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Attila the Hun
One of the most notorious villains in history, Attila’s army had conquered all of Asia by 450 AD—from Mongolia to the edge of the Russian Empire—by destroying villages and pillaging the countryside.
How he died: He got a nosebleed on his wedding night
In 453 AD, Attila married a young girl named Ildico. Despite his reputation for ferocity on the battlefield, he tended to eat and drink lightly during large banquets. On his wedding night, however, he really cut loose, gorging himself on food and drink. Sometime during the night he suffered a nosebleed, but was too drunk to notice. He drowned in his own blood and was found dead the next morning.
Napoleon Bonaparte
French national hero, and conqueror of most of Europe
How he died: He was killed by his wallpaper
After his eventual defeat, Napoleon was kept prisoner by the British on the island of St. Helena. When a sample of his hair was analysed in the 1960s, it was found to contain significant quantities of Arsenic, leading to suggestions that he had been deliberately poisoned by the British. But the British had treated him well during captivity, so it seemed unlikely that they would murder him. In the 1980s the truth began to emerge. Scheele’s Green was a colouring pigment used in fabrics and wallpaper from around 1770. If wallpaper containing Scheele’s Green became damp and mouldy, the pigment would undergo a chemical change, and would give off Arsenic gas. And yes, the wallpaper in Napoleon’s bedroom on St Helena contained Scheele’s Green. So the British had indeed poisoned him - but only by accident.
Alexander I of the Hellenes:
King of Greece from 1917, following the forced abdication of his father.
How he died: Bitten by his pet monkey
He was walking his dog in the garden when the dog and his monkey became embroiled in a fight. In trying to separate them Alexander received a bite on his ankle from the monkey. Five days later the wound turned septic and fever set in. The King died from the resulting Cellulitis
Henry I:
French King, Comte de Champagne, and Crusader
How he died: Accidental defenestration
On 10th September 1197, Henry was in Acre, reviewing his troops from a balcony window, whilst eagerly awaiting word from the Pisan army that their ships and soldiers were ready to join him in relieving Jaffa from Al-Adil’s Saracen army. The Pisan delegation arrived in the room and Henry turned to greet them. As he did so, he took a step backwards and lost his balance. As he pitched over, his little dwarf, Scarlet, grabbed at his robes. But instead of saving his master, the dwarf fell, too, and both men died instantly.
Tycho Brahe:
An important Danish astronomer of the 16th century. His ground breaking research allowed Sir Isaac Newton to come up with the theory of gravity.
How he died: Didn’t get to the bathroom in time
In the 16th century, it was considered an insult to leave a banquet table before the meal was over. Brahe, known to drink excessively, had a bladder condition — but failed to relieve himself before the banquet started. He made matters worse by drinking too much at dinner, and was too polite to ask to be excused. His bladder finally burst, killing him slowly and painfully over the next 11 days.
Francesco II:
Formerly Jacopo Gattilusio. Lord of the island of Lesbos
How he died: The ultimate panic attack.
On 26th October 1404, Francesco was stung by a scorpion. However, it wasn’t this that killed him. Somehow, in his panic at being stung, he caused a riot which ended up with the second floor of his house caving in. That is what killed him.
Tennessee Williams:
One of the most important playwrights of the twentieth century
How he died: Using a nasal spray
Williams was staying at the Hotel Elysee in New York in 1983 when, whilst he was using a nasal spray, the cap fell off the bottle into his mouth, and he choked to death
Horace Wells:
Pioneered the use of anesthesia in the 1840s
How he died: Used anesthetics to commit suicide
While experimenting with various gases during his anesthesia research, Wells became addicted to chloroform. In 1848 he was arrested for spraying two women with sulphuric acid. In a letter he wrote from jail, he blamed chloroform for his problems, claiming that he’d got high before the attack. Four days later he was found dead in his cell. He’d anaesthetized himself with chloroform and slashed open his thigh with a razor.
Francis Bacon:
One of the most influential minds of the late 16th century. A statesman, a philosopher, a writer, and a scientist, he was even rumored to have written some of Shakespeare’s plays.
How he died: Stuffing snow into a chicken
One afternoon in 1625, Bacon was watching a snowstorm and was struck by the wondrous notion that maybe snow could be used to preserve meat in the same way that salt was used. Determined to find out, he purchased a chicken from a nearby village, killed it, and then, standing outside in the snow, attempted to stuff the chicken full of snow to freeze it. The chicken never froze, but Bacon did.
Jerome Irving Rodale:
Founding father of the organic food movement, creator of “Organic Farming and Gardening” magazine, and founder of Rodale Press, a major publishing corporation.
How he died: On the “Dick Cavett Show”, while discussing the benefits of organic foods.
Rodale, who bragged “I’m going to live to be 100 unless I’m run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver,” was only 72 when he appeared on the “Dick Cavett Show” in January 1971. Part way through the interview, he dropped dead in his chair. Cause of death: heart attack. The show was never aired.
Aeschylus:
A Greek playwright back in 500 BC. Many historians consider him the father of Greek tragedies.
How he died: An eagle dropped a tortoise on his head
Eagles pick up tortoises and attempt to crack them open by dropping them on rocks. An eagle mistook Aeschylus’ head for a rock (he was bald) and dropped it on him instead. Many years before, a soothsayer had predicted that Aeschylus would be killed by a house. If you consider the function that the shell serves to a tortoise, the prediction turned out to come true.
Jim Fixx:
Author of the best selling “Complete Book of Running,” which started the jogging craze of the 1970s.
How he died: A heart attack….while jogging
Fixx was visiting Greensboro, Vermont when he walked out of his house and began jogging. He’d only gone a short distance when he had a massive coronary. His autopsy revealed that one of his coronary arteries was 99% clogged, another was 80% obstructed, and a third was 70% blocked….and that Fixx had had three other attacks in the weeks prior to his death.
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