Maya Angelou wrote incredible poetry. But here are 9 things you might not know she did.

Maya Angelou was a really phenomenal human being.

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In a 2009 interview with Maya Angelou, Guardian writer Gary Younge summed up the American poet's incredible biography in a perfect way:

"To know her life story is to simultaneously wonder what on earth you have been doing with your own life and feel glad that you didn't have to go through half the things she has. Before she hit 40 she had been a professional dancer, prostitute, madam, lecturer, activist, singer, and editor. She had lived in Ghana and Egypt, toured Europe with a dance troupe and settled in pretty much every region of the United States."

Pretty impressive—but that's just the Cliff's Notes version.

Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images.

The more I learn about Angelou, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 86, the more blown away I am by her intellect, strength, and sense of humor. I also totally get why the media doesn't always tell her whole story: It took Angelou seven full-length autobiographies to get through the whole yarn.

Here are nine facts about the poet that are often cut from media and teaching materials in the interest of saving time — but that prove what a phenomenal human being she really was:

1. She became the first black female streetcar driver in San Francisco...

...when she was 14 years old.

2. She created a 10-part documentary about the influence of African-American culture on the broader American cultural landscape.

She did this while mourning the death of her friend Martin Luther King Jr. (who was assassinated on her birthday), all without having any formal training as a filmmaker.

3. She threw really epic parties.

Even into her 80s, Angelou threw some rocking get-togethers. As she told the New York Times, not even her health problems could get in the way of her life-of-the-party attitude.

Angelou threw a garden party at her home for her 82nd birthday in 2010. Photo by Steve Exum/Getty Images.

"One of my lungs is half gone and the other half, because I smoked for years, has a lesion. So I can’t swim anymore and had the swimming pool covered over. Now it’s what I call the dance pavilion, and so I and my friends sit out and put music on and watch people dance."

4. While living in Egypt, she was one of two African-Americans working at any news publication in the Middle East.

The other was W.E.B. Du Bois’ stepson, David Du Bois, who fought hard to persuade The Arab Observer to hire Angelou. He succeeded, and she became the only woman in the publication's newsroom. What's more, Du Bois allegedly used to tell her, "Girl, you realize, you and I are the only black Americans working in the news media in the Middle East?"

5. She definitely knew what was important in life.

Angelou made sure to separate her work from her personal life. Writing was very important to her, but it was, above all, just a job — so she made sure not to do it at home. As Gary Younge wrote in 2009, "When I ask what she does to relax, it sounds as though she mostly naps, only to wake and receive awards."

6. She spoke five different languages, aside from English: French, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, and Fanti, a Ghanaian language.

Photo via Burns Library, Flickr. Used with permission from HistoryBuff.

7. She was totally up front about what she wanted.

Whenever she agreed to be interviewed, she provided the interviewer with a fabulously straightforward list of rules. The rules included:

A meeting dialogue: "Dr. Angelou will often pause prior to speaking or when completing her thought. Please hold your thought until she is finishing speaking."

Room temperature: "Dr. Angelou requires warm rooms. You may choose to remove your jacket or loosen your tie if you find the room too warm."

8. After being sexually abused as a child, Angelou stopped speaking for six years.

That's not awesome at all, obviously, but the way she kept her mind sharp during those years of silence is awesome: She memorized the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe.

9. Her music is crazy good.

Here's proof:

Sometimes we forget that famous people like Angelou were also very real human beings who made the world a better place one day at a time.

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This story was originally published on HistoryBuff.

HistoryBuff is an online community based on a love of the past. History Buffs of all stripes use the platform to share stories that are sometimes funny, sometimes provocative, and always fascinating.

Thumbnail photo by Astrid Stawiarz/ Getty Images.

29 awesome frogs celebrating Leap Day.

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No one loves Leap Day more than frogs. This is just a fact*.

* That I made up.

Yes, frogs. Those throaty little professional long jumpers who, as 1980s arcade culture taught us, are always trying to cross major highways to their infinite peril.

Leap Day is a day added to the calendar every four years; it's necessary because the Earth actually does a full rotation around the sun every 365.24 days and doesn't seem to care about the nice round 365 number we've come up with. Every four years, we add an extra day to the calendar to catch up. Otherwise we'd actually get ahead of ourselves — there would be snowstorms in June and droughts in November, and New Year's Eve celebrations would be even more disorienting and morally ambiguous than they are now.

In fact, without leap days, right now we would be in the middle of July 2017, by one calculation anyway.

A lot has happened in for frogs since the last leap day four years ago.

In the past couple of years alone, six new frog species have been discovered, and conservation efforts have stepped up to save the banana frog in Ethiopia.

Those efforts are just the beginning, and no matter what, the biggest threat to the health of frog species is human activity.

To celebrate Leap Day, here are 29 frogs who just can't stop jumping for joy:

(Oh, and don't worry, we're obviously going to start with the awesome poisonous ones).

1. Golden frog can out-jump and out-poison you!

Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images.

This frog, the most venomous species in the world, was photographed at the laboratory in the zoo of Cali, Colombia. The Zoo of Cali has the largest amphibian collection in the country and studies them for conservation efforts.

2. This strawberry poison-dart frog is also brilliantly toxic.

Photo by Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images.

As with most frogs this colorful, the skin of the Strawberry poison dart frog is highly toxic. They live in rainforest habitats and sometimes in banana groves.

3. This cocoi frog could totally ruin your day (but doesn't want to).

Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images.

Also known as the harlequin poison frog, this dangerous little guy is native to Columbia and lives on the rainforest floor. Its bright colors and patterns indicate its ability to totally ruin your day if you pick it up.

4. Check out this Lehmann's poison frog.

Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images

Another frog of the "seriously, don't mess with me, dude" variety, Lehmann's poison frog is native to Columbia and is, unfortunately, critically endangered due to habitat loss.

5. This red oophaga sylvatica is tiny but mighty.

Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images.

Sometimes known as "diabilito," meaning "little devil," this species of poison frog is also threatened by habitat loss and deforestation.

6. Here's a black-legged dart frog.

Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images.

This species is native to the rainforest and enjoys warm, moist conditions. It also listed as a threatened species, again, due to loss of habitat.

7. These piggybacking frogs in Estonia know to bring company along for long trips.

Photo by Raigo Pajula/AFP/Getty Images.

In 2012, volunteers decided to play real life Frogger and carried over 19,000 frogs across highways in Estonia. Without human intervention, it's estimated that nearly all of the frogs attempting the migratory journey would get run over.

8. Check out this sand frog leaping across the desert.

Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images.

Native to Africa, this particular desert-dwelling sand frog was photographed in the Xiangshawan Desert in China.

9. Recognize this green tree frog?

Photo by Stefan Sauer/AFP/Getty Images.

One of the most common frogs, the green tree frog can actually be found in many American backyards.

10. This Chinese flying frog is a big Leap Day fan.

Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images.

The Chinese flying frog lives in natural lowland forests, and is thankfully not endangered. However, it is cool and blue.

11. This monkey frog though? Not so much.

Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

The grumpy guy is native to South America and is a nocturnal tree climber. He's not a huge fan of Leap Day, though. He thinks it's a fake holiday made up by the greeting card companies.

12. This waxy tree frog is pretty cool.

Photo by Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images.

Native to Central and South America, the waxy tree frog lives mostly in trees and vegetation near water sources.

13. Look how tiny this poison dart frog is!

Photo by Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images.

Despite his size, this frog is actually a really big deal. He was the first to be born at The London Aquarium after a successful breeding program for conservation.

14. Here's a gliding tree frog.

Photo by Carlos Julio Martinez/AFP/Getty Images.

Found primarily in Costa Rica, male gliding tree frogs can grow up to 56 millimeters from vent to snout — or, to put it colloquially, ass to nose.

15. OK, wait ... here's that tiny poison dart frog again.

Photo by Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images.

This time he's sitting on a five pence piece! Look how tiny he is!!! So tiny!!! So deadly!!!

16. Did you know there's even a frog jumping competition in Slovenia?

Photo by STR/AFP/Getty Images

It's called Frognight, and it's absolutely the biggest and most famous event in the small town of Lokve.

17. These bullfrogs live together on a farm in Singapore.

Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images.

The Jurong Frog Farm started in 1981 and is Singapore's only frog farm. If you're ever in Singapore, you can take a tour of the place.

18. This little baby frog is catching a ride.

Photo by Sena Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images.

This pair was photographed in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 1999, scientists found Sri Lanka to be the #1 nation for frog diversity. It's home to over 200 species of frogs. Unfortunately, several species have died out since then due to a shrinking habitat.

19. This bull frog is accounted for.

Photo by Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images.

The zookeeper holding up this frog was participating in London Zoo's annual stocktake. Which is an exhaustive and complete headcount of every animal at the zoo.

20. The London Zoo also has a weigh in. A spoon weigh in.

Photo by Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images.

Animals like this mossy frog in a weighing spoon have to be weighed to record the animal's vital statistics. It's all part of the effort to make sure animals at the zoo are well cared for.

21. This tree frog lives in Maryland.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Maryland is actually home to dozens of species of frogs and toads. Though as far as scientists know, they don't ride tandem bicycles together Despite what a certain children's book series would lead you to believe.

22. Oh yikes, the Prince Charles stream tree frog is kinda creepy.

Photo by Arthur Edwards, WPA Pool/Getty Images.

It was actually only discovered in 2008 and is still very endangered. Conservation efforts are ongoing to help protect the species. It's also really unsettling looking. Is that just me? It looks like it's going to leap out of the picture. *shudder*

23. This frog was just saved from poachers.

Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

Although frogs legs are a delicacy in India, the government clamped down on the hunting of frogs in 1985 amid concerns over their falling numbers.

24. Here are some Moor frogs.

Photo by Sebastian Willnow/AFP/Getty Images.

Get it? Moor frogs? These frogs are excellent swimmers and mostly live in water. If found on land, they'll bury themselves quickly in soil or sand.

25. Aww, look, here are a few more colorful poison dart frogs.

Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images.

These colorful characters were on display as part of "Frogs: A Chorus of Colors" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The museum has one of the largest frog collections in the world.

26. Check out this White tree frog.

Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images.

The white tree frog is unique. It's rather large, ranging in length from 3 to 4.5 inches, and females are usually bigger than males. They can be found in northern Australia and New Zealand, but this one was photographed in Scotland.

27. The coolest little poisonous frog.

Photo by Fredy Amariles/AFP/Getty Images.

As cool as his patterns are, he's also highly poisonous. Also, the species is in danger due to their popularity as pets as well as the disappearance of their habitat.

28. This frog hangin' at a wildlife refuge in San Jose.

Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens, a wildlife refuge in Costa Rica, is also a popular tourist destination. It also has an aviary that acts as a refuge for wild birds that have been illegally hunted.

29. And, finally, that monkey frog who has still not warmed up to Leap Day. He'll get there eventually.

Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

I mean, really. He's just super not into it. If you ask him, he'd say the world is better off letting the calendar just fly off the handle. Who needs all that organization and consistency? Just eat some flies and relax.

In short, Leap Day is necessary and frogs are awesome.

They're colorful, adorable, sometimes extremely badass and dangerous, and there are over 4,700 species of them.

Unfortunately, if deforestation continues, a lot of frogs could lose their habitats. Many species have already died out, and roughly 1,900 species are in a threatened state.

However you celebrate Leap Day, I encourage you to take a moment to think about the world's best leapers. They could really use your help.

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Researchers studied the mental health of 73 trans kids. This is what they found.

A new study shows why it's critical we support our transgender youth.

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"Everything was fantastic."

That's how Evie Priestman's mother felt about her son's experience at summer camp as a middle schooler. Evie, a transgender boy, had decided to tell his fellow campers about his gender identity on the very last day, and it went over smoothly.

"I have always had a supportive family and felt accepted," Evie told NBC News years later, noting his community is diverse and welcoming.

A first-of-its kind study examined the mental health of young children and preteens whose parents supported their transitions.

And the results are, honestly, not all that surprising.

Photo by Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty Images.

The researchers found that trans kids who've been supported by their loved ones are doing pretty darn well.

Researchers out of the University of Washington studied 73 transgender kids and 73 cisgender (non-transgender) kids, ages 3 to 12, by asking parents a series of questions on their children's mental health.

They found that between both groups, rates of depression were equal among trans kids who are supported by their family and their cisgender peers, and rates of anxiety were only "a smidge higher" among the trans youth.

Photo by Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images.

"The thinking has always been that kids who are not acting gender-stereotypically are basically destined to have mental health problems," Kristina Olson, lead author of the study, told NBC. "In our study, that's not the case."

"More families are allowing their transgender children to live and present to others as their gender identity. This is the first study to examine mental health in these children, finding that they have low levels of anxiety and depression."
— "Mental Health of Transgender Children Who Are Supported in Their Identities," published in Pediatrics

The results show that loving parents and an accepting environment make a profound difference on a trans child's mental health.

And that no, trans kids don't have mental health issues by default. (I'd guess it's probably the relentless transphobic messages our society sends them that do most of the damage.)

Photo by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images.

"Transgender individuals have been found to have highly elevated rates of anxiety and depression, but little is known about the mental health of transgender children whose identities are affirmed and supported by their families," the study explains, noting that mental health disorders are "not inevitable within this group."

Although the study can't prove parental acceptance results in improved outcomes for trans children, it "certainly suggests that family support is linked to better mental health."

The findings build on previous research that found a correlation between family acceptance and whether a trans person had attempted suicide.

The study's findings are important because they affirm the idea that trans kids especially need our love and acceptance.

Seeing the rampant transphobia throughout our culture, it's no wonder trans youth live with higher rates of depression, are more likely to be suicidal, and face alarmingly high levels of homelessness (spurred by parental rejection).

This study shows that this doesn't have to be the case.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Because, really, at the end of the day, shouldn't every kid deserve to be accepted as themselves?

"For me and any other trans individual, I feel like the only thing that is changing about yourself is the pronoun and the way I look," Evie said. "Your personality doesn't change. You are still the same person."

And a person that deserves the same love and respect as anyone else.

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Thumbnail photo by Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images.

The nasty Asian jokes at the Oscars highlighted Hollywood's other big race problem.

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Last night, Chris Rock forced Hollywood to confront its race problem.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

Rock didn't let up all night, using not just his slashing monologue, but nearly every appearance to make those in the audience face up to the lack of diversity in the room — particularly the ceremony's exclusion of black actors, directors, and writers.

It was glorious.

A couple of jokes, however, came at the expense of a group just as frequently ignored and stereotyped by Hollywood: Asian-Americans.

In one bit, Rock brought out three kids to represent "PriceWaterhouseCoopers accountants," a joke which appeared to trade on the stereotype that Asian and Asian-American kids are good at math.

These kids look like the job of PriceWaterhouseCoopers accountant terrifies them. #Oscars http://pic.twitter.com/XNlrREej2Y— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) February 29, 2016

"It's OK, it's OK, thanks guys, thanks a lot. If anybody is upset about that joke just tweet about it on your phone, that was also made by these guys," Rock said, apparently, jokingly, referring to the charge that iPhones are often made under poor labor conditions at the FoxCon factory in Shanghai.

Later in the program, Sasha Baron Cohen (as Ali G) drudged up one of the oldest, crudest stereotypes in the book for a gag.

"I is here representing all of them that's been overlooked," he said as he took the mic.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

"How come there's no Oscar for them very hard working little yellow people with tiny dongs," he said. "You know, the minions."

So ... yeah. That's an "Asian-American men have small penises joke," folks. At the Oscars.

Since 2000, only 1% (!!!) of Oscar nominations in acting categories have gone to actors of Asian descent. And, sadly, that might be the best that can be said about Hollywood's historic treatment of Asians and Asian-Americans on film.

Emma Stone, who portrayed the part-Asian Allison Ng in "Aloha." Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images.

Yellowface — white actors portraying Asian characters on screen — is an unfortunately common practice in movies, ranging from the just-kinda-boneheaded (Emma Stone in "Aloha") to the weird (Fisher Stevens in "Short Circuit") to the grotesque (Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's).

Even when portrayed by actors of the same ethnicity, Asian or Asian-American characters in movies are often conceived as one-note stereotypes or the butt of a joke ("Van Wilder's" Taj or "Sixteen Candles" Long Duk Dong).

Needless to say, Twitter wasn't here for it.

A hashtag was started in response...

How about #onlyonepercent to reflect the fact that Asians have received only 1% of Oscar noms in its history?— Jaya Sundaresh (@jayaist) February 29, 2016

...as commenters called on Hollywood to do better.

Hollywood just so you know, a token Asian character does not mean a show is diverse #NotYourAsianSidekick #OnlyOnePercent #RepresentAsian— The Asian Activists (@Asian_Activist) February 29, 2016

Others used the tag #RepresentAsian, in reference to "Fresh Off the Boat" actor Constance Wu's insistence that even though she plays a mother of Asian descent on TV, she doesn't need to "represent every Asian mom ever."

#RepresentAsian bc the only time i see brown people in western media is if they

Fun Fact: More white actresses have won #Oscars for playing Asians than actual Asian actresses have won. Period. #OscarsSoWhite— Angry Asian Man (@angryasianman) February 28, 2016

I

The silver lining to Rock and Baron Cohen's stumbles? An often invisible prejudice is now getting some much-needed attention.

Progress is already being made on TV, by shows like "Master of None," "Fresh Off the Boat," and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," which feature nuanced, complex Asian and Asian-American characters in leading roles.

"Fresh Off the Boat's" Randall Park and Constance Wu. Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images.

But as more and more people speak out, the more likely it becomes that the film industry will start to get the message too.

And the bigger push they get? The more likely that there will be a lot more celebrating at next year's ceremony — by actors, writers, and directors of all genders and ethnicities.

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Thumbnail photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

How a retweet between rivals was a beautiful moment of anti-racist unity.

It's not every day you see a candidate retweet their opponent.

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If you spend any considerable amount of time on social media, you probably noticed that the election's become a bit of a hot topic.

Whether you're a Democrat deciding between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton or a Republican trying to make sense of Trump-mania, you've probably seen people get a bit, um, intense in support of their candidate of choice.

But on Sunday afternoon, there was a wonderful moment of unity between two of the candidates.

See, it started when Bernie Sanders tweeted this:

America

What was Sanders talking about? Well, just a few hours before, terrifying GOP frontrunner Donald Trump was on CNN.

Being interviewed by Jake Tapper, Trump was asked about a quote from former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, who said, "Voting against Donald Trump at this point is really treason to your heritage."

There's a very easy response to this question. Donald Trump did not go that route. Instead...

Now, it should be noted that when being interviewed about running for president back in 2000, Trump called David Duke "a bigot, a racist, a problem." So, maybe he forgot who Duke is?

The truly bizarre part of the interview, though, was when Trump was asked to condemn the KKK itself, and he continued to hedge, choosing not to condemn the white supremacist organization.

So that's how we got to Bernie Sanders's tweet about "a hatemonger who refuses to condemn the KKK."

That's when Hillary Clinton did something unexpected: She retweeted Bernie Sanders.

It shouldn't be any surprise that the Clinton campaign agreed with the sentiment of Sanders' tweet. (After all, it seemed like people from both parties were stunned that Trump wouldn't automatically denounce the freakin' KKK of all organizations.)

But it is surprising that her account retweeted it, of all things.

Image from Twitter.

Now, as people always say, retweets don't equal endorsements, but this one is pretty clear. Whether the democratic nominee is Clinton or Sanders, this bodes well for the party's ability to cooperate after the nomination, right? You'd think. You'd hope.

Because if there's one thing we should all be able to agree on, it's that the KKK isn't OK. Hopefully, even Donald Trump, in hindsight, will conclude the same thing.

So there it was sitting at the top of Clinton's Twitter feed, a tweet from her rival for the Democratic nomination. One could even say that Donald Trump, in all his divisiveness, helped unify the Clinton and Sanders campaign efforts. For that, Democrats should be thanking Trump.

It would have been easy for Hillary Clinton just to craft her own tweet, but she didn't.

This election cycle has been brutal. It's also been really polarizing, especially when it comes to the topic of racism and xenophobia. It's for that reason that something as small and subtle as a retweet can mean so much.

Remember the story about the 8-year-old Muslim girl who was scared Donald Trump was going to kick her out of the country? Or the daughter of a Mexican immigrant who pushed back on Trump's comments about people like her father being rapists, drug mules, and criminals?

By amplifying Sanders' tweet, the two candidates sent an even bigger message. Together.

Seeing the two Democratic candidates come together, not just for themselves or their campaigns, but for regular people like these two — who just want to live in a world where they aren't held to negative stereotypes based on the color of their skin or the religion they believe in — was powerful.

In an election season driven by candidates begging to be attacked so they get a chance to respond on the debate stage, it's nice to see rivals working together for humanity’s sake.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

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Thumbnail photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar acceptance speech reminds us of 5 reasons we love the guy.

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Since he sailed onto millions of middle school bedroom walls in "Titanic," Leonardo DiCaprio has been winning the Oscar of our hearts on a daily basis. Now, at long last, he's finally won an Oscar IRL.

A swanky man. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images.

Even though this is Leo's first win, he's been doing award-worthy work on the sly for some time now — on issues arguably more important than whether one 19th century dude can make it over a mountain with freezing wet hair.

"Climate change is real. It is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species," DiCaprio said in his acceptance speech.

It's not the first time Leo has gone to bat for the Earth and the most vulnerable folks who live on it. Here are five other times we wish we could give him a golden statue for.

1. The time he stood in front of the UN and begged politicians and CEOs to stop pretending that global warming was someone else's problem.

Lots of celebrities have pet causes. Angelina Jolie has orphans. George Clooney has Haiti and Darfur. Aaron Carter has Donald Trump.

Leo? He's taken on the minor task of preventing the complete, apocalyptic annihilation of the human race at its own hands.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

And he doesn't just talk the talk, he talks the talk in front of some of the most powerful people on planet Earth. Here's what he said at the UN back in September 2014:

"This is not a partisan debate. It is a human one. Clean air and a livable climate are inalienable human rights. Solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is a question of our own survival. This is the most urgent of times and the most urgent of messages."

Dude knows how to give a speech.

2. The time he bro'd out with John Kerry in Paris and helped secure perhaps the most important international agreement on climate change in history.

John Kerry and Leonardo DiCaprio have a lot in common. They're both human males. They've both appeared on great American sitcoms (seriously!). And, most importantly, they both went to bat for #TeamEarth in Paris in December.

Great to see my friend @LeoDiCaprio at #COP21 -- one of the most committed advocates for our ocean and our planet. http://pic.twitter.com/On9Kcmr8dl— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) December 7, 2015

That meeting they were at? It ultimately produced the Paris Agreement, a landmark climate charter between 195 nations of the world, all of whom committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to limit global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

These are countries that ... don't always agree with each other, to put it mildly. I'm not suggesting DiCaprio was single-handedly responsible, but I wouldn't be surprised if Xi Jinping's office contains 18 newly-signed copies of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape."

Just saying.

3. The time he used an acceptance speech to speak up for the rights of Native Americans and First Nations people around the world.

In his Golden Globes acceptance speech for "The Revenant," Leo gave native communities worldwide a much-needed, well-deserved shoutout.

The reason? To remind an audience of millions that their struggle for land rights continues to this day — something that rarely gets a lot of attention, especially at a big Hollywood awards show.

Some have criticized "The Revenant" for relegating Native American characters to the background, while others have praised it for accurately depicting the native characters it does feature as belonging to distinct, competing tribes with unique cultures. Leo couldn't have used his visibility better in this moment.

Respect.

4. The time he promised to stop investing in fossil fuels and started putting his considerable monies toward greener ventures.

Not only is DiCaprio part of the Divest Invest Coalition, which urges investors and organizations to take their money out of companies that contribute to climate change, he's an investor in a startup that's attempting to use mobile technology to make waste disposal cleaner and more efficient.

This way, the greener our trash hauling economy becomes, the richer Leonardo DiCaprio gets — and the more likely he gets a Spruce Goose in real life.

GIF from "The Aviator."

Powered by emission-free hydrogen fuel cells of course.

5. The time he pledged $10 million of his foundation's money to save Earth's oceans.

In addition to ponying up the cash, Leo has spoken out forcefully against the destruction of aquatic ecosystems, for the rights of people living on the low-lying islands of the Pacific who are struggling with sea-level rise and for the health of Earth's oceans general.

"We're plundering the ocean and its vital resources," DiCaprio said in a speech to the Our Ocean Conference in October 2014. "And just because we can't see the devastation from dry land, does not mean it's any less dangerous to life on earth. And it has to stop."

This is a huge step for Leo. Let's not forget, this is a man who drowned in the ocean just 19 years ago.

GIF from "Titanic."

Way to let bygones be bygones, Leo!

And congrats on the big win! This award is deserved not just for one great performance but for everything he's done to make the world a better place.

Thanks for fighting the good fight, Leo. Can’t wait to see what you do next.

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Thumbnail image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images