In 1986, a young Indian boy named Saroo Brierley hopped on the wrong train, ended up in the bustling city of Calcutta, and thought he had lost track of his family forever. 25 years later, he has finally made contact with his loved ones, thanks to Google Earth. After being completely lost for a month, Brierley was adopted and subsequently grew up in Australia, where he always wondered what had happened to his family.
Using a combination of math (to create a radius around Calcutta to find out how far the train he hopped on had gone) and Google Earth (to find places that looked familiar), Brierley eventually figured out what city he had been born in. "It was just like being Superman. You are able to go over and take a photo mentally and ask, 'Does this match?' And when you say, 'No', you keep on going and going and going," he said. About a month and a half ago, Brierley trekked back to his native town of Khandwa and found his mother, to both of their great surprise. Check out BBC News for the full inspiring story, which BBC says has attracted the eyes of book publishers and film producers alike.
Thanks for the tip, eoes5591!