Cracked put together a pictofact list of science experiments they label as "crucial or completely random." I would have labeled them as "weird or unethical," except for one entry about David Koch funding cancer research which may have been included because of Koch's political reputation. Still, most of them are things anyone interested in science should be aware of. Some of the biggest medical breakthroughs have come at the expense of people or animals who gave no consent and were sometimes treated horribly. Some gave us enduring ideas that have since been debunked. Others are just plain weird.
While many of these experiments gave us insight into something or other, the lengths they go to are heartbreaking, maddening, or baffling. Some are extremely disturbing, and some will spur you to look them up to find out more. See all 27 of them here.