11 extraordinary people of 2014 | CNN

Here's a look at 11 notable people -- some semi-famous, some not -- who did extraordinary things in 2014. We start with Mo'ne Davis, 13, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/20/living/mone-davis-baseball-sensation-impact-girls-parents/">who became a national sensation</a> last summer after tossing a shutout -- while throwing 70 mph -- for her Philadelphia team in the Little League World Series tournament. Mo'ne deflected the sudden attention to her teammates -- all of them boys -- while becoming a role model to girls everywhere.

Extraordinary People of 2014 —

Here's a look at 11 notable people -- some semi-famous, some not -- who did extraordinary things in 2014. We start with Mo'ne Davis, 13, who became a national sensation last summer after tossing a shutout -- while throwing 70 mph -- for her Philadelphia team in the Little League World Series tournament. Mo'ne deflected the sudden attention to her teammates -- all of them boys -- while becoming a role model to girls everywhere.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Jack Mook —

Jack Mook, a Pittsburgh police detective, befriended two boys several years ago at a boxing gym where he coached. After he discovered that the boys, who are brothers, were living in foster care and on the streets, he adopted them in September. Mook is single and raising the boys himself.

ABC

Adam Silver —

Newly minted NBA Commissioner Adam Silver drew raves in April for his decisive handling of Donald Sterling, the Los Angeles Clippers owner who caused an uproar around the league when he was discovered making racist comments about blacks. Silver levied a $2.5 million fine against Sterling and banned him from the league for life.

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Brittany Maynard —

Terminal cancer patient Brittany Maynard touched people around the world when she announced in October that she would soon end her own life legally under Oregon's "Death with Dignity" law. Her example sparked a widespread debate about the rights of people with incurable illnesses to determine how and when they will die. Maynard followed through on her plans in November, dying on her own terms.

Courtesy Britanny Maynard 1028

Pete Frates —

Former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates suffers from ALS, the degenerative disease that affects the brain, and can no longer walk or speak. But he's no quitter. With the help of his family Frates inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge movement that swept Facebook in August and raised more than $100 million to fight the disease.

Barry Chin/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Ellen Stofan —

If we can land a human on Mars in the next decade or so, Ellen Stofan will be a big reason why. Stofan, chief scientist at NASA, spent much of 2014 outlining her technological roadmap for discovering potentially habitable worlds in our universe. As a woman in the male-dominated science field, Stofan also became a hero to young female pioneers everywhere.

Win McNamee/Getty Images/File

Lauren Hill —

Lauren Hill may not be the best player on her college basketball team. But she's likely the most inspirational. Hill, a freshman at Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, has terminal brain cancer and feared she would never achieve her dream of playing in a college game. But the NCAA granted her a special waiver and let her team move up its home opener by several weeks. Hill's poignant story drew a sold-out crowd, an outpouring of nationwide support and a flood of donations to cancer research.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Jarrett Martin —

At age 18, a botched jump left skydiver Jarrett Martin paralyzed from the chest down. That would be enough to sideline most people, but not him. Now 24, Martin competes in frequent skydiving events in Dubai and elsewhere. Earlier this year he completed 11 BASE jumps (from a fixed structure or cliff) in Norway, becoming the first disabled person to successfully make such a leap unassisted.

Juan Meyer

Kathleen Connors —

Surgical nurse Kathleen Connors wasn't trying to be a hero in November when she stopped at a Vermont diner after working a 12-hour overnight shift, ate breakfast and then footed the bill for a neighboring pair of strangers. But her generosity triggered a chain that repeated itself 46 times over the rest of the day, reminding us all of the contagious power of random acts of kindness.

WCAX

Ben Hall —

In October, Michigan police officer Ben Hall made a traffic stop and discovered a 5-year-old girl who was not in a child's car seat. The girl's mother told him she couldn't afford one. So instead of giving the mom a ticket, Hall took her to Walmart and bought her a car seat to protect the child. "It was the easiest 50 bucks I ever spent," he said.

CNN

Benjamin Watson —

A grand jury's decision in November not to indict a white Ferguson, Missouri, police officer for the shooting death of an unarmed black teen prompted polarizing rants on social media. But a thoughtful, balanced Facebook post on the topic by New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson may have eased tensions and deepened understanding on both sides. Watson's much-praised essay was shared almost half a million times.

Associated Press

Extraordinary People of 2014

Story highlights

Here are 11 ordinary people who did extraordinary things in 2014

They include brave cops, inspiring young athletes and a bold space explorer

CNN —

Between Ebola, ISIS, downed planes and racial unrest, it’s been a year of sobering news.

But if you look harder, 2014 has had its share of inspiring stories as well.

A 13-year-old athlete who showed that girls can more than hold their own against boys. A woman whose dignified death gave us a lesson in how to live. A wheelchair-bound man whose illness helped inspire countless people around the world to dump ice water on their heads.

What stories got you talking in 2014?

In world that often seems wracked with conflict, we need stories like this to remind us of our common humanity and the intrinsic goodness of most people.

Check out the gallery above for a brief look at some of 2014’s extraordinary people. Some performed little random acts of kindness. Others were just doing their jobs well. But all of them deserve recognition for making 2014 just a little bit better.