Selfless Sacrifices for Greater Good Quiz

Answer: He allowed infected mosquitoes to bite him.

American physician Dr Lazear wanted to find out how yellow fever was transmitted. He allowed mosquitoes infected with yellow fever to bite him and consequently he developed yellow fever. Unfortunately, the disease killed him in 1900 within 17 days, at age 34, leaving behind his wife and two children.

Answer: Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is also known for supporting many charities including cancer research, after his sister, Kim was diagnosed with leukemia. It is reported that he donated approximately $31 million to cancer research. He supports the SickKids Foundation, PETA, and the Wildlife Waystation. Reeves is seen on the subway giving his seat up for elderly passengers. Philanthropy is close to this wonderful man's heart.

Answer: Anwar Khokhar

Born in 1942, this special man founded the Khidmat-i-Masoom Welfare Trust in 2001. The trust helps to reunite lost children with their families, and is supported by local philanthropists. Khokhar himself has reunited over 8500 children since he began his mission over 20 years ago.

Answer: He forged documents to help Jewish people escape the Nazis.

Frank Foley was a remarkable man. He born in 1884 and served in WWI. Foley was dismayed by the treatment of Jewish people in WWII. In the 1920s and '30s, Foley worked as an undercover British Intelligence operative at a passport control office in Berlin, where he forged passports and modified visas to help Jewish people escape the Nazis. He was able to enter concentration camps and personally issue the documents despite the risks to himself. It is believed that he saved over 10,000 people that way.

Answer: Dr. Ganesh Rakh

Dr Gashesh Rahk is a selfless man. He is the father of one child - a girl and realised, when she was born, how dismal the situation for females was. In India, sons are preferred as they take care of the parents as they get older, perform funeral rites, and support their families. Girls, on the other hand, are seen as liabilities due to the high cost of doweries. Because families celebrate the birth of boys, his staff celebrate each female birth and Dr. Ganesh organises marches designed to place boys and girls on equal footing.

In 2007, Dr Rakh set up a hospital in India and in 2012 he launched the Mulgi Vachva Abhiyan ("campaign to save the girl child").

Answer: Terry Fox

Born in 1958, Terry Fox had a leg amputated due to cancer at age 19. He saw many critically ill children in the hospital and felt he wanted to do something to help them. Thus the Marathon of Hope was born. Terry began his run in April 1980 and was forced to stop it the following September when the cancer returned to his lungs.

He is one of the national heroes of Canada. The Terry Fox Run is now an annual event that takes place in the fall with people of all ages participating. People fundraise and donate to this worthy cause and all funds are donated to cancer research.

Answer: Jonas Salk

Jonas Salk developed the inactivated polio vaccine between 1952 and 1955. It was declared safe in 1955, and has saved countless lives. Salk did not patent the vaccine because he felt that access to and affordability of it was paramount. He famously stated, 'Could you patent the sun?'

Answer: He injected himself with blood from infectious people.

Dr Goldberger was born in 1874 Hungary, and came to the USA in 1883. He studied the people ill with pellagra. He noticed that they tended to be poor and felt that the cause was lack of proper nutrition. In 1914, he conducted an experiment with prison inmates. One group was fed the usual prison fare while the other was fed fresh vegetables, meat, and milk.

The former developed pellagra while the latter did not. Pellagra it was found is caused by a lack of niacin also known as Vitamin B. Goldberger even injected himself with the blood of pellagra patients to prove definitively that pellagra was not contagious.

Answer: Desmond Doss

Born in 1919, Doss, an American and Seventh Day Adventist, refused to carry a gun due to religious beliefs, so he became an army medic. During the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, Doss rescued 75 injured men, carrying them one by one to safety. As a result, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman.

Answer: Harriet Tubman

Born in 1822, Tubman was deeply affected by her experiences as a slave. The terrible abuse of her fellow slaves including beatings, whippings and families being separated, motivated her to free as many slaves as possible. She guided approximately 70 people to freedom between 1850 and 1860. Tubman, also known as Araminta Ross, was never caught and died in 1913 aged 91.