, including some members of parliament, sang "Pokarekare Ana," a traditional New Zealand love song]]. |
| 98 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOcAWn7Rp9s Will Phillips]], the 10-year-old who stood up for the rights of gays by refusing to stand for the US Pledge of Allegiance and who rationally and articulately defended his statement on national television. |
| 99 | ** That's Awesome, too. Here we see a 10-year-old arguing for gay rights in Arkansas, a pretty conservative state. Some adults lack the guts this little fellow has. Not to mention both ''Series/TheDailyShow'' and Wrestling/MickFoley getting in on the act by promising the boy protection. |
| 100 | * [[https://youtu.be/GrEbJBFWIPk Philip Spooner]], an 87-year-old WWII vet, made a speech in support of same-sex marriage in Maine. "I am here because of a conversation I had last June. A woman at my polls asked me if I believed in equality for gay and lesbian people. I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally, I asked her, 'what do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?'" We salute you, Mr Spooner. |
| 101 | * "Surfing for Peace" is an organization founded by Jewish American surf guru Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz. Their goal: to promote friendship and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. How? [[http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/12/gaza.surfers/index.html By delivering surf boards and wetsuits]] across the nearly-impenetrable border to the Gaza Surf Club. The two groups hope to surf together one day. |
| 102 | * Every single "It Gets Better" video. Period. A few notable examples: |
| 103 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4 Joel Burns' epic speech.]] Warning: [[TearJerker you will cry.]] |
| 104 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8J93a2IES4&feature=sub An empathetic Baptist Christian viewpoint.]] |
| 105 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geyAFbSDPVk U.S. President Barack Obama.]] |
| 106 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UACK93xF-FE George Takei calling out]] former Arkansas School Board member Clint [=McCance=] on his douchebaggery. Arguably also counts as a [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome CMoA]] for Takei. |
| 107 | *** And a [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments CMoF]], because he actually used the word "douchebag". Imagine George Takei's voice saying "douchebag", and try not to laugh. |
| 108 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8 35 members of the staff of]] Creator/{{Pixar}}. [[TearJerker It's another one you'll need tissues for.]] |
| 109 | ** And on that note, [[http://browse.deviantart.com/projects/awareness/2010/spiritday/ this.]] So many people coming out in support of the movement. Just... whoa. |
| 110 | ** The fact that there's even sports teams that are coming out with their own It Gets Better ads in support. Thus far we have the San Francisco Giants (who started the whole wave), Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Seattle sports teams (Mariners, Sounders, Storm, Seahawks), Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, DC United, and there are other teams whom are having them on the way including the Twins and Nationals. |
| 111 | *** Many major league clubs now have [[http://www.gaybaseballdays.com/ Gay Days]]. The Cubs' "Out at the Ballgame" actually began over ten years ago. |
| 112 | * [[http://naytinalbert.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-hugged-man-in-his-underwear-and-i-am.html "I hugged a man in his underwear. And I am proud."]] |
| 113 | * Egyptian Muslims attended a Coptic Christmas mass to serve as "human shields" against a potential terrorist attack. [[http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/3365.aspx Article]]. |
| 114 | ** And now they return the favor by forming protective circles around Muslim protesters during Friday prayers. |
| 115 | * [[http://lgbtlaughs.tumblr.com/post/2643269656 This]] Mickey Mouse secret. -sniff- |
| 116 | * [[http://www.hulu.com/watch/243495/what-would-you-do-gay-parents-bashed#s-p1-so-i1 Even in Texas, bystanders won't stand by when gays and lesbians are harassed.]] |
| 117 | * In 1956, Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee was the first school in the South to desegregate after ''Brown v. Board of Education''. Naturally, much racist hate ensued, sparked mainly by segregationist leaders from elsewhere. On the next Election Day, the white pastor of the Baptist Church walked the black students to school. For his trouble, he was beaten by several men. The townsfolk promptly turned out and soundly defeated the slate of segregationist candidates running for City Council. |
| 118 | ** Then, in 1958, the school was bombed. The neighboring city of Oak Ridge had housed a government nuclear lab that worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. After the war, the extraneous population left, leaving Oak Ridge with a lot of excess housing and infrastructure. So the Oak Ridgeans offered Clinton HS a disused elementary school as temporary housing. People from both towns pitched in to clean and prepare the school. Now, Oak Ridge High School was Clinton's archrival in football and other sports - and in the South, that means something. So imagine how heartwarming it was when the Clinton HS students got off their buses in Oak Ridge the first day of the school year, to find the Oak Ridge HS marching band in full uniform - ''playing the Clinton HS alma mater''. |
| 119 | * [[http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=426959134064393&set=a.124076224352687.28093.123892551037721&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf This letter]] from a father to his gay son. |
| 120 | * [[https://youtu.be/BMIQVsJlV7k This]] Website/YouTube video shows images of several happy, loving, interracial lesbian couples. LGBT ''and'' interracial marriage support. |
| 121 | * When Creator/JKRowling published a transphobic essay, several Franchise/HarryPotter stars including [[https://www.thetrevorproject.org/2020/06/08/daniel-radcliffe-responds-to-j-k-rowlings-tweets-on-gender-identity/ Daniel Radcliffe]], [[https://twitter.com/EmmaWatson/status/1270826851070619649 Emma Watson]], [[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53023580 Rupert Grint]], [[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/06/evanna-lynch-jk-rowling-transphobic-tweets Evanna Lynch]], [[https://variety.com/2020/film/news/eddie-redmayne-jk-rowling-anti-trans-tweets-harry-potter-fantastic-beasts-1234630226/ Eddie Redmayne]], [[https://twitter.com/thisisbwright/status/1270846127206588418 Bonnie Wright]], and [[https://twitter.com/Kt_Leung/status/1269574865733988356 Katie Leung]] all released statements affirming their support for the transgender community. |
| 122 | * The unlikely friendship between [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Atwater Ann Atwater]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._P._Ellis C.P Ellis.]] She was a civil rights activist and he was a Ku Klux Klan leader. They met in 1971 when they were chosen to co-chair a commitee on school desegregation. |
| 123 | --> '''Ann Atwater:''' "It wasn't until way down in the meeting, about the last week of it, is when the children talked to us and got us together saying that they wanted to go to school with each other and then we looked at each other like fools. We'd been arguing about the wrong thing and hadn't been doing anything to make the school system be better. That's when me and him started getting together... He decided that I wasn't as bad. He said, 'You ain't as bad as I thought you was,' and he started talking to me, and we started talking back [and forth]. We went in the office and cried because we [had been] doing things the wrong way just because one was black and one was white." |
| 124 | ** The two of them remained friends until Ellis's death in 2005. Atwater gave a eulogy at his funeral. |
| 125 | * Mimu Maxi is a clothing line started by two Orthodox Jewish women, Mimi Hecht and Mushky Notik. Their aim is to make clothing that is both stylish and modest. On their Instagram page, Mimu Maxi included a photo of Muslim fashion blogger Summer Albarcha wearing one of their skirts along with a blouse and headscarf. The photo appaered during a time of violence between Israel and Hamas, and the company received angry responses from Jewish customers who thought it was in poor taste. [[https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-skirting-the-issue Notik and Hecht stood by the decision.]] Notik said, "The fact that our brand has somehow been able to bridge gaps with other religions and celebrate the beauty of modesty beyond Judaism is a very, very good thing." |
| 126 | [[/folder]] |
| 127 | |
| 128 | [[folder:September 11, 2001 attacks]] |
| 129 | * [[https://youtu.be/xwrX-LN9-L0 The British Royal Guards playing the "Star Spangled Banner" in Buckingham Palance the day after the September 11 attacks.]] If nations are people and anthems are their lullabies, then here was Mother England singing to her grieving American child. |
| 130 | * The entire city of New York (actually the whole country) uniting as never before at the 9-11 attacks. Actually the whole WORLD, more or less. |
| 131 | ** ''France'' playing "The Star-Spangled Banner". Given that France has never minced words over how much they dislike the U.S., that was a combo SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment}}s and TearJerker. |
| 132 | ** Buckingham Palace playing it wins out. Whoever described it as like 'a mother singing to her child' got it right. Video is [[https://youtu.be/xwrX-LN9-L0 here]]. Even more of a TearJerker when you consider that ''The Star Spangled Banner'' was composed during the war of 1812 (A war with ''Britain''). |
| 133 | ** The list of Muslim leaders who condemned the attacks and/or proclaimed their pity for the victims include: Mohammed Khatami (Iran), Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan), Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Yasser Arafat (Palestine), ''Bashar al-Assad'' (Syria), UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi, and '''UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein''' (personally sent an email to offer condolences to one of the survivors). UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli also spoke up several times, notably [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxxtzIZlnGU this brief statement about Islam and truth]] at the ''America: A Tribute to Heroes'' television special. |
| 134 | ** Three days after the attack, the German destroyer FGS ''Lütjens'' approached the American destroyer USS ''Winston S. Churchill'' at sea, [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/LutjensHonors.jpg her sailors manning the rails, flying an American flag along with the German Naval Ensign, and holding a banner reading "We Stand by You".]] |
| 135 | ** After the July 2005 London Subway Bombing, the city of New York did something similar: ''[[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bridgerpt05_1.pdf The American flags on the Brooklyn Bridge were lowered to half-mast by Division painters on July 9, 2005 in tribute to the victims of the London, England transit bombings of July 7, 2005. The attacks killed 56 people and injured 700 on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus. The flags remained at half-mast until July 13, 2005]]''. |
| 136 | ** In Sweden, the cabinet ordered that the national flag be flown at half mast all over the country for a day. Such an honour is usually reserved for the death of a member of the royal family. |
| 137 | ** Congress singing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izb459vJ-8Q "God Bless America"]] |
| 138 | ** In Canada, a number of people were flying the American flag from their cars or yard to show their solidarity with Americans, as well as flying our own flag at half mast. All of the political differences and silly rivalries between the two countries were put aside in the weeks following 9/11, in favour of an outpouring of love, compassion and support. What happened on 9/11 was horrible, but the demonstration of human goodness in the aftermath was truly touching. |
| 139 | *** An outstanding example would be the residents of small towns like Gander, Newfoundland, who pulled together to host the ''thousands'' of international travelers who were suddenly stranded on their doorstep when their flights were diverted to Canada following the shutdown of US airspace. |
| 140 | *** Canada gets a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for their help during 9-11. Most Canadians didn't even think about what was happening elsewhere, at least until news about the Pentagon and Pennsylvania came in. So, from every New Yorker who lived through that nightmare... Thank You. |
| 141 | * Juárez, Mexico has a huge Mexican flag that flies close to the US-Mexico border, first flown in [[TheNineties late 90s]]. El Paso residents at first though it a TakeThat for the US flags on the border. The day after 9/11, that large Mexican flag was flown at half mast. No easy feat for a flag larger ''than a small car''. |
| 142 | * A 9/11 story about a firefighter who was not called to the towers, but had a wife who worked there. When the towers collapsed, they both feared that the other was dead, but they were reunited soon after at the firehouse. |
| 143 | ** Also, the "Miracle of Stairwell B", in which several city firefighters actually survived ''inside'' the collapsing North Tower. They'd willingly slowed down their own escape to assist an injured older woman's descent, and therefore just happened to be in the one piece of stairwell that didn't cave in on itself when the building fell. |
| 144 | * On July 26, 2016, two radical Islamist teens held up a Catholic church in northern France and murdered the priest who had been conducting a service that morning. The following Sunday, Muslims all across France [[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/muslims-pray-catholics-french-priest-murder-160731131924563.html attended Mass to show solidarity with their Catholic brethren]] against both this and the truck driver who went on a rampage in Nice on Bastille Day. |
| 145 | * [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/08/heartsong-church-memphis-islamic-center_n_710053.html This]] Tennessee church welcoming a Muslim community center to its neighborhood. |
| 146 | * [[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=510284178982565&set=a.115969958413991.17486.114517875225866&type=1&theater Two next-door neighbors]] with opposing political beliefs display their signs in their yards. And they're still friends. |
| 147 | * [[http://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/for-thou-art-with-us/ One of many 9/11 stories of strangers helping each other, or just keeping each other sane when the world goes mad.]] Happy birthday, Don, [[http://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/operation-find-don/ wherever you are.]] |
| 148 | ** The story of the man with the red bandana. A man in the south tower fixed a red bandana over his nose and mouth as the tower burned. He went to as many floors as he could, helping people find stairs, extinguishing fires, dragging people from debris so they could escape; again and again he left the stairwell to enter floors that had not yet been cleared... He died when the tower collapsed, still saving people. Link [[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fstory%2F0%2C2933%2C62579%2C00.html&rct=j&q=bandana%20man%209%2F11&ei=ht0bTeXuEIep8Abm34DoDQ&usg=AFQjCNGkdrURNwzgAkE24QNl9nD27YmwNA&sig2=vpQlpg4ePBm06ALYxhZlOw&cad=rja here]]. Or search for bandana man, 9/11. |
| 149 | ** The name of the Man in the Red Bandana is Welles Crowther, one of twenty-two Boston College alumni who died on 9/11. He is memorialized not only in the [[https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/sites/memorial-labyrinth/about.html Memorial Labyrinth]] on the campus grounds, but also by every student who attends the institution, as every single one of them is given, and often wears, a red bandana to honor his memory and his sacrifice. |
| 150 | ** A priest is briefly stopped outside of Ground Zero before the towers fall for an interview. After he tells them all he knows about the attack, they ask for comforting words to families worried about loved ones. His reply? [[https://youtu.be/RkuvnjS0KnU&t=36m13s "Let me find them first."]] [[BadassNormal Having thus cut the interview short, he promptly leaves and heads toward the towers.]] |
| 151 | * Immediately after the events of 9/11, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Yellow_Ribbon Operation Yellow Ribbon]] took place, where Transport Canada re-routed all American flights (there was about 500) and directed them to 17 different airports in Canada. These airports pretty much received 1-2 airplanes per minute, leaving them quite a job to land these planes and get all these people through immigration and customs. Then, there was also the difficulty of performing a security sweep over each plane and feeding and housing all the passengers and crew. The Canadian government, both federal and provincial, stepped up to accommodate their visitors into hotels, schools, gymnasiums, wherever and tried their best to make them as comfortable as possible. The efforts of the Canadians would later get thanks from the US Transportation Secretary at a White House briefing that "we owe our Canadian neighbours a debt of gratitude for helping us as we redirected... flights and their passengers to airports in Canada." |
| 152 | ** Lufthansa showed their appreciation by naming one of their longhaul aircraft "Gander-Halifax". It was the first aircraft in their fleet, to be named after a location outside Germany, since they started naming their aircraft in 1960. |
| 153 | * Kevin Conroy, the voice of [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Batman]], aided the September 11 relief efforts by volunteering to cook for the firefighters and officers. He thought nobody would know who he was, but after one of the other cooks found out he was Batman's voice, he asked if he could tell everyone. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome The other cook then urged Conroy to yell out the iconic line, "I am vengeance! I am the night! I. Am. ''Batman''!"]] Everyone cheered and came up to him saying how they were fans of Batman or used to watch the show with their kids, and he said it was the first time he'd seen people smile or laugh in the week since the attack. Amazing how the Dark Knight can brighten everyone's day. |
| 154 | * Greg Mortensen, author of ''Three Cups of Tea'' and advocate for girls' education in Afghanistan, tells a heartwarming story from only weeks after the September 11th attacks. He went to Afghanistan, and a woman in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab hijab]] came up to him, and handed him a pair of eggs. For a minute, he was baffled. Then: |
| 155 | --> '''Woman''': Please gives these to the widows in New York. I know it isn't much, but it is all I have. |
| 156 | ** Although this is now much HarsherInHindsight, since Mortensen has been accused of literary fraud. |
| 157 | * Large parts of the United States, including many Christian and non-Christian religious groups, uniting against [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_World_Outreach_Center_Quran-burning_controversy the 9/11/10 Koran burning event]], a publicity stunt by a nondenominational evangelical church. Religious organizations worldwide, including Christian churches, published statements condemning Rev. Terry Jones' Islamophobic words and actions. |
| 158 | * Late night talk shows stayed off the air for several days to about a week. When they returned, they all [[https://www.today.com/popculture/how-late-night-tv-reacted-9-11-impact-it-has-t229754 spoke seriously and compassionately]] about what happened and how America would go on. [[http://youtu.be/CL4-gvWDnPc Jay Leno made a point]] of saying he wasn't going to do any more jokes that made fun of people for their race or religion or who looked different, because "that is obviously not the American way." He then had John [=McCain=], then [[Music/CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung Crosby, Stills and Nash]] doing the anti-war song "Daylight Again", but also "Half Your Angels" (written for the Oklahoma City victims), and "My Country, 'Tis of Thee". |
| 159 | [[/folder]] |
| 160 | |
| 161 | [[folder:Religion]] |
| 162 | * Several evangelical Christian groups in America criticized ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' for advocating homosexuality after a video featuring [=SpongeBob=] was supported by the ''We Are Family Foundation'' ([[SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} coincidence]]), an organization dedicated to mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation of cultural diversity - which shares its name with a similar organization that supports gay rights. Although [[WordOfGod Stephen J. Hillenburg]] said [=SpongeBob=] was asexual, John H. Thomas, the United Church of Christ's general minister and president, said the United Church would welcome [=SpongeBob=] into their ministry: |
| 163 | -->"Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." |
| 164 | * Whether you like the Catholic Church or not, it cannot be denied that Pope John Paul II broke many old conventions, traveled the world as no other Pope ever had, spoke to World Leaders about peace, treated leaders of others religions as equals, and -in a posthumous Crowning Moment of Heartwarming- brought all of them together for his funeral. |
| 165 | ** And inspired the [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Polish people to overthrow the Stalinist Government]]. It wasn't straight away but being a Polish Pope helped. |
| 166 | ** Also, take into account that he was Pope John Paul the ''Second''. His predecessor Pope John Paul I was only Pope from 26 August 1978 to 28 September 1978, but in that short time took steps to humanize the papacy and was beloved by the people. John Paul II not only took the name, but used his first address as Pope to honor his predecessor, making sure that he would be remembered though his time in office was short. |
| 167 | ** He probably also remembered that at the conclave that elected Albino Luciani, the future John Paul I had looked him straight in the eye from across the table and said "You'll be next." |
| 168 | ** The very first thing he did after being freed from his hospital bed after being shot in the chest was visiting the would-be killer in jail. They then spent twenty minutes talking in complete solitude. When asked what they spoke about he answered: |
| 169 | --->''What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.'' |
| 170 | ** Even better, when the Pope was on his for-real death bed in 2005 from an illness, the assassin from before sent him a get-well card. |
| 171 | ** John Paul II isn't the only one here. Pope Saint Pius X was very devoted to his pastoral work and would be rather harsh to those parents who didn't send their children to catechism. When a cholera epidemic broke out in Salzano, he worked so much to help the poor his own never regained its former vigor. The poor loved him so much that, convinced the medicine their doctors were giving them was intended to put an end to their lives, they would only accept it from Don Giuseppe's hands. He would often sell his BISHOP'S RING and would visit the poor areas in Venice and preach to the people there. He once heard a woman beating a child very harshly and called her out, threatening her with the authorities if she continued to mistreat the child. Even as Pope, he still lived a very poor lifestyle saying the famous words: "I was born poor, lived poor and I want to die poor." The Apostolic Palace was filled with refugees form the 1908 Messina earthquake and people often joked that if he could he'd sell the Vaticasn itself. People would even be healed through his blessings. He was also very humble. When he consecrated a shrine of the Blessed Virgin on Mount Grappa in front of 10,000 pilgrims, he shook his head when they started shouting 'Viva our Patriarch!' and instead said: 'No, viva Our Lady!' Sadly, he died of a broken heart with the troubles of the first world war taking their tolls on him. |
| 172 | ** A lot of Catholics have become saints for [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moments of Heartwarming]]: |
| 173 | *** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Damien Father Damien]], that is, [[https://catholicgentleman.com/2014/06/gentleman-saint-saint-damien-of-molokai/ St. Damien of Molokai]]: A Belgian priest, he went to Hawai'i in the late 1800s as a missionary. At the time, Hawaiians were dying in droves from European diseases. One of the worst was leprosy;[[note]]now known medically as Hansen's disease[[/note]] to prevent its spread, the Hawaiian king ordered lepers quarantined on the island of Molokai. The local bishop knew that the lepers deserved a priest, but the assignment was a death sentence. Fr. Damien volunteered. For the next 25 years, Fr. Damien lived among the lepers, serving as a priest, but also teaching children, dressing sores, building houses, and digging graves. Fr. Damien ultimately contracted leprosy himself and died[[note]]he started his sermon that Sunday, instead of "Brothers and sisters," with the words "Brethren, ''we lepers''..."[[/note]], asking only to be buried with the other lepers. When the king's daughter came to Molokai to present a posthumous medal to Fr. Damien, she was moved to tears by what she saw on the island. Fr. Damien was named a saint in 2009; he is the patron saint of people with HIV/AIDS. |
| 174 | *** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Euphrasia_Pelletier Euphrasia Pelletier]] was an 18th-century nun who founded the order of the Good Shepherd to save wayward girls who were in moral danger. She saved a lot of child prostitutes, homeless women and others abandoned by their families and had nowhere to go. She told her nuns "Cup of milk given at the right moment will do more to bring her back to right dispositions than would acts of severity".[[note]]This has been attributed to Mother Teresa; she was quoting St. Euphrasia.[[/note]] She cared not only for their physical well being but for their souls. She emphasized the importance of the catechism but also that the girls should be kept interested. Many of the rescued girls even joined the order or remained permanent penitents. |
| 175 | *** Mary Joseph Rosello founded the order of our Lady of Mercy which was founded to help girls who were ransomed from slavery. As she lay dying, one of the girls even came up to her death bed and started crying; nobody had the heart to send her away. |
| 176 | * In 1658, a Quaker woman named Mary Fisher walked from Venice to Edirne to speak with the Ottoman sultan, Mehmet IV. Often persecuted for her beliefs in her native England and then in America, Mary Fisher carried on, believing that she was on a mission from God to spread her beliefs about non-violence and God's love. At the time, "the rapacious Turk" was a terror to Europe, and some believed that the sultan was the Antichrist himself. Not only did Mehmet IV grant her an audience, he sat and listened to her, and respectfully asked her to come to Istanbul with him. Although she declined the offer, Mary Fisher was touched by the sultan's kindness, saying "[The Turks] are more near Truth than many nations; there is a love begot in me towards them which is endless." |
| 177 | * In 2006, gunman Charles Roberts broke into a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, took hostages, and shot ten of the students - killing five - before turning the gun on himself. Hours later, the rest of the surrounding Amish community visited Roberts' family -- to FORGIVE them. They also started a charitable fund for Roberts' widow. |
| 178 | * Damon Fowler, who stood up to his school administration for holding a prayer during their high school graduation ceremony, was ostracized by his community, threatened, and even kicked out of his house by his parents. Atheists all around the United States (namely the Freedom From Religion Foundation) have pooled resources to ensure that Damon continues his education, and he now lives with his brother. |
| 179 | * [[http://www.ethicsdaily.com/news.php?viewStory=13872 Church Holds Funeral For 14th-Century Witch]]. Six years ago, in the Southern England town of Hoo, a construction dig unearthed the body of a decapitated woman. Tests showed that it was a girl no older than 14, who had probably been shamed and condemned as a witch before her entire village, and then beheaded, probably in the 1300s. The vicar of the local Anglican church, "felt a need to give her what had clearly been denied to her all those years ago," and held a proper funeral for her at St. Werburgh's Church. Some ''200 mourners'' attended the service. |
| 180 | ** Now ''that's'' making a statement. |
| 181 | * This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6035E4s9sh0 video]] of a church skit, about the trials we face when we stray away from God. With the song "Everything" by Lifehouse playing in the background. |
| 182 | * In 1856, [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Brigham Young]] learned that the members of the Willey and Martin handcart companies were dying in a terrible blizzard. It happened to coincide with the semiannual General Conference where church members would gather to listen to their leaders. He stated that it was more important for them to live the principles of their religion rather than to talk about them, cancelled General Conference, and organized a rescue mission. |
| 183 | * While walking through the remains of the original St Paul's Cathedral, destroyed in the Great Fire of London, Sir Christopher Wren, faced with the mammoth task of rebuilding, found a piece of rubble inscribed on which was the Latin word ''Resurgam'', which translates to mean "I Will Rise Again". You can now find the word engraved on the pediment of the south door in the present St Paul's, beneath the statue of a Phoenix. There has been a site of worship on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in London, since before Christianity came to England. Whether you're religious or not, it is a testament to the enduring nature of faith. |
| 184 | ** Appropriately enough, Sir Christopher was the first person to be buried in the crypt beneath St. Paul's. Engraved on the wall next to his tomb is "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice" (Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you). |
| 185 | * Michael Arnold, known to the world as "Preacher Mike", founder of the Christian Crusaders, a non-denominational Christian ministry and biker club, spent the latter part of his life doing good in the American biker community, promoting peace, mediating disputes, feeding the hungry and taking care of drunk bikers, who would otherwise be spending the night unwatched and at risk of dying of alcohol poisoning and/or facing criminal charges. When he died, the leaders of Hells Angels and Bandidos sat next to each other in the first pew at his funeral. Both men cried. |
| 186 | * Since 2010, [[{{Website/Reddit}} r/atheism and r/Christianity]] have had ongoing fundraisers for Doctors without Borders and World Vision Clean Water Fund, respectively. As of 10:05 AM on December 4, 2011, r/atheism has raised [[http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/r-atheism/ratheism $108,845]] and [[http://www.justgiving.com/rAtheism £2,424]] for Doctors without Borders; r/Christianity has raised [[http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/redditcharity/rchristianity $14,056]] for World Vision Clean Water Fund. In 2010, r/Islam also raised [[http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/ahmed-m/rislam $1,501]] for Islamic Relief. The front page of Reddit is currently flooded with posts offering to donate money for each upvote. |
| 187 | * [[http://imgur.com/bVD9p A Christian group shows up to a Gay Pride parade in Chicago with signs]], signs that say things like "I'm sorry for how the church treated you" Cue the hugs. |
| 188 | * Mormons Building Bridges is a group that [[http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54225023-78/mormons-parade-bridges-church.html.csp?page=1 marched at the head of the Utah Gay Pride Parade]] to demonstrate that love and respect come first, no matter what. |
| 189 | [[/folder]] |
| 190 | |
| 191 | [[folder:Politics]] |
| 192 | * After announcing his cancer diagnosis to the world, former President Jimmy Carter said that his greatest wish was to see the last [[https://www.cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/ Guinea worm]] die. |
| 193 | ** A lot of Carter's post-presidency could count, including his annual work project with Habitat for Humanity, his diplomatic work done at the request of the presidents after him, and his peace and public health initiatives with the Carter Center. |
| 194 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxxpyhrmoZg This]] from the BBC's Last Night of the Proms 2009: the traditional singing of ''Auld Lang Syne''. Sure the airhorns are annoying, but this was the Royal Albert, the largest theater in Britain, ''packed'' to the gills, and you could hear a pin drop. |
| 195 | * British Prime Minister UsefulNotes/DavidCameron is a controversial figure to say the least, however, upon securing an outright win in the 2015 general election and being able to lead a completely Conservative government, Cameron began his speech by thanking all those who had made the previous Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition a success, and "in particular, Nick Clegg". |
| 196 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Jack_Layton When Jack Layton died,]] his political ''rival'' Stephen Harper ordered a state funeral for him. |
| 197 | * The Camp David Accords very nearly didn't happen. What convinced Israeli Prime Minister Begin to give it another try was the signed pictures UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter gave to him for each of his grandchildren and the reminder they gave him of how they needed to do something for the sake of future generations. Egypt and Israel have been at peace ever since. |
| 198 | * Obama's Election Night speech included the story of the 106-year old daughter of slaves voting for him, looking back on all that's happened over the past century and how some things have actually changed for the better. |
| 199 | ** The celebrating crowd in Ebenezer Baptist Church (Reverend King's church), and the various middle-aged black men crying with joy. |
| 200 | *** Four years later, a 10-year-old girl wrote Obama a letter about how kids at school made fun of her because she has two dads. The President is likely the most powerful man in the world. He's at the height of a tense, mudslinging campaign for reelection. So he responded with [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-mcgonnigal/obama-responds-to-10-year-olds-heartfelt-letter-about-her-dads_b_2074213.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices this.]] |
| 201 | * As one of his final acts as president, Barack Obama [[http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/see-obama-surprise-biden-with-presidential-medal-of-freedom-w460889 awarded]] one more Presidential Medal of Freedom for Distinction, the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed, to his vice president Joe Biden. The fact that it was a complete surprise just makes it all the sweeter - Biden was completely unaware he was receiving the honor, [[ManlyTears as evidenced by his bursting into tears]]. Making it better was how Obama referred to Biden, as always, as his [[TrueCompanions brother]]. |
| 202 | * When UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan was shot in 1981, he jokingly told his surgeons before they went in to get the bullets that he hoped they were Republicans. According to the story, the person in charge of trauma at the time at George Washington University Hospital, Dr. Joseph Giordano, was a liberal Democrat. His answer? "Today, Mr. President, we're ''all'' Republicans." |
| 203 | ** His address the night of the ''Challenger'' disaster could be considered one as well, especially when he especially addressed the children of America, since so many children were watching the launch live due to the mission carrying teacher Christa [=McAuliffe=]. |
| 204 | * Eight years to the day after conceding the nomination to UsefulNotes/BarackObama in 2008, UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton walked out into the Brooklyn Navy Yard to give her first speech as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States -- the first woman to receive that honor from either party in the country's history. The look on her face [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okgaTVlvUwk had to be seen to be believed]]. |
| 205 | * When US Senator and one-time Republican presidential candidate John [=McCain=] died in 2018, a number of political figures from both parties paid respects to him online and in the media. Per [=McCain=]'s request, former president UsefulNotes/BarackObama delivered a eulogy, while Joe Biden and Democratic former senator Russ Feingold served as pallbearers. His funeral was also attended by a number of public figures from both parties. |
| 206 | ** [=McCain=]'s final statement, delivered by an aide the Monday after his death, also counts, especially given the level of political polerization that had developed in the preceeding years. |
| 207 | --->"We have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we’ll get through these challenging times." |
| 208 | * In the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto's assassination in Pakistan, her once-political enemy Nawaz Sharif was the first to arrive at hospital to be with her. He later condemned the attack and publicly vowed that he would "fight her war from now on" regarding their shared goal of getting the at-the-time President Pervez Musharraf out of power. He made good on his promise a few months later. |
| 209 | * UsefulNotes/JamesKPolk kept a campaign promise to only serve one term, [[OneHundredPercentCompletion (he had achieved everything he had wanted to in that term, anyways)]] and learned that one of his generals, UsefulNotes/ZacharyTaylor, was to succeed him as president. President Polk was disappointed as he thought of Taylor as somebody with vague opinions and poor judgement. But when Taylor called upon him at the White House, (the first time the two had met personally) Polk invited Taylor to a gala dinner, and Polk later attended Taylor’s inauguration with him side-by-side. The two were not friends, and were from different parties, but he still wished President Taylor the best. |
| 210 | ---> '''James K. Polk:''' I hope, sir, that the nation is prosperous under your administration. |
| 211 | * Brexit has generally been an extremely contentious issue in British politics, struggling constantly with harsh political dialogue and difficulty reconciling the wishes of all parties involved. However, in March 2019, a six-year-old British schoolgirl named Sophie wrote directly to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council. She said 'I live in Britain. I know we are leaving the EU. But I think we should be friends. Please may I have a signed photo of you for my Europe book'. Mr. Tusk posted an image of this to his personal Instagram feed, with the caption 'We will always be friends, Sophie'. |
| 212 | * In 1912, Mayor of Tokyo Yukio Ozakio presented the city of Washington, D.C. with the gift of cherry trees, commemorating the two countries' friendship. The first two of these trees were planted by First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese-U.S. ambassador, in the Tidal Basin of West Potomac Park. In 1915, the U.S. gave Japan flowering dogwoods in return. The first National Cherry Blossom Festival in the U.S. was in 1935, organized and funded by local community organizers. In 1981, a flood destroyed many Yoshino cherry trees and Japanese horticulturists came to take clippings of the Washington trees in order to replace the fallen ones. The most recent event in this cycle was in 1999, when several cuttings from a cherry tree in Gifu Prefecture, a tree believed to be 1,500 years old, were planted to produce a new generation in the West Potomac Tidal Basin. |
| 213 | * Relations between Utah and Japan began in 1872, predictably, with snow: "In Utah, Japanese had been working on railroad gangs since the turn of the century. The first Japanese seen by Utahns, however, had been in 1872. The Deseret News of February 7 of that year described a visit of approximately fifty members of Ambassador Extraordinary Iwakura's party. The visitors were forced to remain a week because of a heavy snowstorm. Territorial Gov. George L. Woods and Mayor Daniel H. Wells headed a public reception for them at City Hall. Members of the state legislature's judiciary as well as Lt. Col. Henry A. Morrow of Camp Douglas arranged a formal welcome for them." There is a bronze plaque memorializing this event in the entryway of SLC's Union Pacific Station and the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple hosts a festival each year to honor Obon and Salt Lake's first sister city, Matsumoto. |
| 214 | * Mark Grisanti and Stephen Saland, the two New York Republicans who crossed the aisle to legalize gay marriage in that state, especially Grisanti, who admitted that he was against it on a personal and religious level, but couldn't find a legal reason to justify the ban. |
| 215 | * In a procedural Moment of Heartwarming, the Australian House of Representatives expressed unanimous confidence in the speakership of Harry Jenkins, after losing a vote over a ruling almost cost him the chair. While this may seem stuffy, it was essentially the parliamentary procedure equivalent of a hug. The kicker? The Leader of the Opposition (who would normally be opposed to the Speaker's being in the chair) was the one who made the initial confidence motion. |
| 216 | * Regardless of your political views, you have to admit that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj-huXq_ts8 Ron Paul's final speech of the 2012 GOP nomination before the convention and before Mitt Romney was formally nominated]] was truly emotional, heartwarming and invoked AWorldHalfFull to a great degree: |
| 217 | ** |
| 218 | --->''So instead of seeing [[HistoryRepeats this as a continuation of the era]] of The20thCentury that [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI gave us]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII so much death]] [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar and destruction]] [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror undermining our liberties]] and the conditions are dangerous". Let us think that we are now moving into a [[DawnOfAnEra new era]], a new era where we are going to [[AWorldHalfFull concentrate on liberty and freedom and property and peace]]. [[EarnYourHappyEnding I believe that is the cause we should lead]] and I thank you very much for being part of it!'' |
| 219 | ** And to cap it all off, the GOP, AKA the Republican Party, the same party that has rejected his views for all the years he's been in Congress, [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments decides to dedicate a video in tribute of him when the convention officially begins]]. |
| 220 | * [[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/world/americas/after-years-in-solitary-an-austere-life-as-uruguays-president.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 President Jose "Pepe" Mujica]] of Uruguay donates 90% of his salary to charities, including one that provides housing for the poor. It's worth mentioning that President Mujica refused to move to the presidential mansion, instead choosing to stay in his old, run-down house. |
| 221 | * At the launch of the 2019 Labour party manifesto, BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg was among many who arrived to cover the event. Kuenssberg has been a critic of Jeremy Corbyn in the past and has been accused of bias against him in the past. When her name was called to ask a question, the crowd loudly booed and jeered. Corbyn, in response, had this to say: |
| 222 | --->"No, no, we don't do that, every journalist will be heard with respect." |
| 223 | * As bitter and vitriolic as the 2020 presidential election was, [[https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1294978495383310336 Joe Biden]] and [[https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1294990099906797568 Kamala Harris]] both offered [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump President Trump]] their condolences after his brother Robert died. |
| 224 | ** [[https://twitter.com/joebiden/status/1312010736604979201 Biden]], [[https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1312018763961729024 Harris]] and [[https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1312166607821529089 Obama]] later sent well wishes to Trump and his wife Melania after they tested COVID-positive. |
| 225 | ** In 2015, [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/us/beau-bidens-death-triggers-an-outpouring-of-grief.html Trump]] sent Biden his condolences after his son Beau's death, calling him a "wonderful son" and "great guy". |
| 226 | * Donald Trump sent a very warm message about UsefulNotes/ElizabethII upon her passing. You'd never know it was the same man. |
| 227 | [[/folder]] |
| 228 | |
| 229 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 230 | * Music/RingoStarr once decided Music/{{the Beatles}} didn't need him, [[WeReallyDoCare so he left]]. The band [[ThePowerOfFriendship almost immediately flew over]] to get him back, and Music/GeorgeHarrison decorated his drum set with flowers as a welcome-back surprise. |
| 231 | ** Ringo's book "Postcards from the Boys" provides a lot of heartwarming moments between the Beatles--including the flower thing. He mentions that he was filming a movie, and George was supposed to have a part in it. George broke his ankle or something, and couldn't be in the movie, but flew over and hung out on set with Ringo anyway. |
| 232 | ** Ringo was once asked in an interview: "What was the best thing about being in the Beatles?" Ringo's reply? "Having three brothers." |
| 233 | ** The story behind the song "Hey Jude". Music/PaulMcCartney wrote it for Music/JohnLennon's son Julian, who was perfectly miserable at the time trying to cope with his parents' divorce. |
| 234 | * The Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock "Homecoming" concert at the [=TD=] Banknorth Garden:[[note]]now simply TD Garden[[/note]] The guys have stated that they expected their reunion, after a ''fifteen year hiatus'', would be, at most, popular with the few remaining dedicated fans and they probably had a vague suspicion that the Boston show would be popular. But it became absolutely clear that they had ''no'' idea '''how''' dedicated the fandom has been all this time during the point in the show when Donnie was trying to finish a monologue introducing the next song... And he was having a very hard time doing so because he was [[ManlyTears moved to tears]] by the audience: hundreds and hundreds of fans, many bringing along their children, not so much cheering as hitting octaves not heard since 1990, and ''wearing their lovingly preserved classic concert shirts, hats, giant buttons, and so on''. Talk about "I'll Be Loving You Forever"! |
| 235 | * In the early 1800s, [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven]], nearing the end of his life, composed and conducted the 9th Symphony for the first time in front of a great audience. He had put his blood, sweat and tears into that song, and managed to finish it despite his deafness. Upon finishing the symphony, he looked out and the instrumentalists had tears in their eyes. His friend tapped him on the shoulder, and when Beethoven turned around he saw a mass crowd giving him a standing ovation. |
| 236 | ** This story was [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tdzSqTPkcKM/U1HH5-M_KDI/AAAAAAAACyM/3gPU8GE6c2c/s1600/pe551027.gif beautifully told]] in a ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' cartoon. Real Life page or not, it wouldn't be complete without mentioning this. |
| 237 | * How about the story of [[Music/{{Rodriguez}} Sixto Rodriguez?]] He was an American musician who poured his heart into his music, but only had two albums that bombed domestically and he had to walk away from his art professionally. Now imagine, after decades working as a day construction laborer, he gets word that there were some fans in South Africa looking for him. Then Rodriguez is invited to South Africa to sing, and finds, against all expectations, he is treated like a superstar with sold out concerts of 5000+. These were fans who thought he was ''dead'' all this time. After the initial shock, imagine Rodriguez realizing that someone appreciated his music after all. Later, the 2012 documentary film, ''Film/SearchingForSugarMan'', allowed the whole world to enjoy him too. |
| 238 | ** ''Searching For Sugar Man'' won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary. Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, meet Crowning Moment of Awesome. |
| 239 | * OK, maybe these moments from the UsefulNotes/RockAndRollHallOfFame aren't ''quite'' on the same level as some of the examples here, but the ceremony can be pretty sweet sometimes: |
| 240 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHJU6kXxqgI The family and friends of]] Music/BobMarley accept his award in 1994. At the beginning of the video, you can see Sir Music/PaulMcCartney ''bowing down'' in respect. They later performed "One Love" in tribute to him, an example of how his music continued to endure 13 years after his death. |
| 241 | ** Whenever a heavier band gets genuinely emotional during their induction. Look at Flea during the Music/RedHotChiliPeppers' induction or Music/IceCube when Music/{{NWA}} entered the Hall. |
| 242 | ** Music/ChuckBerry was the very first inductee. He outright took a bow when he got up to the podium. A bit HarsherInHindsight considering the scandals that plagued him 4 years later, but it's nice to see a legend get his due. |
| 243 | ** [[Music/RunDMC Jam Master Jay's]] mother [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-YkRqDtxqc accepts his award]] on behalf of the fallen DJ. And look at Music/{{Eminem}}'s face when [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee he gives the members a hug]]. |
| 244 | ** Anything Beatles-related, really - especially the all-star chorus backing up Ringo and Paul for "With a Little Help from My Friends" at the 2015 ceremony. One moment that crosses over with a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome is the late great Music/{{Prince}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y shredding]] in George's honor. |
| 245 | ** Music/DaveGrohl and Taylor Hawkins of Music/FooFighters having the mother of all squees when they (finally!) induct Music/{{Rush|Band}} in 2013. |
| 246 | * At the finale of the Wembley Stadium performances of UsefulNotes/LiveAid, Sir Bob Geldof [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome being lifted up to thunderous applause]], acknowledging him as a [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Hero]]. |
| 247 | ** Twenty years later, at Live 8, Geldof [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaKDG8UKemc showed a clip from the CBC news footage of 1984 by Brian Stewart]] which had inspired him to start the charity efforts that led to Live Aid. The clip showed a three-year-old Ethiopian girl, Birhan Woldu, on the brink of death. Her father had already wrapped her in her burial shroud when he realized she still had a faint pulse. Medical staff, alerted by her dad and Stewart, gave her rehydration injections and saved her life. Geldof then ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugK7ycjI61w brought her on stage]]'', now a grown woman and training to be a nurse. There wasn't a dry eye in the whole of Hyde Park.[[note]]Geldof's emotional speech might have been mistaken for him saying that health care funded by Live Aid money had saved Birhan, or that Live Aid money had paid for her education. Rather, he had been ''inspired'' to start Live Aid by Stewart's story of her resurrection. Stewart had located Birhan and family four years after he made the film, and then again in 1995. It was ''his'' money that paid for her and her siblings' education, through A-CET (African Children’s Educational Trust).[[/note]] |
| 248 | * A frumpy-looking, stout middle-aged woman in a dress and hairstyle straight out of the 1920s stepped on-stage on ''Britain's Got Talent'', and announced that she wanted to be a professional singer. Many in the audience, even the judges, began to laugh at the thought, seeing the woman's appearance. Then she began to sing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk She then got the highest approval rating of the show in three years]]. |
| 249 | ** The audience gives her a mid-song ''standing ovation.'' '''Twice'''. |
| 250 | * In the aftermath of the tragic Manchester bombing in 2017, Music/ArianaGrande decided to host a major concert there to show support. Not only did she visit with all the survivors of the shooting, she also gave them front-row seats. A baker's row of famous musicians signed on to perform (Music/MileyCyrus, Music/JustinBieber, Music/KatyPerry, and Pharrell Williams, to name a few), but one of the sweetest moments came when Chris Martin of Music/{{Coldplay}} brought Grande onstage and told her that to repay her for the singing she's done for Britain, Britain would sing for her. He then led the crowd in a massive sing-along of Music/{{Oasis}}' "Don't Look Back in Anger," a song that became an anthem for the city in the aftermath of the shooting. She was justifiably overwhelmed, basking in a BigDamnHeroes moment the likes of which might not have been seen since Bob Geldof organized Live Aid. |
| 251 | ** Another moment came towards the end of the concert when [[Music/{{Oasis}} Liam Gallagher]] performed "Live Forever" with Music/{{Coldplay}}. Gallagher had publicly criticized Chris Martin in the past, so to see them put that aside to perform together was deeply touching. |
| 252 | * Johnny Dare, a radio DJ, does a charity known as "Hope for the Holidays" ever year. People in need write letters to his radio show asking for a "hand up". They play "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" as they read the letter and interview the person in need. And then it shifts into a rock instrumental version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" and the support rolls in. |
| 253 | * In 2016, it was released that Gord Downie, lead singer of Music/TheTragicallyHip, had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer a few months before. The band announced a cross-Canada tour to take place in the summer of 2016, which although unstated everyone expected would be the final one, culminating in a final concert in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario, on August 20th. The entire tour sold out within hours and then CBC announced they would broadcast the final concert live, across radio, TV, and the internet without commercials, from start to finish, even though it was interrupting their Olympic coverage. A short summary of the final concert of one of the most beloved bands in Canadian history was that Canada shut down at 8:30pm EDT. Almost every bar and pub had the concert on their [=TVs=], there were public screenings across the country, the Prime Minister of Canada (a longtime fan) was sitting in the audience rocking with everyone else, the band came out for a third encore (which they had never done before in their 28-year history) and ''one third'' of the Canadian population watched to say goodbye. |
| 254 | * [[http://www.twitch.tv/pianoimproman This man]]. He is 71 years old but has the enthusiasm of a teenager. He can play almost any song on piano just after hearing a few seconds of it ''for the first time'' and the amount of joy he has while playing them and receiving the donations is completely heart melting. Some call him the [[Series/TheJoyOfPainting Bob Ross]] of pianos! |
| 255 | * ''[[http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=129557873756308&topic=137 'How One Girl's Tragic Past Leads to a Dream Come True']]'' Carmina Salcido had the most horrific events happen in her life starting when she was just 3 years old. Her father went on a killing rampage back in April 1989 and murdered her entire family except her Grandfather and left her for death in a garbage dump. She survived by some miracle and was found by a person some 36 hours after the assault. Her two sisters lied dead by her side. Carmina remembers most of all the events that happened that gruesome day and has since written a book, "Not Lost Forever", published by [=HarperCollins=] with then agent at the time, Gloria Allred. Jeffery Walsh: 'I had such mixed emotions after watching this program, anger, sadness, sorrow, but one thing that stood out in my mind was I wanted to reach out and do something. I sat at the computer the next day thinking and thinking, so I thought I would Google her name, and see what comes up. I saw that she had a Website/MySpace page, so I went to that, and noticed she had music favorites with the first song being Music/{{Tatu}}'s "All About Us". Then I scrolled through some more, and saw "30 Minutes", and more and more t.A.T.u. songs. I thought this girl was a huge fan of t.A.T.u. My wife is Russian so we know the band well and have been t.A.T.u. fans from the beginning. I was definitely taken by this "sign", as not a lot of people know of this fantastic jewel of a group in America. So it was at that moment I got the idea to contact t.A.T.u.'s PR /management and see if by some way Carmina could meet the girls of t.A.T.u...' ''[[http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=129557873756308&topic=137 Full story here.]]'' |
| 256 | * Along the same line - in 1985, a teenager named Kenny Sykaluk was dying from cystic fibrosis. His mother wrote a fan letter to his favorite band, Music/{{Journey|Band}}, on his behalf via Make-a-Wish. The band was stressed to hell, the members were constantly fighting, and they were on the verge of breakup. They sucked it up and presented a united front at the dying fan's bedside, and handed him a walkman with a demo of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_the_Young "Only the Young"]]. Kenny was the first person outside the band to hear the single. Kenny's ''last conscious act'' was putting on the headphones and playing the song. He died peacefully, Walkman in hand. The humbled rockers were so profoundly affected that they stopped their arguments and kept the band together. |
| 257 | ** From the Wikipedia article linked to above: "[Jonathan] Cain broke down in tears recalling the event, remarking that 'children should not have to live with that kind of pain'." Once you find out that Jonathan Cain was one of the smallest survivors of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Angels_School_fire Our Lady of the Angels Catholic school fire]], which killed 92 children and 3 nuns who were teachers at the school -- that quote is arguably HarsherInHindsight. |
| 258 | * A (comparatively) small example: Music/ElvisPresley was once in a diner somewhere in California. One of the waitresses impressed him so much, he left a rather large tip. How large? Brand-new Cadillac large. |
| 259 | * Rick Allen's career is one giant one. Most bands let people go if they become crippled while in the band. Music/DefLeppard didn't. After losing his left arm in a car crash, drummer Allen had a special drum set made for him with pedals that played pre-recorded drum noises. Twenty-five years later at the 2009 Download Festival and headlining the last day (which was at the same site they played their first live show after Allen's accident), lead singer Joe Elliot dedicated the entire set to Allen resulting in a good five minutes of cheering and bringing Allen to tears cause of the power of it. |
| 260 | ** There was a video in which the band talked about the accident and Rick Allen's return to the band. The crowning moment was when Joe Elliot said that sometimes, while he faced away from Rick and looked at the crowd, he would hear the drums and would almost forget that Rick Allen lost his arm because he still managed to play just as well as any other drummer. |
| 261 | * A family was caught by the RIAA, and sued for [[NewMediaAreEvil piracy]], after downloading several songs, including "[=Sk8er Boi=]" by Avril Lavigne, being forced to pay [[MemeticMutation Over 9000 dollars]] (well, 9000 exactly, but with legal fees...) to the RIAA. The family, distraught, sent a letter to MC Lars (a nerdcore rapper), citing one of his songs (Download This Song) as a reason why this shouldn't happen. MC Lars forwarded it to Nettwerk Music (who, coincidentally, was also the label that Avril Lavigne was on there), and they teamed up together to fight against the RIAA and to get the charges dropped. That's right, ''a recording label fought for someone who pirated '''''their own music''''' because they thought it was the right thing to do''. |
| 262 | ** The RIAA are the corporate owners and their lawyers; the actual record labels are often run by people who would love to stop the insanity. So would [[https://archives.janisian.com/reading/internet.php many of the artists]]. ([[https://archives.janisian.com/reading/fallout.php Part II here]].) |
| 263 | * Lady Gaga's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDS0GCQ9cTs interview]] with Barbara Walters where she says that she felt like a freak when she was younger and genuinely sympathizes with people who feel that way. |
| 264 | * At the 2009 Creator/{{MTV}} Video Music Awards, when Music/TaylorSwift went up on stage to accept her Moonman for Best Female Video, she was rudely interrupted by Music/KanyeWest, who infamously declared that [[MemeticMutation "Beyonce had the best video of all time!"]] So when Music/{{Beyonce}} herself wins the award for Video of the Year, what does she do? Rather than deliver the acceptance speech that she had prepared, she invited Taylor back on stage to finish hers. |
| 265 | * Connie Talbot. Google her. Website/YouTube her. |
| 266 | ** In a Korean TV show, Connie was singing alongside with a four-year-old blind girl who ''played the piano without having any formal training, other than being taught by a computer''. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFIg00CoxsY here]]. |
| 267 | ** And about a year later, the two of them reunited for another performance together, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocDY-s7CBkk here]]. When the little blind girl came out, Connie immediately went to her side and held her hand. The little girl even referred to Connie respectfully as her "sister". |
| 268 | * Music/MichaelJackson's memorial service. Just, his memorial service. From touching speeches to [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic performances that will give you goosebumps]] as well as [[TheFunInFuneral a little joke or two]], this is probably the best show Michael could ever wish for, as he sits on top of the clouds with a huge smile on his face. Amen. |
| 269 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xd-bUZXxNU The speech from MJ's daughter Paris]] is probably the best part of the event. |
| 270 | --->'''Paris''': "I just wanted to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can imagine. I just wanted to say I love him so much." [[TearJerker T_T]] |
| 271 | ** Here's another one from Rev. Al Sharpton, who received one of the biggest ovations after he told Jackson's children to disregard the lurid stories that often swirled around the man disparaged by tabloid critics as [[FanNickname "Wacko Jacko"]]: |
| 272 | --->'''Rev. Sharpton''': "I want his three children to know that there wasn't nothing strange about their daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt with it." |
| 273 | ** Here's one from Creator/BrookeShields: |
| 274 | --->'''Brooke Shields''': "He was caring and funny, honest, pure, non-jaded and a lover of life." |
| 275 | ** Don't forget his brothers: |
| 276 | --->'''Jermaine''': "As you know, I am lost for words. I was his voice and his backbone. I had his back. So did the family. But we thank you. That's all I can say. We thank you very much." |
| 277 | --->'''Marlon''': "We will never understand what he endured, never being able to walk across the street without a crowd gathering. Maybe now, Michael, [[ShoutOut they will leave you alone.]]" |
| 278 | ** Adding to the heartwarming moment is when Jermaine sang the Charlie Chaplin ([[CoveredUp he wrote it, not Nat King Cole]]) song, "Smile" right after Brooke Shields' speech. He did the [[TearJerker exact opposite]]. |
| 279 | ** A mass group hug from Auntie Music/{{Janet|Jackson}}, Auntie Rebbie, Uncle Marlon, Uncle Jermaine, Uncle Tito, Uncle Randy, Uncle Jackie and Auntie Latoya to Paris after her speech. Awwww.... |
| 280 | ** '''[[Music/StevieWonder STEVIE WONDER]]''' of all people performed two songs he wished he could perform to his older peers during their funerals, but he ended up with no choice to but to perform to a performer who was 8 years ''younger'' than him. The songs? "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" and "They Won't Go When I Go". Awww.... |
| 281 | ** Music/{{Usher}} kowtowing to Mama and Papa Jackson, right after performing a song that best sums up the biggest entertainment headline of 2009, '''"GONE TOO SOON"'''. |
| 282 | ** Not even the memorial service though can top [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Ef2Fh3NBE the hordes of people lining the streets]] and record shops [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgDwoda0RzY right after his death]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxA-R8P1QX4 All those people, not just in LA but everywhere]], dancing and singing along to his music, really shows you just how much he was loved even after all the jokes started, and all his problems later in life. |
| 283 | ** At the very end of ''This Is It'', they have the MJJ logo: Michael's legs walking onto screen to do a quick dance and end on his toes, with the addition of a cheering crowd and Michael's laughter. |
| 284 | ** Tying into this - Creator/JonStewart pointed out the various news networks still using the "Wacko Jacko" nickname, and asked that there be a moratorium put on stuff like that in the wake of a person's death. |
| 285 | * Have some tissues ready for this one. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/11/04/today-in-20-second-operas-played-entirely-on-a-little-girls-face |
| 286 | * Music/DropkickMurphys, from the Other Wiki: The song, "Last Letter Home" contains excerpts from personal letters between Sgt. Andrew Farrar, his mother and his wife. The following is taken from the album notes: |
| 287 | --> ''We had already finished this song that was based on general correspondences to & from the soldiers serving in Iraq, when we were contacted by the family of Sgt. Andrew Farrar who had recently died while serving there. The family wanted to tell us he was a big supporter of the Dropkick Murphys. They also passed on a letter that he had written to his mother shortly before his death in which he thanks her for sending him a Dropkick Murphys CD & said that if anything should happen to him while in Iraq, he would like one of our songs played at his funeral. He also left behind a wife, Melissa and two young boys Tyler & Liam. His tour of duty in Iraq was coming to an end & he was due to come home & renew his wedding vows with Melissa to another song of ours, "Forever". Sgt Farrar died on January 28th, on his 31st birthday. We were present at his funeral to grant his wish and played "Fields of Athenry" as his casket entered the church. This song was re-written to include excerpts from that letter.'' |
| 288 | ** The band released a single, with the family's permission, including the Andrew Farrar-dedicated "Fields Of Athenry" and "The Last Letter Home". All proceeds went to the Farrar family. |
| 289 | * A Holocaust survivor, his daughter, and his grandchildren, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUvo5OHH6o8 dance]] at the former sites of concentration camps to "I Will Survive". |
| 290 | ** "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by APRA." ...Seriously? That's just really sad. |
| 291 | *** It can now be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUoanho82H4 here]]. |
| 292 | *** "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Universal Music Publishing." [[FlatWhat What.]] |
| 293 | ** It's back again! It's been reposted. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFzNBzKTS4I&feature=related Get it here.]] |
| 294 | *** Heck, the fact that it's being reposted every time it goes down is Heartwarming ''and'' Awesome--such a moment simply cannot be lost to time. |
| 295 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02n2yYBwHXo This video]], just, this video. A chorus of schoolchildren singing [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Still Alive]]. |
| 296 | * Music/BritneySpears thanking her fans: "I'm blessed with the most incredible, loyal, loving and passionate fans on the planet and I'm thankful for them every single day". After all she's done to the world and every success she's earnt and [[https://variety.com/2021/music/news/britney-spears-full-statement-conservatorship-1235003940/ all the bad things she's been through]], she still loves her fans. That is truly Heartwarming, especially to her fans. |
| 297 | * After the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} shootings, the country was desperate for an explanation as to what caused those kids' behavior. After darting from the usual group of acceptable targets, the name that kept getting dropped all over was that of Music/MarilynManson. Aside from parrying the wild accusations (even the shooters had denounced him), Manson got his chance to speak his piece. He very clearly, very eloquently says what he has to say, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYApo2d8o_A#t=1m24s culminating in one of the most moving quotes ever.]] Also SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome material for Manson. |
| 298 | ** Similarly, Creator/BillOReilly once did a week-long series called "Children at Risk", where he interviewed popular music stars about the perceived negative effects that their music had on kids. Inevitably, he interviewed Music/MarilynManson at one point. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6n5Oi4714o This]] is the conversation that resulted. Whether or not you like either of them, it's pretty damn heartwarming that two people so different could have a completely civil discussion, even when O'Reilly brought him on the show to condemn him. At the end of the interview, ''Marilyn freaking Manson'' looks O'Reilly in the eye and says, [[SincerityMode without any irony]], "I respect you." Damn. |
| 299 | *** A specific moment from that interview: O'Reilly brings up a moment from one of Manson's concerts when a fan jumped on stage and dropped his pants, and Manson responded by pretending to perform fellatio on him. Refusing to get angry or defensive, Manson calmly explains that it was joke between him and one of his fans, and then surprises O'Reilly by telling him that his parents were in the audience at the time, and that he introduced the fan to his father after the concert--subtly reminding the audience that even the most "shocking" celebrities in the world still have loved ones. In Manson's own words, "If my father approved of it, I don't find it to be that shocking." |
| 300 | * After [[EarnYourHappyEnding receiving a Grammy award]] for Best Historical Album for ''The Smile Sessions'' in February 2013, more than 40 years after his legendary [[Music/TheBeachBoys Beach Boys]] ''Music/{{Smile|TheBeachBoys}}'' album was shelved, as Music/BrianWilson felt the work was "too advanced" and his confidence and mental health were shattered, Brian posts a banner on the homepage of his website reading: |
| 301 | -->"I'm so happy I could cry. I guess Van Dyke (Parks, lyricist) and I were on to something after all. Thanks to the Boys for such beautiful vocals"---Brian |
| 302 | * Also, Germany winning Eurovision 2010. |
| 303 | * During a [[Music/LilPump Lil' Pump]] London concert in 2018, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-KjncgtXG0&ab_channel=IAMNEXT a fan suffered a seizure in the middle of the set]] (around the 7:00 time stamp), and Lil' Pump ''immediately'' stopped the performance and called for the paramedics. He stayed with the fan until the medical professionals took them away, and urged his audience to stay hydrated if they were going to be using drugs during the concert. |
| 304 | [[/folder]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[folder:Protests]] |
| 307 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man Tank Man]], AKA the Unknown Rebel. [[note]]photographed by Jeff Widener of the Associated Press, and four others[[/note]] [[StaringDownCthulhu A single man displaying heroism and bravery]] that belong to the best of comic books or movies, only in real life. It's a touching, inspiring moment, showing [[BadassPacifist humanity at its absolute best]]. Also, a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.[[note]]We still don't know who he is. He was not run over, but climbed up on the tank and talked to the driver; then he was taken off to the side, likely by fellow protestors, and is probably alive and in hiding.[[/note]] |
| 308 | ** [[http://media.novinky.cz/764/137647-original-0g2ln.jpg Similar photo]] from the 1968 occupation of Czechoslovakia shows a bare-chested man facing a tank. |
| 309 | ** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Policemen_and_flowers.jpg This]] photo of a protester offering flowers to the police at the 17th November 1989 demonstration (which ended up being brutally suppressed by the police, with hundreds of people injured - an event that sparked what came to be called the UsefulNotes/VelvetRevolution). |
| 310 | ** There were two original "flowers in the guns" photos, taken on the same day, October 21, 1967, at the same rally, by two different photographers. ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ultimate_Confrontation The Ultimate Confrontation]]'' was taken by French photographer Marc Riboud and showed a woman, Jan Rose Kasmir, holding a chrysanthemum while facing bayonet-wielding military police at [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Mobilization_Committee_to_End_the_War_in_Vietnam the Mobe's]] October 1967 March On The Pentagon. The second, ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_Power_(photograph) Flower Power]]'', was taken by Afro-American photojournalist Bernie Boston. It shows a young man putting carnations into the barrels of MP bayonets. While Ms. Kasmir was immediately identified (and has continued as a peace activist to this day), it took years for Boston to finally identify the flower man. He was 18-year-old George Harris, a gay actor and co-founder of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gwnzBM6tgg The Cockettes]]. He died of AIDS in 1982.[[note]]"[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_power Flower power]]" was a seriously planned strategy -- not just a naively idealistic symbol. Flowers and other pleasant props illustrated that the protestors were not violent, they just wanted the war to end.[[/note]] |
| 311 | * In the middle of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlatelolco_Massacre Mexican Student Movement of 1968]], the students found great support in the middle class to the point that the neighbors of the Tlatelolco and Miguel Alemán Housing Units (built by the government to show the progess of Mexico) would do things like not paying maintenance in the former and cheering the students' marches in the latter. The movement was brutally repressed on Wednesday, October 2, 1968, when the Mexican Army and a secret branch: the Olympia Battalion (a group made of soldiers and policemen for the security of the Olympic Games) began a shooting that killed 40-250 people. Even in the middle of the "battle", and with the probability that a lost bullet would find you, the neighbors helped the students hide from the army and made them look like their family ("He's my son/nephew"). Some people got successful and hid the younglings for days until they returned safely to their parents. Others were not so lucky. |
| 312 | -->"For me the night of Tlatelolco is a juxtaposition of images of hell and images of human warmth and solidarity among all these helpless, trapped people." -Claude Kiejman, in an interview with Proceso Magazine in 1998. |
| 313 | * [[UnusualEuphemism Frizznets]], isn't anyone going to talk about the first EDSA Revolution? SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming|Moments}} in one, 'cause not a single person died and the dictator Marcos fled in the end! |
| 314 | * While [[https://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/21/scott_olsen_us_vet_nearly_killed LCpl Scott Olsen]], an Iraq veteran, was protesting with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Oakland Occupy Oakland]] in 2011, police shot him in the head with a lead-filled projectile at close range, then tossed flashbangs at fellow protestors who tried to help him. He suffered a concussion and was in critical condition. Across the world, in Egypt, the people were still reeling from deposing Mubarak and trying to install a democracy. [[http://boingboing.net/2011/10/28/tahrir.html And they marched for him.]] |
| 315 | * Chick-fil-A recently made a giant splash when they made it clear they don't support gay marriage. So people had a little peaceful riot, a 'kiss-in'. Gay couples would stand outside and kiss. That's it. Things went very well, a owner in Wichita even gave out free sandwiches and bottles of water to the activists. |
| 316 | [[/folder]] |
| 317 | |
| 318 | [[folder:Natural Disasters]] |
| 319 | * Website/SomethingAwful Goons raised tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of hours for the Katrina relief effort, only for Pay Pal to freeze the account because sudden, large amounts of money tends to be highly suspect. They still somehow managed to get the money to the Red Cross. They donated in mass amounts again during the Victoria wildfires in Australia. |
| 320 | ** [[http://www.somethingawful.com/news/paypal-fiasco-summary/ Here's the full story.]] |
| 321 | ** One day, a foolish person thought he could ask the goons if they could come out to San Francisco help with a film school assignment he'd been procrastinating on. The moderators thought that was stupid and gave him a challenge to do or be banned, and people started betting on whether he'd actually do it ("I'll give $10 to the Red Cross if he's banned"). Someone else did the challenge for fun and was given permission to alter the original challenge. In a fit of mercy he changed it to just donating $10. Then Japan was hit by a triple diaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown. The "bets" started snowballing and the goons ultimately wound up giving almost ''three-quarters-of-a-million dollars'' to various charities. [[http://news.techeye.net/internet/forum-raises-50000-for-japan-tsunami-fund-to-ban-annoying-poster Here's a more complete story on this.]] |
| 322 | * In 1985, a big earthquake with a magnitude of 8.1 in the Richter scale hit Mexico City. Instead of helping the citizens, [[WhatTheHellHero the president hid himself in his official residence]] while [[PoliceAreUseless the police and the army did almost nothing to help the Mexicans recover from the disaster]]. The Mexican society basically had to organize themselves to dig up the rubble and rescue the trapped people. With rudimentary methods like calling out someone and asking if anyone was there, people were rescued. The society's organization was amazing: ambulant business people that put makeshift restaurants in every corner (very common in Mexico City) were making food for the homeless people in the shelters. Others were making makeshift ambulances with their cars, others gave their homes as a sort of motel where the workers would sleep and rest and then depart to dig more rubble (many even ''didn't feel tired'' and were eager to dig more and more rubble). Opera singer Plácido Domingo personally arrived at the Tlatelolco Housing Unit and supervised the rescue efforts because his uncles and nephews were living in the Nuevo León apartment complex (almost all of the residents, including Domingo's family perished). Even some women volunteered to be nurses and breastfeed infants. But the most heartwarming thing is that after being trapped a lot of time in the rubble, 17 babies were able to be rescued. The population calls them "Los Bebés del Milagro" or "Los Bebés Milagrosos" (the Miracle Babies). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlFet22gtjU This video]] shows the babies being rescued and the rescuers applauding as they take the dust-covered infant away. |
| 323 | * A more minor but still notable one. Charlie Brooker, to those outside the U.K. and Ireland, is a television critic and comedian known for his extremely biting wit and immense cynicism about just about everything. When the earthquake hit Haiti in early 2010, his show ''Series/{{Newswipe}}'' showed him being very solemn about the events and urging his viewers to donate money. This quickly turned to righteous anger when he observed how news reports in the U.K. were making the people of Haiti out to be savages who were a mere step away from turning to violence and slyly condemning them for desperately salvaging what they could and painting Haiti as a home to brutes. Charlie was clearly incensed at the ''UnfortunateImplications'' and doesn't hold back from condemning the stations for promoting that kind of viewpoint. |
| 324 | ** What pushes this into SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome territories is that he was one of, if not ''the,'' only man on British Television calling out the major TV news sources on this. |
| 325 | ** [[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/16/hurricane-katrina-new-orleans-looting-violence-misleading-reports Similar things were falsely implied about black survivors of Hurricane Katrina/Rita]] by U.S. media, with Governor Kathleen Blanco blustering about the National Guard being "locked and loaded", ready to "shoot to kill" "gangs of looters."[[note]]Not that there weren't any; most were drug addicts and ''cops.'' To be fair, many cops turned in their badges to help their own families and otherwise assist as civilians.[[/note]] Sanity was restored by Creole Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commanding the joint task force and a supposed "John Wayne dude", who ordered his men to "point your weapons down, this is not Iraq", yelled at gun-brandishing police, and spoke truth to the media that "these are mostly just families" in survival mode. His voice of reason carried the day. |
| 326 | * The Sichuan Earthquake. A man who carried the body of his wife so that she may have a proper burial, the teacher who died saving her students, the man who was buried under rubble insisting that he can wait while the relief team helped the less fortunate victims (he died shortly after being rescued), the relief efforts of the various parties involved, and the poor beggar who gave over ''one thousand dollars'' to the relief funds. There are just too many to list. If these are not heartwarming, nothing is. |
| 327 | ** A dozen such instances are immortalized in comic form [[http://earthquakestrips.blogspot.com/ here]]. |
| 328 | ** Warning: You may want to make sure you have tissues handy. They're serious Tearjerker material, as should be expected. |
| 329 | * The recent Japanese earthquake/tsunami disaster has everyone moving to help them. On the Anime fans side, they have compiled [[https://spreadsheets.google.com/lv?authkey=CNjfz9sC&authkey=CNjfz9sC&hl=en&hl=en&key=tJGqk96XYAsMueFout6fz4Q&type=view&gid=0&f=true&sortcolid=-1&sortasc=true&rowsperpage=250 a list of the Japanese voice actors, manga artists and actors/actresses]] within hours of hearing about it. Hours after the news struck about the devastation and lives lost, image sites were bombarded with pages upon pages of anime and manga-related artwork, from all over the world, all with the message to the Japanese not to give up hope and rebuild! |
| 330 | ** Also [[Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers Hetalia]] fans have already started [[http://community.livejournal.com/captalia/203428.html a thread]] to show their sympathy. Within the first eight hours, over ''five hundred and thirteen'' paper cranes were made. |
| 331 | ** Several Franchise/KamenRider actors also began posting online messages in-character to try and lift the spirits of children. Not ones to stop at just fighting off evil aliens, them. |
| 332 | *** Not just Kamen Riders, but also Franchise/SuperSentai heroes, going as far back as Sun Vulcan, and other tokusatsu heroes as well! |
| 333 | ** What is even more heartwarming is the international reaction to it, especially concerning South Korea and China. Both countries have had a long-standing (and partially justified) dislike of the Japanese. When the earthquake struck however, they were among the first to send help, even though China had its own earthquake the day before. South Korea was also among the first to send rescuers and is providing boron to help with the Fukushima nuclear reactor. |
| 334 | *** Even more heartwarming, several Korean celebrities personally donated several million dollars to Japan. This includes the "Big Three" Korean entertainment companies and Girls' Generation who sent all proceeds from their single Mr. Taxi (released shortly after the quake). It's also rumored that the Korean pop groups operating in Japan at the time (Girls' Generation, KARA, and TVXQ, especially) anonymously donated tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars together. |
| 335 | ** Fan favorite seiyuu Creator/NorioWakamoto was reportedly missing during the quake, but he eventually informed everyone that he's all right, ''and is already helping the other victims'' (since he used to be a police officer before turning seiyuu). He stated that the biggest one has yet to come, but he's ready to give his soul for the people. |
| 336 | * [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366155/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-4-month-old-baby-girl-father-reunited-Ishinomaki.html Some good news after the Japanese earthquake/tsunami tragedy.]] |
| 337 | * For years, there was an "Unknown Child" from the ''Titanic''. It was the body of a baby boy recovered by the crew of the cable ship ''Mackay-Bennett''. The crew were so upset by the fact that no one came to claim the boy that they took him as one of their own, paying for his funeral and putting him atop Fairview Cemetery in Halifax. In the early 2000s, a team of scientists was dispatched to the cemetery to try and identify all of the unknown bodies recovered from the famous ship. They were shocked to find that there were still fresh flowers on the child's grave - the ''Mackay-Bennet'''s crew, their descendants, and the people of Halifax were still taking care of the boy nine decades hence. |
| 338 | ** And the scientists DID manage to identify the boy, the ''only one'' out of all the unknown bodies from the ''Titanic'' in the cemetery. All the other bodies had withered away because of flooding - except for the boy's because it was on top of the hill. Even then only one tiny fragment of bone was recovered from the boy - which only survived because of a bronze cherub amulet that shielded it from decomposition. The amulet had been placed there by the crew of the ''Mackay-Bennet'' during the funeral. Still, the tiny piece of bone yielded enough DNA to provide a positive identification. One of the astonished scientists could only choke out: ''"Someone really wanted us to know who this child is."'' |
| 339 | *** His name is Sidney Leslie Goodwin. He lived for but a few months. He waited for over ninety years. But thanks to the love of strangers one boy finally has a name. |
| 340 | *** If you Google "Titanic's Unknown Child", Sydney's name now comes up as the first search result. Yes, even ''Google'' wants you to know who he really is. |
| 341 | ** Anyone on the ''Titanic'' who stayed behind so others could get to the lifeboats should be mentioned. William Thomas Stead and J.J. Astor deserve special mention, as do the orchestra who continued to play despite the ship sinking. The camaraderie and chivalry in the face of such terrible odds shouldn't be forgotten. |
| 342 | ---> '''Bandleader Wallace Hartley:''' [[DyingMomentOfAwesome Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight.]] |
| 343 | ** The frantic and largely forgotten efforts of RMS ''Carpathia'' and her crew (and passengers) to reach the stricken ''Titanic'' within moments of receiving her SOS, a summary of which was [[https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/7utrhd/misc_this_story_about_the_rms_carpathias_rescue/ bookmarked for posterity on r/HFY]]. That ''Carpathia'' did not reach her destination in time to [[ForegoneConclusion prevent hundreds from dying]] does not detract from the unsung heroism and incredible lengths the ship went to in order to get there faster, "galloping north headlong into the dark". As the original author of that piece has since put it, [[WhatYouAreInTheDark it matters that they tried.]] |
| 344 | *** ''Titanic's'' original SOS message hadn't reached ''Carpathia''. The only reason they received word that ''Titanic'' was even in trouble was that wireless operator Harold Cottam, who was off-duty and preparing for bed, decided to take one more message just to be a decent guy. The message was from Nova Scotia and mentioned in passing that they had a backlog of messages for the ''Titanic'' that weren't going through for some reason. As a favor, Cottam decided to pass on the message. Any lives saved by ''Carpathia's'' swift response are owed entirely to ''an act of random kindness.'' |
| 345 | ** As Titanic sent out distress calls, other ships from several countries jammed the waves trying to understand what was happening and offer assistance. This outpouring of goodwill was in danger of overwhelming Titanic's messages, so Olympic (Titanic's sister ship, which was within range) signaled: "All stations stop transmitting. This is Olympic calling Titanic. Stop talking. Stop talking." It's akin to Olympic shouting down a chaotic, screaming room so she could get to her sister, or at least get her help. |
| 346 | ** Wireless operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride stayed at their posts until the literal last possible moment. Bride recalls being moved that Phillips continued working while Bride stood up at the end to gather some money and belongings; Bride himself had draped a life vest over Phillips as he worked. Titanic's final message was cut short ("CQD THIS IS") as the radio room flooded and damaged the equipment. |
| 347 | ** SS Frankfurt is often the target of some anger or the butt of some dark jokes because she kept transmitting to ask Titanic what was wrong and an enraged Phillips told her to "stand by and keep out!" With her less powerful equipment, the distance between the ship, and Titanic's fading strength, Frankfurt wasn't hearing all of the messages - the last time they got a message was 1:23 AM, while the final distress call was sent at around 1:45. Captain Hattorff ordered the galley to bake bread and the crew to gather blankets for Titanic's stricken, and sped towards the sinking site anyway. Unfortunately, Frankfurt arrived much too late and found only ice. |
| 348 | * Hurricane Harvey was to Houston what Hurricane Katrina was to New Orleans--''The'' Storm. Rainfall estimates range from 55 inches up to 64 inches of water, far, far more than the otherwise sea-level city could stand and completely overwhelming the local emergency response service, who had not expected the hurricane to just ''sit there'' and dump water onto Houston at an alarming rate for days on end. Houston needed help, and help came, both from locals and nationwide. Aside from the expected sources of assistance, like FEMA, the Red Cross, and the National Guard, some notable cases were more personal: |
| 349 | ** Local businessman Jim "Mattress Mack" Mcingvale opened up all of his Gallery Furniture stores to displaced individuals and sent his own delivery trucks to pick up everyone they could find, stating that a few thousand dollars in dirtied display stock was hardly worth worrying about when people were in need. |
| 350 | -->"[[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules To hell with the profits, let's take care of the people.]]" |
| 351 | ** Both awesome and heartwarming: [[https://s.abcnews.com/images/Lifestyle/de-wet-giant-truck-rescue-ht-jt-170830_4x3_992.jpg this mini-monster-truck was repurposed by its driver as a rescue vehicle because it was able to drive through the floodwaters]], saving an elderly man from a flooded hotel in the process. |
| 352 | ** [[https://www.today.com/parents/katrina-survivors-helping-houston-after-hurricane-harvey-t116108 Hurricane Katrina survivors, remembering the refuge and comfort of Texas in their time of need, rallied to help Houston]]. |
| 353 | ** Hundreds of Louisianans with private small watercraft--many being little more than fishing boats, canoes, and aluminum sampans--hitched up their boats and, without a word of official encouragement, formed an impromptu [[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/08/27/cajun-navy-heads-texas-aid-rescues/606883001/ Cajun Navy]] to rescue beleaguered Texans. |
| 354 | * [[http://www.gaiaonline.com/ Gaia Online]], yes, that Website/GaiaOnline, has been releasing items through their cash shop for around $5 each every few months. What's special about that? Well, those 10% of the money spent on those item is donated to the charity the items where drawn for. It gets better. After the earthquake in Japan, Gaia immediately created 3 items the day it happened and said 10% of the money would go to Red Cross to help Japan. While the users were pleased to hear they could help, most felt 10% was not enough. What did the developers and admins do? The next day they said all the money raised would go to Red Cross. In the end the users of Gaia raised over $55,000. Red Cross sent a letter to the head of Gaia when then posted it on the site for all to read. |
| 355 | * Plenty during the 2011 floods in Queensland, Australia, but one that stands out is [[https://www.9news.com.au/national/man-ignores-police-to-save-joey/0f6cd1f0-fe5d-4542-87f1-08488b728ac7 this.]] A man risks his life to rescue a baby kangaroo from rising floodwaters. He gets a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome too, for ignoring the police trying to stop him. |
| 356 | * In the midst of Hurricane Irene, [[http://nation.foxnews.com/military/2011/08/28/us-soldier-guarding-tomb-unknown-soldier-through-hurricane-irene one soldier]] stands alone to guard the Tomb of the Unknown. |
| 357 | * The reaction to the Joplin Missouri Tornado. All of it. From [[HeroicSacrifice the Pizza Hut employees who saved over a dozen people by holding a door shut at the cost of their own lives]], to [[https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/local-residents-block-out-westboro-protesters-at-joplin-graduation-event/article_ecc1b454-ea6d-53b1-bb2a-69666506d676.html a group of truckers who blockaded the Westboro Baptist Church]] at a restaurant to stop them from sundering the memorial service. |
| 358 | * The people of Bamyan, Afghanistan [[http://news.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/03/15/political-pictures-afghanistan-kids-japan-support/#more-55365 offering their support and assistance]] to Japan after the earthquake/tsunami. |
| 359 | -->"We are poor, but rich in our willingness to offer -->assistance to the people of Japan in your time of need." |
| 360 | * When [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_Santa_Barbara_earthquake a 6.8 earthquake shattered the city of Santa Barbara]] in 1925, a resident who was a member of Aimee Semple [=McPherson=]'s [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foursquare_Church Foursquare Church]] managed to get through to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelus_Temple the church's Los Angeles center]] on the phone before the lines went dead. While the Red Cross held meetings to debate what kind of relief to send and how much, Sister Aimee was supervising the dispatch of trucks loaded with water, food, blankets, etc. As the Red Cross heaved into action, Sister was just sending off the second convoy from the church. |
| 361 | * The reaction of many after the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. Though they'd known it was going to blow, they couldn't predict exactly when, and as a result many motorists were caught off-guard, so the National Guard went out to find all the stranded motorists and take them to shelter. One such motorist, who spent four days in a farmhouse with six other stranded people, would later say that for the entire duration of their stay, the house's owners treated all seven of them as family, and that when he later spoke to others who had also been stranded, many of them had nearly identical stories -- stories of people who had unreservedly opened their homes to numerous lost and scared strangers. Later, once the ash had cleared a little, the National Guard formed a motorcade to lead drivers over Steven's Pass so they could go home, and the motorcades in both directions were then met by volunteers who had turned out to help people get where they were going safely. Humans really are, occasionally, [[HumansAreGood awesome.]] |
| 362 | * [[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/07/07/sixty-nine-days The rescue of the trapped Chilean miners]]. Also a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for the miners, as they survived 69 days trapped underground - longer than anyone else in history had survived. And all of them were successfully rescued, a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for the rescue team too. [[http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/07/07/sixty-nine-days The full story is told here.]] |
| 363 | ** Luis Urzua, the shift leader and TheCaptain through and through, was the last miner to be rescued. When he reached the surface the President of Chile told him: "Mr Urzua, your shift is over." |
| 364 | ** And before the last rescuer got in the capsule to be pulled out, he gave the camera a wave and a big bow. |
| 365 | ** The fact that at least seven foreign countries came to the aid of the miners. NASA build the rescue cages. Canada provided the drill for the main shaft. South Africa made the drill to provide supplies to the miners. Japan, Singapore and Korea provided two-way communication with the miners. |
| 366 | ** The reaction of the entire country when a note saying "The 33 of us are fine in the shelter.", confirming that everyone had survived. Also, a miner promised to marry his wife in church. |
| 367 | * In December 2010, a forest fire hit Haifa, Israel. By December 4th, the fire had been going for four days, there were 41 people dead, and many others missing and injured. Turkey and Israel have almost no diplomatic relations since Israel killed nine Turks boarding a ship in May. Turkey still sent aid. Their Prime Minister said: |
| 368 | -->"In the face of such a natural disaster, we needed to help as a humanitarian and Islamic requirement. Our planes will remain in your country until the fire is brought under control." |
| 369 | ** Article [[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/world/middleeast/04israel.html?_r=1=todayspaper Here]] |
| 370 | ** Even more heartwarming: who else helped? The Palestinians, that's who. |
| 371 | * In 2019 and continuing into 2020, ongoing as of this writing, Australia has ravaged by bushfires. No state has been spared from the flames, millions of hectares destroyed, over a billion animals lost, over five thousand homes destroyed and over thirty people lost. Despite this, the support the victims have received, from Australia and the world, from individuals and groups, has been staggering. Countries suffering their own problems and crises have offered aid in personal and equipment, records have been broken for donations and fundraisers, and hundreds of volunteers, firefighters and soldiers, from around the world have given up their time to help people and fight the fires, even more offered but were turned down due to the sheer amount already present on the fronts. |
| 372 | * In 2019, [[http://dailysikhupdates.com/sikh-man-who-built-mosque-for-muslim-friend/ a Sikh man built a mosque for Muslim families]] in his village so they would no longer have to walk 10 km to the nearest mosque. The village's last mosque was destroyed in the [[UsefulNotes/PartitionOfIndia 1947 Partition riots]]. |
| 373 | * After Florida was decimated by Hurricane Irma, [[https://www.latimes.com/newsletters/fl-reg-spiderman-chainsaw-hurricane-irma-bradenton-20170913-story.html a samaritan in a Spider-Man costume went to work, chainsaw in hand, helping cut down trees that fell due to the storm]]. |
| 374 | * During the extremely powerful December 2022 blizzard in the northeastern United States, a group of 10 South Korean tourists were on their way to Niagara Falls when their van got stuck in the snow in Williamsville, New York. Two of them went to a nearby house and asked to borrow a shovel so they could dig themselves out. The couple who lived there (a dentist named Alex Campagna and his wife) knew that the weather conditions were much too hazardous for them to continue their journey, so they invited all 10 people into their home and got out all the air mattresses and sleeping bags they had to make everyone comfortable. Coincidentally, the Campagnas liked Korean food, and had stocked up on groceries before the storm, so they and the tour group ended up cooking delicious meals together over the next few days. |
| 375 | [[/folder]] |
| 376 | |
| 377 | [[folder:Other Disasters]] |
| 378 | * On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 took off from Washington National Airport and promptly crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, hitting six cars and a truck and killing four motorist before falling into the ice-filled Potomac River. Only six of the seventy-nine people on board (74 passengers and five crew members) survived the crash and escaped the sinking plane--and that didn't help, because there seemed to be no way to get the survivors out of the river, though bystanders tried to create a makeshift rope for them. Eventually, a U.S. Park helicopter, flown by pilot Donald W. Usher (who was accompanied by paramedic Melvin E. "Gene" Windsor, flew to the survivors, dropping rescue ropes in hopes that the freezing survivors could climb out. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arland_D._Williams_Jr.#Air_Florida_Flight_90 One of the passengers, Arland D. Williams Jr., repeatedly caught the ropes...and passed them on to the other five survivors, rather than using one himself]]. [[Main/TearJerker He drowned before the overloaded helicopter could return from the hospital]] (where it had taken the other five, who were badly injured). A January 25, 1982 essay in ''Time'' Magazine by Roger Rosenblatt might serve as Williams' epitaph: |
| 379 | -->So the man in the water had his own natural powers. He could not make ice storms, or freeze the water until it froze the blood. But he could hand life over to a stranger, and that is a power of nature too. The man in the water pitted himself against an implacable, impersonal enemy; he fought it with charity; and he held it to a standoff. He was the best we can do. |
| 380 | :: During the same rescue, one woman was unable to keep her grip on the life ropes and was left drifting in open water, badly injured and in serious danger of drowning or perishing from hypothermia. A bystander then jumped into the freezing water to drag her to safety. Also in the course of this rescue, another woman was also unable to grab the ropes, so one of the rescuers in the helicopter climbed right out onto the skid to make the rescue and just held onto her, balancing on the skid, as the helicopter made its way to the waiting rescue crews on shore. |
| 381 | ** Similar stories have come out of other plane crashes, where survivors risked their own lives to save other survivors. |
| 382 | *** In 1989, basketball executive Jerry Schimmel survived a horrific plane crash that killed over a hundred people, and his injuries were minor enough that he was able to make his way to an opening. Just as he stepped out of the shattered plane, he heard a child crying from behind him. He promptly turned around and went back in to rescue the child, finding her in a luggage compartment where she had been thrown on impact. Compounding the moment, the child's parents also survived, and the family was reunited shortly thereafter. |
| 383 | * The Boston Marathon bombing of April 15, 2013, had several Moments of Heartwarming. |
| 384 | ** There's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=046MuD1pYJg video]] [[note]]Graphic content at times, so click at your own risk[[/note]] and reports of bystanders ''immediately'' running to help the injured not long after the first bomb went off. For extra, marathon runners that had finished their runs and heard about the bombing continued to run, but to donate blood. |
| 385 | ** Creator/RachaelRay tweeted on [[https://twitter.com/rachael_ray/status/324491561339600896 seeing a lot of New Yorkers wearing Red Sox caps]] at a grocery store and remembered how Bostonians did the opposite after 9/11. |
| 386 | ** [[http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201304222133-0022692 The town of Kafranbel, Syria, sent a message of condolences - Boston responds back]]. |
| 387 | ** "This is our ''[[PrecisionFStrike fucking]]'' city!" |
| 388 | * From the [[https://metropole.at/how-the-viennese-reacted-to-a-night-of-terror-with-solidarity-resilience-and-wit/ November 2020 terrorist attack in Vienna, Austria:]] |
| 389 | ** People all over the city offered to open up their homes for victims fleeing to shelter. Public transport was stopped, the police had called for people to stay indoors, and many people who were on a night out (the last night of fun before the COVID-19 lockdown) had nowhere to go for the night. |
| 390 | ** Meanwhile, the Wiener Philharmoniker - who had just given a concert at the Staatsoper - gave an encore for trapped patrons and people who had run in for shelter. |
| 391 | ** In several videos of the shooting at Schwedenplatz, someone can be heard screaming, "Schleich di, du Oarchsloch!" (Viennese dialect for "Get lost, you asshole!") from a window, drawing attention to themselves. |
| 392 | ** Two Turkish-Austrian young men carried an injured police officer to an ambulance through gunfire. A Palestinian-Austrian man rescued another injured officer from the gunfire as well, giving him first aid. A Syrian-Austrian saved three wounded passersby and took them to the hospital in his private car. Especially poignant, given the immediate racist/anti-Muslim/anti-immigrant scapegoating that erupted during and after the shooting on social media. |
| 393 | ** The police were finally able to get a kill shot in because a citizen [[DefiantStoneThrow threw a vase at the shooter]], [[FlowerPotDrop distracting the attacker]] (who immediately started firing at the window). |
| 394 | ** For days afterward, the sites of the shooting were turned into makeshift memorials ''crammed'' with candles, flowers, and other gifts for the lost souls. One such location was [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wien___terroranschlag_nov_2020_gedenksttte_am_friedmann_platz.JPG Friedmann-Platz]]. |
| 395 | * In Toronto, Ontario in around 2004, [[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/dog-ends-gunmans-plan-forshooting-rampage/article1134591/ a man armed with several weapons (notably rifles, pistols, machetes, knives, and over 6000 rounds of ammunition) planned to go on a shooting rampage near the R.C Filtration plant and then continue the rampage by driving around]], but he changed his mind when a street dog would keep giving him affection while he was preparing the rampage. |
| 396 | ** Later on, after he denounced himself to the police, one officer claimed that the man was a pet lover and that he thought that the inhabitants of the neighbourhood that he was gonna attack must have been as kind as the dog who gave him affection upon changing his mind. |
| 397 | * On October 25th, 2023, the worst mass shooting in Maine history occurred. 18 people were killed. In a small state with a very low homicide rate, the emotional impact was immense. The [[https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2023/10/27/nba-boston-celtics-lewiston-maine-pregame-pay-tribute-jersey-gear/ Boston Celtics held a moment of silence before their game and wore the outfits of their minor league counterparts, the Maine Celtics]], in solidarity. |
| 398 | ** There's a bonus to this particular moment if you know certain bits of historical/cultural context: Maine was originally part of Massachusetts until splitting off in 1820, and the two states still share a lot in common. Mainers tend to complain about "Massholes" coming up and ruining their summers, but in this case, New England solidarity took the forefront. If Britain playing the Star-Spangled Banner after 9/11 was Mother England singing to her child, this moment was like Massachusetts putting aside the bickering and stepping up to care for its little sibling. |
| 399 | [[/folder]] |
| 400 | |
| 401 | [[folder:Military]] |
| 402 | * Some years ago, the surviving members of the "Rats of Tobruk" (an association of Australian World War II veterans) decided that they were now too old and too few to continue maintaining the association's clubhouse. So they decided to sell the clubhouse (including all of its priceless memorabilia) with the intention of donating all the money from the sale to charity. The charity they picked was one that helped children afflicted with cancer, and in this manner they hoped - for one last time - that they could help ensure a brighter future for the younger generation. |
| 403 | ** This story, in itself, was incredibly heartwarming on its own, but it took an even more incredible turn soon thereafter: Initially, property developers wanted to tear down the clubhouse and put a residential building in its place. However, when a rich businessman heard about the story he immediately paid almost '''double''' the price of the property, outbidding all other takers. After giving the money to the charity, the businessman then told the astonished veterans that ''"You can keep using it as long as you want. My debt to you can '''never''' be repaid."'' |
| 404 | ** Fittingly, the "Rats of Tobruk" were survivors of an eight-month siege in the desert, against one of the greatest German Generals of the war (UsefulNotes/ErwinRommel). Their motto was two simple words: "No Surrender". They still haven't. |
| 405 | * When the UsefulNotes/MarquisDeLaFayette was wounded at Brandywine -- basically, a rich kid fighting another country's war, just because he thought it was the right thing to do -- His Excellency Gen. UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington took his personal physician aside and said, "Treat him as though he were my son." Made all the more heartwarming because Lafayette's father died in war when he was a baby and Washington was childless (although he loved his wife's children and grandchildren, and had several proteges). Reading a biography of Lafayette will provide plenty of such moments between them, though. |
| 406 | ** In World War I, before America officially entered the war, there were American pilots fighting in a company named after Lafayette. |
| 407 | ** Lafayette also earned the name "The Soldier's Friend" from the Revolutionary army. At one point, after hearing that several of his men were planning to desert, he called them all together and told them that he would write an excuse note for any man who wanted to leave, so that they wouldn't be prosecuted. He paid, out of his own pocket, for the uniforms of every man under him. |
| 408 | ** He named his son after George Washington. Awww. |
| 409 | ** Of course, anyone who's studied the years of the French Revolution in any detail is liable to take a much less sympathetic view of Lafayette for what he did later in life. That said, he still had some incredible moments in the American War of Independence. |
| 410 | ** In June 1917 the first American soldiers ever to go to fight in Europe arrived in France. A battalion of the 16th Infantry Regiment, led by American Expeditionary Force commander General John J. Pershing and his staff, marched through Paris to show the French that Americans had entered the war. The parade led to the tomb of Lafayette, where General Pershing's aide Colonel Charles Stanton stepped forward and said in a clear, carrying tone, "Nous voici, Lafayette!" (Lafayette, we are here!) |
| 411 | * The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, commemorating all the U.S. soldiers who died without having their remains identified. A single sentinel guards the tomb. He doesn't wear any rank insignia, so that he never outranks the unknown soldier. The tomb is guarded 24/7 in all weather (including, at least once, ''a hurricane'') and has been, continuously, since ''1937''. |
| 412 | ** There are actually several Tombs of the Unknowns in the United States, each commemorating a different war - with the exception of Vietnam. They identified the body in 1998 and were able to finally send him home to his family. The Vietnam memorial now contains the inscription "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America's Missing Servicemen" - a promise to all the missing soldiers that they too, someday, can finally come home. |
| 413 | ** The original memorial for the "Unknowns" is in Westminster Abbey in Britain, commemorating the British dead of the First World War. It contains the inscription "They buried him among the Kings, because he had done good toward God and toward his House." When the memorial was unveiled, the guests of honor were 100 women who had lost their husband and all their sons during the war. It is the ''only'' tombstone in the Abbey on which it is forbidden to walk. When Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon wed Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) at Westminster in 1923, she paused before the Tomb and laid her bouquet on it, starting a tradition for royal weddings that has continued since. |
| 414 | ** As a sign of friendship, the Americans would also award the British Unknown Warrior with the Medal of Honor, their highest award for bravery. The British would reciprocate, awarding the American Unknown Soldier with the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for bravery. |
| 415 | ** Here in Canada, our Unknown Soldier is literally unknown to most of our civilian population, even during the current War on Terror. So what happens when CBC hosts its "Top 100 Greatest Canadians" event in 2004? The Unknown Soldier not only gets NOMINATED (and ACCEPTED despite a few vocal people saying he/she doesn't count), but gets voted up to 22nd place. By contrast, John [=McCrae=] only achieved 76th. |
| 416 | * Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey, was also the victor of the Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War. He had inflicted a quarter of a million casualties on the British, Australian, French, and New Zealand soldiers that had invaded his country, but in doing so lost even ''more'' men in the process. Yet, after the war, he supported the effort to create war memorial for the fallen Allied troops. He also renamed one of the battlefields as "ANZAC Cove", as it has become a virtual shrine for the surviving relatives of the Australian and New Zealand dead. Still, all of these acts of magnanimity could not be topped by speech he would compose for the mothers of the fallen soldiers; one so heart-warming that the Australian government chose it for its own war memorial in Sydney. He said: |
| 417 | --> "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours... You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." |
| 418 | ** The first time I read that quote I cried because it touched my heart so great even mentioning it gives me tears, and also can be considered one of the greatest forms of forgiveness: adopting sons of mothers who were from a far away places. |
| 419 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOCe2Y7iVF8]]Sabaton wrote a song about it. |
| 420 | * The contributions and sacrifices of atheist soldiers are often overlooked because of their minority status. [[http://web.archive.org/web/20070105152843/http://ffrf.org/foxholes /This memorial]] was made to help remind the world of their sacrifice and service, lest we forget. (Provided by the wayback machine, original link was a 404) |
| 421 | ** The memorial is partly based from the often-used [=WW2=] quote "There are no atheists in foxholes. This is not meant to be an insult against atheists. It's meant to be an insult against foxholes." Conditions in the foxholes were so bad that many soldiers found themselves changed by the experience, and formed bonds with complete strangers closer than brothers. It didn't matter if you were a Jew, a Protestant, a Catholic, an Atheist, a Buddhist, or whatever. In the [=WW2=] US Army, as long as you shared a foxhole with someone, that person is going to be willing to ''die'' for you. |
| 422 | ** Special mention should go to [[http://www.mindspring.com/~alutiiq/atheists-in-foxholes.html those who donated the money and the land]] for the memorial. This took place in rural Alabama, a place not really known for its religious tolerance. |
| 423 | * One from the Persian Wars. In 490 BC, the Persian Empire, arguably the most powerful state which had ever existed by that point, had decided to deal with a couple of cities who assisted a rebellion against Persian rule. Of the two, Eretria fell in short order, leaving only Athens on Darius' list of places to raze. The Athenians sent for Spartan aid, only to find the Spartans commemorating a religious festival. Alone, the Athenian phalanx prepared to face the full might of the Imperial army. Suddenly, they saw a cloud of dust in the distance bearing down on them. Pessimism suggested this was yet more Persian allies. Instead it was 1000 men - all those who could fight - from the Boeotian town of Plataea. Some years before, Plataea had sent to Athens for assistance after their independence was threatened by their overbearing neighbour Thebes. Athens duly sent an army to face the Thebans who had by this stage besieged Plataea. Thus, in honour of this action, the Plataeans marched out to the aid of their ally. One hell of a Heartwarming Moment from an Athenian point of view and - considering this is a small town, little more than a village, facing off against an EMPIRE to repay a favour, surely a [[Awesome/RealLife Crowning Moment of Awesome]] for Plataea. |
| 424 | ** Even better, that particular battle was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marathon the Battle of Marathon]], which the Athenians and Plataeans would go on to win. After the battle, the Plataeans were allowed to share Athenian memorials and in the (normally exclusively Athenian) religious rites, sacrifices and games asking for the blessing of the gods. |
| 425 | * Lieutenant General Joseph Carroll was a general in the Air Force and the founding director of the DIA, who reported directly to Secretary of Defense [=MacNamara=] and who helped plan the Vietnam War. After his retirement, one of his sons was called up for the draft during the war and was a conscientious objector. Despite having very hawkish views, General Carroll went to the draft office in full military uniform and stood up for his son, essentially saying that, wearing his uniform, it was clear that he didn't share his son's beliefs, but he respected the integrity of his convictions. His son was granted CO status and exempted from the draft. |
| 426 | * The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce Christmas truces]] of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. |
| 427 | * Gen. Carl Steiner, Commander of the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg in the late 1980s, was concerned about the fact that more troops died in road collisions than in training-related accidents. Ordinary safety lectures on drunk driving didn't work, so an eccentric professional producer was hired to create an attention-getting exhibition. He conceived a bizarre combination of music-hall numbers, Broadway-style extravaganzas and ScareEmStraight films. The "[[https://www.thisamericanlife.org/549/amateur-hour/act-one Soldier Safety Shows]]" were produced annually for about ten years and had to be seen to be believed. ''And they worked.'' Road accident-related deaths went down by a third. |
| 428 | * The German legend of [[http://www.storiestogrowby.com/stories/castle_wives_germany.html the Castle of the Faithful Wives]]. Happened in Weinsberg in 1140, according to the ''Chronica regia Coloniensis''. |
| 429 | * For a particularly ancient example, this text inscribed on the tomb of a British royal guard: ''Catuvellaunorix bathbanay acorrius cagoran'', King of the Catuvellauni, I am dead. I hope it was enough. |
| 430 | * Canadian troops give a eyes-right salute -- reserved for reviewing chiefs of state and the like -- to a [[http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=622_1236062375 3- or 4-yo boy who was saluting them on the roadside.]] |
| 431 | ** It's not often that something absolutely adorable also inspires ManlyTears. This is one of those times. |
| 432 | * Operation: Little Vittles. An American pilot was taking a walk around a starved Berlin during the Airlift, when he was approached by a bunch of German kids. He told them he was a cargo plane pilot, then gave them his chocolate bar and promised he would drop some more. When they asked him how they would recognize him, he said "I'll wiggle my wings". On his next flight, he smuggled some candy inside his plane, and after dropping off the food, he tilted his plane back and forth, then dropped the candy. After a few times of doing this, an officer heard about it, and while his initial reaction was him getting pissed off, his superior ordered a massive drop-off of candy in Berlin. In short: the NATO Army was dropping off candy for the kids. As for Halvorsen, he is currently enjoying a happy retirement in his hometown of Salt Lake City. The world is a better place because of this man. |
| 433 | ** It helped that the allies started getting mail addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings". |
| 434 | ** The pilot, Gail Halvorsen, was a native of Salt Lake City, Utah. During the Parade of Nations in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Halvorsen was invited to hold the title placard for the German athletes as they entered the stadium as a gesture of gratitude to the man who came to be known as "The Candy Bomber" |
| 435 | ** Candymakers worldwide donated literally '''''tons''''' of candy for the operation, and many American, British, and French school children donated their sweet treets and volunteered to assemble the parachutes with candy for the children of Berlin. |
| 436 | ** At least once, some Berlin youngsters caught wind that Halvorsen was scheduled to be at a certain airfield at a certain time. Cue massive in-person outpouring of gratitude from the children. |
| 437 | *** It can be safely assumed that Berlin's dentists also appreciated the job-security that Halvorsen provided. |
| 438 | * During the Newburgh Conspiracy, many officers in the Continental Army were greatly displeased that they hadn't received any pay for years. They were all for revolting against the Congress. George Washington was called in to help stop the uprising, hoping that he could persuade the officers who had once served under him. After his short but impassioned speech to convince them, many of them were still not swayed, still holding resentment towards Congress and towards their leader. So, Washington took out a letter from a member of the Congress to read to them. However, he fumbled over the first few words. Then, he took out a pair of glasses, shocking the officers, for there were few who had seen Washington wear glasses before. And he told them. |
| 439 | ---> '''Washington''': "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country." |
| 440 | ** This caused the officers to realize how much Washington had sacrificed much for the Revolution, just as much as any of them. Many of them were shamed and moved to tears. Washington finished reading the letter and left the room, effectively stopping the conspiracy and the revolt. |
| 441 | * Remembrance Day, celebrated in many places across the Commonwealth of Nations, and several outside of it. Entire countries coming to a complete halt for two minutes to remember every one of its citizens killed in armed conflict for the last hundred years makes it hard to hate the place. |
| 442 | ** Along those lines, this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojTVKvjNQGE video.]] |
| 443 | * The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnation_revolution#Events Carnation Revolution]] in 1974 in Portugal. A left-leaning military revolution toppeled the oldest authoritarian regime in Western Europe. The people responded by flooding the streets with celebrations. Carnations happened to be in season, and the people gave them to the rebelling soldiers, who promptly placed them in their gun barrels. Portugal would be a democracy within two years. |
| 444 | ** The most heartwarming thing is perhaps the reason for its name: several soldiers during the celebration took carnations and placed them in the barrel of their guns, as they celebrated with the people they had just freed. That and the song used by the movement to signal the start of the revolution [[https://youtu.be/ci76cKwFLDs Grândola, Vila Morena]].[[note]] Translation of the words: "Grândola, tan village/Land of fraternity/It is the people that command the most/Within you, o city/Within you, o city/It is the people that command the most/Land of fraternity/Grândola, tan village/In every corner, a friend/In every face, equality/Grândola, tan village/Land of fraternity/Land of fraternity/Grândola, tan village/In every face, equality/It is the people that command the most/In the shadow of a holmoak/The age of which I no longer knew/I swore to have as my companion/Grândola, your will/Grândola, your will/I swore to have as my companion/In the shadow of a holmoak/The age of which I no longer knew."[[/note]] |
| 445 | * The Christmas Truce of 1914, the ANZAC and Turkish soldiers were rather magnanimous to each other considering they were trying to kill each other. Both sides would routinely negotiate truces where medics and stretcher bearers would emerge from the trenches and recover the wounded and the dead - regardless of which side they were on. Exchanges were common. There were also places where the trenches were so close together that you could easily lob a grenade into the adjacent trench. Occasionally they'd toss over food tins as well. |
| 446 | * Villers-Bretonneux, in France, is a town that was twice liberated by the [=ANZACs=] during World War One. The village school, however, was destroyed by German shells in the fighting. Schoolchildren from the state of Victoria, Australia, each donated one penny to a fund to raise money for a new school for the village. The people of Villers hung signs over every blackboard in the new school, named ''Ecole Victoria'' that read ''Nous n'oublierons jamais les Australiens'', translated: ''We will never forget the Australians''. The village is now the site of the Australian War Memorial in Europe. |
| 447 | ** Fast forward to 2009, and the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. When the people of Villers-Bretonneux learned that among the buildings claimed by the fires was the school in the town of Strathewen, each schoolchild donated one euro to a fund to raise money for a new school for the town. The council matched it with one euro for every town resident. When 10-year-old Pauline Lefebore was interviewed about the fund-raiser, she stated simply, "''Nous n'avons pas oublié les Australiens''." ''We have not forgotten the Australians.'' |
| 448 | * During the American Civil War, one soldier from Gray, Maine was killed in Cedar Mountain. When his parents sent away for his body, there was a mix-up, and they were given the body of a Confederate soldier instead... but they gave him an honourable burial anyway, despite him being on the other side, still respecting him as a person. They even decorate the grave with a Confederate flag for Memorial Day. |
| 449 | * [[http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-20-2011/a-few-gay-men---a-look-back-at-america-s-military-policy-on-gays A gay soldier]] comes out to his father after DADT is repealed, and well...[[TheFourLoves do we have to say it]]? |
| 450 | --> ''[[SarcasmMode What kind of Monster...has unconditional love in their families]]''? |
| 451 | * The Highway of Heroes, a stretch of Ontario Highway 401 (one of the busiest highways of North America). Since 9/11, every time a soldier has fallen during action overseas, they are repatriated at CFB Trenton, before being driven down for around 100 miles to the Coroner's Office. On every single overpass in between, thousands of people, from civilians to members of the Royal Canadian Legion line the railings as a show of support for the families of the soldiers who died. |
| 452 | * In 1872, Sgt. Gilbert Bates of the US Army bet $1000 that he could march through Britain, thought to be still hostile to the US, carrying the American Flag and not be insulted. As it turned out, he became an instant celebrity with people insisted on picking up his room and board tab and the only reason he couldn't march through London itself was that the cheering crowds waiting for him were too thick. So, he was convinced to ride in a open carriage with his flag and planted it beside the Union Jack at the Guildhall with honors. At this triumph, Bates wired to his friend, "Cancel wager. I regard this mission as something finer than a matter of money," as the mother country and former colony marked the beginning of their reconciliation after generations of hostility. |
| 453 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WWmDCAqWu4 This]] video of a Swedish guard going out of his way to play soldier with a little boy. |
| 454 | * [[http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/sino-vietnamese-war-veteran-finally-finds-friends-grave.html This.]] The time and effort it took Guo Yiming to do all the painstaking work to find his friend's remains...just, just ''damn''. |
| 455 | * /b/ finds out that a WWII vet is having a birthday. What do they do? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzqNkIkj3rE They throw him a big birthday party with thousands of cards.]] |
| 456 | * During the Russian invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}} in February 2022, [[https://youtu.be/nyEoyTUl3_4 a young Russian prisoner was offered tea and food and a video call to his mother]] by Ukrainian civilians without a sign of hatred from them. |
| 457 | * After the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy sent boats out to try to save survivors of ships that had gone into the water. Much to their surprise, they found themselves rescuing several women who had gone to sea with the French Navy. One of them was pulled out of the sea stark naked...she had had to discard her clothes when they caught fire as her ship was destroyed. The British treated these women with perfect kindness and chivalry. They were provided with clothing (sailors at that time were generally skilled at sewing, and they quickly improvised what they needed) and as soon as possible, were repatriated to France, sometimes alongside the husbands they had followed to sea. |
| 458 | [[/folder]] |
| 459 | |
| 460 | [[folder:Kamen Rider Related]] |
| 461 | * ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' |
| 462 | ** A picture of Shun Nishime, the actor who played Takeru, posting [[https://twitter.com/shun_nishime/status/1063953277639778305 this picture]]. The smile he has on his face for coming back is just so sweet. |
| 463 | *** The response from Takayuki Yanagi, who played Onari, is sweet too. He hopes that filming went well and wished that he could've been part of the episode but was unfortunately busy at the time. |
| 464 | ** Part one of the tribute to ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' will be airing on Febuary 3rd. That is the 17th anniversary of the first episode of Ryuki airing. |
| 465 | *** Because multiple alumni from past Riders appearing in this show, Satoshi Matsuda, actor of Ren Akiyama/Kamen Rider Knight expressed his wish to reprise his role as Ren and even guest starring in Zi-O. While the ''Ryuki'' tribute arc only features Shinji, his mirror duplicate and Daisuke Okubo, Matsuda gets his wish when the Rider Time Ryuki, a spinoff of Zi-O to commemorate Kamen Rider Ryuki was announced. Heck, Matsuda even [[https://66.media.tumblr.com/a37a005dee71a6784af8b6a66b52208f/tumblr_poincaGwJZ1qlljy8_540.jpg took photos with Geiz's actor Gaku Oshida]] and [[https://twitter.com/Matsuda_satoshi/status/1107157656395890688?s=19 dressed as the latter's character]] (which as a [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Crowning Moment Of Funny]], is an acknowledgement to multiple fans comparing Ren to Geiz, both physical and personality wise.) |
| 466 | ** When Yuichi Nakamura returned to play Yuto, he [[https://twitter.com/NvKknpbmkIbDg6m/status/1137591327170879489 tweeted]] this picture of his reunion with Creator/HochuOtsuka, Deneb's voice actor. Adding to the "d'aww..." factor, he also made it his Twitter avatar. |
| 467 | ** A few hours after it was announced that Taiko Katono would be returning to play [[Series/KamenRiderDrive Chase]], he [[https://twitter.com/tai70741239/status/1157843512705994753 tweeted]] "Thanks to the massive response, I'm feeling a lot of love from Drive. Thank you all so much, I'm very happy." |
| 468 | *** And then his former co-stars added to the heartwarming, Rei Yoshii (Rinna Sawagami) [[https://twitter.com/rei318/status/1157864856730497024 responding]] to the news with the hashtags #Chase and #Okaeri (Welcome Home) while Yu Inaba (Go Shijima/Kamen Rider Mach) simply [[https://twitter.com/lespros_inaba/status/1157833250863112197 tweeted]] "Ohh...Ohh!" |
| 469 | ** Some time at the end week of August, the first 5 chosen P-Bandai Ridewatches released, one of them being Cronus Ridewatch. As a way of showing his thanks, [[https://twitter.com/TAKAMI_official/status/1165268013009928192 Hiroyuki Takami (Masamune Dan) even poses with the Ziku-Driver toy while using the Cronus Ridewatch]]. |
| 470 | ** After the series finale, it was revealed that the actor for Oma Zi-O's civilian form was none other than Seiji Takaiwa - Mr. Kamen Rider himself! It's very fitting to give the role of the one who wields the power of all Kamen Riders to the person that played nearly all twenty. In a way, it's heartwarming because it could be seen as a way of saying thanks to give the role of the Ruler of Time who wields the power of all Kamen Riders, to the one known for being the suit actor for countless Riders, alongside 18 out of the 20 main Kamen Riders. |
| 471 | *** Even more fitting ever since Takaiwa announced he would be stepping down as main suit actor for the Reiwa Era. What better send off than to have him play the man who had the powers of so many Riders he portrayed? |
| 472 | ** Masahiro Inoue had announced that ''Zi-O'' would be the last time he would reprise his role as Tsukasa Kadoya. But during the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, [[https://twitter.com/protagkun/status/1247930989390823430?lang=en he channeled his inner Decade once more]], joining his fellow Toku actors to cheer up the kids. |
| 473 | ** Keisuke Watanabe (Woz's actor) giving a message to the global audience before Nerdist House's official livestream of ''Film/KamenRiderHeiseiGenerationsFOREVER'', along with signing a Beyondriver as part of the giveaway and ending it off with an "IWAE!" |
| 474 | ** Ryota Murai ([[Series/KamenRiderDecade Yusuke Onodera]]'s actor) announced his return to Kamen Rider with "[[https://twitter.com/ryota_muraidesu/status/1350664536240447490 I'm Home]]". |
| 475 | ** Even better, Masahiro Inoue actually welcomed him back. |
| 476 | * ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' |
| 477 | ** The announcement that after playing the primary Kamen Rider for almost the entire Heisei era[[note]]The only exceptions are Kuuga (Kenji Tominaga) and Hibiki (Makoto Ito)[[/note]] and earning the nickname "Mister Kamen Rider", suit actor Seiji Takaiwa would be passing the torch to [[https://kamenrider.fandom.com/wiki/Yuya_Nawata Yuya Nawata]] as of ''Zero-One''. This was quickly followed by countless Heisei Rider alumni including [[https://twitter.com/kibatsu3/status/1160410526419021824 Takayuki Tsubaki (Kazuma Kenzaki/Blade)]], [[https://twitter.com/yuki_sato222/status/1160388616243179522 Yuki Sato (Arata Kagami/Gatack)]], [[https://twitter.com/NvKknpbmkIbDg6m/status/1160390510080430080 Yuichi Nakamura (Kyosuke Kiriya and Yuto Sakurai/Zeronos)]], [[https://twitter.com/MAAAAAAAASAHIRO/status/1160363572985094144 Masahiro Inoue (Tsukasa Kadoya/Decade)]], [[https://twitter.com/Hiroki_I_jima/status/1160394411613683712 Hiroki Ijima (Emu Hojo/Ex-Aid)]], [[https://twitter.com/Hayato_Onozuka/status/1160407945714159616 Hayato Onozuka (Kiriya Kujo/Lazer)]] and [[https://twitter.com/akasoeiji/status/1160421867418578944 Eiji Akaso (Ryuga Banjou/Cross-Z)]] tweeting at Takaiwa to share memories and congratulate him for a job well done. |
| 478 | *** In the opening, there is a brief scene that shows the three generations of the Hiden family, showing Korenosuke, Soreo, and finally Aruto. There is also a scene showing Izu giving a hand to help an injured Aruto stand up again. |
| 479 | ** Naki's actor, at one point, said the character had no gender, but they would be willing to accept if the production staff said something one way or the other. Eventually, the producer went on to say that Naki doesn't have a gender. |
| 480 | ** In 2014, Creator/ShowHayami had [[https://mobile.twitter.com/show_ism/status/449949840441491456 expressed on Twitter]] his desire to play a tokusatsu villain, but worried that he may end up as a one-off villain, and desired to play the role of a final boss. His wish would be granted six years later, as he joins the Kamen Rider Zero-One cast, as the Ark itself! Although sadly he ended up not truly being the final boss, but rather the DiscOneFinalBoss. Still, he certainly was no small fry, that's for sure. |
| 481 | *** Upon release of the Premium Bandai-exclusive DX Ark Driver, the man wasted no time [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml6A-ftVIs0 showing how proud he is of being the belt's voice]]. |
| 482 | * ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' |
| 483 | ** Before the show began, [[https://twitter.com/mynameis_Robin/status/1288337676228161536 some]][[https://twitter.com/mynameis_Robin/status/1294175964570595328 of]] [[https://twitter.com/mynameis_Robin/status/1299310539907018752 the]] [[https://twitter.com/ikushi_yuki/status/1298203702033973249 cast]] gave messages in English indicating their excitement over the show premiering. Just the fact that they are actively acknowledging the international fanbase is more than enough to warm your heart. What's even more heartwarming is that most of these messages are through Robin Furuya's (Storious) Twitter, who helped to translate these messages as he is fluent in English. |
| 484 | ** The fact that some of the cast is active in posting in English and Japanese (especially Storious's, Ryo's and Legeiel's actors), making sure that both domestic and international fans are noticed. |
| 485 | ** As shown on her Twitter, actress Angela Mei (Reika Shindai) is a fan of ''[[Series/KikaiSentaiZenkaiger Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger]]'', especially of Magine, to the point where some of her recent posts involve her with [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1388098030700617733 Magine-themed]] [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1386122274554540033 merchandise]], as well as [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1415911775891984385 photos of her]] [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1416563192763863041 with the]] [[https://twitter.com/toei_ZENKAIGER/status/1416568604623925249 character herself]]. When the crossover specials happened, one could only imagine how happy she was. |
| 486 | [[/folder]] |
| 487 | |
| 488 | [[folder:Super Sentai Related]] |
| 489 | * ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'' |
| 490 | ** From the Gokaiger/Goseiger movie: the inclusion of [[Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger Ooiwa]]'s "[[BattleCry Dosukoi!]]", when pretty much everyone else gets TheOtherDarrin treatment. To clarify, Ooiwa's actor Baku Hatakeyama unfortunately committed suicide, making him a perfect example of DiedDuringProduction. Although there are reports that Tomokazu Seki actually played Ooiwa, the fact he was one of the few Warriors in ''199 Heroes'' to have a significant line without appearing out of suit either pointed to "Dosukoi!" being a popular line or an affinity for the character. Either way, it was a nice tribute to both Ooiwa and Baku Hatakeyama. |
| 491 | ** The returning veterans throughout the show and movies needs another mention as their very presence is a behind-the-scenes example beyond being for nostalgia purposes. As stated on the main page, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the initial plan was]] that only the associated Sentai that were part of the toyline (''Magiranger'', ''Dekaranger'', ''Gaoranger'', ''Shinkenger'', ''Hurricaneger'', ''Go-onger'', and to smaller extents, ''Zyuranger'', ''Timeranger'', and ''Abaranger'') would be making cameos, and even then, only the Reds. And then the Tohoku quake and tsunami struck. Amidst all the devastation, Teruaki Ogawa ([[Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger Ninja Red - Sasuke]] and [[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Black Knight Hyuuga]]) setup a Twitter feed that allowed veteran actors from not just ''Super Sentai'' but ''Kamen Rider'', ''Metal Heroes'', and ''Ultraman'', as well to send messages of encouragement and hope to all the children and their former, now-grown audience in the face of this crisis. It's through this feed that many Sentai veteran actors learned about ''Gokaiger'' and its anniversary cameo gimmick and wanted to be involved, particularly in the then-in-production ''Film/GokaigerGoseigerSuperSentai199HeroGreatBattle''. If the veterans who appeared in the movie as projections after the recovery of the Keys seemed tacked on, it's because they really were not originally part of the production, but were added in midway to help give hope to a struggling nation, and the same applies with all the veterans who appeared in the show after the movie's screening. This influx of former Sentai actors joining the production includes even retired actors like Kazuki Maehara ([[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Ginga Red - Ryouma]]). Even better, they were woven in in a way that helped facilitate the story and CharacterDevelopment. In a way, this even makes the [[FridgeBrilliance Zangyack Empire a metaphor for the tsunami]]. All of this is what makes the very production of ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'' an Awesome and Heartwarming example of an anniversary, and allowed it to be true to its message of heroism in the face of a seemingly terrifying adversity. |
| 492 | ** [[https://kabutoraiger.tumblr.com/post/654447407094972416/yuki-please-youre-going-to-make-me-cry This tweet]] from Yuki Yamada regarding [[Film/KaizokuSentaiTenGokaiger the anniversary movie]]. |
| 493 | * ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'': |
| 494 | ** Upon the announcement of Mio Kudo (Kanon Fukami from ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'') being cast as Kiramai Pink, [[https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2020/01/kamen-rider-ghost-co-stars-congratulate-mio-kudo-on-kiramager-casting/ many of her former Ghost co-stars congratulated her on landing the role and wished her good luck on Twitter]]. |
| 495 | *** And adding to the "daaaawwwww" factor, she also [[https://kabutoraiger.tumblr.com/post/190297522962 tweeted back in character]] to Ryosuke Yamamoto (Makoto Fukami/Kamen Rider Specter), telling him it's her turn to protect everyone now. |
| 496 | ** At around the end of March 2020, [[https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2020/03/kiramei-red-actor-rio-komiya-tests-positive-for-covid-19/ Rio Komiya (Juru/Kiramai Red) ended up testing positive for COVID-19]]. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/supersentai/comments/ftuu79/sentai_alumni_of_all_generations_rallying_to/ Not long after came an outpouring of support from all manner of Sentai alumni]] from [[Series/ResshaSentaiToQger Shin Nagahama (Akira Nijino/ToQ 6gou)]] to [[Series/ChoudenshiBioman Michiko Makino (Hikaru Katsuragi/Pink5)]]. |
| 497 | *** On April 9th, Rio announced via his [[https://twitter.com/komiyario_1119/status/1248178792989724673 Twitter]] that he was officially discharged from the hospital. |
| 498 | ** After Episode 25 premiered, many fans put out fanart of Yodonna, praising her appearance and the execution of her surprise debut. Nashiko Momotsuki (Shuka/Yodonna) went through the effort of retweeting as many fanart as possible, thanking the fans for supporting her despite not getting any notice for Yodonna's debut whatsoever. |
| 499 | ** Character designer K-[=SuKe=] revealed on his Twitter that Rio Komiya (Juru) helped out with the design of Yodonna, suggesting that he add the crows to her outfit, which eventually made its way to the show proper. |
| 500 | ** Many of the ''Gekiranger'' cast members tweeted out their thanks and appreciation after Episode 27 premiered, thanking not only the fans, but also Toei for allowing them the opportunity to be in the show. These members include [[https://twitter.com/zukky1003/status/1315224253738835968 Hiroki Suzuki (Jan Kando/GekiRed)]], [[https://twitter.com/Manpei_shinpei/status/1315093846431133696 Manpei Takagi (Retsu Fukami/GekiBlue)]], [[https://twitter.com/sotaroyasuda/status/1315218256609771520 Sotaro Yasuda (Ken Hisatsu/Geki Chopper)]], [[https://twitter.com/kuwaesakina/status/1315247898913730560 Sakina Kawae (Natsuki Misaki)]], and [[https://twitter.com/Hirata_Yukaco/status/1315174543015567361 Yuka Hirata (Mele)]]. |
| 501 | ** Just the sheer outpour of love the series has gotten throughout its run from both international and domestic fans for not only its optimistic themes, likable and well-rounded characters, unpredictable plot, epic fight scenes, palpable redemption plots and genuine pathos, but also for how it was able to adapt itself around the pandemic despite having Rio getting infected and the whole studio having to go on hiatus. Many have dubbed ''Kiramager'' as one of the best ''Sentai'' series of all time thanks to all of the factors above, genuinely loving it from start to end even with its (admittedly very few) setbacks. |
| 502 | ** This [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CL0gq9ej9Q9/ post]] by Kohei following the wrap up of the season is so incredibly heartwarming in both Japanese and English. |
| 503 | * ''Series/KikaiSentaiZenkaiger'': |
| 504 | ** Kiita Komagine (Kaito) uploaded a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Nsr7F-0iM video]] of his manager announcing that he got the role. His reaction is nothing less of adorable. |
| 505 | ** The voice actors' reactions to their casting is absolutely made of this: |
| 506 | *** Doubling as a Funny moment, Creator/ShintaroAsanuma (Juran) stated that he was once in a ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' stage show, playing Mammoth Ranger. Now he gets to actually be a ranger, as a ''Zyuranger''-inspired one no less! |
| 507 | *** Creator/YukiKaji (Gaon) put out a [[https://twitter.com/KAJI__OFFICIAL/status/1349927466098311171 tweet]] shortly after the press conference stating his immense excitement for the show. He says that it was a dream of his to become a ''Sentai'' ranger and even went on to say that he'll start supporting yellow rangers from now on because of his role as Gaon. His excitement for the show week after week despite not being able to see the episodes premiere most of the time due to his schedule is also very sweet. |
| 508 | *** Yume Miyamoto (Magine) expressed her excitement being able to be a pink ranger, citing that that Creator/MikaKikuchi ([[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger Umeko/[=DekaPink=]]]) was a huge inspiration for her growing up. |
| 509 | *** Creator/TakuyaSato (Vroon) was positively ecstatic, [[https://ameblo.jp/aaronstorn/entry-12650403844.html stating]] that he was very grateful for the opportunity to be a ''Sentai'' hero through voice acting as his height prevented him from being one in-person. |
| 510 | ** After the premiere of episode 4, Takuya Sato put out an [[https://twitter.com/5tAkUyA5/status/1375981417981640709 incredibly heartwarming tweet]]. |
| 511 | --> "If [=ZenkaiOh=] is the "gattai" of the Zenkaigers, I think that the Kikanoids are the "gattai" between suit actors and us voice actors." |
| 512 | ** Any time the voice actors go out of their way to visit the set. |
| 513 | *** The day before episode 6 premiered, Kaji uploaded this [[https://twitter.com/KAJI__OFFICIAL/status/1380855966955020291 adorable picture]] of him on-set with Gaon. |
| 514 | *** Sato posted [[https://twitter.com/5tAkUyA5/status/1393541012455186432/photo/1 this photo of him and Vroon]] before episode 11 premiered. Asanuma [[https://twitter.com/bpmweb/status/1393741575407116288 posted a couple pictures]] with Juran as well. And finally, the duo [[https://twitter.com/bpmweb/status/1393738143803736069/photo/1 got a picture with Secchan]]. |
| 515 | ** Hinami Mori, who plays Flint, celebrating her twentieth birthday on set and [[https://twitter.com/hinami__mori/status/1387042555888427012 getting a cake]] that is said to be from Zocks, Twokai Cutanner, and Twokai Ricky. She thanks her family for the gift. |
| 516 | ** As shown on her Twitter, actress Angela Mei, who plays Reika Shindai on Zenkaiger's [[Series/KamenRiderSaber sister show]] is a fan of Magine, to the point where some of her recent posts involve her with [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1388098030700617733 Magine-themed]] [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1386122274554540033 merchandise]], as well as [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1415911775891984385 photos of her]] [[https://twitter.com/angela_mei01/status/1416563192763863041 with the]] [[https://twitter.com/toei_ZENKAIGER/status/1416568604623925249 character herself]]. |
| 517 | ** The credits of the final episode put the suit actors for the Kikanoids right by their voice actors. Not to mention, the human rangers' suit actors get their own credit under the role they played. |
| 518 | ** The sheer outpour of love for the series on social after the GrandFinale - the cast, staff, ''Sentai'' alumni, ''Kamen Rider'' stars, and fans all got together to show their immense appreciation for the series. |
| 519 | [[/folder]] |
| 520 | |
| 521 | [[folder:TV]] |
| 522 | * Creator/StephenColbert [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOqpvsJJEmk on cynicism.]] |
| 523 | --> "Don't be afraid to be a fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don't learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, [[JadeColoredGlasses a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us.]] Cynics always say no. But saying yes begins things. Saying yes is how things grow. Saying yes leads to knowledge. 'Yes' is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say yes." |
| 524 | * Fred "Mr." Rogers. To sum it up, [[http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/5943 his whole life]] |
| 525 | ** The ur-Example of this was one that didn't come out until 2003 - [[http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewshortstory.asp?id=9402 a story related by a former employee]]. Many of the men working for Mr. Rogers would make fun of him behind his back for being too soft and the like - but in private, they would sneak into where he was rehearsing and privately ask for personal advice ranging from impotence to marital troubles... all while talking to his puppets, at that. On top of that, he ''never'' showed any sign of having had those conversations with them, as a way to respect their privacy. |
| 526 | ** And then there's his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upm9LnuCBUM 1997 acceptance speech]] for the lifetime achievement award. |
| 527 | *** And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7ljRr0AA his testimony before Congress to stop them cutting PBS funding]] is both a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} and a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. This needs to be emphasized. The politician in charge wanted to cut funding for televesion. Mr. Rogers spoke to him for several minutes...and the man not only agreed not to cancel it, but gave him ''over twice as much money as he'd originally requested to produce the program, and asked to see a copy of an episode.''[[note]] Funding for PBS at the time was $9,000,000. After Mr. Rogers' speech? '''$22,000,000'''[[/note]] |
| 528 | *** Fred Rogers [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAttFerhtnw says goodbye]]. Doubles as a TearJerker. |
| 529 | *** Rotten.com is one of the worst shock sites to grace the internet, and the cynical, wordy Rotten Library is all to happy to highlight the worst of humanity. And even this internet cesspool had to [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170720045406/http://www.rotten.com:80/library/bio/misc/fred-rogers/ pause for a moment, and give grateful thanks to the world for Fred Rogers]], and make you weep. |
| 530 | ** All of Mr. Rogers's cardigans were hand-knit by his mother. Oh, Mr. Rogers. You even make a simple sweater heartwarming. |
| 531 | ** Fred Rogers is the major reason to research immortality. Let our descendants from the 24th and one half Century watch Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and they will feel the same thing. |
| 532 | ** Webcomic/{{xkcd}}, known for the fun it pokes at many things, could only make [[http://xkcd.com/767/ this strip]] in his honor. |
| 533 | ** After 9/11, Mr. Rogers not only reassured his now-adult fans that things would get better, he said how proud he was of them -- of us -- and of the job he knew we could and would do reassuring our children through even unimaginable loss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTm_D3BmotU In 53 seconds, he not only comforts the viewer, he helps them comfort others. |
| 534 | * ''Series/ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition''. They pick a family, send them on vacation, and in the timespan of a mere week they rebuild their house from scratch, all for free. The show delivers a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} at the end of each episode, when the family gets to see their new shining home and the crew who worked so hard for them. |
| 535 | ** Unfortunately, this can have the unintended consequence of putting the home's value out of the occupant's tax range, which forces the family to sell it and move. |
| 536 | * In 2008, Viz Media, ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''[='s=] distributors, announced they would start streaming it on their official site. The fansub group {{Dattebayo}} announced that they would stop creating subtitles for ''Naruto Shippuden'' (''The Hurricane Chronicles'')[[note]]a continuation of the original ''Naruto'', in which a slightly older Naruto returns to his native village to fight evil and gain respect.[[/note]] after completing episode 91. They explained that while Viz had always turned a blind eye to them, once the streaming started, their lawyers would have to send a cease and desist letter, which Dattebayo really didn't think Viz would want to do. Plus announcing that Viz's lawyers had made them stop their work would turn fans against Viz, which they didn't feel Viz deserved. The heartwarming part came from the fans; Naruto fans, a group infamous for being more [[FanDumb rabid]] than [[ShootTheDog Old Yeller]], started sending [[http://dattebayo.com/pr/102 praise mail]] to Dattebayo saying that, even though they're upset DB isn't subbing it anymore, they still applaud them for putting themselves aside for the benefit of anime fans in general. |
| 537 | * The remorseful reaction of Finn haters, Cory haters, Finchel haters and general ''Series/{{Glee}}'' haters following Creator/CoryMonteith's death, in which many of them [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor regretted their animosity to Cory or Finn or Glee in general]]. If there is anything that proves that the internet is not full of trolls and douchebags along with obsessive shippers [[DieForOurShip hating on the other couple]] for all reasons, this is it. |
| 538 | * On an episode of ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'', Rosie invited Sally Jessy Raphael on her show, planning to discuss crafts with her. Turned out, Rosie's idea of a craft was knitting or decoupage where Sally's idea of a craft was building a chimney. They had a little debate on what makes a home- the decorative touches or the bricks and mortar. They decided to settle the debate by teaming up with Martha Stewart, Bob Vila and Habitat for Humanity to build a house. When they saw how happy a single mother was to finally have a place to live with her son, they completely forgot their quarrel. |
| 539 | * The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ianto_Jones_memorial_at_Mermaid_Quay.jpg Ianto Jones memorial]] as much as watching the actual [[WhamEpisode death scene]]. He's not even a real person and yet people cared enough not just to come from all over the country if not the world to leave their mark, but to raise over ''[[http://blog.justgiving.com/community/inspiration-community/ianto-jones-–-in-mem/ five thousand pounds]]'' in an online charity in the character's memory. Deaths in fiction may never have the weight and significance of deaths in real life but... damn. That's what storytelling does. |
| 540 | * Stephen Colbert at the 2010 Grammys, while making a speech, made a recurring joke of asking his daughter, "Am I cool now?" She responds with various embarrassed shakes of her head. Upon winning best Comedy Album: |
| 541 | -->'''Stephen:''' Am I cool now? |
| 542 | -->'''Madeline:''' *nodding with happy tears in her eyes* |
| 543 | ** Article [[http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/2010/02/01/grammys-stephen-colbert-to-daughteram-i-cool-now/ here]]. |
| 544 | * Creator/DavidTennant [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoCCljVDYcI receiving]] the NTA Special Recognition Award for his work in television. What sets the Special Recognition Award apart from other similar lifetime achievement awards is that the recipient doesn't know he/she is receiving it beforehand. So, [[TearsOfJoy the look on David's face]] when it dawns on him that he's receiving it is nothing short of adorable. Better still, it was presented to him by one of his favorite bands (and fellow Scots), Music/TheProclaimers. |
| 545 | ** To add, in the video detailing Tennant's career, his father, The Reverend Sandy [=MacDonald=], spoke with so much pride and love for his youngest child. Doubles as a {{Tearjerker}} because it had been revealed not long before that The Reverend was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The cut to Tennant and his wife Georgia when The Reverend first came on screen showed them overcome with emotion. |
| 546 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4IRF9DLcSU&feature=related This]] video, particularly the last 30 seconds, in which [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy]] reminisce. Including Shatner admitting wonderingly, "I really, really liked it. I liked the show!" and Nimoy telling Shatner, "You're my best friend," after which they both agree that, "If nothing else, [[ThePowerOfFriendship this]] [their friendship] made it worthwhile." |
| 547 | * Back in 2007, Britney Spears' life was a complete train wreck. She was in the middle of a very nasty divorce, her family was turning against her and media outlets were lapping up every event from her shaved head to her supposed "weight gain" and substance abuse with a mix of delight and condemnation, making her a very popular target for comedians. Craig Ferguson started off his show with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVWIELHQQY this heartbreaking monologue]] in which he recounted his experiences with alcoholism and how his personal problems nearly led him to commit suicide. He told the audience that there would be no jokes about Britney's life or problems and encouraging his audience not to judge her for what she is going through. It was amazing to see the normally goofy host be surprisingly solemn and emphatic about someone that the general public was all too happy to write off. |
| 548 | * ''"THE STREAK IS OVER! '''SUSAN LUCCI!'''"'' It's a small moment next to all these shining examples of the best of human nature, but soap actress Susan Lucci ''finally'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgWEDVIFGN0 winning an Emmy]] for her iconic role as Erica Kane after '''nineteen nominations''', and the way the entire theater erupted in screams of joy, is enough to choke anyone up. Finally, the longest, most notorious AwardSnub in the history of television came to an end. |
| 549 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HKvcJBVYH4&feature=aso This beautiful moment]] in China's Got Talent, when a man dressed in a pig suit made a complete fool out of himself. After his act was done, he explained that the only reason he came on that night was to give his wife a moment in the spotlights. Tears were shed. |
| 550 | * For as much as Robert Reed hated doing ''Series/TheBradyBunch'', he genuinely loved his co-stars and treated the child actors playing his kids like they were his own. |
| 551 | [[/folder]] |
| 552 | |
| 553 | [[folder:Film]] |
| 554 | * When Creator/HeathLedger died, his will was an older one, so his daughter wasn't in it. He had been in the middle of filming the movie ''Film/TheImaginariumOfDoctorParnassus'' Instead of having to re-film everything, the character was made into a shapeshifter, with Creator/JohnnyDepp, Creator/JudeLaw, and Creator/ColinFarrell co-playing the main character. All three actors have agreed to give the money they make from the movie to Ledger's daughter, Matilda. |
| 555 | ** People who are wary of the other stars taking up Ledger's screen time will rest assured knowing that it'll be him on the screen for the majority (45 mins). |
| 556 | ** Equally heartwarming was Heath Ledger's parents' vow that they would ignore his will and make sure that his entire estate would go to the daughter and not to them. |
| 557 | ** Creator/DanielDayLewis dedicated his Screen Actors' Guild award for Best Actor (for ''Film/ThereWillBeBlood'') to Heath Ledger, even though he'd never met Ledger. |
| 558 | *** In a similar vein: Ving Rhames, upon winning the 1998 Golden Globe award for best actor over his amazing portrayal as Don King in ''Only in America'', asked Jack Lemmon (who had also been nominated) to come up on stage and then presented the award to him, telling Jack that he deserved the award more. Ving refused to take it back, and Lemmon kept it til he died. |
| 559 | * While filming ''Film/MemoirsOfAGeisha'', Zhang Ziyi (who played the main character) was sent a package which contained a kimono and a letter. The letter was from a woman who was once a geisha, telling the actress that she hoped the movie would remind her of the good times she had. The actress was so moved that she invited the woman to attend the premiere of the movie. |
| 560 | * Throw a dart anywhere the cast and crew are talking about ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' and you'll find one, but just for starters: In the episode "Out of Gas," the rest of the crew is forced to evacuate the ship, leaving Mal behind. Wash designs a button for Mal to press that would call the shuttles back in the event Mal managed to get help. While shooting the episode, Alan Tudyk stole the button and later sent it to Creator/JossWhedon after the cancellation with a note that said "When your miracle gets here, call us back." [[Film/{{Serenity}} And it did.]] |
| 561 | * Jim Varney never once failed to fulfill a request to come to children's hospitals and perform as Film/{{Ernest|PWorrell}}. |
| 562 | ** In that same vein, Creator/JohnnyDepp once visited a children's hospital dressed as [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Jack Sparrow]]. He also donated ''2.2 million dollars'' to that same hospital to repay them for taking such good care of his daughter when her kidneys failed. |
| 563 | *** [[InsistentTerminology Captain]] Jack Sparrow. This time, he ''earned'' it. |
| 564 | * At [=BotCon=] 2009, Creator/PeterCullen made an appearance, along with other people who were in the then-upcoming ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen''. There was no small amount of praise for his distinctive work as the voice of Optimus Prime, but the most touching was from Tyrese Gibson (who plays Robert Epps in the films), who let on that he came from a single-parent home, and that Optimus was the closest thing he had to a father growing up. |
| 565 | * Jamie Foxx's acceptance speech of winning Best Actor during the 77th Academy Awards, as he spoke of his deceased grandmother, who he said was his first acting teacher. |
| 566 | --> "My grandma used to sit down and talk to me, she said I want you to be a Southern gentleman, and she still talks to me, only now in my dreams. And I can't wait to go to sleep tonight because we've got a lot to talk about. I love you." |
| 567 | * [[Film/SchindlersList "My number was 83317.]] [[http://youtu.be/1HKTYYX50hQ?t=3m13s I am a Holocaust survivor. It's a long way from Auschwitz to this stage."]] |
| 568 | * Creator/HayaoMiyazaki made ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'' partly as an apology to his son. Sousuke and his mother Lisa were modeled after Miyazaki's son and wife, making Miyazaki the father who is MarriedToTheJob. The scene where the father was sending Morse code messages to Sousuke and Lisa, telling him that "I'm sorry and I love you" was meant for Miyazaki's son and wife. [[TearJerker *sniff*]] |
| 569 | * Seeing [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xlb0lG3PkQ hug each other]] at the Spike TV Scream Awards 2010. |
| 570 | ** And considering that the younger of the two is the frailest? Holy Christ! |
| 571 | * Creator/EvannaLynch's fangirlism of Rowling was connected with her [[http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3239243/Actress-reveals-Harry-Potter-author-saved-her-from-anorexia.html anorexia]]. Lynch considered Rowling her counselor. ''Order of the Phoenix'' was coming out soon, and Lynch was afraid she would miss the release because she was hospitalized. Thankfully, the hospital got a copy from Rowling the day ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' was released. Years later, Lynch would become the ultimate [[PromotedFanboy Promoted Fangirl]] and star in the film version of ''Harry Potter'' as Luna. |
| 572 | ** For further Rowling-related heartwarming, read this [[http://i.imgur.com/kDHL7.jpg open letter]] by Alan "Snape" Rickman. |
| 573 | * When Creator/ChristopherReeve was told he would never be able to move from the neck down again, he mouthed to his wife, Dana Morosini, "Maybe we should let me go." She tearfully replied, "I am only going to say this once: I will support whatever you want to do, because this is your life, and your decision. But I want you to know that I'll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You're still you. And I love you." Reeve never considered suicide as an option again and today, he is remembered as a great hero far more than just playing ''Film/{{Superman|FilmSeries}}'' on film. |
| 574 | ** Also, before the operation to reattach his skull to his spine. Creator/RobinWilliams burst into his hospital room, proclaiming himself in a Russian accent to be a proctologist there to perform a rectal exam, just to make his old college roommate laugh. It worked. |
| 575 | * The friendship between Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. Although they only shared 3 films together, each one Gardner came to, she was carrying baggage of depression and lack of self confidence (this was the woman called "the most beautiful woman in the world"), and Peck would coach and counsel her into giving the good performances that she gave in the films they starred in together. When asked in later interview if there was anything that went on between them romantically, Peck would always say that they were just friends. |
| 576 | ** This is not the only Heartwarming Moment that Gregory Peck has. Back when ''Film/RomanHoliday'' was being filmed, Peck was so certain that Creator/AudreyHepburn (in her first major film role) would win the Best Actress Oscar for her performance that he convinced the producers to put Hepburn's name before the title in the same size font as his own name. Hepburn then went on to win the Oscar and she and Peck remained extremely close friends until her death. A tearful Peck read her favourite poem in a ceremony in memory of her. |
| 577 | ** Another of Peck's Heartwarming Moments was during the filming of ''Film/ToKillAMockingbird'' when Harper Lee, so impressed with Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch, presented him with her father's old pocket watch (Lee's father was the inspiration for Atticus). It remained one of his most treasured possessions until he somehow lost it. Heartbroken and disappointed with himself, he realised that he would have to tell Harper Lee, knowing how much it meant to her. Lee's response was that it was only a watch. |
| 578 | ** Gregory Peck became very close to Mary Badham who played Atticus's daughter Scout in the film. For years afterwards they reamained good friends and she always called him 'Atticus' until his death. |
| 579 | ** When Peck died in 2003, his eulogy was read by Brock Peters who had played Tom Robinson in ''Film/ToKillAMockingbird'', the man that Atticus fought to save from being hanged. |
| 580 | * Near the end of ''Film/JodorowskysDune'', Alejandro Jodorowsky talks about going to see the Creator/DavidLynch version of Dune. He talks about how horrible it is, but finishes with the comment: "It must have been the studio. David Lynch is a great filmmaker, he couldn't have made this. The studio must've screwed it up." |
| 581 | * The story of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saroo_Brierley Saroo Brierley]]. In the '80s, he was just a poor 5-year-old Indian boy that got lost in Calcutta, very far from his hometown. After living on the streets for months, he was taken by the authorities. Unfortunately, his lack of education made it difficult to find his mother and hometown, so they placed him for adoption. He was adopted by an Australian couple and led a successful and comfortable life. But Saroo never forgot his family back in India. When he heard of Google Earth, he frantically started searching for his hometown with just his memory as reference. [[TheDeterminator It took him four years, but he finally recognized the place he used to live.]] After a trip to India, Saroo was finally reunited with his mother 25 years later, who never gave up hope of seeing her son again. Also a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and a TearJerker. A movie named ''Film/{{Lion}}'' has been made based on the story, starting Creator/DevPatel. |
| 582 | * In February 2016, Disney Animation director/screenwriter Jennifer Lee (who became Chief Creative Officer of the studio a few years later) shared [[https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/dream-big-jennifer-lee/ an essay]] citing ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'' as the first Disney movie she ever saw. Lee credits Cinderella's optimism and will for helping her maintain courage in the face of oppression. When discussing her breakout into directing with ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'', she expresses pride in helping define heroines who could inspire their viewers as positively as Cinderella did her. |
| 583 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'''s voice actress, Ilene Woods, battled Alzheimer's disease in the later years of her life. She reportedly spent that time sitting in a retirement home, unable to understand the events of her surroundings, while listening to "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes", which made her feel happy for reasons she probably couldn't remember. The nurses played it for her as often as possible because it cheered her up. |
| 584 | * Ilene Woods took her three-year-old daughter Stephanie to see the ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'' in 1950. When the titular character on the screen began singing "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," Stephanie jumped up and yelled, "That's my mommy! That's my mommy!" |
| 585 | * Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle: |
| 586 | ** The heroes find themselves at a tree house with a message: [[Creator/RobinWilliams Alan Parrish]] was here. Which in other words, it was a tribute. |
| 587 | *** Even better: considering the game reworked itself to suit a new generation of players, it actually remembered Alan and went out of its way to leave a reminder of him. |
| 588 | *** The film [[MythologyGag acknowledges]] the [[{{Film/Jumanji}} shoes it has to fill]] when Alex declares that his hideout is Alan's house, he just lives in it. |
| 589 | *** The fact that Alan still manages to help someone, albeit indirectly, survive in Jumanji even when he's no longer involved in the game by constructing his tree house and providing a safe shelter for Alex. |
| 590 | *** The fact that game kept the tree house at all after reformatting itself. It did away with the man-eating plants, turned Van Pelt from a hunter into a mercenary and changed the way it operates as a game, but Alan Parish will now always be a constant. |
| 591 | ** Jack Black nailing his role as a teenage girl trapped in Jack Black's body, without one drop of irony, condescension, or judgment. Bethany-as-Shelly could easily have been a joke or a parody, but he makes her real and complex and genuinely likable. |
| 592 | * Creator/BrendanFraser had been in a bit of a career slump after spending the late '90s and early '00s as a major movie star, owed to injuries sustained from doing his own stunts and apparently being the victim of sexual harassment from a Hollywood executive, who allegedly used their leverage to blackball Fraser from the industry. Cut to 2022, and Fraser, back on the scene and scoring roles in films by the likes of Martin Scorcese, has been on the receiving end of nothing but praise from a usually-divided internet; owed not only to nostalgia for the beloved films he was in that made up the childhoods of many Millennials and Gen Z-ers, but also due to his reputation as a beyond sincere and kind man overwhelmed by how much his work is actually appreciated and how much people really missed him. The apex of the so-called "Brenaissance," at least as of yet, is his starring role in Creator/DarrenAronofsky's ''The Whale.'' Notable for being Fraser's first "serious" film in many years after being typecast as an action and comedy star (one which required him to both gain weight and wear many layers of prosthetics to play a 600-pound gay English teacher living in regret for abandoning his family), it was a serious risk for both Fraser and Aronofsky. |
| 593 | ** Cut to the 2022 Venice Film Festival, where ''The Whale'' - and, in particular, Fraser's performance - received ''a six-minute standing ovation.'' In a clip that has since gone viral, Fraser, already choked up as the end credits roll, is ushered out of his chair by Aronofsky to receive the applause from the crowd. Fraser humbly accepts it and tries to leave, only for Aronosfsky to make him take center stage. The increasingly-emotional Fraser takes a bow. He then takes a look around at his peers both onstage and off, clapping and shouting "Bravo!" many times over - a reception that he almost certainly never expected to receive for any of his work, let alone after all his time away - and signaling that he is not only back, he is more beloved and appreciated than ever. It's then that Fraser breaks down in tears and, in what's already a pretty emotional video, kicks the feels into overdrive by doing an adorable little "aw, shucks" kind of kick. He's now one of the frontrunners to receive Best Actor at the forthcoming Academy Awards, and while the movie has vocal critics of the way it portrays an obese person as miserable and "eating themselves to death," even they are at least happy Fraser is getting his second wind (albeit disappointed by the vehicle that's allowed him to get there). The fact is, though, Brendan Fraser never needed a second wind to remind him that everyone loves him. That was always true. |
| 594 | [[/folder]] |
| 595 | |
| 596 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 597 | * The huge support many ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' players paid to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, all in the memory of a certain boy named Ezra. [[http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=11693661775&sid=1&pageNo=1 From the forums]]; and [[http://www.bigredkitty.net/2008/11/08/todays-the-day-2/ here's]] the skinny on Big Red Kitty's Running of the Bulls event to support the cause; hop around the blog for what happened on the day. |
| 598 | ** Though no one knows what the real Hartley's last words were, it would be nice to think they were along the lines of this. |
| 599 | * Proof that even such horrid popular culture conflicts as the UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars can produce a moment of sheer heartwarming glory: [[http://www.destructoid.com/console-wars-declared-dead-in-the-cutest-way-possible-122071.phtml D'aaaaaaaaww...]] |
| 600 | ** if you're a Sega fanboy, do '''not''' click that link [[TearJerker before getting a box of tissues ready]]. |
| 601 | * [[http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1926915 In what appears to be another 'Nintendo 64 Kid', this boy's reaction to getting a Xbox 360 of absolute gratitude is just amazing.]] (Note: The video title says Christmas, but it's actually his birthday.) |
| 602 | ** FYI, it's easy to be cynical here – a kid getting an Xbox may seem trivial compared to the other examples on this page – but just watch the video. These kids are truly adorable (the boy's sister is so happy for him too). |
| 603 | * Creator/RogerEbert [[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html claimed that video games could never be]] TrueArt. That post received [[DoorStopper over 4500 responses]] and prompted gamers around the world to share every emotional response they had ever had from a game. Ebert's [[http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html eventual response]]: "I had to be prepared to agree that gamers can have an experience that, for them, is Art. I don't know what they can learn about another human being that way, no matter how much they learn about Human Nature. I don't know if they can be inspired to transcend themselves. Perhaps they can." |
| 604 | ** The title for Ebert's piece: "Okay kids, play on my lawn." The winking use of the Crotchety Old Man stereotype is so damn charming. |
| 605 | * Video game developer Brian Wood dies in order to [[HeroicSacrifice protect his pregnant wife and their unborn child]]. The response of video gamers? [[http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/gamers-lend-support-to-widow-of-heroic-developer/1410899 Set up a memorial trust fund, of course]]. |
| 606 | * Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'', is very well known for giving [[TakeThat trash talks]] to ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series. When the man quit Koei-Tecmo, the head of ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', Katsuhiro Harada, eventually expressed that he really missed the good old days of Itagaki trash-talking him. When Itagaki got wind of this? He told him that one day, he'll give Harada a call, acknowledging him as an 'equally crazy guy'... like ''himself''. Thus we all know that behind the trash-talkings, they do see each other with respect. |
| 607 | * After Creator/{{Nintendo}} president Creator/SatoruIwata passed away in July 2015 from complications due to cancer, the outpouring of condolences and respect from all across the video gaming community, including Nintendo's [[SitcomArchNemesis rivals]] Creator/{{Sony}} and Creator/{{Microsoft}}, really showed just how much one highly respected figure in such a big industry really touched the lives of many. |
| 608 | ** On the topic of Iwata-san, there's also the fact that, in order to avoid laying off employees while the Wii U was failing, he [[BenevolentBoss cut his own salary in half on multiple occasions]]. |
| 609 | * [[https://rentmyarcade.net/content/dk-pauline-edition A little girl was disappointed she couldn't play as the girl in Donkey Kong, so her father created a hack for her where that was possible, just because he wanted to make her happy]]. |
| 610 | * Oh boy, [[TearJerker prepare to cry]] at this one: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uflTK8c4w0c a South Korean company used VR technology]] to help give a woman closure when her young daughter passed away from a terminal illness. It is incredibly moving, but naturally very sad. |
| 611 | * In the skateboarding documentary ''Pretending I'm a Superman'', about the cultural impact of the ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' series, Creator/RodneyMullen recalls how he skated in a gang-infested part of Los Angeles near Compton and encountered a bunch of gang members who were apparently going to jump and rob him. One of them walked up and lay right on the table, which Mullen thought he was going to get knackered. The skateboarder, clearly at the mercy of a band of thugs, uttered something that led the thugs to have a change of heart and when they recognised Rodney, they were star-struck to see their idol in person, exclaiming “You’re that guy! I play you!” and started reciting all the trick names he picked up from playing the games. |
| 612 | [[/folder]] |
| 613 | |
| 614 | [[folder:The Internet]] |
| 615 | * Having come in a few months after the event, the page chronicling the frenzied conversation immediately following Archive/TheGreatCrash is bizarrely heartwarming. All those tropers, working toward one noble goal... |
| 616 | ** It was so heartwarming, in fact, that it helped when Website/TFWikiDotNet went through [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Wiki:Bookworm_Crash its own catastrophic crash]]. |
| 617 | * Matt Harding of "WebVideo/WhereTheHellIsMatt?" fame's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY 2008 video]]. The sight of so many people all over the world dancing brings tears of laughter. |
| 618 | ** If the sheer amount of joy displayed in this video doesn't make you feel just a little bit better about humanity in general, nothing ever will. |
| 619 | ** His [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwe-pA6TaZk latest video]] ups the ante. |
| 620 | * The "Free Hugs Campaign" video. |
| 621 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4 Yes]] |
| 622 | ** There are Free Hugs videos from around the world. That's right, hug the world. |
| 623 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM Team Hoyt]], a father and son duo that participates marathons, triathlons, and other such events. |
| 624 | * [[http://improveverywhere.com/2002/02/02/surprise/ This]] 'Improv Everywhere' story. there's something definitely heartwarming about getting a bunch of total strangers to sing Happy Birthday, and then play Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey together. ''On a subway.'' |
| 625 | ** Pfft. Improv Everywhere are capable of far better than that: |
| 626 | *** [[http://improveverywhere.com/2009/02/09/high-five-escalator/ High Five Escalator]] – similar to Free Hugs, Rob wants to give a high five to each commuter as they pass him on the escalator. |
| 627 | *** [[http://improveverywhere.com/2008/11/17/welcome-back/ Welcome Back]] – a welcoming party surprises complete strangers by waiting at the airport with banners, balloons and flowers. |
| 628 | *** [[http://improveverywhere.com/2010/02/28/teds-birthday-2/ Ted's Birthday]] – another random stranger finds himself unexpectedly celebrating his birthday, with plenty of guests who pretend to know him and bring gifts. It get's really good when "Ted" gets into it and starts playing along, totally freaking out his real friend in the process. |
| 629 | ** And if you thought they were good, check out Improv Everywhere's ''true'' [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments crowning moments]]: |
| 630 | *** [[http://improveverywhere.com/2009/06/02/surprise-wedding-reception/ Surprise Wedding Reception]] – the IE team picked a couple which was being married by the City and threw a surprise wedding reception in the middle of Manhattan, complete with 50 "guests", cake and gifts. |
| 631 | *** [[http://improveverywhere.com/2008/04/07/best-game-ever/ Best Game Ever]] – they turn a Little League baseball game into a Major League game by filling the (usually empty) bleachers with die-hard fans, mascots and snack vendors and setting up a Jumbotron. Not only that, but NBC were there to call the game and the Goodyear blimp arrived with messages of support for the two teams. None of the kids nor their parents had any idea what they were in for. |
| 632 | ** Everything Improv Everywhere does is this, because their entire goal to get a good reaction from people. It can be from a random musical, a fake concert, or wacky antics, but no matter what it breaks through to them and makes anyone watching have a day that is just that much better. |
| 633 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_v7QrIW0zY Possibly the world's first lip-synch flash mob proposal]], Isaac and Amy Lamb are still together and have twins. |
| 634 | * Choreographed by Derek Mitchell, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD5eOkxsXJ8 Craig Jones' flash mob proposal to Allison Leclaire]] took four months and $9,000 to arrange. |
| 635 | * [[https://youtu.be/BLImQtyjI10 Free Hugs in China]]. Incredibly heartwarming, especially considering the place and how private people are in Chinese society. |
| 636 | ** An equally heartwarming moment was when one of the girls hugged an elderly lady. At first, she stared at the girl, while presumably her daughter was explaining what was happening. Then, she opened her arms and gave the girl a hug. And you could see the girl kissing her on the cheek before they pull apart. |
| 637 | * Twitter's esoteric and abstruse account ban conditions caused beloved animator [[https://twitter.com/Kekeflipnote Keke-flipnote]] to receive an account suspension. [[https://twitter.com/pointedfox/status/1180635677731373056 Upon news of the ban]], hundreds of users worldwide contacted Twitter Support over their decision to suspend one of the most wholesome and inoffensive content creators on the site (while allowing much more vitriolic and abusive content to remain). After the outrage, Keke's account was restored in less than a day and, true to form, [[https://twitter.com/Kekeflipnote/status/1180756797579288576 he proceeded to express his gratitude for everyone's support]]. |
| 638 | * [[http://iamawesome.com/ Here.]] |
| 639 | * In December 2011, Advertising/TheManYourManCouldSmellLike decried that he would give one gift to every person on the planet. That in itself would be worthy of this page, but on day 4 he posted a video with a gift for every person feeling down that day. That link went [[http://www.youareawonderfulpersonwithmanyuniquegiftsandtalents.info/ here]]. Old Spice set up a website specifically so that your computer camera could put your live image onto a 'mirror,' with a special message from the Old Spice Guy saying how special you are. |
| 640 | * Rich Burlew's final words on the Kickstarter book reprint project for ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' before fulfilling the rewards starts, from [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/599092525/the-order-of-the-stick-reprint-drive/posts/178261 Update #28]]: |
| 641 | -->''Any way you want to analyze it, it's surprising. Certainly, I'm still shocked. There have already been media stories about it, and there will be more now that we've ended. And they'll talk about crowdfunding and what this success means to the future of blah blah blah. You know what? Screw that. This is between me and all of you. This is because you guys love the story I'm writing, and I love writing it. We made this thing together, and no one is going to replicate it, not exactly. Oh, sure, these records won't stand forever. Some won't even last a month. But it doesn't matter, because you didn't pledge money to me so I could beat a meaningless record. You pledged your money to me because you believe in me and my silly stick figure comic. And that is not something that is going to be mentioned in those media articles.'' |
| 642 | [[/folder]] |
| 643 | |
| 644 | [[folder:Other]] |
| 645 | * [[Blog/GaijinSmash Azrael's]] story about [[http://gaijinchronicles.com/2005/02/06/moekos-owl/ a homemade owl given to him for his birthday]]. |
| 646 | ** Also, [[http://gaijinchronicles.com/2006/01/27/the-moeko-principle/ the followup article]]. |
| 647 | * After [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion the Halifax Explosion in 1917]], which was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions that killed 2000 some-odd civilians; Boston, Massachusetts was one of the earlier responders if not the earliest. For their eternal gratitude, Nova Scotia thanks the city by sending them a giant white spruce tree, which becomes their Christmas Tree. A good sum of these trees are taken from yards of common people |
| 648 | ** Boston sent out a relief train at 10pm the day of the Explosion. It happened at 9 in the morning. |
| 649 | ** We can't mention the Halifax Explosion without mentioning Vince Coleman, the Railway dispatcher who saved 300 lives at the cost of his own. After hearing about the dangers of the burning Mont-Blanc, rather than run for it, he stayed at his post and sent out an urgent dispatch to a train coming in from New Brunswick, saying "Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye boys.". The train and several others were stopped. Vince is now honoured as a hero and featured in a Historica Minutes video. |
| 650 | ** This happened in the middle of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI meaning war resources were diverted for relief effort. |
| 651 | * The fall of the Berlin Wall. |
| 652 | ** Shortly after East Berliners started streaming through to the west, a number of intrepid souls went out and started walking through the Brandenburg Gate, which the East Berlin border patrols quickly put a stop to. One dignified East Berlin lady named Bärbel Reinke yelled at the commanding officer, tears in her eyes, that she wanted, just once in her life, to be able to walk under the Brandenburg Gate, "Is that so hard to understand?" And so the officer took her, personally, ''arm-in-arm'' for a slow walk under the gate. Here's a story on her from Creator/PBS: ''[[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/peoplescentury/episodes/peoplepower/reinketranscript.html Interview with Barbel Reinke, Citizen of East Germany]]'' and on Website/Youtube in German (no English subtitles, sorry): ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3TzsGQYppk Link]]''. (Website/YouTube now includes an "Auto Translate" subtitle option, but like the "Auto Generated" option, it isn't always very good.) |
| 653 | ** The end of the Cold War, and the fall of the communist dictatorships in Eastern Europe. |
| 654 | * During the siege of Leningrad, a man starved to death surrounded by edible seeds, so that they might be saved for future generations. |
| 655 | ** Twelve. Twelve people died of starvation so that the contents of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlovsk_Experimental_Station Pavlovsk Experimental Research]] station would be safe. Now we just need to save it from [[http://www.vir.nw.ru/ housing developers]]. |
| 656 | * [[http://www.makeawish.org The Make-A-Wish Foundation]]. That's all that needs to be said. |
| 657 | ** Not just the organization itself, but the kids who use their wishes in such unselfish ways as building orphanages in third world countries, or making other kids happy. How many of us, when told we could have whatever we want, would think of others, especially if we were terminally ill? |
| 658 | ** There was once a reality show with a similar concept called ''Jim'll Fix It'', which was about people making the wishes of many others, primarily children, come true. It's nice to see wishes come true. People may want to take a look at the wishes that came true and how happy the people were just so they can find some comfort after learning about the crimes the [[Creator/JimmySavile original founder]] committed. After learning the horrible actions he did, it's a mild comfort to know that at least the other people involved/in charge of it were able to use his show to actually help people like it was meant to instead of exploiting people like he did. Better now that there are more organizations today that are run by people ''genuinely'' trying to help children and others in need. |
| 659 | * UsefulNotes/BarackObama: [[http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20457238,00.html "Gabby (Giffords) has opened her eyes for the first time."]] |
| 660 | * [[http://twitpic.com/419nfm Egypt supports Wisconsin workers.]] |
| 661 | * The story of Noh: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Noh |
| 662 | * Dr. Seuss' ''The Lorax'' originally had the fish, chased out of their lake by pollution, say that "I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie". But "People indeed cared a whole awful lot,/ And worked very hard, and better it got." (to paraphrase the book's ending) - and so Dr. Seuss removed the line. |
| 663 | * [[http://www.tweenbots.com Tweenbots.]] As a social experiment, someone decided to make adorable fragile robots that could only move in straight lines, then set them loose in Washington Square Park in New York City, with a explanation and destination on a little flag above their heads. She didn't expect any of them to reach their destination, let alone survive. As to what actually happened... Well, just watch the video. |
| 664 | ** In case the video doesn't play: [[spoiler:people go out of their way to help the Tweenbots. Every time one gets stuck under a park bench, falls over, grinds into a curb, someone rescues it and sends it on its way. In one case, a guy actually sends it back where it came from, telling it "Don't go that way, that's the road."]] |
| 665 | * Helen Keller, despite being blind, deaf and mute, manages not only to learn how to communicate through sign language, but also earned a bachelor of arts degree from Radcliffe (it was very radical for women to go to university at the time). She goes on to becomes a prominent writer and social activist. If that does not describe the strength of the human spirit, nothing does. |
| 666 | ** Because all the lectures, and any textbooks they couldn't get in Braille, had to come to Helen from the fingers of her teacher and companion Annie Sullivan, essentially Annie got the same education Helen did. There are people who still think Annie should be awarded a degree also. When you consider Annie's own background[[note]]she was effectively orphaned at the age of ten and spent four years in a state hospital/poorhouse before finally convincing state inspectors to send her to the Perkins School for the Blind (which is a boarding school, so she would no longer have to live at the hospital) instead[[/note]] and the way Irish people were viewed at the time -- not too long before Annie's time, Irish people weren't even considered ''white'' -- this is an achievement as remarkable as Helen's. |
| 667 | * It is said that once while UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat was ill he received a letter saying that his doctor was in the pay of his enemies and was going to poison him. When his doctor came in with a cup of medicine Alexander took the cup, drank from it, and handed the doctor the letter. Alexander said something like "I do not know anything about medicine, but I do know people, and I know that you would never betray me." Alexander recovered from his illness a few weeks later. |
| 668 | ** Which becomes HarsherInHindsight if you choose to support the theory that Alexander's sickness was from severe alcohol poisoning (treatable) but that the medicine (that he, granted demanded higher and higher dosages of) killed him. |
| 669 | ** Alexander had another one after the death of his life-long friend Hephaestion. Alexander had given him a funeral that would have cost £150,000,000. This is including a sixty meter high pyre with lavish gold decorations on each level. To top it all off Alexander gave orders that on the day of the funeral the sacred flame in the temple would be extinguished. This is something that is only done when the King himself dies. |
| 670 | *** He also sent a message to the shrine of his patron deity, asking to have Hephaistion promoted to god (not unheard of). Alexander himself was considered a god and would be worshiped after his death. He wanted Hephaistion to share even this. He didn't get it, but Hephaistion was made a Hero (like Hercules). |
| 671 | * You might not expect Website/NotAlwaysRight.com, a site with many examples of how customers mistreat employees, to have an example here, but [[http://notalwaysright.com/a-heady-proposition/1226 this story]] definitely qualifies. |
| 672 | ** [[http://notalwaysright.com/every-bad-crowd-has-a-silver-lining/2429 This one]] too. |
| 673 | ** And [[http://notalwaysright.com/no-pranks-just-thanks/5458 this one]]. |
| 674 | * The sheer joy on the faces of the unsuspecting crowd in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq6b9bMBXpg this]] video. |
| 675 | ** Was that supposed to be the T-Mobile flashmob ad? If so, it's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB3NPNM4xgo here.]] |
| 676 | *** Along the same lines, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcmfCXwAFs4 this]], done by T-Mobile USA. |
| 677 | * The day after John Glenn orbited the Earth, he came home extremely tired after visiting the President and the like. His fan mail was piling up and the phone was ringing off the hook, but as he walked in the door, Glenn noticed that someone had picked up some groceries for his wife and brought them inside. In the bags, there was a carton of eggs that would expire the next day. Obviously, they couldn't eat them all, and he didn't want to waste the food, so Glenn dropped everything and took the eggs to his church so they could be given to the poor before coming home to answer his calls and mail. That is a hero. |
| 678 | * [[http://www.givesmehope.com/ This site]], called Gives Me Hope. Plus the [[http://www.lovegivesmehope.com/ sister site]]: Love Gives Me Hope. Some examples taken from the site: |
| 679 | ** "I woke up one morning to hear the birds outside my window and my mother cooking breakfast downstairs. I've never cried so much in my entire life. I had been deaf since the age of 8." |
| 680 | ** "Today I was going out for a coffee with my boyfriend. On the way I passed a homeless man and gave him $5. When I got to Starbucks my boyfriend dumped me. I walked home crying, and when I passed the homeless man he told me how sorry he was, and offered to buy me a coffee. He used the $5 I gave him, and smiled proudly as he handed over the money. GMH" |
| 681 | ** "At my college graduation everyone is allowed to take a loved one with them as they walk across the stage. The last girl to walk across held the arm of her 90 year old grandpa. As they crossed the stage the chancellor read her grandfather's name. He graduated 60 years ago but didn't get to walk his own graduation because he was fighting in WWII. GMH." |
| 682 | ** "Every year, the graduating 8th grade class votes for superlatives. The teachers add up the votes. When 'Jordan A' was announced for Most Inspirational, teachers were in tears to see our entire class who never get along, give a standing ovation. He died in a fire in fourth grade and we still consider him part of our class." |
| 683 | ** "I was at a bookstore and an obscure author was doing a book signing. Nobody was coming over--he looked dejected. Then three teenagers came over, got his autograph & took pictures with him. It looked like it made his day. Later, I talked to them and they said they had never read his books. GMH" |
| 684 | ** "I work in a bank - a place where good news is hard to come by recently: Today I spoke with a gentleman who told me he needed to know how much money he had. When I asked if he had a large purchase coming up, he said yes. "I'm buying clothes for the man who asks me for a quarter every day on my way to school," he replies. This gentleman was 12. GMH" |
| 685 | ** "My family and I disowned my sister for her years of her drugs and alcohol abuse. I found out she was in a homeless shelter so I picked her up and took her in. She has been sober for a year, and helps my brother every day with his baby because his wife is terminally ill with cancer. Now, she is the one holding the family together. GMH" |
| 686 | ** "A little boy was lost in a park, and running around, crying "DADDY! DADDY!" A young man hurried over to comfort the boy, then proceeded to carry the boy on his shoulders, so that both father and son could find each other more easily. They did." |
| 687 | ** "My little sister came home from school one day and demanded I take her to the library so she could get books on sign language. I asked why? She told me there was a new kid at school who was deaf and she wanted to befriend him. Today, I stood beside her at their wedding watching her sign... "I DO"." |
| 688 | ** "A boy was dying of cancer and needed an expensive brain surgery, but his family, broke and desperate, couldn't afford it. His 8 yr old sister Tess took her piggy bank savings to a pharmacist in order to buy a 'miracle'. It just so happens that the right man witnessed the little girl's tears at the pharmacy counter: a neurosurgeon. He performed the surgery for free." |
| 689 | ** "I'm 14 and I was in the mall with my dad. We passed a TV in a toy store showing WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic, and I told my dad I loved the show. He looked at me with disgust and walked away. The store manager saw this and gave me the whole MLP:FIM playset for free! People like her GMH." |
| 690 | ** "My best friend died in a car accident on his way to deliver soup for my cold. Found in the car was also a bouquet of flowers and a card that read: "We've been best friends for the last 5 years. Now, let's be lovers for the next 50." Unforgettable LGMH." |
| 691 | * There is another site called Six Billion Secrets, which exists for people to anonymously share whatever secrets they have to get them off their chest. In a site of {{Tear Jerker}}s, [[https://web.archive.org/web/20101114090846/http://www.sixbillionsecrets.com/view/Secrets/84115 this horror story]] stood out. The front page of Gives Me Hope later featured [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100627165543/http://www.givesmehope.com/view/Inspiring%20feats/76357 this.]] Happy ending. |
| 692 | * The group hug at the end of [[http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/09/wil-wheaton-gets-lucky-sometimes.html this video]]. |
| 693 | * Oct. 2, 2009, Rio de Janeiro is awarded the Olympics for the first time ever. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QolYTAXdhlg You can see]] grown men and women, middle-aged, even elderly representatives, actually dogpiling on each other from pure joy and excitement. |
| 694 | * For Creator/MartinScorsese, the failure of his dark 1977 musical ''New York, New York'' drove him into depression, and he had grown seriously addicted to cocaine around the same time, which is obviously not a good combination, and in fact led to a near-fatal overdose. Now the Heartwarming part comes in: Creator/RobertDeNiro visited Scorsese in the hospital after the overdose and showed him Jake [=LaMotta=]'s book ''Raging Bull: My Story'': "We need to make this." ''Film/RagingBull'' went on to be one of Scorsese's most beloved films, and the director has said ever since that De Niro saved his life with that visit. |
| 695 | * [[http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/01/izzard-gives-pr/ This report from Wired]]: Will Pike was badly injured during a terrorist attack in Mumbai, and had to be hospitalized. As a result, he was unable to attend an Creator/EddieIzzard stand-up performance that he had bought tickets for before his trip to Mumbai. His father wrote Izzard, asking if the comedian would send his son an autographed picture or something. Instead, Izzard visited Pike in the hospital and performed her entire stand-up routine for him. That's "Executive Transvestite"! |
| 696 | ** Another "Eddie Izzard is a true hero of humankind" moment was when she decided to run all around the United Kingdom to raise money for Sport Relief. She had never really run before and only trained for a few weeks before setting out to run 43 marathon-sized lengths in 51 days. She ran through painful blisters, cuts, and cracks on her feet, her muscles cramped up to the point where she was having to take daily ice baths, and she had to consume so many calories to keep her energy level up that it almost made her feel ill, but she did it. |
| 697 | * [[http://jeriendhal.livejournal.com/22595.html BMC from Steve Jackson Games' Pyramid forums]] who uses his skill with crane machines to make one family's most miserable night just a little better. |
| 698 | * All You Need Is Love https://youtu.be/Ult0NG841s0 |
| 699 | * [[http://yuumei.deviantart.com/art/1000-W0RDS-126831037 This]]. |
| 700 | * DriveThruRPG added $5 and $10 donation links for Doctors Without Borders to their online shopping cart immediately after the quake. Then several of the game publishers who sell through the site started asking what ''they'' could do to help. What they wound up with was a bundle of over $1000 worth of free downloads (donated by the publishers) as an incentive to make a $20 donation to Doctors Without Borders through the DriveThru site. When the bundle offer ended at the end of January 2010, they had raised $178,900. |
| 701 | * The huge genuine smile on Sahil Saeed's face, playing with his father and sister after his safe return from being kidnapped. And the fact that he was freed with no worse harm than a shaved head and the loss of his shoes, when it could have been a tragedy. |
| 702 | * Three words: Princess Diana's Funeral. It may cross more into TearJerker territory, but think of the end of the funeral, with everyone applauding and throwing flowers. The hearse bearing the People's Princess to her final rest [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wLl2dKgXwQ looked more like a Flowermobile]], showered with blossoms from the masses of people who lined the route. The driver had to stop several times just to clean them off the windscreen and place them gently at the side of the road. |
| 703 | ** The Website/YouTube member, PrincessDiana97, who posted the video linked above, included detailed information on the "flowermobile" hearse and included a link to a website where you can learn even more about it. It was [[https://www.thefreelibrary.com/SAD+AND+WRONG%3B+EXCLUSIVE%3A+Diana+funeral+driver+attacks+pounds+100%2C000...-a0101005388 controversially sold in 2003 for £90,000]] and the Website/{{YouTube}}r is asking for info on its current whereabouts. |
| 704 | * [[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67034 This thread]] on ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' fan forum The Allspark is a Crowning Moment of both Awesome and Heartwarming for the ''Transformers'' fandom as a whole. The story: A fan found an eBay auction for an old toy catalog (featuring early prototype toys--fascinating stuff to a ''Transformers'' fan). People discussed the possibility of 100 fans pitching in $5 each, buying the catalog as a group, and scanning its pages for all to see, and one guy decided to take charge. Things quickly got out of hand, and what had started as a nice team effort to make a piece of toy collecting history public... turned into an amazing spur-of-the-moment ''charity drive'' that, over the course of five days including what little planning there was, raised '''$2340''' to donate to [[http://ww.nwcr.ws/hch/ Hasbro Children's Hospital]], on top of the $395 they ultimately paid for the catalog. |
| 705 | * [[https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gordonsinclairtheamericans.htm The Americans]], an editorial by Canadian Gordon Sinclair, passionately defending America from other countries' bashing...in 1973. [[http://youtu.be/z4i3LmR0K74 Hear it here.]] There is also an AnswerSong, [[http://youtu.be/XmmE8uWmdMY An American's Answer]], by Charles Ashman. |
| 706 | * [[http://www.snopes.com/glurge/hug.asp This]] |
| 707 | ** That is also found in ThePowerOfLove page. |
| 708 | * [[http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/9306000/ Every once in great while, the infamous 4chan does something right.]] Grumble and snark they always will, and indeed did here. But when the chips are down, most of the Anons are actually decent human beings. |
| 709 | ** In case anyone is wondering, they succeeded in getting the cancer research idea to #1 and it won the $250K grant. |
| 710 | * The inscription on the memorial to UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln at Washington National Cathedral: |
| 711 | --> ''Abraham Lincoln, whose lonely soul God kindled, is here remembered by a people, their conflict healed by the truth that marches on.'' |
| 712 | * [[https://youtu.be/lrA4V6YF6SA This video]] about Canada and America's relationship. |
| 713 | ** You couldn't ask for a better neighbor than Canada. For all the abuse they sometimes get down here, they are probably our most loyal ally. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_response_to_Hurricane_Katrina Another example]] |
| 714 | ** And also the words of the Canadian ambassador of the United States to Americans. ''"You are our friends and together we are family – you do not suffer alone."'' |
| 715 | ** From a Website/YouTube commenter: ''"This really makes me appreciate and respect our relationship so much more. Sure we give each other crap all the time, stereo-typical crap, but brothers do tend to pick on each other from time to time. That's what we Canada, and the US are. Brothers."'' |
| 716 | *** So much so, that a Japanese cartoonist who studied at college in both the US and Canada, [[Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers depicted them as twin brothers.]] |
| 717 | * Nobody mentioned ex-President Corazon Aquino's funeral? Filipinos everywhere united as one, whether they were Muslim or Catholic, just to pay their respects to one of the most beloved and respected women in the country. |
| 718 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_Those_Who_Saved_the_World "To those who saved the world."]] |
| 719 | ** [[TearJerker It's a painful one, though.]] Plus, that statue was paid for, not by the government who sent them in, but by families, friends and random donors. There is also [[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/angel-monument-chernobyl The Third Angel]], connecting the disaster to Biblical and folk beliefs of the people of that region. |
| 720 | * [[https://youtu.be/wsuPqiCjyag The Interval Act for Eurovision 2010]]. |
| 721 | * Creator/AlanRickman's relationship with his girlfriend, later wife, Rima Horton. For one, they were together from ''1965'' until his death in 2016, marrying in 2012. For another, [[http://i30.tinypic.com/2isxz5d.jpg this picture]]; if that doesn't scream "love," nothing does. For a third, and also a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for him, [[http://www.alan-rickman.com/articles/angel.html this interviewer]] asked Alan why he and Rima never had children. When he answered "I'm not the only one involved," the interviewer asked if he'd ever thought of running off and starting a family with a young, nubile starlet. Alan's answer? A very firm, resounding "'''No'''." Especially when you consider that we only tend to hear about stars throwing their partners aside whenever things get a little rough, their relationship is this trope. |
| 722 | ** For that matter, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, who were practically the poster couple for TheyAllSaidWeNeverCouldBeHappy. They've now been married 37 years. When Sharon had colon cancer and was at her most depressed, Ozzy asked Creator/RobinWilliams, her favorite actor, to come and cheer her up--and he did, earning his own SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment}}s. |
| 723 | * A recent meme started up on the internet called "Sad Keanu", showing a Photoshopped picture of a downcast-looking Creator/KeanuReeves sitting on a bench by himself. A few people on the internet learned that Keanu Reeves' life hasn't always been easy, so they declared June 15, 2010 "Cheer Up Keanu Day" and started a campaign to send him gifts, fan letters, and donations to the American Cancer Society (since his sister has leukemia). There's also a website where people submitted messages of gratitude, encouragement, and admiration to Reeves. Even a couple of members of Anonymous joined in to tell him what a stand-up guy he is. |
| 724 | * At the 2010 Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) races a rider, Paul Dobbs, crashed. His close friend Paul Owen was ten seconds behind him. The two of them were very competitive with each other, but upon seeing the waved yellow flags Paul Owen stopped his bike, gave up his own race completely and grabbed the flag from the flag marshal waving it so that he could go help provide assistance to his crashed friend. Paul Dobbs didn't survive, but Paul Owen received the inaugural 'Spirit of the TT' award for his actions. |
| 725 | * During the 1992 Belgium Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, driver Erik Comas had a serious crash. Comas was rendered unconscious with his foot still pinned on the throttle, still pumping fuel through the engine. Ayrton Senna, who was fast approaching, stopped, left his car and ran across the track to Comas. He turned off the electronic kill switch in Comas's car to prevent a fire, thus saving the driver's life. Senna did all this whilst other drivers were speeding past him at breakneck speed, putting himself at serious risk. Senna was known to be a fiercely competitive driver who never settled for second place. He often ran into rivals, such as Alain Prost, to take them out of the race. Senna's selflessness extended to him donating millions of his personal fortune to numerous children's charities in his home country of Brazil. |
| 726 | * After scoring what would be the winning goal for Spain in the finals of the 2010 World Cup, Andrés Iniesta removed his shirt to reveal a white T-shirt with the message "Dani Jarque siempre con nosotros (Dani Jarque always with us)" written on it. Jarque, Iniesta's close friend, passed away from a heart attack before a preseason game against Italy in 2009. Rest assured, he's applauding you right now, Andres. |
| 727 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E Jim Valvano's ESPY speech after winning the Arthur Ashe Award.]] As he says, he's got tumors all over his body, and yet he's nothing but encouraging and positive. Mr. Valvano, your mind, heart, and soul WILL live on forever. |
| 728 | * A little old, but however: [[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/nyregion/03life.html?ex=1325480400&en=bfb239e4fab06ab5&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss Wesley Autrey.]] A man suffering from a seizure fell onto subway tracks, in the path of an oncoming train. Autrey leapt down, and pressed the man into the foot deep pit below the tracks as the train passed overhead. Both men survived. |
| 729 | ** Acts of heroism ''never'' get old. |
| 730 | * The Dominic Deegan Forum on Keenspot was threatened. [[http://forums.keenspot.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=109385&start=0 This thread]] was created to commemorated the death of the forum, and somehow turned into the such a sweet, and emotional thread that the admins chose NOT to take down the forum. |
| 731 | * In her memoir ''Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady'', Florence King wrote about an experience she had when she was a grad student at Ole Miss, during the last few years of the 1950s. She'd had an affair with another woman, and it had ended very badly (her lover had taken offense when Florence, instead of getting a grant as her lover had advised her to do, had raised the money for her next year's studies by writing and selling true-confession stories.) Florence had just gotten word that this woman, with whom she was still in love, had been killed in a car wreck along with her newest lover. She was working in her dorm when a couple of undergraduates, one of them the reigning Queen Bee of the undergraduate women, walked by. The other girl said something rude, and the next thing Florence heard was: "You ''shut your filthy mouth'', you Gulfport ''TRASH!''" and an echoing slap. Later on, when she was packing to go home, she found a note from the AlphaBitch in her things, saying that she'd fixed it so that nobody gave Florence any grief whatsoever. Keep in mind, this is about a decade before Stonewall, and Gay Rights was literally unimaginable. But Florence had, the previous year, saved the Queen Bee's academic bacon by helping her with her French (the girl wasn't stupid but just couldn't ''get'' foreign languages, while Florence had studied French for years) and, whatever her other faults, the Queen Bee was a Southern gentlewoman...[[MamaBear and she knew that she owed Florence her academic career.]] She didn't say anything directly to Florence...she just "did right," as they say around those parts. |
| 732 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAkDHuimJRc Some]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIFaCeL2Q0s&feature=related of]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZvwHsShpFQ&feature=related these]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIEFiHgPPgE Social]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhn-rLSRBJ4 Experiments]] often have some HumansAreFlawed moments. But then again, there are those who [[RousseauWasRight chose to act differently.]] |
| 733 | * Koua Fong Lee: In 2006, he was returning from church with his pregnant wife and three kids when his car suddenly accelerated and crashed into another car. Two people in the other car, one child and one adult, died. One girl in the other car was crippled and died a few years later. Lee insisted from the get-go that he had been pressing the brakes, but they hadn't responded. His AmoralAttorney didn't really try, and he ended up with an eight-year prison sentence. In 2010, he was finally freed from prison, and cleared of all charges. [[http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=865255 Full story here.]] |
| 734 | ** Sadly, these deaths related to this case could have been prevented because they were three of the 35 deaths attributed to the brake failures that led to the Toyota vehicle recalls that have gone on since 2009. |
| 735 | * A young Russian man, depressed over his fiancee dying the day before their wedding, decides to end it all by jumping off a bridge. When he got there he found a young woman in the process of climbing over the railing and stops her. [[http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1051605/couple-fall-in-love-at-suicide-spot They spent the night talking, fell in love and are now planning on getting married.]] |
| 736 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tat_Wood Tat Wood]], a much-respected writer of Doctor Who non-fiction and fanzines, sent out a desperate plea in late 2009 after a bill for several hundred pounds was due from the owners of the storage facility where he kept his archive of books, magazines, video tapes and many hundreds of other items. Having been without a permanent address or regular work for over a year and thus having failed to scrape together the money on his own, he added that if the bill were not paid in four days, the entire contents would be destroyed, effectively ending his writing career. Wood was asking for a few pounds each from anyone who had enjoyed his books and newsletters, and hoped to reach the target on time. Three hours later, one person had covered the entire amount from his own pocket. Another offered the use of his garage as a replacement storage facility. Neither asked for anything in return. |
| 737 | * In 1995, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee received an anonymous letter containing a $1,000,000 gamepiece from the UsefulNotes/McDonalds ''Monopoly'' game. Normally the game rules prohibit the transfer of prizes. However, [=McDonald's=] ''waived the rule'' and made the annual $50,000 payment installments until the 20-year period ended in 2015. |
| 738 | ** Keep in mind this occurred in a period of time when the winning gamepieces were controlled by a corrupt 'security company' that [=McDonald's=] had hired; the gangsters involved diverted the big prizes to buddies who were in on the scam. This piece was probably donated by someone with a guilty conscience. Still..... good on them. |
| 739 | ** Unfortunately it wasn't. It was [[https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-an-ex-cop-rigged-mcdonalds-monopoly-game-and-stole-millions donated by the ringleader]] simply because he hadn't recruited a "winner" for that year's prize. |
| 740 | * Trisha and Krisna, joined at the head at birth, went through intense surgery to separate them; their adoptive mother had already adopted two boys from Iraq, one having no arms, the other no legs. |
| 741 | * Esther Earl was one in human form. [[http://www.penbitten.com/2010/08/some-thoughts-about-esther-ear.html Here]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DKrs3IngoE are]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixr4YISTmck&feature=channel a]] [[http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/08/29/esther_earl_16_built_an_online_following_of_friends_as_she_battled_thyroid_cancer/ few]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa3XHeMtY3s&feature=related examples]] [[http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/estherearl/guestbook of]] [[http://thehpalliance.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-girl-i-never-knew-esther how]] [[http://www.wbur.org/2010/09/02/esther-earl she]] [[http://nerdfighters.ning.com/profiles/blogs/esther-earl?xg_source=activity touched]] [[http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2010/8/25/a-quiet-moment-for-esther people's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj96HM9kDTQ&feature=channel hearts.]] |
| 742 | ** Just a warning: [[TearJerker if you've never heard of her before, get tissues before following the links.]] |
| 743 | * John Glenn was orbiting the Earth for the first time in 1962 when he approached the coast of Australia. He noted a bright patch and the nearest radio contact told him it must be Perth, Western Australia. Indeed it was; thousands of residents had turned on their lights so that their city could be seen from space. NASA dubbed them the "City of Light." 36 years later, Perth pulled the same trick when John Glenn was aboard the space shuttle ''Discovery''. Even though he was in a much higher orbit, the city glowed brighter than ever. |
| 744 | * JLS. You may have heard of them. You may like them. But you will definitely look at these boys differently [[http://www.closeronline.co.uk/ShowbizNews/LatestNews/x-factor-boyband-jls-help-little-girl-smile-again-new-of-the-world-award.aspx when]] [[http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/north-warwickshire-news/2012/12/10/nuneaton-cancer-survivor-joins-jls-fund-raising-drive-92746-32398362/ you]] [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1389510/JLS-spread-joy-breakfast-seriously-ill-children-Rays-Sunshine-wish-morning.html see]] [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2073517/JLS-saved-daughters-life-Mother-reveals-music-tracks-meeting-pop-idols-helped-sick-teen-pull-through.html these]].[[http://web.archive.org/web/20100614062915/http://news.peacefmonline.com/foreign/201006/46054.php And this.]] [[http://www.jlsofficial.com/gb/photos/detail/2355/ And this.]] (Note that the child on the left is the ''younger'' sister of the one on the right.) |
| 745 | * [[http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/11/30/fl.boss.fires.herself.cfn13?hpt=T2 A boss fires herself to keep her employees from losing their jobs]]. |
| 746 | * [[http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110110/ts_yblog_thelookout/dick-winters-wwii-hero-chronicled-in-band-of-brothers-dies Major Winters dies]]. Not the story, that is a prime example of a TearJerker. The Heartwarming is when one scrolls down to the comments and sees that for what will be the only time in the history of the human race, the comments section of a Yahoo article is filled entirely with respect, not a troll in sight, and a complete lack of the vile hatred, racism, political bullshit, bigotry, and militant atheism cesspool of GIFT and {{jerkass}}ery that is the entirety of every other Yahoo comments section in existence. |
| 747 | * Sometimes you find yourself alone and confused in the dark. You'll be cold and lost in the storm. You grope outwards, hoping and praying that there's someone there, someone to make the pain recede. A friendly hand finds yours and holds tight. Another finds your arm, and another on your shoulder. Together, they pull you home. |
| 748 | * There is also [[http://www.nhk.or.jp/japan311/flowers/index.html this...]] and [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1buw4y_hana-wa-saku_music this]]. Search on "Hana wa Saku" at Youtube and you'll see people singing and dancing it from all over the world. |
| 749 | * Three words: [[http://superherotime.chipin.com/super-hero-time Super Hero Time]] |
| 750 | ** For those who don't want to look through it, it was a collation of fan sites dedicated to the Franchise/KamenRider and Franchise/SuperSentai franchises [[note]]in Japan, these two franchises air back to back as an hour block known as "Super Hero Time", thus the page's name[[/note]] who worked to gather money for the March 11th earthquake relief. Beyond these, they also set up a number of items whose proceeds would go to it. The items were small, but they went well - a wristband with the words "Help, Heal, Henshin!" and "Love For Japan", and two buttons - a fan drawing of Series/KamenRiderOOO trying to rescue someone and another with Series/KamenRiderOOO, [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Gokai Red]] and [[Anime/SuitePrettyCure Cures Melody and Rhythm]] looking solemn amongst the wreckage. In all, they raised $8,000 dollars to help with the recovery. Shows what fans of guys in rubber suits can do! |
| 751 | * Found on one of the various "Like" pages floating around Facebook: " |
| 752 | -->"My friend was talking to a guy on the INTERNET WHO STARTED threatening that he would come to her house and hurt her |
| 753 | -->she has 3 little brothers, ♥\ |
| 754 | all of whom slept on her floor and outside her door for a week with\ |
| 755 | nerf guns and water guns to make sure their big sister feels safe" |
| 756 | ** Unknown person, your brothers are awesome. |
| 757 | * [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/jilted-chinese-bride-suicide-attempt-_n_863630.html This]] Chinese community officer saved the life of a jilted bride and responds with modesty. |
| 758 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_66111&fmt=22&v=a_urxI9L5Ak&feature=iv This tribute to earth]]. Whenever you feel caught up and stressed out about everyday life and its petty affairs, watch this video and you will instantly feel an incredible appreciation for the very ground that you walk upon. It's a reminder of what's really important - keeping our world alive so that our nonhuman neighbors will be able to live and thrive when we're gone. |
| 759 | * [[http://www.npr.org/2008/03/28/89164759/a-victim-treats-his-mugger-right This story]] is a few years old, but definitely counts. When mugged at knifepoint, a New York man gets his mugger to return his wallet and (possibly) turn over a new leaf not through intimidation, but through a genuine desire to help out. |
| 760 | * [[http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/popcap-games-turns-9-old-game-developer-014941506.html This article]] on Yahoo. |
| 761 | * What Creator/JKRowling has to say about life: |
| 762 | --> "As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters. I wish you all very good lives." |
| 763 | * UsefulNotes/CharlesDarwin's recorded last words to his wife: "It's almost worth while to be sick to be nursed by you." |
| 764 | * ''A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP'' Farewell, Creator/LeonardNimoy. |
| 765 | * Bill Gates giving his condolences to UsefulNotes/SteveJobs, when he died. This is what he said: |
| 766 | -->"I'm truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs' death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely." |
| 767 | ** What makes it heartwarming is that despite being "rivals" and both their companies starting the mother of all computer nerd wars, it's just heartwarming in a way seeing this. |
| 768 | * [[Administrivia/DeadLink This little girl]] being surprised with a trip to Disneyland for her sixth birthday. |
| 769 | %%original link went to a "virus alert" page |
| 770 | * In the winter of 1981, construction crews working across the street from the Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle spotted a big sign up in a window there: ''Hi, I'm Gail.'' The men put up their own signs, "hi," "good morning" and so on. The communication went on through Christmas and into the new year. The men all assumed that modern medicine would save the little girl, the six-year-old granddaughter of Chebanse, Illinois construction workers. After a bone marrow transplant in March 1982, she couldn't come to the window any more, so "her crew" started coming to her. They attended her birthday party and presented her with a hard hat. When she started to fade, even the non-religious workers began praying. On April 12, 1982, Gail Yoho's mother posted a sign in the window. ''Thank you for caring. Gail says goodbye.'' |
| 771 | * [[https://abcnews.go.com/US/iowa-couple-married-72-years-dies-holding-hands/story?id=14771029 Norma and Gordon Yeager]], together for ''72 years'', died an hour apart after a car accident. What puts the story here? The ICU nurses rearranged the room so the two of them could hold hands while in their beds. After Gordon died, his heart monitor still showed a beat -- it was his wife's heartbeat, picked up through their joined hands. Norma was still holding her husband's hand when she died. The family arranged for the two of them to be placed in a single coffin, still holding hands. |
| 772 | * [[http://www.wimp.com/childrenproject/ This video]] about some Japanese kids sticking up for their class mate. |
| 773 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s4Czla6tXc This special]] from the cast/crew of ''Series/DoctorWho''. Just... Oh, David. |
| 774 | * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120612163323/http://cheezfailbooking.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/funny-facebook-fails-holding-hands1.jpg This Failbook post.]] *sniff* *tear* |
| 775 | * This rage comic. [[http://ragecomics.memebase.com/2011/11/09/rage-comics-old-people-on-the-internet/ It seems there are old people on the internet]]. |
| 776 | * Those few couples in the world who go through the most immense problems and chaos and ''You shall no be together'' and still work it out. It's heart warming every single times it happens. See the 72 years of togetherness couple above for the real beauty of a couple really trying hard to make it work, till the bittersweet end. |
| 777 | * One for the Chinese language: The term "大家" (Dàjiā) is the equivalent of "everyone" in English. However, the literal meaning of the individual characters is "big family." The idea of every person in existence being part of a "big family" is definitely heartwarming, but the idea that this culture can consider it ''true'' enough for it to be used in this way takes it to a new level. |
| 778 | ** Examples abound in the Chinese language. "小朋友" means "child", but transliterates as "little friend". Cordial interactions with strangers are prepended with surprisingly familiar terms: 哥哥/弟弟/姐姐/妹妹 (older/younger brother/sister), 師傅 (boss/foreman/master), 阿姨 (auntie), 叔叔 (uncle), 帥哥 (handsome young man), 美女 (pretty lady). And where many languages have racist or xenophobic words for visible minorities, Chinese is one of the few to have a term (generalised from a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Hands formerly-specific phrase]]) specifically for minorities who are fully accepted: 中國通 ("just like real Chinese", or more simply "one of us"). |
| 779 | ** It comes full circle in the end. The Chinese term for "goodbye" literally means "see you later". The language literally does not know how to truly part with anyone. |
| 780 | ** And when you see them again, you'll be greeted with "你好". Greetings in most other languages merely state "I exist" or "Today's alright", but in Chinese, "You're a good person". It can even be punned with adjectives: 你好漂亮 (Hello, beautiful / You're so beautiful). |
| 781 | * In Vietnamese, the formal word for "goodbye" is "tạm biệt" - literally, "parting for a brief time". But informally, Vietnamese people use the same word, "chào" for both "hello" and "goodbye" - like a denial of the fact that we will ever part, that we only say goodbye to say hello another time. |
| 782 | * In Spanish, the word for "to wait" is the same as the word for "to hope". |
| 783 | * [[http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/parents-get-belly-tattoos-to-support-son-on-insulin-pump-for-type-1-diabetes-135657313.html/ This]] right here, where the parents of a child who have an insulin pump, get's one tattooed so he don't feel alone. Awww. |
| 784 | * Carly Fleischmann is autistic and nonverbal -- she has oral-motor apraxia, so she fluently understands others' speech and her own thoughts are clear, but her own speech is messed up. Oral-motor apraxia was a known thing long before Carly's birth in 1995, but for some reason her doctors disregarded it as a possibility and pronounced her "mentally retarded". Her parents believed this... until [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZVV4Ciccg she hijacked her therapist's laptop and typed HELP TEETH HURT.]] Doubles as a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome as well. She has a book out, a website, and is the first nonverbal autistic to have an interview show. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150415160732/http://www.autismdailynewscast.com/carly-fleischmanns-heart-wrenching-call-help/23755/robertahill/ There is a lot more to Carly's life]] than the usual Hallmark 'overcoming autism' narrative, [[http://franklludwig.com/carlyfleischmann.html and it's not pleasant]]. [[https://autismrants.com/wheres-carly-fleishmann/ She has not been heard from for over three years]]. But her persistence in attempting to communicate and tell her own story is amazing, and she's brought oral-motor apraxia to more public attention. |
| 785 | * In the wake of the Virginia Tech Massacre, [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ikr45WCXsw4/TamE1ATXutI/AAAAAAAAASA/Mqrwk2F4sxU/s1600/hokies.jpg this]] was posted on every college website. |
| 786 | * Remember the video where the dad shot his daughter's laptop nine times over her comments on Facebook? Well, a recent video on Yahoo! reveals that before he emptied his .45 on the laptop, he removed the hard drive so his daughter wouldn't lose anything during his rage. Yeah, he still shot up an expensive laptop, but the fact he still loved her enough to save the data before completely destroying the laptop qualifies it for this. He even pulled the hard drive out of his pocket to show it to everyone on the video. |
| 787 | * This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36zIvUmqVpk video]] where Creator/DustinHoffman presents an the Cecil B. [=DeMille=] award to Creator/LaurenceOlivier. Hoffman's respect for Olivier and his anecdote about the great actor visiting him with a collection of his own copies of Shakespeare are very touching. Olivier's humble acceptance of the award is charming enough but the fact that he makes his speech more about his praise for Hoffman is very sweet. In fact, the fact that he accidentally snaps the top off his award is heartwarming in itself because it shows that - whilst nowadays people look on actors as detached from reality and arrogant money-grabbers who only care about making the front pages and the celebrity lifestyle - one of the greatest actors that ever lived was just as awkward and just as human as anyone else. |
| 788 | * For those who are and were avid players of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons '', having Creator/VinDiesel--''[[PrecisionFStrike friggin']]'' ''[[Film/PitchBlack Riddick]]''--not only proudly say that he is a fan and avid player of the game, but going so far as to write a deeply personal forward to the book ''30 Years of Adventure: Celebrating Dungeons & Dragons'', celebrating the game's 30th anniversary. |
| 789 | --> "This book you hold in your hands is not a history of D&D, nor is it a history of TSR or Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast, though some history of both is inevitable in a product such as this. It is a celebration—a celebration of something that has touched the lives of millions of people around the globe. Those millions have brought their hopes, their fears and their passions to the game and with each passing year they have made it richer. This celebration belongs to all of them." |
| 790 | * One year since the horrible massacre and bombing in Norway, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q7CPNNWfME thousands of Norwegians gathered in Youngstorget Square to sing "My Rainbow Race"]] a truly touching response to [[ShutUpHannibal counter the hatred]] that motivated one man to kill and destroy many lives. |
| 791 | * Upon the death of Eduard Khil, most famous as the Trololo Man, numerous people from all over [=YouTube=] commented what amounted to a flood of never-ending "Rest in Peace" comments from countries all across the world on the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1orMXD_Ijbs official video]]. It's amazing to see people all over the world, from Chile to Croatia, sending their thoughts to him. As one person said, "They say that you die twice: once when your heart stops beating, and once when people stop saying your name. We will never forget you, Eduard." |
| 792 | ** Just as heartwarming is that after being stuck in relative obscurity for several years and likely not being well known outside of Russia (Where he had received several awards, mind), the internet embraced his song and gave him worldwide fame and recognition. Despite it not having lyrics, it warmed the hearts of millions worldwide and clearly touched Eduard deeply knowing that people were appreciating him and his music. Although he is sadly no longer with us, at least he left us knowing that people would miss him and he will always be remembered. RIP Eduard. |
| 793 | * Meet Korean baby Yerin Park. In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaORkxtO-3o&feature=plcp this video]] she tries to call her dad, who is on a business trip, but the call drops. You can see just how much she misses him. Then she sees his face during a Skype call... |
| 794 | * Mayor of London and future [[UsefulNotes/TheMenOfDowningStreet British Prime Minister]] UsefulNotes/BorisJohnson was riding his bicycle one night, and comes across a women being harassed by a gang of youths, quick as a flash he gets off his bicycle and runs at the gang, shouting "OIKS!". Needless to say the gang scatters, he then comes back and makes sure the women is all right before riding off into the night again. The best bit, he doesn't even use this as a bit of publicity or use it in any campaigns. |
| 795 | * [[http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/one-ny-couple-found-son-subway-family-made-193600740.html This story]] about a gay couple finding an abandoned baby at a New York subway station and adopting him. |
| 796 | ** It also bears mentioning that the article never explicitly says they were gay, possibly because their orientation makes no difference to the fact that a child now has a loving home. |
| 797 | * What happens when you put a megaphone in New York with the sign "Say something nice" on it? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwEYYI-AGWs This.]] |
| 798 | * [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The power of love]] breathes life into [[http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/06/mother-brings-baby-back-to-life-with-two-hours-of-loving-cuddles-after-doctors-pronounce-him-dead.html a prematurely born baby.]] [[TearJerker Try not to cry.]] |
| 799 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlbOTZgs2xc This]] musical tribute from actor Creator/JohnBarrowman to his fans. Also, the audience reaction to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW-AxyBQ1kA this]] rendition of ''[[Theatre/LaCageAuxFolles I Am What I Am]]''. It's clear that the sheer love and support of his fans is making him pretty emotional. |
| 800 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS765lEg3cA German theater runner Reni Laur's retirement party.]] The sweetest moment here is Santiago Ziesmer and Oliver Feld, the dub voices of [[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren and Stimpy]], singing a duet to her. |
| 801 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlK4H7Mpopw This]] boy finds out that he's getting a dog for Christmas, and promptly bursts into tears. |
| 802 | * There are a ton of videos of people announcing their pregnancy to their loved ones. Their absolute joy and astonishment is fantastic to watch. Examples [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ddX-fmEtY here]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcGdmsVDni8 here]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY5uNvFRruQ here]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIixVt4PFz0 here]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGwEylYt-pY here]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ojGbd3png here]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPYEVZb6Ypc here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUVnwlfYJKo here (with twins!)]]. |
| 803 | * [[http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/dog-saved-abandoned-birmingham-baby-6265144 A baby was found abandoned in a park in Birmingham, UK. An elderly man and his dog, Jade, rescued her immediately after discovering her. She is now safe and well, and she was given the name of the dog that found her..]] |
| 804 | * [[http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/AustinBonner/news/?a=90147 This wonderful comic]] about how superheroes of all forms can save your life in the best ways possible. |
| 805 | * [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shanell-mouland/dear-daddy-in-seat-16c_b_4585865.html Here]] is an article by the mother of an autistic child to the stranger on an airplane her daughter met and started calling "Daddy." |
| 806 | * On May 28th, 2014, actor Creator/LeVarBurton started up a Website/{{Kickstarter}} project to help fund a major revival of ''Series/ReadingRainbow'' for the web and to be shown in over 1500 classrooms. He had a goal of $1 million to be made in 34 days. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome It got done in at least seven hours.]] [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/readingrainbow/bring-reading-rainbow-back-for-every-child-everywh/posts/858121 Just seeing LeVar choke up at how much people want this back]] is a testament of how it changed a lot of people how they want it back for the future. |
| 807 | * [[http://www.timesofisrael.com/slain-israeli-teens-uncle-consoles-murdered-palestinians-father/ A murdered Israeli teen's uncle reaching out to a murdered Palestinian teen's family and offering his condolences]]. |
| 808 | * [[http://www.toms.com/onedaywithoutshoes The TOMS One Day Without Shoes campaign]]. People raise awareness for poor children without shoes by removing their shoes and socks, putting them aside, and spending a whole day walking barefooted everywhere. |
| 809 | * For a guy who makes jokes about recent tragedies, Creator/GilbertGottfried can be surprisingly sincere. He wrote [[https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152309789372205&id=59736317204&fref=nf a Facebook status]] ''and'' [[http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/12/opinion/gottfried-robin-williams/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter an article for CNN]] mourning the loss of Creator/RobinWilliams. Many of the other reactions to Williams' death (such as the Broadway cast of ''Theatre/{{Aladdin}}'' leading the audience in a "Friend Like Me" singalong during curtain call) fit this trope as well. |
| 810 | * All (well, almost all) the real life examples on the DoingItForTheArt page. All these people make and invest in fiction because they ''like fiction''. Because they find it fun, and want other people to enjoy it too. If you're struggling with a piece of your own writing, take some inspiration from these good souls. |
| 811 | * UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli [[TalkingDownTheSuicidal talking down]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV75aFzC1aQ a suicidal man]]. |
| 812 | * Dove started a [=#RealStrength=] campaign for Father's Day 2015, claiming that the ability to care is a true sign of a man's strength. It was started with [[https://youtu.be/R0-5HORRXU0 this video]] showcasing several dads-to-be being overjoyed that their SO is pregnant, and at the end of the video Dove calls for fathers to share their experience and advice. |
| 813 | * The UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade has had several: |
| 814 | ** The 1994 parade had a memorable performance from a sign language troupe called Children Around The World along with Miss America 1995. |
| 815 | ** Starting in 2003, the parade bestowed a scholarship to one participating band member in memory of Creator/BobHope, who had just died that year. |
| 816 | ** The fact that the parade went on just two months after 9/11, despite thoughts that the world was not in the mood for a parade at such a distressing time. Thankfully, those thoughts were diminished. Bonus points for being the 75th anniversary parade. |
| 817 | * After the Telegraph posted an article with the headline "Socialist Jeremy Corbyn Reveals He Covets A £475 Bike", someone began a crowdfund the bike for Mr. Corbyn. It raised over £5,000. The kicker? [[http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jeremy-corbyn-gives-5000-raised-7193345 Corbyn stated he won't use any of the money to buy the bike, which he'll buy for himself on his birthday. Instead, the entire amount goes to charity.]] |
| 818 | * In a rather [[NightmareFuel morbid,]] [[TearJerker somewhat twisted way]], meet Bruce Lee. No, not that one. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwadpGdskCM Bruce Lee, king of the sewers.]] In Romania, there's a society of homeless people living in the sewers, almost all of them are addicted to heroin and have HIV, to give these people some amount of order, Bruce Lee looks over them, giving them drugs, protecting the kids from predators, and often going so far as to hire gangs to look over the sewers to make sure nothing happens to them. From his actions, it's pretty clear he legitimately cares about these people. |
| 819 | * On November 2, 2009, at the Hillsborough County jail in Florida, Deputy Ken Moon was on guard duty when he was assaulted from behind by inmate Douglas Burden, who attempted to strangle him. Immediately, a group of other inmates jumped in to protect the deputy, knocking Burden to the ground and radioing for help. Both men survived with only minor injuries. When asked why they decided to step in and help, the inmates all replied with [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe "Moon's a good guy."]] Doubles as a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. |
| 820 | * Actor Creator/AdamDevine was almost killed after being hit by a 42-tonne cement truck when he was just 11. After being in a coma for 2 weeks, he discovered that he had broken all the bones in both his legs, had circulatory shock, and a collapsed lung. During the experience, Adam remained positive that he would walk again, even though his extensive injuries could result in his legs being amputated. Throughout his time away from school, he would ring into his local radio station and do celebrity impersonations. He discovered the power of comedy in uniting people and bringing hope, and after 26 surgeries and years of recovery, he could fully walk again. Fast-forward to 2016/2017, and Adam is the spokesperson for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, the same organisation that helped him when he was a child. Adam regularly visits the children in hospital, and offers hope to them that they can get better. |
| 821 | * Peru, after a very long stint, finally made it into a World Cup. So it sent its salutes to the opponents in its group. The salutes would be a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}} in their own right, being all cute and cuddly and France and Australia were nice and responded in kind. But, then, Denmark decided to compound on it. Its video thanking Peru for the salute had a rendering of the (very beautiful) Danish anthem ''adapted for Peru and describing the Peruvian national beauty and history'' before mentioning the two would have the honor of playing together, plus Danish players saluting Peru in Spanish and other bits of ''hygge''[[note]]a Danish concept that basically takes coziness to the next level[[/note]]-filled awesomeness. [[https://twitter.com/DBUfodbold/status/1002156911893143552 It must be seen to be believed]]. |
| 822 | * Two of the most contentious neighboring countries are Armenia and Azerbaijan, who have had a long-fought conflict between each other. However, in spite of it being a controversial move, [[https://eurasianet.org/armenian-azerbaijani-facebook-photo-causes-scandal an Armenian woman and an Azerbaijani man]] took a selfie together showing that, no matter how difficult things are between their countries, they wouldn't let it get in the way of them becoming friends. While the reaction was split, plenty of Armenians and Azerbaijanis chimed in with stories of getting along with each other and believing that, somehow, they can find common ground and live in peace eventually. |
| 823 | * In a strange way, it is very heartwarming to know that even bad people can do very good deeds. Ranker has a list of 15 surprisingly noble deeds done by criminals and notorious people from history. [[https://www.ranker.com/list/good-deeds-by-bad-people/jacob-shelton Here]]. You can find more [[https://www.therichest.com/shocking/16-shockingly-good-deeds-committed-by-historys-most-evil-people/ here]]. |
| 824 | * The friendship between Creator/PatrickStewart and Creator/IanMcKellen is just incredibly sweet. There are countless photos and videos of them joking around, going out to meals and events together, bickering, and just being adorable together. Here are [[https://www.boredpanda.com/patrick-stewart-ian-mckellen-friendship-photos/ some]]. |
| 825 | * [=YouTube=] comment sections tend to be {{Wretched Hive}}s of scum and villainy, except for Internet Checkpoints. These videos, noted by extended uploads of Stickerbrush Symphony from ''Donkey Kong Country 2'' with animated backgrounds that look like screensavers, tend to be filled with either people noting recent events in their lives, or people encouraging others who stumble upon these videos by saying that, as they found a checkpoint, they're the main character, and that they should tell a story worth telling. It's surprisingly touching, especially when combined with the soothing music. |
| 826 | * This photographer's [[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QiyhsiLgrUw response]] to a clip of some dude saying he'd leave his wife if she didn't get back in shape shortly after giving birth. He recounts a story of when his own wife asked him why he didn't edit out the flaws in her photos the way he did for his clients'. Confused, he replied that he did, but later realized not only that he didn't, he ''couldn't''; he saw no flaws to fix. Every "flaw" she hated about herself was a sign of the history and children they had together to him. It ends with him being unable to fathom how the dude in the clip could see ''his'' wife so dehumanizingly. |
| 827 | * Creator/GarthEnnis and Creator/MarkMillar are some of the most cynical writers in the comic book industry, the former of whom flat-out despises the superhero genre. However, they exempt the original superhero, ComicBook/{{Superman}} himself from this cynicism and write his status as a HopeBringer, an AllLovingHero, and TheCape with total respect. In fact, Millar turned to writing more idealistic stories as a counter to ''Film/ManOfSteel'' because even though he deconstructs the Superman archetype through characters like [[ComicBook/JupitersLegacy The Utopian]], he admitted in an essay regarding his creation of ''ComicBook/{{Huck}}'' that he admires Superman for always doing the right thing. And though Ennis writes unflattering {{Expies}} of Superman, such as [[ComicBook/TheBoys Homelander]] and [[ComicBook/ThePro The Saint]], when the Big Blue himself shows up in an issue of ComicBook/{{Hitman}}, one of Ennis's infamous [[AuthorTract long-winded speeches about his beliefs]] is ''idealistic'' for once, praising Superman as the best of America. |
| 828 | -->''"The strange blue world to which my father sent me.'' |
| 829 | -->''If you knew how you are loved, not one of you would raise a hand in rage again."'' |
| 830 | -->--'''JLA/ComicBook/{{Hitman|1993}}''' |
| 831 | * ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' shows you don't have to be real [[http://comicsalliance.com/all-star-superman-world-suicide-prevention-day/ to save a life]]. |
| 832 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzW3tQFV5M0&lc=Ugxbr1iOcxqHZnaHBuJ4AaABAg This comment]] on one of ''WebVideo/CinemaTherapy's'' videos, about a man and his wife with Alzheimer's: |
| 833 | ** "My great aunt developed early onset Alzheimer's some years ago. My great uncle refused to put her into a care facility. He did constant research, sacrificed time and money he couldn't afford to take her to the best doctors he could find. When she declined, he fed her, bathed her, changed her diapers, put up with her slaps and verbal abuse with a patience and a love I could never begin to describe in words. When she passed away, and he was grieving and asking the doctors if he had overlooked anything, if he somehow could've done anything differently to give her an even better life, they told him that he caught the physical symptoms and addressed them quicker than their best cared for patients, and she lived 12 years longer than the average patient because of his care and attention. Make that love story into a movie." |
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