India, Oct. 24 -- On June 17, 2014, Leonardo DiCaprio stepped up at the U.S. State Department's "Our Ocean" conference and made a big promise. According to TIME's report on the event, he pledged to donate $7 million through his foundation for ocean conservation over the next two years. The money was intended for groups and communities establishing marine reserves. It was a single speech on a single day, but it built on earlier giving by his foundation and showed what can happen when celebrity attention meets scientific work.

Before becoming an actor, DiCaprio wanted to be a marine biologist. He said it in his speech, and the TIME page includes a transcript of it. He told the audience he was fascinated by the ocean from a young age and de...