US POW Outsmarts Captors: The Genius Who Saved 256 American Lives

Douglas Bent captors called him "The Stupid," thinking he was unintelligent. Instead of talking, he just hummed a song. In reality, he was faking it. During his time in captivity, Bent tricked his Vietnamese captors into believing he had a mental disorder. When he was freed and returned to the U.S., Bent shocked everyone by reciting the names of about 256 missing POWs. He had memorized their names by linking them to the tune of "Old McDonald Had a Farm," the same song he hummed the whole time.