When Jack Andraka was 15 years old, he created a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer. Jack's test is 28 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive and over 100 times more sensitive than the current diagnostic tests. His test earned him first prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which is like the Olympics of science fairs.

It was after a close family friend died of pancreatic cancer that Jack Andraka became interested in finding a better early-detection diagnostic test. Jack said the solution came to him during his high school biology class. He was secretly reading an article about nanotubes while the teacher was talking about antibodies. Jack said the two ideas came together in his head, and he thought he could combine what the teacher was saying with what he knew about nanotubes to create an early detection test for pancreatic cancer.

Jack Andraka used what he found through Google searches and free online science journals to develop a plan and a budget. Jack contacted about 200 people including researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health with a proposal to work in their labs. He got 199 rejections before he finally got an acceptance from Dr. Anirban Maitra, Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Jack worked after school every day, on weekends and over holidays at Maitra's lab until he developed his test.

So, think about Jack Andraka the next time you hear that something can't be done. Or, if you receive numerous rejections (close to 200 in Jack Andraka's case) or you're simply hesitating to give one of your ideas a shot. Also, keep in mind that you don't necessarily need a giant team, billions of dollars in resources or even more than 15 years of life experience to do something amazing.

Before she was Queen of England, Princess Elizabeth wanted to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), a female branch of the British military. It was World War II, and women worked at jobs traditionally held by men, who were fighting overseas.

At that time Elizabeth was a teenager and first had to convince her parents of her plan. Her father, King George VI, thought it was too dangerous. But Princess Elizabeth would not take “no” for an answer. “I ought to do as other girls of my age do,” she said firmly. After some months, her parents finally agreed to let her join, Princess Elizabeth did not receive any special treatment in the ATS. The only different thing was that she returned to Windsor Castle each night to sleep.

When she arrived at the ATS camp depot (兵站) for her first day of training, Princess Elizabeth was greeted by a car with its wheels off. In the weeks that followed, she learned to take apart an engine and then assemble (组装) it. The princess loved the training, admitting, “I'm a mechanic at last.”

Princess Elizabeth worked on car, truck, and even tank engine. She also learned to read maps and drive officer transport cars, ambulances, and military trucks. To complete ber ATS training, she was required to drive a big truck on her own.

The king and queen thought driving a truck was too dangerous, but before they could let her know how they felt, they discovered Elizabeth driving a truck onto the palace ground. She had driven from the ATS camp through the busy London streets all by herself.

Princess Elizabeth became Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. She loved horses and always rode a horse. She also actively managed her estate (庄园) farm at Balmoral and was often seen to hike through the countryside there.