No one lives forever, but that didn't stop these people from trying. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most ridiculous or extreme lengths people throughout history have gone to as a means of extending their lifespans.
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00:00 Regular transfusions of the blood of a younger, physically fit donor can significantly retard the aging process.
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most ridiculous or extreme lengths
00:11 people throughout history have gone to as a means of extending their lifespans.
00:15 I will need more gold if I am to continue supplying you.
00:18 Number 10. Brian Johnson
00:22 He's 45, but he wants the body of his 18-year-old self.
00:26 As a tech founder and venture capitalist, Brian Johnson has made millions creating and funding
00:31 companies that drive scientific process. Since 2021, however, a lot of his money - $2 million
00:37 a year, precisely - has gone towards an experimental anti-aging program called Project Blueprint.
00:44 I'm training to slow my speed of aging and maintain optimal health.
00:48 Johnson made headlines for his extreme attempts at immortality, which include consuming over
00:53 100 daily supplements and adhering to a strict dietary and sleep regimen.
00:58 My body is apparently repairing itself adequately to my exercise protocol.
01:02 At one point, the tech CEO even tried to freeze his biological clock
01:07 by receiving blood plasma transfusions from his teenage son. Despite being in his 40s,
01:12 Johnson claims that this project has given him the heart of a 37-year-old,
01:17 the skin of a 28-year-old, and the lungs of an 18-year-old.
01:20 Kuhn is 45, but he wants the body of his 18-year-old self.
01:26 Number 9. Pope Innocent VIII. Back in the 15th century, there was very little
01:31 known about the practice of blood transfusion and its actual benefits. One of the earliest
01:36 recorded instances of this practice reportedly involved the Catholic Pope Innocent VIII.
01:41 He would drink the blood of children.
01:43 Need it be said that this was a time of evil, corruption, and devilry.
01:49 The story goes that in 1492, the Pope became deathly ill and could hardly ingest any substance
01:56 other than a woman's breast milk.
01:58 But a dark shadow, my silhouette, they will not see me because I do not exist.
02:04 Apparently believing that blood itself held the essence of life, the Pope's physicians
02:09 attempted to restore his health by feeding him with the blood of pre-teen boys.
02:13 It is said that many young boys were drained of all their blood, killing them in the process.
02:18 Tragically, this effort not only failed to revitalize the yelling Pope, who eventually
02:23 succumbs to a fever, but it also reportedly claimed the lives of his young blood donors.
02:28 Number 8. James Stroll. The Coalition for Radical Life Extension is an American
02:43 non-profit that strives to eliminate the suffering of aging.
02:46 To his credit, the organization's founder, a real estate investor named James Stroll,
02:51 actually walks the talk.
02:52 Stroll's quest to significantly increase human longevity was reportedly inspired by his
03:03 grandmother's death during his childhood.
03:05 He has since become a life extensionist with a rigorous health regimen.
03:10 Stroll ingests about 70 supplements, including a diabetic drug held as "the aspirin of anti-aging,"
03:23 as well as pills that nourish his brain and energize his mitochondria.
03:28 He also claims to bolster his immune system by taking a cold swim every morning,
03:32 and frequently uses a pulsating electromagnetic mat that he insists "opens up the veins."
03:39 Number 7. Diane Deportier. Just like the outrageous regimen of tech billionaires today,
03:50 the elite in 16th century France had their own miracle product for eternal youth, drinkable gold.
03:56 Diane Deportier, a royal mistress to King Henry II and a highly influential figure,
04:01 may have met her end due to this so-called elixir.
04:04 Deportier reportedly consumed the substance regularly to preserve her famed beauty.
04:14 She is said to have had the looks of a 30-year-old even well into her 60s,
04:24 seemingly lending credence to the drinkable gold's power.
04:28 However, in 2009, experts analyzed her remains and discovered unusually high levels of gold
04:44 in her hair. They believe that, instead of granting her immortality,
04:48 ingesting the substance actually led to Deportier's demise.
04:52 [Music]
04:59 Number 6. Alexander Bogdanov. The quest to preserve life through blood transfusions
05:05 may have started with Pope Innocent VIII, but it certainly didn't end there.
05:08 "Alexander Bogdanov is in the midst of conducting experiments
05:12 with one ultimate goal in mind - human rejuvenation."
05:16 In the 1920s, Russian revolutionary and physician Alexander Bogdanov began working on a method to
05:23 achieve eternal youth through blood transfusions. "To initially fund would be the world's first
05:27 institute of hematology and blood transfusion." Following a series of experiments, Bogdanov
05:32 claimed that infusions of younger blood had not only rejuvenated his appearance,
05:37 but it also significantly improved his declining eyesight. "After undergoing 11 transfusions using
05:43 the blood of younger donors." However, these transfusions would ultimately prove fatal for
05:47 Bogdanov. In 1928, he received blood from a student who had both malaria and tuberculosis.
05:54 Although the student eventually recovered from the illnesses, Bogdanov wasn't as fortunate.
05:58 He passed away in April of that year. "What is it?" "It's not good news." "I guess that."
06:05 "You got tuberculosis." "I'm really sorry for you, son. It's a hell of a thing."
06:12 Number 5. Peter Thiel. Following in the footsteps of Alexander Bogdanov,
06:17 American billionaire Peter Thiel seems to have zeroed in on blood transfusions as the way to
06:22 extend his life. Estimated to be worth over $9 billion, Thiel reportedly aspires to live until
06:28 he is 120 years old. "What causes people to age? Why does it happen? What could you do about it?
06:33 And so I think that's a very promising." This desire drove him to invest in anti-aging research
06:38 from as early as 2006. He has also admitted to ingesting human growth hormone pills to maintain
06:44 his bone and muscle health. Thiel has since focused his attention on "parabiosis," which
06:50 is the scientific term for the rejuvenating blood transfusions. "Regular transfusions of
06:54 the blood of a younger, physically fit donor can significantly retard the aging process."
06:59 He has even taken further steps to cryogenically preserve his body,
07:03 hoping to be revived in the future if he doesn't hit his longevity goal.
07:07 "Irresistible to women, deadly to his enemies, a legend in his own time."
07:12 Number 4. Sam Altman. "The billionaire founder of OpenAI paid millions to be killed."
07:19 Paying a company to kill you so you can live forever might sound bizarre,
07:23 but that's what tech billionaire and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is doing. Well, for the most part.
07:29 Precisely, Altman paid $10,000 to the startup Nectome to end his life and upload the contents
07:36 of his brain to a computer, where they can be stored forever. "In 2018, Sam invested in Nectome.
07:42 It's a startup that wants to upload human brains into the cloud to give them eternal life."
07:46 The company claims that with their special embalming fluid, they can "preserve your
07:51 brain well enough to keep all of its memories intact." The biggest issue in consciousness
07:56 transfer isn't the time or being able to read or write, but it's going to be mapping the brain
08:01 accurately. But this technique is only viable if the brain is fresh. Hence, Nectome has to terminate
08:07 the patient's life beforehand. In 2018, Altman became one of only about two dozen people to
08:12 sign up for the procedure. "Look around you. I have never been more alive." Number 3. Charles-Édouard
08:20 Braun-Sekar. This Mauritian scientist gained notoriety for his unconventional methods and
08:26 eccentric behavior. In the world of hormone study, he is famous for the Braun-Sekar elixir,
08:32 which he claimed could make people look younger and live longer. "It is hardly possible to explain
08:38 the effects I have observed on myself otherwise than by admitting that the liquid injected
08:43 possesses the power of increasing the strength of many parts of the human organism." In his later
08:48 years, Braun-Sekar began injecting himself with extracts from the testicles of guinea pigs and
08:55 dogs. He posited that these substances boosted his strength and enhanced his sexual performance.
09:04 However, as he was the only participant in his experiment, and there was no way of validating
09:15 his results, the elixir was derided in the scientific community. Braun-Sekar's testicular
09:21 extracts may have made him stronger, but they failed to grant him any substantial longevity
09:25 as he died at the age of 76. Number 2. Elisabeth Báthory. Regarded by Guinness World Records as
09:32 the most prolific female murderer, Elisabeth Báthory is said to have tortured and killed as
09:38 many as 650 girls and women. Due to her status as a countess in Hungary, Báthory seemingly evaded
09:44 the law for years, until she was finally arrested in 1612. During her trial, numerous witness
09:51 statements were presented, though many have since been disputed as they relied on hearsay.
09:55 One popular claim among witnesses was that Báthory regularly bathed in the blood of her young
10:08 victims in order to maintain her youth and beauty. As punishment for her alleged crimes,
10:21 Báthory was confined to a castle for the rest of her life, eventually passing away at age 54.
10:27 Number 1. Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty in China,
10:49 ruling from the age of 13 until his death at 49. The emperor was reportedly
10:57 so terrified of leaving this world that he actively sought the elixir of life in his later years.
11:02 His quest reportedly led him to ingest mercury, thinking that it would grant him immortality.
11:24 Needless to say, this failed to work. In 2010 BCE, after serving as emperor of a unified China
11:30 for 11 years, Qin Shi Huang's worst fears came to pass, as he fell ill and ultimately passed away.
11:36 Although the exact cause of death is technically unknown, it is believed to be linked to
11:45 mercury poisoning. What links would you be willing to go to to ensure you lived forever?
11:50 Let us know in the comments below! Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips
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12:03 Thanks for watching!