Self-taught William Kamkwamba has received praise from business leaders and climate change activists all around the world, including Al Gore.
Given that he was forced to leave school at age 14 because his family could no longer afford the $80-a-year (£50) tuition, his incredible achievements are all the more impressive.
His prospects appeared limited when he returned to his parents’ modest acreage in the Masitala community in rural Malawi.
However, this was not another story of how poverty has hampered the promise of Africa.
Defense against hunger
The village in which the kid lived has never had running water or electricity.
And he wasn’t going to wait for officials or humanitarian organizations to act on his behalf.
After one of Malawi’s worst droughts, which resulted in thousands of deaths and put his family in danger of starving in 2002, there was an even greater need for action.
Because he was unable to go to school, he continued his studies by accessing a nearby library.
His life was forever altered when, as a science enthusiast, he picked up a worn-out textbook and discovered a drawing of a windmill.
“I was quite excited when I discovered the windmill could create energy and pump water,” Mr. Kamkwamba told the BBC News website.
I reasoned, “That might be a defense against hunger. Perhaps I might construct one for myself.”
He labored on his prototype while working with a paraffin lamp in the nights when he wasn’t helping his family grow maize.
But his clever proposal was met with blank stares in his 200-person community.
He says that “many, including my mother, feared I was going mad.” They had never before seen a windmill.
The shock
The fact that the boy spent so much time exploring trash dumps further confused the neighbors.
People mistook me for a pot smoker, he claimed. I explained to them that I was merely creating something for juju (magic), and they said, “Ah, I understand.”
Mr. Kamkwamba, who is now 22 years old, made the blades for the turbine out of plastic tubing that had been flattened by being held over a fire, together with a tractor fan blade and an old shock absorber.
In a regretful recollection of his months of laborious labour, Mr. Kamkwamba recounts, “I got a couple electric shocks climbing the [windmill].”
The completed design, a 5-m (16-ft) tall blue-gum tree wood tower that was swaying over Masitala, appeared to be little more than a vain tinkerer’s blunder.
However, when Mr. Kamkwamba climbed the windmill and attached a vehicle light bulb to the turbine, his neighbors’ amusement quickly turned to surprise.
A gathering of amazed witnesses went wild when the light sparked to life and the blades started to spin in the breeze.
The genius child’s 12-watt marvel soon began supplying power to his family’s mud-brick home.
Electric wind
The paraffin lanterns were replaced with light bulbs, a circuit breaker fashioned from the magnets and nails from an old stereo speaker, and a light switch constructed from bicycle spokes and flip-flop rubber.
Soon, locals began standing in line to charge their phones.
When a writer from the Daily Times newspaper in Blantyre produced an article about Mr. Kamkwamba in November 2006, the story was propelled around the blogosphere.
While doing this, he added water storage tanks, constructed a mechanical pump powered by solar energy above a borehole, and provided the area around his town with its first source of potable water.
Having had the wooden base of his initial windmill eaten away by termites, he upgraded it to 48 volts and anchored it in concrete.
Then he constructed a second windmill, which he called the “Green Machine,” to drive a water pump that irrigated his family’s field.
Soon, people from all over the place came to watch at the boy prodigy’s magetsi an mphepo, or “electric wind.”
He received an invitation to the famous Technology Entertainment Design conference in Arusha, Tanzania, in the middle of 2007 as word of his renewable energy projects spread.
Cheetah generation
He remembers how thrilled he was to use a computer for the first time at the occasion.
He remarks, “I had never seen the internet, it was incredible. “I Googled windmills and discovered a lot of information.”
Standing ovations followed the native Chichewa speaker’s hesitant onstage retelling of his tale as he moved the jaded venture capitalists.
He was then featured on the Wall Street Journal’s main page in a glistening photograph.
He is currently enrolled on scholarship at Johannesburg, South Africa’s prestigious African Leadership Academy.
The world is at Mr. Kamkwamba’s feet, but he is determined to go home after his studies. He has been flown to conferences all over the world to share his life story.
With only 2% of Malawians having access to electricity, the local hero wants to finish providing power to the entire country.
I want to use everything I’ve learnt to benefit my country, he declares. I believe there is a great deal of work to be done.
Bryan Mealer, a former reporter for the Associated Press news agency, had been covering conflict in Africa for five years when he learned Mr. Kamkwamba’s tale.
The amazing event was the kind of inspiring tale that New Yorker Mealer had long wished to write about.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which has just been released in the US, was written by the author for a year with Mr. Kamkwamba.
Mealer claims that Mr. Kamkwamba is a representative of Africa’s new “cheetah generation,” a group of youthful, tech-hungry individuals who are taking charge of their own fate.
The 34-year-old Mr. Mealer says, “Spending a year with William writing this book reminded me why I fell in love with Africa in the first place.
It’s the kind of story that reminds us of our own potential and connects with every person.
How long until the film rights to the inspirational tale of overcoming adversity are bought up and William Kamkwamba, the young man who dared to dream, appears on the big screen?
How hero parrot saved little girl who was choking on her breakfast
In 2008 Quaker parrot Willie alerted his owner Megan Howard when the little girl she was babysitting began to choke. Howard was in the bathroom when the parrot repeatedly yelled "Mama! Baby!" flapping his wings. Megan rushed and performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving her life. Willie received the Red Cross Animal Lifesaver Award.
The Man Who Survived Falling Through a Thunderstorm, William Rankin
William Rankin was a fighter pilot who survived an ejection into a thunderstorm. He suffered frostbite, violent wind and lightning, severe decompression, and nearly drowned from breathing in rain water. He was in the cloud for over 40 minutes in total.
A three-year-old boy discovers a $4 million pendant in England
A $4 million 16th-century gold pendant was discovered in 2010 by a three-year-old boy using his father's metal detector.
Lafayette pizza delivery driver who saved 5 from burning house
Nicholas Bostic a 25-year-old pizza delivery man from Lafayette, Indiana, ran into a burning house to rescue four children, who told him there is one more inside. He ran back inside, he found the six-year-old girl, jumped out of a window, carried her to a cop who captured the moment on his bodycam.
Kipekee, the world's only spotless giraffe, was born at Brights Zoo
The world's only spotless giraffe was born at a zoo in the United States. The giraffe born without spots on July 31 is the only one of her kind on Earth.
New York installs first offshore wind turbine to power 70,000 homes
New York State has achieved a historic milestone in its clean energy transition by installing the first wind turbine at its first offshore wind farm, South Fork Win.
A man who was saved from committing suicide 16 years ago now assists people dealing with mental health issues
Kevin Berthia traveled to the Golden Gate Bridge in 2005 to commit suicide. He ended up spending 92 minutes on the edge of the bridge talking to officer Kevin Briggs about his life. In much better circumstances, they cross paths at the same bridge ten years later.
Photos: This man sold everything 45 years ago to buy a bike and travel 6,000 miles from India to Sweden to see his love.
An Indian man traveled from India to Sweden on a bicycle to meet his Swedish wife in 1978. The journey took him 4 months and through eight countries.
Toddler Calls 911 Accidentally and Saves Dad's Life
A father from Florida collapsed on the floor during a medical episode. Fortunately, his toddler son dialed 911 by accident and saved his life. An officer from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office arrived quickly and administered first aid before transporting him to a nearby hospital.
Unique Dining table with a hole for your cat to peek and join you dinner.
Dinos, a Japanese internet shop, has launched a new range of cat furniture, which includes this oak table with a hole in the middle and a perch underneath. It places your cat companion in the center of the table, making your cat the main focus of your meal, as it should be, because cats are the true proprietors of “your” home.
Kenyan Innovator Creates Smart Gloves That Translate Sign Language Into Audible Speech
In 2023, a Kenyan inventor Roy Allela invented smart gloves that can convert sign language movements into audio speech, for his six years old niece who was born deaf.
This whale tail sculpture saved a train that went off the rails
A train in the Netherlands failed to stop in time and broke through the emergency barrier. It's being held up by the statue of a whale's tail.
The Inspiring Journey of Francis Tsai, Marvel Comics artist diagnosed with ALS
Francis Tsai, an American illustrator and conceptual artist who worked for Marvel Comics, was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. After he lost the ability to move his hands and arms, he started painting digitally on his cellphone with his right big toe. After he could not move his feet anymore, he began using eye-gaze technology to keep drawing.
Passenger with No Flying Experience Lands Plane in Florida: A Real-Life Aviation Miracle
A passenger with no flying experience landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died mid-flight. With guidance from air traffic control, he safely touched down—a real-life aviation miracle caught on radar and radio.
The Man Who Kept a “Gold” Rock for Years—Only to Discover It Was a 4.6-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Worth a Fortune
A man cherished a heavy 17-kilogram rock for years, believing it to be solid gold. The surprising twist? Experts later revealed it was a rare, 4.6-billion-year-old iron meteorite—an ancient cosmic relic worth far more than gold. Dive into the fascinating story of this celestial treasure and what makes it so valuable.
Troy Leon Gregg: the death row inmate murdered the same night he escaped
In July 1980, Troy Leon Gregg escaped from Georgia State Prison the night before his execution. However, he was killed in a fight in a bar just a few hours later.
Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’
In 2009, Gergely Barki, an art historian, was watching the film Stuart Little (1999) when he spotted an original long-lost painting used as a prop. Called Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, this painting was the work of Hungarian avant-garde painter Róbert Berény. The painting had been considered lost after World War II.
Drive-Thru Weddings in Las Vegas: The Ultimate Fast, Fun, and Legal Way to Say “I Do”
Inspired by fast food convenience, Las Vegas offers drive-thru weddings where couples can legally marry in under 5 minutes—without leaving their car. Some chapels even offer curbside Elvis impersonators and 24/7 ceremonies, complete with “to-go” marriage licenses.
Before Hollywood, Christopher Walken Was a Teenage Lion Tamer with a Lioness Named Sheba
Before acting, Christopher Walken worked as a lion tamer in a circus at age 16. He performed with a lioness named Sheba and described the job as surprisingly calm—just another day before Hollywood stardom.
The WWII Parachute Wedding Dress
Major Claude Hensinger jumped out of a B-29 bomber during World War II when the engine caught fire. He was saved by his parachute. Later, he requested that his fiancée Ruth make him a gown out of the same parachute. The dress is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
Who invented the three-point seat belt?
While employed by Volvo in 1959, Swidish engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point safety belt. Volvo first had the design patented, but soon as they discovered its importance as a new safety measure, they made the patent open to everyone. Millions of lives were genuinely spared by Volvo’s gift to the world.
Apple Watch saves a 78 year old man from life threatening fall
An Apple watch saved the life of a 78-year-old man from North Carolina. When the man was unconscious and collapsed on his driveway, his Apple watch quickly sent an alert to emergency services.
Water park in japan, ocean dome: Largest indoor water park in the world
The Seagaia Ocean Dome, located in Miyazaki, Japan, was the biggest indoor waterpark in the world. An "Ocean" six times the size of an Olympic pool, filled with 13,500 tons of unsalted, chlorinated water kept heated at 28 degrees Celsius and recognized as the largest simulated pool by the Guinness Book of World Records, measures 12,000 square meters of the sandy beach made from 600 tons of stone.
Aitzaz Hasan, Pakistani school boy who sacrificed his life from suicide bomber
Aitzaz Hasan, a 15 year old Pakistani school boy, sacrificed his life while preventing a suicide bomber from entering his school of 2000 students. His father said "My son made his mother cry but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children."
A story of a man Survived Inside Sunken Ship For Three Days
A man survived a sunken ship for nearly three days, 279 feet underwater and in complete darkness, while listening to fish eat the bodies of his shipmates.
