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This article provides a '''list of unusual deaths''' – unique or extremely rare circumstances – recorded throughout history. The list also includes less rare, but still unusual, deaths of prominent people.
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}


These are a series of incomplete '''lists of unusual deaths''', unique or extremely rare circumstances of ] recorded throughout history, noted as being unusual by multiple sources. <!--Deaths that are unusual but that are not associated with reliable sources that ''say'' the death is unusual will be removed. -->
==Antiquity== Tommy bowden who is so gay decided to suck off a bunch of gamecocks. Then died cause he had to much cum in his mouth
{{TOC limit|3}}
''Note: Many of these stories are likely to be ] (uncertain authenticity)''
{{Clear}}
* 600 BC: Dblplay1212, a notoriously gay man, mixed a deadly combination of semen and pork grinds.
<gallery widths="165px" heights="165px" class="center">
* c. ]: ] of ], a disciple of ], according to legend discovered a proof while at sea that the square root of two is irrational. His philosophically offended fellow ]s threw him overboard.
File:Death of Aeschylus in Florentine Picture Chronicle.jpg|alt=|The death of ], killed by a ] dropped onto his head by an ], illustrated in the 15th-century ''Florentine Picture-Chronicle'' by ]<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |title=Meditation in Solitude |first=Ursula |last=Hoff |journal=] |volume=1 |year=1937 |pages=292–294 |jstor=749994 |issue=44 |doi=10.2307/749994 |s2cid=192234608 |issn=0959-2024}}</ref>
* ]: ], Greek playwright, was killed when an eagle dropped a live tortoise on him, mistaking his bald head for a stone. The tortoise survived.<ref name="S33">Sommerstein, Alan H. (1996), Aeschylean Tragedy, Bari . p.33</ref>
File:Barbarossa smrt.jpg|alt=|]'s strange drowning gave rise to legends that he was still alive
*]: ], Egyptian Pharaoh and leader of the rebellion in Egypt against Persian rule, was taken captive to ] after being defeated by the satrap ]. There, after five years, he was impaled on three stakes and ] alive.<ref></ref>
File:Flying tailor.png|alt=|], known as the "Flying Tailor", prior to his death testing an early ]
* ]: ], poet and critic reportedly wasted away and died of ] while brooding about the ].<ref>Donaldson, John William and Müller, Karl Otfried. ''A History of the Literature of Ancient Greece'', p. 262. London: John W. Parker and Son, 1858.</ref>
</gallery>
*]: ], a Greek ] ], is believed to have ] after watching his drunk donkey attempt to eat ]s.<ref>''ibid.'', p. 27.</ref>
*]: ] died at the ] while attempting to kill a royal ]. Seeing one in special armor, he presumed it belonged to the ] King ]. Charging in to battle, Eleazar rushed underneath the elephant, thrust a spear into its belly, and when it collapsed upon him, he died with it.<ref>Scullard, H.H ''The Elephant in the Greek and Roman World'' Thames and Hudson. 1974 pg 186</ref>
*]: ] was executed by having ] ] poured down his throat, following his defeat at ] at the hands of the ] under ] ]. Some accounts claim that his head was then cut off and used as a stage prop in a play performed for the Parthian king ].<ref></ref>
*]: ], wife of ], Swallowed 2 gallons of semen while in a adult entertainment video. He choked to death. <ref></ref>
*]: ] suffered from fever, intense rashes, colon pains, ], inflammation of the abdomen, a putrefaction of his genitals that produced worms, convulsions, and difficulty breathing before he finally gave up. <ref>Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, Book 17, Chapter 6</ref> Similar symptoms-- abdominal pains and worms-- accompanied the death of his grandson ] in ] AD, after he had imprisoned ]. At various times, each of these deaths has been considered divine retribution.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
*] - ]: ] was executed by the Romans. According to many sources, he asked not to be ] in the normal way, but was instead executed on an ]. He said he was not worthy to be crucified the same way ] was.
*]: According to the ]<ref>T.B. Gittin 56b</ref>, an insect flew into the Roman emperor ]'s nose and picked at his brain for seven years. He noticed that the sound of a blacksmith hammering caused the ensuing pain to abate, so he paid for blacksmiths to hammer nearby him; however, the effect wore off and the insect resumed its gnawing. When he died, they opened his skull and found the insect had grown to the size of a bird. The Talmud gives this as the cause of his death and interprets it as divine retribution for his wicked actions in destroying the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.<ref>Medicine in the Bible and Talmud, Fred Rosner, p.76. Pub. 1995, KTAV Publishing House, ISBN 0-88125-506-8. </ref> Tales of his fate are also found in Christian sources, and the phrase "Titus's flea" has come to refer to any idea that gnaws at one's brain.
*C. ] ], Bishop of Pergamum, was roasted to death in a ] during the persecutions of Emperor ]. ], as well as his wife and children supposedly suffered a similar fate under ]. The creator of the brazen bull, Perillos of Athens, was according to legend the first victim of the brazen bull when he presented his invention to ], Tyrant of ].<ref></ref>
*]: ] was executed by being burned or 'grilled' on a large metal gridiron at Rome. Images of him often show him holding the instrument of his execution. Legend says that he was so strong-willed that instead of giving in to the Romans and releasing information about the Church, at the point of death he exclaimed "Manduca, iam coctum est." ("Eat, for it is well done.")
*]: ] emperor ], after being defeated in battle and captured by the ], was used as a footstool by the King ]. After a long period of punishment and humiliation, he offered Shapur a huge ransom for his release. In reply, Shapur had the unfortunate emperor skinned alive and his skin stuffed with straw or dung and preserved as a trophy. Only after the Sassanid dynasty's defeat in their last war with Rome three and a half centuries later was his skin given a cremation and burial.<ref>], ''De Mortibus Persecutorum'', v; Wickert, L., "Licinius (Egnatius) 84" in '']'' 13.1 (1926), 488-495; Parker, H., ''A History of the Roman World A.D. 138 to 337'' (London, 1958), 170. From .</ref> (A recent report from Iran mentions the restoration of a bridge supposed to have been built by Valerian and his soldiers for Shapur in return for their freedom).<ref> ''Press TV'', 02 Mar 2007</ref>
*]: ], the heretical priest who precipitated the Council of Nicea, ] and evacuated his internal organs. <ref></ref>
*]: ], Greek mathematician and philosopher, was murdered by a mob by having her skin ripped off with sharp sea-shells and what remained of her burned. (Various types of shells have been named: clams, oysters, abalones. Other sources claim tiles or pottery-shards were used.)<ref></ref><!-- ==Dark Ages== -->


==Middle Ages== ==Unusual deaths==
{{UnusualDeaths}}


* ]
8000BC CUtiger1024 a really gay man who died trying to shove 4 gamecocks up his arse
* ]
*]: While the death of ] was not unusual (]), his decomposing body exploded during his funeral service, forcing mourners to exit due to the putrid smell (see ] for more details).
* ]
*]: ] is said to have died after gorging on ], his favourite food.<ref>, ''BBC'', September 18, 2007</ref>
* ]
*]: ] was killed during the Mongol invasion of the ]. ], not wanting to spill royal blood, had the Caliph wrapped in a rug and trampled to death by horses.<ref>, Jame Waterson, ''History Today'', March, 2006</ref>
* ]
*]: ] was killed in the collapse of his scientific ].<ref>] and White, Charles Ignatius. ''A General History of the Catholic Church: From the Life of the Christian Era to the Twentieth Century'', pp. 406-7. New York: P. J. Kennedy, 1898.</ref>
* ]
*]: ], ] according to an old tradition was ] following his lapse into a coma.
* ]
*]: ] was fatally speared through the ] by a pikeman hidden under the bridge during the Battle of ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Mortimer|first=Ian|authorlink=|coauthors=|title=The Greatest Traitor|year=2006|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|location=Unknown|id=}} p. 124</ref>
* ]
*]: ], after being deposed and imprisoned by his ] ] and her lover ], was rumored to have been murdered by having a red-hot iron inserted into his anus.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schama |first=Simon |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=A History of Great Britain: 3000BC-AD1603|year=2000 |publisher=BBC Worldwide |location= London|id= }} p.220</ref>
*]: ] died from a lethal combination of indigestion and uncontrollable laughing.<ref>, Paul N. Morris, ''Mirator Lokakuu'', October, 2000</ref>
*]: ], ] reportedly was executed by drowning in a barrel of ]<ref>Thompson, C. J. S. ''Mysteries of History with Accounts of Some Remarkable Characters and Charlatans'', pp. 31 ''ff.'' Kila, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2004.</ref> at his own request.
*]: ], ] man-at-arms and peasants' revolt leader was condemned to sit on a heated iron throne with a heated iron crown on his head and a heated sceptre in his hand (mocking at his ambition to be king). While Dózsa was suffering, he was set upon and eaten by six of his fellow rebels, who had been starved beforehand.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}


==Renaissance== == See also ==
{{div col}}
*]: The ] ] was descending from the roof of his library after observing Venus , when he heard the ''mu'azaan'', or call to prayer. Humayun's practice was to bow his knee when he heard the ''azaan'', and when he did his foot caught the folds of his garment, causing him to fall down several flights. He died 3 days later of the injuries at the age of 47.<ref>. Trans. & ed. Annette Beveridge, Royal Asiatic Soc. (London) 1902 (ISBN 81-215-1006-6)] Internet Archive. page 55.</ref>
* ]
*]: ] of France was killed during a ] match, when his helmet's soft golden grille gave way to a broken lancetip which pierced his eye and entered his brain.<ref></ref>
* ]
*]: The ] king ] reportedly "] when informed, by a visiting Italian merchant, that Venice was a free state without a king."<ref name="Miscellany">{{cite book
* ]
|title=Schott's Original Miscellany
* ]
|author=Schott, Ben
* ]
|location=London | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing
* ]
|year=2003
* '']''
|id=ISBN 0-7475-6320-9
* ''Stupid Deaths'', a recurring segment in the ] of '']''
}}</ref>
* ]
*]: ], according to legend, died of complications resulting from a strained bladder at a banquet. It would have been extremely bad etiquette to leave the table before the meal was finished, so he stayed until he became fatally ill. This version of events has since been brought into question as other causes of death (murder by ], ], and lead poisoning among others) have come to the fore.<ref></ref>
{{div col end}}
*]: The ] aristocrat ], ] and first translator of ] into English, is said to have died laughing upon hearing that ] had taken the throne.<ref>{{cite book | title = Rabelais in English Literature | last = Brown | first = Huntington | isbn = 0-714-620-513 | publisher = Routledge | pages = p. 126 | year = 1968}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = The History of Scotish Poetry | publisher = Edmonston &amp; Douglas | year = 1861 | pages = p. 539}}</ref>
*]: ], chef to ], committed suicide because his seafood order was late and he couldn't stand the shame of a postponed meal. His body was discovered by an aide, sent to tell him of the arrival of the fish. The authenticity of this story is questionable.<ref>, but it states the authenticity is doubtful.</ref>
*]: ], the French actor and playwright, died after being seized by a violent coughing fit, whilst playing the title role in his play ] (The Imaginary Sickness).<ref>, ''NYU Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database'', October 23, 2003</ref>
*]: ], ], died of a ] ] after piercing his foot with a staff while he was vigorously conducting a '']'', as it was customary at that time to conduct by banging a staff on the floor. The performance was to celebrate the king's recovery from an illness.<ref>, ''Vanderbilt University''</ref>


==Age of Reason== === Lists ===
{{div col}}
*]: ], the author of ''L'Homme machine'', a major materialist and sensualist philosopher died of overeating at a feast given in his honor. His philosophical adversaries suggested that by doing so, he had contradicted his theoretical doctrine with the effect of his practical actions.<ref> ''Encyclopedia of World Biography''</ref>
* ]
*]: Professor ], of ], ], was struck and killed by a globe of ] while observing a storm.<ref> ''Physics Today'', January 2006</ref>
* ]
*]: King of ], ], died of digestion problems on ], 1771 after having consumed a meal consisting of ], ], ], smoked ] and ], which was topped off with 14 servings of his favorite ]: ] served in a bowl of hot ].<ref> ''The Local'', February 2007</ref> He is thus remembered by Swedish schoolchildren as "the king who ate himself to death." <ref> Sandy Mickelson, ''The Messenger'', February 27, 2008</ref>
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* {{Section link|Wheel-well stowaway|List of wheel-well stowaways}}
{{div col end}}


==Modern Age== == References ==
{{reflist}}
===19th century===
*]: ], statesman and financier, was crushed to death by the world's first mechanically powered passenger train (]), at its public opening.<ref>, ''International Centre for Digital Content'', January 17, 2003</ref>
*]: ], ] ], fell into a pit trap accompanied by a bull. He was gored and possibly crushed.<ref>: The source is uncertain if the bull fell in before or after him.</ref>
*]: ] died playing baseball when he swung the bat too hard and ruptured his bladder.
*]: ] died after falling 4000 feet, having completed the first summit of the ].<ref></ref>
*]: ], brewer and founder of ], died in mid-speech while delivering his ] to the College ].<ref>, ''The New York Times'', June 24, 1868</ref>
*]: ], ] and ] died in October 1897 at Kvitöya (White Island) (located to the northeast of ]) where they had arrived after a failed attempt to reach the North Pole in a balloon. Their deaths might have been due to exhaustion but also could have been due to eating insufficiently cooked polar bear meat causing ], or carbon monoxide poisoning from the miniature kerosene stove when snow made it difficult to air out the fumes.<ref>, ''True Magazine through Aviation-History.com'', August, 1962</ref>
*]: ], French president, died of a stroke while in his office. It is popularly believed that he was "in the arms of his mistress" at the time, perhaps receiving ].<ref></ref>


== Further reading ==
===20th century===
{{refbegin}}
*]: ], founder of the ], died of ] six years after receiving a toe injury when he kicked his safe in anger at being unable to remember its combination.<ref>Haig, Matt. ''Brand Royalty: how the world's top 100 brands thrive and survive'', p. 197. London: Kogan Page, 2004.</ref>
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wrJygAACAAJ|title=Strange Inhuman Deaths|isbn=978-0-7509-3864-8|last1=Bellamy|first1=John G|year= 2008|publisher=History Press}}
*]: ], tailor, fell to his death off the first deck of the Eiffel Tower while testing his invention, the coat ]. It was his first ever attempt with the parachute and he had told the authorities in advance he would test it first with a dummy.<ref></ref>
* {{cite book|first=Nick|last=Daws|title=Daft Deaths and Famous Last Words|publisher=Lagoon Books|date=2005|isbn=978-1-9047-9715-9}}
*]: ], ]n ], was poisoned while dining with a political enemy, and supposedly he was given enough poison to kill three men his size. When he did not die, one assassin sneaked up behind him and shot him in the head, and while checking Grigori's pulse he was grabbed by the neck by the mystic and was strangled. He proceeded to run away, while the other assassins chased. They caught up to him after he was finally felled by three shots during the chase. The pursuers bludgeoned him, then threw him into a frozen river. When his body washed ashore, an autopsy showed the cause of death to be ], not drowning. There is now some doubt about the credibility of this account, though.<ref></ref>
* {{cite book|last=Dreher|first=Dale|title=Death by Misadventure: 210 Dumb Ways to Die|asin=B007JYWNV4|date=2012-03-12}}
*]: ], writer and musicologist, was killed when the sailboat he was on was struck by a landing seaplane off Long Island, N.Y.<ref name="Obit"> '']''. ] 1918. p. 1. Accessed ] 2008.</ref>
* {{cite book|last=Dunning|first=John|author-link=John Dunning (journalist)|title=Strange Deaths|series=True Crime|date=February 1997|isbn=978-185958498-9}}
*]: ], baseball player, was killed when he was hit in the head by a pitch.<ref> Baseball: An Illustrated History. Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, 1994. </ref>
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7HTfGRRllAQC|title=Curious Events in History|first=Michael|last=Powell|publisher=]|year= 2008|isbn=978-1-4027-6307-6}}
*]: ], the reigning King of the Hellenes, was attacked by two monkeys whilst walking his pet dog through the ] (formerly the Royal Gardens). He fought off the monkeys with a stick but was bitten twice. He subsequently developed ] and died three weeks later. Alexander's premature death would inadvertently lead to the return to the throne of Alexander's father, ], who would lead Greece into the ] - a conflict that would significantly change the course of modern Greek history. <ref> John Van der Kiste, Kings of the Hellenes (Alan Sutton Publishing, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, 1994), p. 119-122</ref>
* {{Cite book|title=Strange Deaths: More Than 375 Freakish Fatalities|last1=Sieveking|first1=Paul|last2=Simmons|first2=Ian|last3=Stevenson|first3=Val|location=New York|publisher=]|year=2000|page=14|isbn=978-0-7607-1947-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fijmTMOJrJcC|access-date=4 January 2022|via=]}}
*]: ], an American film actress, died after sustaining severe burns on the set of the film ''The Warrens of Virginia'' after a smoker's match, tossed by a cast member, ignited her Civil War costume of hoopskirts and ruffles.<ref></ref>
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=py_ZAAAACAAJ|title=The Fortean Times Book of More Strange Deaths|isbn=978-1-902212-02-9|year=1998|last1=Sieveking|first1=Paul|publisher=John Brown }}
*]: ] became the first to die from the alleged ] after a mosquito bite on his face became seriously infected.<ref></ref>
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5RpLMwEACAAJ|title=The Fortean Times Book of Strange Deaths|isbn=978-1-907779-97-8|year=2011|last1=Sieveking|first1=Paul|publisher=Russell Blackman }}
*]: ], a circus strongman and Jewish folklore hero, died as a result of a demonstration in which he drove a spike through five one-inch thick oak boards using only his bare hands. He accidentally pierced his knee. The spike was rusted and caused an infection which led to fatal blood poisoning. He was the subject of the ] film, '']''.<ref></ref>
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HCExOEknBQ0C|title=Mysterious Deaths and Disappearances|last1=Southwell|first1=David|author1-link=David Southwell|last2=Twist|first2=Sean|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|year=2007|isbn=978-1-4042-1081-3}}
*]: ], a ] racing driver, was decapitated by his car's drive chain which, under stress, snapped and whipped into the cockpit. He was attempting to break his own ] which he had set the previous year. Despite being killed in the attempt, he succeeded in setting a new record of 171 mph.<ref>Reynolds, Barbara. ''Dorothy L. Sayers: her life and soul'', p. 162. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.</ref>
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JS5mHAAACAAJ|title=Curious and Unusual Deaths|last=Winterbotham|first=Russell R.|author-link=Russell R. Winterbotham|publisher= Haldeman-Julius|location=Girard, KS|year=1929}}
*]: ], ], died of accidental ] and ] when one of the long ] she was known for caught on the wheel of a ] in which she was a passenger.<ref></ref>
{{refend}}
*]: ], a Russian physician, died following one of his experiments, in which the blood of a student suffering from ] and ], L. I. Koldomasov, was given to him in a transfusion.<ref>Bogdanov, Alexander (tr. & ed. Douglas W. Huestis). ''The Struggle for Viability: Collectivism Through Blood Exchange'', p. 7. Tinicum, PA: Xlibris Corporation, 2002.</ref>
*]: ] died of ] after having consumed large quantities of a popular patent medicine containing ].<ref></ref>
*]: ], a homeless man, was murdered by gassing after surviving multiple poisonings, intentional exposure and being struck by a car. Malloy was murdered by five men in a plot to collect on ] policies they had purchased.<ref>{{cite book |last=Read |first=Simon |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The Bizarre Killing of Michael Malloy |year=2005 |publisher=Penguin Book Group |location= |id= }}</ref>
*]: Baseball player ] was bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher by the crew of an aircraft he had chartered, after provoking a fight with the pilot while the plane was in the air.<ref></ref>
*]: Finnish actress died when she fell down a chimney. She was at a cast party celebrating the completion of a movie, her third and last. She mistook a chimney for a balcony and fell into a heating boiler, dying instantly.<ref>http://koti.mbnet.fi/basil/nest/allmovies.txt</ref><ref></ref>
*]: ], writer, swallowed a ] at a party and then died of ].<ref></ref>
*]: Critic ] suffered a fatal heart attack during an on-air discussion about ].<ref></ref>
*]: Inventor and chemist ] accidentally strangled himself with the cord of a ]-operated mechanical bed of his own design.<ref>]. '']''. (2003) Broadway Books, USA. ISBN 0-385-66004-9</ref>
*]: Scientist ] accidentally dropped a brick of ] onto a sphere of ] while working on the ]. This caused the plutonium to come to criticality; Daghlian died of radiation poisoning, becoming the first person to die in a ].<ref></ref>
*]: ], chemist and physicist, died of radiation poisoning after being exposed to lethal amounts of ionizing radiation. He died in a very similar way as ], from dropping a block of material on the same sphere of plutonium by accident. The sphere of plutonium was nicknamed the ]<ref>http://hhs55.com/slotin.html</ref>
*]: The ], extreme cases of ], were found dead in their home in New York. The younger brother, Langley, died by falling victim to a booby trap he had set up, causing a mountain of objects, books, and newspapers to fall on him crushing him to death. His blind brother, Homer, who had depended on Langley for care, died of starvation some days later. Their bodies were recovered after massive efforts in removing many tons of debris from their home.<ref></ref>
*]: ], English mathematician, ], and ], was found dead by his cleaner on June 8; the previous day, he had died of ] poisoning, apparently from a cyanide-laced apple he left half-eaten beside his bed.<ref>Hodges, 1983, pp. 488-489</ref>. It has been suggested that Turing was reenacting a scene from "]", his favourite fairy tale.<ref>Ferris, Timothy. ''Seeing in the Dark''. 2002. p. 250</ref>
*]: ], theater director, was 43 when she was killed by the carpet in her Dallas apartment. She died July 26 from exposure to ] fumes from the newly cleaned carpet.<ref></ref>
*]: ], artist, died from complications after falling out her apartment window and being impaled on the fence forty feet below.<ref></ref>
*]: ], actor, collapsed and died while in make-up between scenes of a ] play, ''Underground'', at the studios of ] in ]. Director ] continued the play to its conclusion, improvising around Jones's absence.<ref></ref>
*]: in ], Nine ski hikers went missing in the Ural Mountains of the then Soviet Union and were later found dead, having abandoned their camp in the middle of the night in apparent terror, some clad only on their underwear despite sub-zero weather. Six of the hikers died of hypothermia and three were killed by "unknown compelling force".
*]: In the ], over 100 Soviet ] technicians and officials died when a switch was turned on unintentionally igniting the rocket, including ] Marshal Nedelin who was seated in a deck chair just 40 meters away overseeing launch preparations. The events were filmed by automatic cameras.<ref></ref>
*]: On March 23, ] ] trainee ] died from shock after suffering ]s over much of his body due to a ] in the pure ] environment of a training simulator. This incident was not revealed outside of the Soviet Union until the ].<ref>Oberg, James, ''Uncovering Soviet Disasters'', , pp 156-176, Random house, New York, 1988, retrieved 8 January 2008</ref>
*]: On June 11, ], a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, sat down in the middle of a busy intersection in ], covered himself in gasoline, and lit himself on fire, burning himself to death. Đức was protesting President ] administration for oppressing the ] religion.<ref></ref>
*]: A ] began in the pure ] environment during a training exercise inside the unlaunched ] spacecraft, killing Command Pilot ], Senior Pilot ], and Pilot ]. The door to the capsule was unable to be opened during the fire because of its particular design. <ref></ref>
*]: ] became the first person to die during a space mission after the parachute of ] failed to deploy following re-entry.<ref></ref>
*]: ], an ] pioneer of ], died of a heart attack while being interviewed on '']''. According to ], when he appeared to fall asleep, Cavett quipped "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?"<ref>http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm</ref>. Cavett says this is incorrect; the initial response was fellow guest ] saying in a low voice to Cavett, "This looks bad."<ref>http://donkeyod.wordpress.com/2007/05/04/when-that-guy-died-on-my-show/ Reprint of NYT article by Cavett</ref> The show was never broadcast.
*]: ], guitarist of ], was electrocuted on stage by a live microphone.<ref></ref>
*]: ], a martial arts actor, is thought to have died by a severe allergic reaction to ]. His brain had swollen about 13%. His autopsy was written as "death by misadventure."<ref>{{cite book
| last = Thomas
| first = Bruce
| title = Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit : a Biography
| publisher = Frog LTD.
|date=1994
| location = Berkley, California
| pages = 209
}}</ref>
*]: ], an ] television ], committed suicide during a live broadcast on July 15. At 9:38 AM, 8 minutes into her talk show, on WXLT-TV in ], ], she drew out a revolver and shot herself in the head.<ref name="dietz">Dietz, Jon. "On-Air Shot Kills TV Personality", ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'', July 16, 1974.</ref>
*]: Physicist and businessman ] died of a stroke while testifying before a US Congressional subcommittee.<ref></ref>
*]: ] kabuki actor ] died of severe poisoning when he ate four ] livers (also known as ]). The liver is considered one of the most poisonous parts of the fish, but Mitsugorō claimed to be immune to the poison. The fugu chef felt he could not refuse Mitsugorō and lost his license as a result.<ref></ref>
*]: ], former singer for British ] band ], died while practicing his electric guitar. He was electrocuted because the guitar was not properly grounded.<ref></ref>
*]: ] driver ] and 19-year-old track marshal ] both died at the ] after Van Vuuren ran across the track beyond a blind brow to attend to another car which had caught fire and was struck by Pryce's car at approximately 170mph. Pryce was struck in the face by the marshal's ] and was killed instantly.<ref name="Tom Pryce death">{{cite book |last=Tremayne |first= David|authorlink=David Tremayne |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=The Lost Generation |origdate= |origyear= 2006 |origmonth=August|url= |format= |accessdate=2007-01-05 |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |date= |year= |month= |publisher= Haynes Publishing|location= |language=English |isbn=1-84425-205-1 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= |chapter=Chapter 19 - A Moment Of Desperate Sadness|chapterurl= |quote=}}</ref>
*]: ], a ] dissident, was assassinated by poisoning in ] by an unknown assailant who jabbed him in the calf with a specially ] that fired a metal pellet with a small cavity full of ] poison.
*]: ], a British medical photographer, died of ] in 1978, ten months after the disease was eradicated in the wild, when a researcher at the laboratory Parker worked at accidentally released some virus into the air of the building. She is believed to be the last smallpox fatality in history.<ref></ref>
*]: ], a French pop singer, was electrocuted when he tried to change a light bulb whilst standing in his bathtub which was full of water at the time.<ref></ref>
*]: ], the Austrian/American mathematician, died of starvation when his wife was hospitalized. Goedel suffered from extreme paranoia and refused to eat food prepared by anyone else. He was 65 pounds when he died. His death certificate reported that he died of "malnutrition and inanition caused by personality disturbance" in Princeton Hospital on January 14, 1978.<ref>Toates, Frederick; Olga Coschug Toates (2002). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Practical Tried-and-Tested Strategies to Overcome OCD. Class Publishing, 221. ISBN 978-1859590690. </ref>
*]: ], a worker at a Ford Motor Co. plant, was the first known man to be killed by a robot.<ref name=rlid>Robot firm liable in death, Tim Kiska, ''The Oregonian'', August 11, 1983. See , ROBOT FIRM LIABLE IN DEATH.</ref>
*]: ] paid a bush pilot to drop him at a remote lake near the Coleen River in ] in March 1981 to photograph wildlife, but did not arrange for the pilot to pick him up again in August. Rather than starve, McCunn shot himself in the head. His body was found in February 1982.<ref>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res= 9B0DEED61638F93AA25751C1A964948260&sec=health&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink</ref>
*]: ], a film director, died while shooting the TV miniseries '']'' when he walked into the tail rotor blade of a helicopter and was decapitated. <ref></ref>
*]: Jeff Dailey, a 19-year-old gamer, became the first known person to die while playing ]s. After achieving a score of 16,660 in the ] ], he succumbed to a massive heart attack. A year later, an 18-year-old gamer died after achieving high scores in the same game.<ref></ref>
*]: ], actor, was ] by a ] blade during filming of '']''. Two child actors, Myca Dinh Le (who was decapitated) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (who was crushed), also died.<ref></ref>
*]: ], an ] ], died of ] nine days after his opponent's ] snapped during a match, penetrated his mask, pierced his eyeball and entered his brain.<ref></ref>
*]: A decompression accident on the ] semi-submersible on November 5, 1983 killed four divers and a tender, when a decompression chamber ] from 9 ] to 1 atm in a fraction of a second. The diver nearest the chamber opening literally exploded just before his remains were ejected through a 24in (60cm) opening. The other divers' remains showed signs of boiled blood, unusually strong ], large amounts of gas in the blood vessels, and scattered hemorrhages in the soft tissues.<ref>Giertsen, J.C. et al., "An Explosive Decompression Accident", The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 9(2):91-101, 1988.</ref>
*]: ], a professional ], died after a diving accident during the ] in ], ]. When he attempted a three-and-a-half reverse ] in the tuck position, he smashed his head on the board and was knocked unconscious. He died after being in a ] for a week.<ref></ref>
*]: Author ] died at the age of 71 after he choked on an eyedrop bottle cap in his room at the Hotel Elysee in New York. He would routinely place the cap in his mouth, lean back, and place his eyedrops in each eye. Williams' lack of gag response may have been due to the effects of drugs and alcohol abuse.<ref></ref>
*]: ], an American television actor, died after he shot himself in the head with a prop gun during a break in filming. Hexum apparently did not realize that blanks use paper or plastic wadding to seal gun powder into the shell, and that this wadding is propelled out of the barrel of the gun with enough force to cause severe injury or death if the weapon is fired at point-blank range.
*]: While on the air giving a traffic report, the helicopter that ] was riding in stalled and crashed into the ], killing her. This was the second helicopter crash she had been in that year.
*]: ], a ] ], committed ] during a televised ] in ]. Facing a potential 55-year jail sentence for alleged involvement in a ], Dwyer shot himself in the mouth with a ].
*]: ] died of ] near ] after a few months trying to live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness. His life and death were researched by Jon Krakauer, who then wrote the novel ] which was later turned into a ].
*]: ], son of Bruce Lee, was shot and killed by ] using a prop ] gun while filming the movie '']''. A cartridge with only a primer and a bullet was fired in the pistol prior to the scene Brandon was in; this caused a ], in which the primer provided enough force to push the bullet out of the cartridge and into the barrel of the revolver, where it became stuck. The malfunction went unnoticed by the crew, and the same gun was used again later to shoot the death scene, having been re-loaded with blanks. However, the squib load was still lodged in the barrel, and was propelled by the blank cartridge's explosion out of the barrel and into Lee's body. It was not instantly recognized by the crew or other actors; they believed he was still acting.<ref></ref>
*]: ], a Toronto lawyer, fell to his death after he threw himself through the glass wall on the 24th floor of the ] in order to prove the glass was "unbreakable."<ref></ref>
*]: Michael A. Shingledecker Jr. was killed almost instantly when he and a friend were struck by a pickup truck while lying flat on the yellow dividing line of a two-lane highway in ]. They were copying a daredevil stunt from the movie '']''. Marco Birkhimer died of a similar accident while performing the same stunt in Route 206 of ]. <ref></ref>
*]: ] ] died filming a reenactment of a sky-diving accident when his own ] failed to open.
*]: ] was admitted to ] General Hospital for complications of advanced cervical cancer. Before she died, her body mysteriously emitted toxic fumes that made several emergency room workers very ill. She has been dubbed as the "toxic lady" by the media. <ref></ref>
*]: ], an Internet entrepreneur from ], allegedly solicited a man via the Internet to torture and kill her for the purpose of sexual gratification. Her killer, Robert Fredrick Glass, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the homicide.
*]: ] were stranded while ] with a group of divers off ]'s ]. The group's boat accidentally abandoned them due to an incorrect head count taken by the dive boat crew. Their bodies were never recovered. The incident inspired the film '']'' and an episode of '']''.<ref>, ''The Age'', August 7, 2004</ref>
*]: In the ], a ] game ended when every player on the visiting team was struck by a fork bolt of ], killing them all instantly.<ref></ref>
*]: ], a professional wrestler for ], died during a pay-per-view event when performing a stunt. It was planned to have Owen come down from the rafters of the ] on a safety harness tied to a rope to make his ring entrance. The safety latch was released and Owen dropped 78 feet, bouncing chest-first off the top rope resulting in a severed ], which caused his lungs to fill with blood.<ref></ref>
*]: ] stormed the cockpit door of a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City. The 19-year-old was subdued by eight other passengers with such force that he died of ].<ref></ref>


== External links ==
===21st century===
* {{cite web|url=http://health.discovery.com/tv-shows/curious-and-unusual-deaths-pictures.htm|archive-date=2013-09-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916213200/http://health.discovery.com/tv-shows/curious-and-unusual-deaths-pictures.htm|title=Curious and Unusual Deaths Pictures|website=]|publisher=]|access-date=2024-08-07}}
*]: Bernd-Jürgen Brandes from Germany was stabbed repeatedly and then partly eaten by ] (who was later called the Cannibal of Rothenburg). Brandes had answered an internet advertisement by Meiwes looking for someone for this purpose. Brandes explicitly stated in his will that he wished to be killed and eaten.<ref>, ''BBC News'', May 9, 2006</ref>
* {{cite web|url=https://www.snopes.com/tag/freakish-fatalities/|title=Freakish Fatalities Articles|website=]|access-date=2024-08-07}}
*]: ], an American 13-year-old hockey fan, died two days after being struck in the head by a ] at a game between the ] and the ] at ]. <ref>, ''ESPN.com'', May 20, 2002</ref>
*]: ], a ] man in ], was killed by a ] which was fastened around his neck. He was apprehended by the ] after robbing a ], and claimed he had been forced to do it by three people who had put the bomb around his neck and would kill him if he refused. The bomb later exploded, killing him. In 2007, police alleged Wells was involved in the robbery plot along with two other conspirators.<ref>{{cite news| last=Nephin| first=Dan| title=Indictment: Bomb Victim in on Bank Plot| publisher=Associated Press| date=]| url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jul12/0,4670,BankRobberyExplosion,00.html| accessdate=2008-07-21}}</ref>
*]: ], an ] ] who had lived in the wilderness among bears for thirteen summers in a remote region in ], along with his girlfriend Amie Huguenard, were killed and partially consumed by a bear. An audio recording was captured on a video camera (the lens-cap was in place during the incident), but the tape has never been released to the public. ]'s ], '']'', discusses Treadwell and his death.<ref>Medred, Craig.''''. '']''. October 8, 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2006.</ref>
*]: ] of ], ] died of acute ] after submitting to anal intercourse with a ]. Pinyan had had sex with a horse before. Pinyan delayed his visit to the hospital for several hours out of reluctance to admit what happened. The case led to the criminalization of ] in ].<ref></ref> His story was recounted in the ] documentary film '']''.
*]: 28-year-old ]n, ], collapsed of fatigue and died after playing ] for almost 50 consecutive hours in an Internet cafe.<ref>, ''Times Online'', August 10, 2005</ref>
*]: ], a television personality and naturalist known as ], died when his heart was impaled by a ] barb while filming a documentary entitled "Ocean's Deadliest" in ]'s ]. <ref>http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20355064-30417,00.html</ref>
*]: ], a former officer of the ], and later a ]n ] and ], suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized. He died three weeks later, becoming the first known victim of lethal ]-induced ].
*]: ], a 28-year-old woman from ], died of ] while trying to win a ] console in a ] 107.9 "The End" radio station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest, which involved drinking large quantities of water without urinating.<ref>, ''The Los Angeles Times'', January 14, 2007</ref><ref> ''KNBC.com'', January 16, 2007</ref>
*]: ], the Deputy Mayor of Delhi, India, was kicked by a ] monkey at his home and fell from a first floor balcony, suffering serious head injuries. He later died from his injuries.<ref></ref>
*]: ], 6, died nine months after her organs were partially sucked out while sitting on a swimming pool drain. She had several organs replaced in surgery but died later due to the incident. <ref> ''USA Today'', March 21, 2008</ref>
*]: "Texas" Oliver Leonard, 21, died from complications following routine surgery to correct his ].


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==See also==
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==References==
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Latest revision as of 18:06, 18 December 2024

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

These are a series of incomplete lists of unusual deaths, unique or extremely rare circumstances of death recorded throughout history, noted as being unusual by multiple sources.

Unusual deaths

Lists of unusual deaths
Antiquity
Middle Ages Renaissance Early modern period
19th century 20th century 21st century
Animal deaths

See also

Lists

References

  1. Hoff, Ursula (1937). "Meditation in Solitude". Journal of the Warburg Institute. 1 (44): 292–294. doi:10.2307/749994. ISSN 0959-2024. JSTOR 749994. S2CID 192234608.

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