r/AllThatsInteresting

After attempting to sail from Tonga to either New Zealand or Australia in 1965, six teenage boys instead ended up on the small uninhabited island of ‘Ata. From the beginning, the boys knew they would have to cooperate to survive. They started and ended each day with a song and a prayer, agreed to divide chores and responsibilities equally, and, if anyone had a problem, they had freedom and space to discuss it. Within the island’s volcanic crater, the so-called Tongan castaways also found the remnants of the island’s former inhabitants, Indigenous people who had been kidnapped as slaves and who had left behind wild taro, bananas, and feral chickens. ⁠

With these resources and their cooperative philosophy, the boys survived on ‘Ata for 15 months — until a fishing boat happened to pass by and rescue them.

Read more about their miraculous story: The Incredible Story Of The Tongan Castaways, The Teenage Boys Who Survived For 15 Months On An Uninhabited Island

James Dougherty was 21 years old when he married a teenage Norma Jeane Baker, who would go on to become one of the most famous women in modern history. At the time, however, Baker was just 16 and set to return to an orphanage unless she found a husband quickly. Her foster mother set her up with Dougherty, and though their relationship began as one of convenience, the pair soon "loved each other madly." Just two years after they wed on June 19, 1942, Dougherty was deployed to the Pacific Theater of World War II. While he was gone, a photographer discovered Norma Jeane Baker working in a factory — and soon, Marilyn Monroe was born. ⁠

Read the full story: James Dougherty, The Little-Known First Husband Of Marilyn Monroe

The Jarkov Mammoth was found by the Nenets reindeer herder family, the Jarkovs, who noticed tusks protruding from frozen ground. Paleontologists, led by Bernard Buigues, extracted the 23-ton block of permafrost containing the mammoth using helicopters and heavy equipment. This method allowed scientists to preserve the specimen’s context and fragile tissues.

The excavation was featured in international documentaries, including Raising the Mammoth (2000) by the Discovery Channel, which showcased the unprecedented logistics of lifting an entire frozen carcass intact.