In a world where the latest political drama always seems to dominate the headlines and the devastating effects of climate change are impossible to ignore, sometimes it can be worth remembering the capacity for love and generosity that human beings can have to renew your faith in humanity.

Acts of kindness don’t have to be grand gestures. Showing someone that you care could take something as little as paying for their coffee order or wishing them a good day.

On 17 February, the US-based Random Acts of Kindness foundation observes Random Acts of Kindness Day, with the aim of making “kindness the norm”.

From selflessly giving to the homeless to honouring fallen heroes, take inspiration from 12 of the most incredible acts of kindness for Random Acts of Kindness Day:

1. Helping a woman in need

Carlos Davis (Twitter)

When online comedian Carlos Davis and his brother spotted a woman paying for her petrol in pennies at a gas station, they decided to step in and offer her money to cover the expenses.

They didn’t realise how much of an impact their act of kindness would have on the woman, who unbeknownst to them was suffering from emotional turmoil.

After Davis stepped out of his car to hand the woman the dollar notes, the woman burst into tears and told him that her husband had died just a week prior.

“How did you know?” the woman asked the brothers, to which Davis responded: “It’s only right, we’ve got to stick together.”

When the woman asked the brothers how she could repay them, they told her to simply pay it forward by doing a kind deed for someone else.

Davis shared the video of their interaction on Twitter in October 2018, with the tweet garnering almost 100,000 likes and more than 30,000 retweets

2. Honouring a hero

Veterans and service personnel gather to pay their respects to Harold Percival at Lytham Park Crematorium, Lytham St Annes, in Lancashire (PA)

In 2013, RAF war veteran Harold Jellicoe Percival passed away at the age of 99 in a nursing home.

Mr Percival never married, didn’t have any children and didn’t have any relatives who were able to attend the funeral ceremony.

An appeal was put out in a local newspaper for people to attend the service in honour of the veteran, who served during the Second World War.

More than 200 people turned up to pay their respects to Mr Percival after the appeal went viral on social media.

3. Shaving heads in solidarity

Boulder Daily Camera (YouTube)

In 2015, nine-year-old Marlee Pack was informed that she was suffering from alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer.

Marlee was forced to miss a lot of school due to her treatment, which involved weeks of gruelling chemotherapy.

When the time came for Marlee to return to class at Meridian Elementary School in Broomfield, Colorado, she felt worried about being the only one with a shaved head.

Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest Show all 50 1 /50 Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love bite' by @pranab_basak 'During the summer storm season in the rural area of Bengal, parakeet nests often get destroyed. This parakeet baby bird got rescued by this rural kid who takes care of it with so much love and kindness.' Location: Majhdia, West Bengal, India. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Ulos' by @georock888 'I visited the area which is quite famous for its Ulos handwoven textile fabrics. The craftswoman's grandson hugged her from behind, and she welcomed him with a happy smile.' Location: Samosir Island, North Sumatera, Indonesia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Dogs' by @Mondscheinfotografie 'My two Australian shepherds happily struck the pose for me! These two are best friends who always go paw-in-paw.' Location: Düsseldorf, Germany. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Deltebre' by @pinapli 'Two lovers on a high swing'. Location: Bali, Indonesia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love is all you need' by @ksenia_zaiets If the photo could emit sounds, then one could hear how the seagulls screamed beautifully on the ocean and with a crash, the waves broke on the shore. This photo shows how strong love can be between two people.' Location: Peniche, Portugal. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Family love' by @adeelchishti 'Sisterhood at its fullest: the pure essence of love between 3 sisters. The elder ones take great responsibility and pride in educating the youngsters.' Location: Kasur City Punjab, Pakistan. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'A seat for two with a view please' by @lucacornago 'Just my wife and I enjoying a colorful, relaxing sunset. It was a very cold day and there was also a lot of wind. This photo brings back a sweet memory and makes me think of how important love is.' Location: Lake Como, Bugiallo, Italy Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Innocent smile' by @myatzawhein When I visited the primary school, I saw these two school girls laughing and having a sweet friendship moment. Feeling the love from a friend is very important at this age.' Location: Kyaukse Township, Myanmar. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Cat lady' by @nyinchan212 'I was visiting the monastery nearby when we stumbled upon the cutest stray kitten. My cat-lover girlfriend couldn't resist but adopting it and bringing it back home with us!' Location: Inle Lake, Myanmar. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Just you and the sound of waves' by @photolivestudio .Two lovers enjoying the view from the blue chairs located in Nice's world-famous avenue 'Promenade des Anglais'. If I win the contest, I will get a surprise gift for my wife to celebrate our 20 years of love later this month!' Location: Nice, France. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love my two children' by @bobinardi 'Labuan Bajo is a small village in Eastern Indonesia where most of its residents get their income from fishing. In this photo, the mother was telling traditional tales to her kids.' Location: Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Wholeheartedly' by @jayeshvijuda 'It started raining as I was heading home, at that moment I spotted a mother and her child trying to stay dry under a plastic blanket. They warmed my heart!' Location: Chhotaudaipur, India. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love' by @a.rosenthal 'It was a very moving scene for me. The mother kept drawing the infant close to herself, taking care of it with all her love. The little one was very playful and just like us, humans, it tried to free itself from the clasp of its mother again and again to explore the world alone. I am convinced of this monkey mother's deep love for her child. Just as I love my child, she loves hers. For me, there is no greater feeling, no more beautiful and pure way to love than that of the parents to their children.' Location: Cologne Zoo, Germany. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Two en route' by @Ainurcy 'Love is like walking a road hand-in-hand with your beloved one! This shot was taken secretly during a travel blogger tour to Eastern Kazakhstan. Simone and Romina, Italian photographers and travel bloggers were posing for another vlogger’s video. I had my camera on hand and couldn’t afford to miss such a shot.' Location: Kazakhstan. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'The strong bond' by @AsimIjaz 'The little angel was seeing her aunty for the first time in months. I just came out of my car and heard her shouting for her aunty, then she just ran towards her for hugs and kisses. It was a magical moment of pure love. Aunties have a very special place in the kids' hearts.' Location: Gujrat, Pakistan. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Family love' by @bzhyoann Location: Saulce-sur-Rhône, France. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love story' by @andylam 'On the first day of Lunar New Year 2020, I was going around my neighborhood with my beloved camera to capture some special moments when I spotted this beautiful couple. The emotion I want to transmit in this photo is the beauty of teenage love: when you fall in love for the first time and feel this special vibration in your heart.' Location: Tay Ninh City, Vietnam Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Lovers Bridge' by @leemumford 'The famous Bishops Bridge in the Gothic Quarters tends to be used for a variety of photoshoots. I planned this shot a few days prior and my view was to capture locals long shadows as they walked down the alley. After checking the weather and the position of the sun, I jumped at the opportunity when I saw a clear morning.' Location: Barcelona, Spain. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Old love' by @caokynhan 'I took this picture when I saw my father showering my mother. It was their very emotional moment. My mother had a stroke and hemiplegia so she couldn't take care of herself.' Location: Phu Yen province, Vietnam. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Kiss' by @asmodalemdedy 'I was lucky enough to photograph my cousin's wedding. The way they were looking at each other was very moving, I'm glad I captured this moment on camera. I was lucky enough to photograph my cousin's wedding. The way they were looking at each other was very moving, I'm glad I captured this moment on camera.' Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love beneath' by @dominikbrebric 'This picture was taken last summer when my girlfriend and I were exploring a beautiful cove on the island of Ugljan with a friend. Through this photo I wanted to transmit the emotion of togetherness even in the depth of the sea, knowing that we are not alone as the red starfish is under us, to tell us that we are also part of this big loveable planet.' Location: Ugljan, Croatia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Rome, the city of Love' by @maky&matt 'Dance like nobody is watching! Rome can be a pretty busy place, but we managed to get its main tourist attraction just for ourselves simply by getting up early. We got to capture a romantic moment of two of us which we will always remember. Rome is the city of love for us. It´s such a romantic city where you can´t help yourself but dance with your significant other, give them rose and hold their hands.' Location: Rome, Italy. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Woman and dog at home' by @evablanco 'Here's a friend of mine, Alba and her beautiful golden retriever dog. A dog is part of the family, and everyone who has a pet knows this feeling.' Location: Madrid, Spain. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love on a clifftop' by @carl_brightman 'I was positioning my drone and waiting for the light to change when the young couple walked into the shot and stood to face the sea, admiring the view. At first, I was setting for a landscape shot, but sometimes the situation or scene changes for the better as does your initial idea.' Location: Dorset, UK. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Mother love' by @jevgenij 'Mother love is the strongest link that brings humans together. Here are my wife and newborn son enjoying the love they have for each other.' Location: Riga, Lithuania. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'The love of brothers' by @rynessa 'I was working in a ranch to take pictures of my client's horses. His grandchildren were very curious about photography. They were spending all their time together, but as brothers, they also fought and hugged each other. The way they expressed their love to each other was so pure and innocent.' Location: Fresno, USA. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Mother's love' by @Hedayet1000 'A Bengali mother is traveling by train with her child. They were enjoying the view from the window with absolute joy, playing and laughing together in their very own bubble.' Location: Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'The Kiss' by @anskar 'Two Brown fur seals "kissing" in a crowd of even more seals.' Location: Namibia Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'You know nothing' by @Kirill_golovan 'A tribute to Jon Snow and Ygritte' Location: Kharkiv, Ukraine. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'To love' by @fdilekuyar 'When you love someone, you get rid of all the chaos that surrounds you and focus only on that special feeling. Time stops and everything else loses its importance. It was so hard to take this photo because goats don't really abide by photographers when it comes to striking a pose.' Location: KahramanMaras, Turkey. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Romantic morning' by @muhammadjabir 'Bali Island is one of the most beautiful places for a holiday. I saw many couples taking romantic selfies in this specific spot in front of my hotel room.' Location: Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Brothers' by @kallayan Location: Khulna, Bangladesh. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Birds kiss' by @dikyedarling Location: Jakarta, Indonesia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Happy With You' by @eightman Location: Aburi Garden, Ghana. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'A wonderful moment never gets old' by @bigbounyalith Location: Sydney Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Falling in love' by @swannlynnhtet Location: Ngwe Saung beach Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Family time' by @alexclifford Location: Jersey, UK Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love' by @tatyanarafaello Location: Irkutsk, Russia Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love' by @oscar_penelo Location: La Fageda d'en Jordà, Spain. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Father love' by @jordisark Location: Barcelona, Spain. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Glory of love' by @barcerumbaku Location: Sentani, Papua, Indonesia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love is love' by @cvnsky Location: Wijk bin Duurstede, Netherlands. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love' by @damiane Location: Tbilisi, Georgia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Two lovebirds in a rainbow' by @florianbrioude Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Mom and son love' by @huydangpham Location: Kon Tum Province, Vietnam. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'The purest love and protection' by @zebunnisa Location: Kasur, Pakistan. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Love is everywhere' by @danflorit Location: Menorca, Spain. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Wedding date' by @thecrowface Location: Venezia, Italy. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'A wonderful moment never gets old' by @bigbounyalith Location: Sydney, Australia. Agora / SWNS.com Photographers capture the 'essence of love' for #Love2020 contest 'Golden love' by @tripixel21 'Golden love' by @tripixel21 - 'Golden love' by @tripixel21. See SWNS copy SWCAlove: A world-wide photo contest challenging people to capture the 'essence of love' through a camera lens has produced this stunning series of images in time for Valentine's Day. Nearly 12,000 photographers across the globe entered the #Love2020 contest hosted by free-to-use mobile app Agora. And the 50 final entries picked by judges prove that indeed, love is a many splendid thing. Agora / SWNS.com Agora / SWNS.com

That’s when her friend Cameron McLaughlin decided to shave her head in solidarity with her close pal.

80 students and some teachers from the school followed suit, all shaving their heads in support of Marlee at a school event called “Be Bold, Be Brave, Go Bald”.

The event raised more than $25,000 (£19,000) for St Baldrick’s Foundation, a childhood cancer research organisation.

“I didn’t think that many people would shave their heads, but I feel good about going back to school and not being the only bald one,” Marlee told Today.com.

4. The best birthday celebration

Ollie Jones received an estimated 20,000 cards for his 15th birthday from strangers all over the world (Karen Jones)

When Ollie Jones, a boy on the autism spectrum from Exmouth, turned 15 in 2016, he expressed to his mother how excited he was to open the birthday cards that he would receive from friends and family.

However, his mother Karen Jones feared that he wouldn’t receive many cards, as the teenager didn’t have many friends.

Karen’s issued a plea on a Facebook community page for people to send Ollie birthday cards in celebration of his special day.

The response that her post received was monumental, with the teenager receiving around 20,000 cards, messages and presents from people all over the world.

“I’d love to thank everyone and remind people that there are ‘Ollies’ everywhere,” Karen said.

5. Giving what you can

Manchester Evening News

When nine-year-old Molly McGinley spotted charity workers helping the homeless in 2017, she felt inspired to do what she could to provide support for those sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester.

After receiving some money for her birthday, Molly decided to spend the money on food for the homeless, rather than on treats for herself.

One of the people in need that Molly and her mother came across while feeding the homeless on the young girl’s birthday was 23-year-old Margaret Smith.

“I was walking down the street and I saw all these people giving loads of food to homeless people,” Molly told Manchester Evening News.

“So I asked my mum if I could do it and she said yes. So we got some hot drinks and soup and food and gave it to Margaret.”

6. A touch of kindness with a trim

Barcroft TV (YouTube)

Ever since launching the #DoSomethingForNothing initiative in 2015, British hairdresser Josh Coombes has been helping homeless people regain their sense of identity by giving them free haircuts.

He’s also collaborated with veterinarian Jade Statt, who runs a service named Street Vet, to provide the canine companions of the homeless people that he meets with support as well.

“I didn’t want it to just be about me and cutting hair. So, I came up with the hashtag and I always wanted other people to get involved,” he told Barcroft TV.

Coombes wants to break the taboo surrounding homeless people, demonstrating the ease with which anyone can interact with people who are sleeping rough and show them kindness.

7. A super experience

Children’s Hospital Colorado (YouTube)

For many children, the prospect of meeting a superhero is one that would fill them with immeasurable joy and excitement.

In 2016, this became a reality for children being treated at Children’s Hospital Colorado when costumed crusaders including Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain America were spotted rappelling down the side of the 10-story building.

Members of the Aurora Police Department Strategic Response and Tactics Team decided to give the children being looked after at the medical institution a bit of boost by dressing up as the superheroes and providing them with the phenomenally super surprise.

The hospital thanked the team on YouTube for “being superheroes, this day in-costume, and every day in our community.”

8. The true meaning of sportsmanship

(Ian Walton/Getty Images)

It’s every runner’s worst nightmare – you’re taking part in one of the most important races of your career, only to take a tumble and eliminate your chances of winning a medal.

However, it wasn’t the tangle between New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin and America’s Abbey D’Agostino at the 2016 Rio Olympics that made headlines, but the way in which the women rallied together to help each other across the finish line.

Hamblin and D’Agostino were lauded for capturing the “Olympic spirit” when competing in the qualifying heat for the 5,000-metre race.

Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Show all 74 1 /74 Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Andy Murray celebrates his victory over Kai Nishikori to reach the men's Olympic final. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Jessica Ennis-Hill continues her bid for gold in heptathlon. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Usain Bolt breezed through his 100m heat. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight Team GB took silver in the women's eight. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Eight The men's eight gold took Great Britain top of the rowing medal table. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Britain's Jazz Carlin secured her second silver of the Games in the women's 800m freestyle, as American Katie Ledecky surged to her fourth Rio gold. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Singapore's Joseph Schooling won his nation's first gold medal with victory in the 100m butterfly as Michael Phelps was denied a 23rd Olympic title. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Sir Bradley Wiggins becomes Britain's greatest Olympian ever as Team GB win gold in the men's Team Pursuit at the Velodrome. AFP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Bryony Page on her way to a silver in gymnastics trampoline. EPA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Heather Stanning and Helen Glover win gold in the women's rowing pairs. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Alex Gregory, Mohamed Sbihi, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis celebrate their success in the men’s coxless four. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Seven Defending champions Great Britain won silver in the Olympic team dressage, as world champions Germany claimed gold. The British quartet - Spencer Wilton, Fiona Bigwood, Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin - were beaten into second by 3.334 points. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six American Simone Manuel became the first black female swimmer to win an Olympic title as she shared the women's 100m freestyle gold with Canada's Penny Oleksiak, 16, after a dead heat. Getty Images Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Swimming legend Michael Phelps demolished the field in the 200m individual medley to claim his 22nd Olympic gold. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Simone Biles takes gold in the Women’s individual all-around artistic gymnastics. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Fiji's Vatemo Ravouvou breaks through to score during the Men's Rugby Sevens Gold medal final match against Great Britain. Team GB settled for silver as Fiji romped to gold. David Rogers/Getty Images Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Callum Skinner, Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes of Great Britain celebrate after winning gold in the men's team sprint. AFP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Double act David Florence and Richard Hounslow won their second joint Olympic silver in the canoeing slalom. Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Six Victoria Thornley and Katherine Grainger show off their silver medals after the women's double sculls final Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Five Max Whitlock poses with his bronze medal Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Five Joe Clarke reacts to winning Britain's second gold of thee Games Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Five Jack Laugher and Chris Mears celebrate with their gold medals Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Four David Florence suffered heartbreak in the canoe single C1 men's semi-final Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Four Andy Murray celebrates his straight sets victory against Juan Monaco Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Lilly King shows off her gold medal as Yulia Efimova parades her silver AFP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Russia's Yulia Efimova (left) looks on as the US's Lilly King (right) celebrates winning the Women's 100m Breaststroke Final earlier this morning Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Lilly King celebrates after beating her Russian rival Yulia Efimova Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Michael Phelps takes on Chad Le Clos in the men's 200m butterfly final Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Michael Phelps says it 'breaks my heart' to see drug cheats at the Olympics Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three James Guy missed out on bronze on Monday night Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Louis Smith reacts to his pommel stumble which may have cost Team GB a medal Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Dan Goodfellow (right) and Tom Daley celebrate with their bronze medals Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Tom Daley and Dan Goodfellow dive into the pool in delight after winning bronze Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Tom Daley (left) and Daniel Goodfellow performing in the men's synchronised 10m platform final PA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Canada celebrate their victory against Team GB on day three Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Three Heather Watson leaves the court yesterday after losing her second round match against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Carlin proudly shows off her silver medal Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Carlin reacts after learning that she has won the silver medal Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Peaty shows off his gold medal with pride Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Adam Peaty celebrates his gold Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Andy Murray and Jamie Murray were knocked out of the men's doubles by Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa AFP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Venus and Serena Williams suffered their first ever Olympic defeat playing together Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Richard Kruse battling the Russian Timur Safin GETTY Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Lizzie Armitstead finished fifth in the women's road race PA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Anna van der Breggen celebrates winning gold in the women's road race Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Annemiek van Vleuten suffered a horrific accident in the women's road race Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two The women's road race passes along the beach in Rio de Janeiro Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Andy Murray beat Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-2 to win his men's singles first round match Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Serena Williams is through to the second round of the women's singles after defeating Daria Gavrilova Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Gold medal winner, Hoang Xuan Vinh of Vietnam, center, silver medal winner, Felipe Almeida Wu of Brazil, left, and bronze medalist Pang Wei of China, at the victory ceremony for the men's 10-meter air pistol event AP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day Two Rowing was cancelled on day two over fears of sinking and capsizing due to strong winds Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Yusra Mardini has won her heat of the Women's 100m Butterfly but she will not be able to go forward to the semi-final Getty Images Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Britain's James Guy chops through the water Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Kantinka Hosszu of Hungary set a new world record in winning gold in the Women's 100m Individual Medley final Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Samir Ait Said receiving medical help after suffering a badly broken leg Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Yusra Mardini leads the race in the 100m Butterfly heat at Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio EPA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Natasha Hunt scored two tries to inspire Britain to victory against Brazil Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Joanne Watmore scored Britain's first try in Olympic rugby sevens history Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Adam Peaty celebrates after breaking the 100m breaststroke world record Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Adam Peaty broke his own world record in the 100m breaststroke heats and is favourite to win gold on Sunday Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Adam Peaty broke his own world record in the 100m breaststroke heats Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Chris Froome speaks with a bruised Geraint Thomas after the men's road race PA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Greg van Avermaet celebrates winning gold in the men's road race Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Rafal Majka was caught with just two kilometres to go Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Greg van Avermaet won a sprint finish to clinch Olympic road race gold EPA Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One A bullet is marked by Brazilian police in the equestrian media centre Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One The peloton make their way along the beach during the road race Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Chris Froome leads away the men's road race along with the rest of Team GB Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One The field make their way along the opening stages of the road race Eric Gaillard/Reuters Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand had no trouble in qualifying for the men's single skulls quarter-finals Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Day One Rowers warm up under the watchful gaze of the Christ the Redeemer statue Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Opening Ceremony A huge fireworks display signals the end of the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony. Felipe Dana/AP Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Opening Ceremony Andy Murray leads out Team GB at the Rio Olympics opening ceremony Getty Rio 2016 Olympics - in pictures Opening Ceremony Gisele Bundchen turns the stage into a catwalk during the opening ceremony AP

With less than half of the distance left to go, Hamblin fell over, accidentally tripping D’Agostino in the process.

The fall caused D’Agostino to sustain a foot injury, so Hamblin helped her competitor complete the race with the pair embracing at the finish line.

Hamblin and D’Agostino were both given awards for their acts of “selflessness and exemplary sportsmanship”.

9. A selfless donation

NCAA (YouTube)

At 19 years old, University of New Hampshire student Cameron Lyle registered to be a bone marrow donor.

At the age of 21, Lyle was informed that a 28-year-old man with leukaemia was in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Despite having a promising future career as a track and field athlete ahead of him, Lyle didn’t hesitate when given the chance to save someone else’s life.

He sacrificed the opportunity to continue competing in athletics at university in order to save a stranger.

“It’s just a sport,” he told ABC News. “Just because it’s Division I college level doesn’t make it any more important.

“Life is a lot more important than that, so it was pretty easy.”

10. Unconditional love

PBS News Hour (YouTube)

Ever since 1995, Los Angeles resident Mohamed Bzeek has made it his mission to provide children who are terminally ill with the love and support that they need during the final moments of their lives.

Inspired by his Muslim faith, Bzeek has fostered more than 40 children throughout the years, as he explained to CBC News.

“It’s the big factor, my faith, because I believe as a Muslim we need to extend our hand to help people who need us,” he said.

“Doesn’t matter what nationality, what religion, what country. To me it doesn’t matter, I do it as a human being for another human being.”

A documentary has been made about Bzeek’s act of love called Guardian of Angels.

11. A showstopping finish

Mitchell Marcus during the basketball match (CBS News)

In 2013, a student with a developmental disability called Mitchell Marcus was taking part in a varsity basketball game at Coronado High School against the Franklin Basketball Team.

Despite several attempts to get the ball in the net, Marcus was unable to score a point for his team.

That is, until a player on the opposing team decided to show him some kindness by giving him the chance to achieve glory that he deserved.

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Franklin Basketball Team player Jonathan Montanez called Mitchell over, giving him the ball in the final seconds of the match.

“I was raised to treat others like you want to be treated,” Jonathan told CBS News. “I just thought Mitchell deserved his chance, deserved his opportunity.”

Mitchell then took one last shot at the net, successfully scoring much to the excitement of his teammates and school.

The video of Mitchell’s classmates storming the court after the final whistle in celebration of his goal went viral.

12. The power of teamwork

Perth commuters band together to push train off man who trapped leg in gap between carriage and platform (Getty)

Amazing things can happen when humans band together.

In 2014, a man at Stirling Station in Perth, Australia accidentally tripped, becoming trapped in between a train and the platform.

As the man struggled to free himself, CCTV footage captured the phenomenal moment that fellow commuters teamed up to push the train to one side, eventually helping the man to free his leg.