Neatorama » Blog Archive » E-Mail » 30 Strangest Deaths in History.

E-Mail Post To A Friend

Email a copy of '30 Strangest Deaths in History.' to a friend

Loading ...

165 comments to "30 Strangest Deaths in History."

Nicholas Dollak
March 12th, 2007 at 4:53 am
Cool! I know of another famous “death by bookcase”. Composer Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888) was a concert pianist who became a recluse (like the non-paralyzed Collyer brother). When he wasn’t playing for a few close friends or composing, he studied the Kabbalah (a book of Hassidic Jewish mysticism). One day he climbed a stepladder to reach a book about the Kabbalah that he kept on the top shelf of a bookcase. Humidity had caused the books to swell, and he tugged and tugged to free the weighty tome, ultimately pulling the bookcase away from the wall…

I always found it ironic that he died a decidedly “smushed by the Hand of God”-style death while searching for God.
Clint
March 12th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Another one is the death of Harry Houdini. He claimed to be able to take the punch of any man in the stomach. One day someone punched him in the stomach when he wasn’t ready, and he died several days later as a result of a ruptured appendix.

wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houdini#Death
gmacken
March 12th, 2007 at 10:32 am
You state that “Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman [wiki] was the only man ever killed by a baseball pitch.” … I believe this to be false.

The below info is from http://www.peterga.com/baseball/numbers.htm

People killed by pitches (”Bill James Baseball Abstract” 1985 p.131):

* at least 4 in the minors between 1909 & 1920
* 1920 Ray Chapman (Carl Mays)
* 1951 Ottis Johnson (of Dothan) last player in org. ball to be killed by pitch

see BJBA p.137 for full list

… I bothered to look this up because my own cousin was struck by a pitch during a pick-up game and developed a brain aneurysm was sadly took his life.
mike
March 12th, 2007 at 11:05 am
the preacher who had a heart attack and died while on the stage just finishing saying “when i get to heaven”
Lathe
March 12th, 2007 at 11:41 am
How bout the medieval Chinese dude who strapped 47 rockets to a chair so he could travel into space. Mythbusters on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LznBfmpSdhk
Runa
March 12th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
That’s great. It could become the “historical section” for the Darwin Awards.
John Hedtke
March 12th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
U.S. Civil War Union General John Sedgewick, who, in 1862, was overlooking the Battle of Spotsylvania and whose last words were reportedly “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist–.”

Some accounts say that he actually said “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance,” turned, walked a couple steps and was then killed instantly by a Minie ball, but it hardly matters under the circumstances for the smashing irony.

One would like to go out with a modicum of humor, but the joke probably shouldn’t be quite so clearly on you.
roy
March 12th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Regarding Death by Necklace Bomb, a few weeks ago, that was finally solved and I’m pretty sure that the people who strapped the bomb to the guy’s neck were arrested.
Craig
March 12th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
‘Strange Deaths’ is a monthly column in every issue of the Fortean Times, if you find this stuff morbidly fascinating.
panda
March 12th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
what about Attila the Hun dying from nose bleed? drowning in his own blood on his wedding day.
the man
March 12th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Pyrrhus of Epirus was a great king in greece who fought the Romans. on his return home a great parade was thrown in his self proclaimed victory and as he marched down the streets of Epirus a old lady on a balkany leaned over to see him accidently knocking a flower pot over which hit the king in the head killing him. Also its said that Atilla the Hun died of a nose bleed.
Ali
March 12th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
50 Cent has got nothing on Rasputin…hot damn!
Aramax
March 12th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Capitaine Bonhomme (Michel NoÃ«l) who died on stage during a show… the first after he returned from a trip around the world.

The guy was known from his extraordinary adventures he kept telling everyone. The location of his death and the timing was something extraordinary by itself.

He died of a heart attack.

( It’s funny how they got no information on him on the web… more proof that the french canadians sell the information instead of spreading it. Im ashamed to be one of them right now )
yayo
March 12th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Recalls me that sketch from Monty Pythons where Mozart (Cleese) presented Wonderful Deaths in history ^^
Santana
March 12th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Hey! What about death by horse intercourse?
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Pinyan
cybele
March 12th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
An earlier death on stage telling a joke was Parkyarkus (Harold Einstein … father of Super Dave Osborne & Albert Brooks). He was at the dais at the Friar’s Club Roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz when he collapsed onto Milton Berle and died.
Gramturismo
March 12th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Strange still, Vic Morrow aparently had premonition that he was going to be killed in a helicopter accident.

Check it: http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/m/Vic%20Morrow/vic_morrow.htm
Annie
March 12th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
There was a man in Kansas city who was walking down the street, in the rain. The road crossed a bridge, which was over a river, hs slipped on a Mc.Donalds napkin, fell over, knocked three people in besides himself, and all died.
Daniel
March 12th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
The wealthy gambling executive Ted Binion was burked while also on Xanax and heroin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Binion

The death, as chronicled int he book Positively Fifth Street is most macabre and bizare.
gian
March 12th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
how about the bald guy who died because an eagle had mistakenly thought that his bald head was a rock
Alex
March 12th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Thanks gmacken for the correction, and roy for the update!

gian, that guy was the greek playwright Aeschylus.
frÃ©dÃ©ric dÃ©nommÃ©
March 12th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Hey #13 Aramax - you are an imbecile because Michel NoÃ«l had a stroke on stage on TV in 1991 but he died from another unrelated stroke in 1993. What’s with your “more proof about french canadians” comment?
Vibilo
March 12th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Draco, an important figure in greek law, was known for his harsh punishments of death for almost every infraction. The word draconian comes from this. Despite his oppressive laws draco was much loved by the greek people and died after giving a speech by suffocating under a pile of hats which had been thrown by members of the audience.

By far the most bizzare death I have ever heard of.
LLLLL
March 13th, 2007 at 1:36 am
i thought this list was fantastic… until i reached the one about the Crocodile Hunter. His death was the second by a stingray in Australia, and if you ask me its still a little soon to be laughing at the way he died.
Roger Dodger
March 13th, 2007 at 1:41 am
Catherine the Great supposedly died while a horse was lowered on to her body for the purpose of horsesex.
Jack Frost
March 13th, 2007 at 2:17 am
#24, Who’s laughing? I thought these stories were printed because they are odd, not because they are funny.
Justin
March 13th, 2007 at 2:42 am
50-year-old bricklayer Alex Mitchell died of heart failure brought on by uncontrollable laughter while watching the ‘Kung Fu Kapers’ episode of the british comedy ‘The Goodies’. Hiw wife wrote to them and thanked them for making his final minutes so pleasant.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goodies
Jeuhrn
March 13th, 2007 at 4:56 am
Branwell BrontÃ« died standing up and leaning against a mantlepiece, in order to prove that it could be done. He died from tuberculosis.
Sarah
March 13th, 2007 at 4:57 am
i agree with the crocodile hunter remark, being an Australian myself, and the devastation that incident caused it is much too soon to even attempt to make his death out to be some sort of amusement.

anyway in relation to the Rasputin death, yes he was poisoned, shot mulitple times, bashed by russian government officials, but he survived all of that.
It was when they threw him into the icy river that he died, due to the surface of the river freezing over while he was attempting to resurface.

He was a creepy perverted man anyway. Studying him and having to look at his portrait was scary enough.
maht
March 13th, 2007 at 6:00 am
Tommy Cooper died on stage while live on Tv
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Cooper
xmog
March 13th, 2007 at 6:54 am
Nice ones, could you contribute them to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_deaths
Esmoreit
March 13th, 2007 at 7:05 am
I also recall a Roman general, on a warpath to Persia to loot the gold off a sultan. His army was defeated and the general captured. The sultan sentenced him to death by pooring liquid gold down his throat. I don’t remember the names but Marc Anthony makes a remark about it during the second season of Rome.
Jeremy
March 13th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Interesting fact: the attorney in the family of Robert Williams’ lawsuit was my uncle.
arup
March 13th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Nice compilation! liked the one in wikipedia too!
Stoney
March 13th, 2007 at 8:59 am
No offence but mister crocodile hunter was just stupid with his way of interacting with animals..

It was bound to happen and his own stupid fault , so no mercy for that …
Holly
March 13th, 2007 at 9:06 am
Ont of the most unusual deaths I have head of was that of my 53rd great-grandfather, FjÃ¶lnir. FjÃ¶lnir lived at the turn from BC to AD. He drowned in a vat of mead (a big barrel of beer).
Steve
March 13th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Li Bo (or Li Bai) died in 762, not 706. A five year old being one of China’s preeminent poets would be something indeed. Some say he died of mercury poisoning. The rumor of his death by drowning while seeking to embrace the moon has been present since his death.
Mark A. Rayner
March 13th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Great list — one of my favourites that isn’t here:

207 BC: Chrysippus, a Greek stoic philosopher, is believed to have died of laughter after watching his drunken donkey attempt to eat figs. Like Tycho Brahe, this one is probably a myth.
Torrey
March 13th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
@ Esmoreit:
The man who you are referring to was Crassus. His head was first cut off and then melted gold was poured down his throat. It is said that he was one of the richest and greediest men of all time. He was also a member of the first triumvirate alongside Julius Caesar and Pompey. All the members of this triumvirate were murdered. Julius Caesar was killed by a group of conspirators and Pompey by decapitation in Egypt. I think.
Eric
March 13th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
There was a wrestler named Yusuf Ismail of Turkey (died July 1898) who was hugely successful and undefeated (he lost but once in a suspected rigged match). Refusing to put his earnings in the bank, he had a special “money belt” made to hold his gold, which he never removed. When the boat SS La Bourgogne sank he was among the passengers. Due to his heavy gold belt he was lost to Davey Jones’ locker forever!
mike
March 13th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
To those who say the crocodile hunterâ€™s death is too recent to make fun of; Are you saying itâ€™s ok to make fun of all of these other peopleâ€™s deaths? I donâ€™t find the death of the pizza man funny, or most of the other people on this list either. I didnâ€™t think this list was supposed to be humorous, but instead more of an interesting/fascinating list. I know those from Australia are sensitive about Steve Orwin, and in many ways it was a tragedy, but why would his death not deserve to be on here. He was a wild life expert that was killed by a seemingly harmless sting ray.
Michael Meiser
March 13th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
FYI,

There was an article in Rolling Stone recently, an expose on the giant corporate slaughterhouses down south, in it they detail the death of several people. I think it was a father, sons, uncle… who all died after jumping in to a pond of pig or cow fecal matter and/or butcher slurry trying to save the first one who fell in. Great article btw. And I think that tops all these.
Daniel Leroy
March 13th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
French President Faure (1841/1899):
“He is rumoured to have died while receiving oral sex from Marguerite Steinheil. This incident was the theme of numerous jokes and rumours:…/…”
wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9lix_Faure
no comments….
tomas
March 13th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
true though i fell ashamed of laghing
Sam Ryan
March 13th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Freddric Barbarossa, He died from drowning aswell, It was a hot day, and he and his army had been riding for hours without water, when they found this savannah, he was so hasty to get into the water, he forgot to take his armor off, and drowned.
Eidolon
March 13th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
To end the Stevie wonder argument:
The man made his living interacting with dangerous animals. Though tragic, his death was, like everyone else’s, inevitable; he simply chose a lifestyle that accelerated the process considerably.
Summary: Yeah, it’s sad; but yeah, he totally had that one coming.

Tycho wasn’t a myth, #38. He was a noted astrologer, and his death is the stuff of laughed-at legend amongst astrologers and physicists. Incidentally, the reason he wouldn’t relieve himself was because to rise from the meal before the king did was a serious faux pas, a disrespect to the crown. Ironically, punishments for this were sometimes as extreme as death.
Jeff
March 13th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Hmm, those are actually kind of odd, but I think the Steve Irwin one was too soon, what if there family sees this?…
anonymous
March 13th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
right, because they have no idea. we have to keep it a secret from them as long as possible.
gtfo, stfu moron.
Dan
March 14th, 2007 at 1:21 am
LLLLL, Jeff, Mike & Sarah obviously don’t get it. It’s a list of strange deaths. It’s NOT the list of hilarious deaths! For those of you who get it, there are so few of us. Anonymous, call your congressman or congresswoman and have them fight to have this pulled of immediately. By the way, how long is it before Jay Leno or other comedians can make fun of Steve? We sure as hell don’t care about the Goldman family? I mean that was years ago but the joke were flying days after it occurred.
Lisa
March 14th, 2007 at 4:11 am
Killed by Lava Lampâ„¢
http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2004-04.html
Thomas
March 14th, 2007 at 6:43 am
How about “Pistol” Pete Maravich?

He died while playing a pick-up game of basketball. After all those points scored in college and the NBA, he fell to his death while playing one-on-one with a Christian evangelist. It was found that he had a major heart defect.
Matteus
March 14th, 2007 at 7:14 am
“Regarding the swedish king”
Semlan is a bun filled with marzipan and whiped cream not milk.
Greate stories!
Jim
March 14th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Two to look into, there was a king of Germany named Ludwig II who died mysteriously by drowning in 3 feet of water while taking a bath. He was over 6 feet tall and he had his body guards watching. I also remember a guy in Japan talking on his cell phone not paying attention walked into a telephone pole and broke his neck.
Kocka
March 14th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Molier’s death was strange too..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molier#Death
Tommy
March 14th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Wasn’t there some kid who died after playing video games for hours on end?
Doobly
March 14th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
lots of kids have died after playing video games for hours, but i know this one kid that played for 3 days straight (literally), and then he got hungry and was gonna get something to eat, he stood up, took 2-3 steps and Boom… heart failure
Stupidity Impulse
March 14th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Well, this is weird, the deaths are meant to be ODD, not Funny. more comments from me NOT to come.
Jake
March 14th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
yeah, the kid was kneeling while playing and basicly cut off the blood to his legs and he died of a massive blood clot after about 8 hours of sitting like that
GrecoRoman
March 14th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Then there’s the case of R. Budd Dwyer, treasurer of PA in the 80s. Was indicted and convicted on bribery charges and was constant in his claims of innocence. I’ll sapre you the details. The day before his sentencing (which would end his ability to serve as treasurer) he called a press conference, which was carried live on PA t.v. stations. Says he’s innocent, takes a gun out of a bag and blows his brains onto the wall behind him on live t.v. Wikipedia: “Since Dwyer died in office before being removed upon sentencing, his widow, Joanne, was able to collect full survivor benefits totaling over $1.28 million. A spokesman for Dwyer, immediately after the suicide, suggested Dwyer may have killed himself to retain the state-provided pension for his household, which had been ruined by legal defense costs.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Bud_Dwyer
#11 is wrong
March 14th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Comment #11 is completely untrue. After losing to the Romans and leaving Italy, Pyrrhus attempted to conquer the Peloponnese in Southern Greece. He invaded Argos, and when his army entered the city of Argos, he was hit by a roof tile thrown by a civilian. He was not killed, but he was stunned, so the soldiers of Argos were able to kill him. This isn’t really a big deal, it just kind of annoyed me.
Spockrocker
March 14th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
One very strange death is a woman from my town who entered a radio contest to drink as much water as possible in order to win a Wii for her children. She drank two gallons of water and died of water intoxication.
Sadie
March 15th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Interesting tidbit about Dwyer…Im really suprised that his family was entitled to the benefits since he committed suicide. Well at least he was thoughtful….
Christian
March 15th, 2007 at 11:09 am
The reason that Tycho Brahe couldn’t leave the banquet to go to the bath room was that the King was present. It wouldn’t just have been really rude; it would have been insulting to the majesty if anyone were to stand up before he did.
Regarding Isadora Duncan: How could the driver’s attention be “attracted by her cries in the street” when it is also stated that she had been “had been strangled and killed instantly”?
BarmaLena
March 15th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
i remember a death that happened few years ago (03 or 04).
a man died after his intestines were ripped while having sex with a HORSE.
Grandjester
March 15th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Holly fails to note that FjÃ¶lnir got out of the vat three times to piss
Anonymous
March 15th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Tycho should have just wet himself . . .
mathilda waltz
March 15th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
This one time at bandcamp..

Half of everything here are rumours and speculations. But look at all you fuckers trying to come of as intellectuals.
The list is entertaining but the comments are not.

Oh yeah. Too early to mention Steve Irwin? Hey Australia; he was concidered a moron every place else. He proved us all right when he died like one. He was being aired for our entertainment. Like a fool. No-one took him seriously. Okie-dokie, mate!
Pelle
March 15th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
There’s one strange death I’ve read of. Don’t know if it’s true, but here we go.

A man was cheating on his wife and the wife found out. She walked to the top of the building and jumped off the roof attempting to take her own life…but she landed on her husband that stood on the ground, talking to his mistress.
The man died and the wife survived.
How’s that for irony?
Nayw
March 16th, 2007 at 2:45 am
Well, one of my all-time favorite deaths seems to be made up: the one about Mama Cass from Mamas and the Papas, who was said to been choked to death by a ham sandwich. Anyhoo, Mr. Neil Young had to cancel a tour in Europe some ten years ago when he cut himself in a finger while preparing a ham sandwich
Skint
March 16th, 2007 at 5:01 am
hehehe liked this a lot. i just found a little error. In “Death by dessert” it says that “…semla is a bun filled with marzipan and milk.” That is not completly true, Semla is a bun filled with marzipan and whipped creame.
Axel
March 16th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Dude the pastry semla hasn’t got milk in it. It’s got whipped cream in it but is traditionally put in lukewarm milk.
Dave
March 16th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
In an old Book of Lists I used to have, there was a list of these, including the man who was riding his horse and fell off and impailed his head on a nail that was standing point-up outside a blacksmith shop. Talk about freak accident!
Thomas
March 17th, 2007 at 3:14 am
I’m a bit suprised to see the Budd Dwyer suicide not on this list.
mitch allen
March 17th, 2007 at 10:17 am
at the time of the attempts on rasputin they also cut off his penis..this can be found in several books.
Unindicted Co-conspirator
March 19th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Cass Elliot died of a heart attack.
The old choking on a sandwich story is a sad, sick attempt at humor by a truly hateful person.
AJ
March 19th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Hey Stoney… I wasn’t even going to leave a comment, but then I see that you try to belittle Steve Irwin’s death with your petty comment…. fact is Steve Irwin was a wonderful man, who gave me much enjoyment throughout my childhood, at most he was unconventional, but then again he needed to be to get the attention of so many people. Steve Irwin in his life and times was a great father and husband, and also a great humanitarian…. what have you done?
fuff
March 19th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
#69: why would Mama Cass choking on a sandwich be your all-time favorite???
Chris
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:10 am
Wow…way to belittle Steve Irwin…Only for our entertainment…why do you think so much of yourself…ovbiously you arn’t that important or I would have looked your name up again….Since you seem to have been asleep your whole life lets set some facts straight… Steve Irwin was a wonderful person who loved animls more then I’ve ever seen anyone else do and who dedicated his life to them. He was an icon and a role model to many people and I personally was upset that hi sdeath was on this list..Its to soon…Beleive it or not alot of people (myself included) watched his shows for educational purposes. He was and still is a respected man.
Paul
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Chris, to say that Irwin is a great model is going a bit far… You should understand that anyone who hugs crocodiles and swins with stingrays - fully knowing the danger they pose - ins’t really the greatest of role models for anyone.

Who are your other Role models? Michael Jackson perhaps…
Paul
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:08 pm
And why is no-one sticking up for the Pizza delivery man. His death has all the same criteria as Irwins, and whats more, he was forced into it unlike Irwin.

Your making a point about Irwin because you want to argue and like to think your on the moral high ground.

And at the end of the day, those of you offended by seeing Steve Irwin on the list should realize that you searched for ‘Strange Deaths’ which is inevitably going to be somewhat morbid.
joyfullyme
March 23rd, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I personally think that Steve Irwin was a very brillant man… he knew the dangers and he knew how to keep in control of the situation. His death was an accident… a crew memeber was under the sting ray which made the creature defensive when Steve swam over it.. It is a very strange death and I don’t see anything wrong with him being on the list. I just dont’ like seeing people bashing him because they think he was foolish. many people love to see the extreme olympics and to me that is foolishness.. but hey.. who is to say that jumping from a plan isn’t just as foolish?
Brigitte
March 24th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
My step mother’s English teacher apparently died by choking on a crumb.
craig
March 24th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
why dosen’t anybody mention the “Darwin Awards”?
for example the french guy who tried to kill himself by ingesting poison, hanging himself, and shooting himself in the head simultaneaously.
His gunshot missed and cut the rope, and he fell into the cold water which made him vomit up the poison. he was rescued from the water but then died of hypothermia. Or how about the 2 mechanics who, noticing that gasoline took out oil stains, decided to add a gallon to the wash. the bomb scattered pieces of the house throughout a mile radius.
that’s about as dumb as defending steve irwin.
i feel sorry for his kids but, he made a living molesting, grabbing, and generally pissing off wildlife for amusement. If I were an animal i certainly wouldn’t appreciate a hyperactive screaming blonde creature pouncing out of nowhere and grappling and manhandling me. We should be surprised he made it as long as he did. he ticked off the wrong dasyatid
Fastlagsbullen
March 27th, 2007 at 4:27 am
Actually there is almond paste in semla and not marzipan.First of all, there is a BIG taste different between these two, second of all marzipan taste like shit taken from G W Bush rear end…
jj
March 27th, 2007 at 7:32 am
this was supposed to be about wierd deaths and it turned in to a circus of bumbbling fools and idiots.this post should just be deleted.this is nothing but useless information ,but some of you turned it in to a way to vent your anger,from your misserable pathitic life.assssss WHOLES
jrfosterjr
March 27th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
No offense, #36, but I know of thousands who die every year in only a few cans of beer. Very sad.
Zeke Krahlin
March 27th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Steve Irwin was a jerkwad. Father image? Exposing an infant boy to within three-four feet of a crocodile and other aggressive creatures. What a loser! His own “accidental” death probably saved his son’s life, in the long run.
Rebecca
March 27th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Steve Irwin: The title of this list is “100 STRANGEST DEATHS”

It does not state “hey laugh at this” or anything else that would lend to making fun of someone or trivializing their death. Steve probably knew he would one day die doing what he loved. Whether anyone agrees with what he chose to do is neither here nor there. As deaths go I guess it could be considered a strange way to go considering a sting by a Sting Ray is nearly never fatal. Personally I don’t find it that strange - to me same as death by any animal / shark , etc. But I do not feel that inclusion on this list is being disrespectful to anyone.
torren
March 27th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
correction on King Adolf Frederick: The semla (or fastlagsbulle) is a bun filled with marzipan and cream. King Adolf Frederick ate it with milk, in most cases warm milk.
ryan g
March 27th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
wow, me and my friend joke about thos kind of stuff untill u realy hear it happens
cole
March 28th, 2007 at 10:36 am
If you mess with mother nature long enough she will get you good. Just ask Steve Irwin and heed the warning. I warned him but he didn’t listen and now he is dead. Not strange at all, in fact I expected it to happen a lot sooner. So, if you also have a death wish, go play with the world’s deadliest critters and see what happens…
cassidance
March 29th, 2007 at 9:52 am
A friend of mine had an aunt who was killed sitting in her car at a traffic light. Ahead of her on an uphill slope was a dump truck hauling gravel. Somehow the back of the truck tilted up and all the gravel instantly started covering the woman’s car, burying her completely. She died of suffication before they could dig her out.
Chillin'
March 31st, 2007 at 5:48 am
Bob Marley ultimately died from a friendly soccer game with a couple of Germans. He got an infection in his toe and being a Rastafarian did not believe in amputation. Due to the religion he created, I don’t think he did much suffering though… rather he died happy.

Not going to touch the Steve Irwin subject, but will say that he made me smile.

Wasn’t there a U.S. Senator or Congressman who died from a heart attack right after he orgasmed with/in his mistress. What a way to go!
colin
April 3rd, 2007 at 12:48 pm
in reply to your comment #25 roger, catherine the great death is shown on this site http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/catherinethegreat/a/histmyths1.htm
Jess
April 4th, 2007 at 12:03 am
HAHA these are all mad.
I think the steve irwin thing is a bit out of controll, personally i did think he was a bit of a idiot, but he loved what he did, he loved the animals, thats the lifestyle he chose. There are plenty of other people out there who do things like that though, like the bull riders, stunt people, even driving a car is dangerous. Do you people who think steve deserved to die, or had this comming look at people who droive down the road on their was to work and think to yourselves “oh theyll get in a crash one day”
Give the guy a break, he did dangerous things because he loved the animals, and he did not “have this comming”. It was a strange and unfotrunate death, deserving to be on this list, but just leave him alone.
cole
April 9th, 2007 at 11:10 am
I know an old lady who swallowed a fly…
I dont know why she swallowed the fly…
ken-games
April 10th, 2007 at 4:16 am
Stange but interesting list .
sinui
April 20th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
my best mates grandma died in a zed-bed (one of those beds that folds in three places) when she unfolded it, laydown on it, and then it snaped closed (they have big springs on them to keep them from opening up accidently). she died of a heart attack at the shock of it. brian heard it, looked in, went back to his mum and dad and simply said: “grandma’s dead in a zed-bed”. and these are all deaths, and death is tragic no matter how it happens. pity them all, not just steve irwin. (though he was tempting fate)
enough
April 21st, 2007 at 2:50 am
People, please!

Enough with the semla corrections/facts! No one cares whether it was filled with creme or milk or almond paste nor what other names it goes by… I can’t believe there are so many comments trying to educate us or correct the post.
Hip-Hop
April 21st, 2007 at 2:53 am
got 99 comments but this ain’t one…
Blindbat
April 21st, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Additional death by cactus: In the late 80’s at the Lake Pleasant Glider Port (just North of Phoenix) a glider pilot landed off runway; the right wing impacted a very large Saguaro cactus (weighing several tons) which collapsed onto the plexiglass canopy - killing the pilot. I believe the glass ship was a Grob 109 (to the best of my memory).
Special K
April 25th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Regarding 93’s “story” about Bob Marley. Being rastafarian actually did have something to do with how he died but it was from lung cancer. And being in the healthcare field I highly doubt that he did not “have much suffering”. Cancer is a very painful even with the “ghang” to ease the pain,it just takes the edge off.
Nicholas Dollak
April 30th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Ah, the Isadora Duncan death. #63 Pointed out a rather blatant flaw in the newspaper account. This is an example of just how much “news” is embellishment. It’s typical of 1920s journalistic style (go for the heart-wrenching, human-interest angle), and shows up today as well, usually in less-reputable rags that seek to sensationalize.

A close friend or relative of Ms. Duncan’s actually witnessed her death. She did have a chauffeur, but she gave him the day off so she could ride in the fancy car of a gentleman with whom she was having an affair (she and her husband were not on speaking terms). She told her friend (or relative) she was stepping out, got in the car, and they drove off. They’d barely driven a block when the witness reported seeing Ms. Duncan’s head suddenly slump to the side. The car stopped — the driver may have noticed his passenger’s condition, or felt something tug at the axle — but it was too late. Her neck had been snapped and her trachea crushed by her famous scarf. Morbid, but apparently not dramatic enough for the papers. Consequently, the writer added details about her being pulled from the car and dragged at full speed while screaming — and the result was something that makes no sense: a passenger who can scream despite strangulation & a broken neck, and an oblivious driver who can hear screams over the racket of driving, but fail to notice that his beautiful passenger had suddenly bailed out. (Keep in mind, too, that the car was open-topped and had no muffler, driving on a cobblestone street. The driver could have heard no more than the wind roaring in his ears, had he gone at “top speed.”

… and re: #5 — The “Medieval Chinese dude” was Wan Hu, a Medieval official with a dream of flying. He conceived of a goose-powered flying machine (but never built it), and tried to fly to the Moon in a skyrocket-powered chair. Nice try, but he blew himself to bits.
Chuck
May 3rd, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Steve Irwin was a narcisstic douchebag.
Mike
May 21st, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Chuck screw u Steve was a good man and now his little girl is following in his footsteps so u are the douche bag who doesnt have a life!
spirt
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:39 pm
I thik that itsi a bit too much to go on and on about the croc dude and a frigging desert man
some_people_need_lives
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:40 pm
alright well I could go into the things other people have talked about, but I have somehwre to be so I won’t waste my time. just wanted to say this one thing that I actually got off the site i-am-bored.com (where I found this site as well)

Apparently while three or four (i can’t remember exactly because when I went back to reference it, the website had expired) children were praying in front of a metal cross. The cross was suddenly struck by lightning, electrocuting each of the children instantly. Pretty weird if you ask me!

bye bye!! love it or shove it!
Pieter Uithol
June 8th, 2007 at 3:32 am
Immortalized by weirdness….. Some funny stories ther……ZAP!!… aaaarg…….thud……………….gasp……………
Stealth Fire
June 13th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
All of these deaths are odd, even the ones in the comments are odd. I really don’t find this information funny, as most people think it is. I nearly died in a plane crash in Florida, and my younger sister barely escaped alive with severe brain damage. She’s still alive, but anybody who thinks this comment I posted is funny will get an arrowhead in their brain. (There are arrowheads in NC and I do have a slingshot. I never miss my target!)
me!
June 15th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
i just thought it would be cool to have my comment on the internet…thats all
don
June 18th, 2007 at 1:57 am
How about the US president who died from talking to long
angelique
June 20th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
am i the only one to notice that most of theses deaths are men??
MICK
June 25th, 2007 at 7:59 am
CHILLIN 93
Bob Marley died of cancer you moron
Divalicious_32
June 26th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Regarding comment #25 - Catherine the great died of natural causes in her bed after 12 hours of going in and out of conscienceness! The story about her being into beastiality are FALSE!
Wendy
June 27th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Hey—Jess #95… I think that you are a rude jerk. Steve
Irwin was not an idiot he loved nature, animals and all the things that god put here…If anyone “deserves” to die
lets save that for the people that are on death row. who are you to say who should die….your the idiot!!!!!
real_down_to_earth_chick
June 28th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Hi y’all I think this is pretty interestin. Why is it that dumbass people have to blow things out of its just proportion. Bob Marley is my hero, a legend. Am not here to be intellectual and shit. This was pretty refreshing and STRANGE!!!! Thimbs up to I-AM-BORED.COM.
Nuff Luv.
Bradblade
June 29th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
I’ve got one, a child riding on a school bus on the way back from a field trip was decapitated by a “Stop Ahead” sign. This happened very near to where I lived in Indiana.
freckles
June 30th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
ooh, my turn!!!!
there was this guy working at a Williams bread factory, and somehow the bread dough rose too fast, or something, and he got completely enclosed in the dough. that is *such* a shitty way to die… you might as well do something fun when you die…
and about ol’ stevie:
he was an awesome guy. Sure, I didn’t agree with some of his desicions, but he had a passion, and he pursued it to the best of his ability. i watched his show every day (repeat or no repeat, just cuz im a weird kid) for over 2 years. it impacted my life, and i wouldn’t know as much about making the world a better place. oh my god, i am such a cheeseball!!!!!!! but seriously, anyone is entitled to their opinion, but just know that even though he was an idiot, he did what he loved, and impacted lives for the better.
sai
July 6th, 2007 at 11:25 am
wow i was looking through these with my lil sis and now i think she is scared out of her mind and she is scared of life.
Ostide
July 11th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
@ Aramax Says:
March 12th, 2007 at 5:30 pm

Capitaine Bonhomme (Michel NoÃ«l) did not died on stage during a show as you saidâ€¦ He made an heart attack live during a live show but recover from it. He died a year and a half later from a second heart attack at his home.

If you would verify more properly the “information that french canadian sell instead of spreading”, you would be less “ashamed of being one of them”…
Byron
July 19th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Hey, 109- I laughed my butt off at your post. Bring on the arrow head.
Stealth Fire 109
July 26th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
aree u serious LMAOOO THATS THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD LOOOOOOOL YA YA AND A ARROWHEADS GONNA COME NOW I LIVE IN FLORIDA YOUR GONNA ATTEMPT TO GO FLY THERE AGAIN TRY NOT GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT LMMAAAOOOO HAHAHAHHAHAA
G+10
August 15th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Regarding Ray Chapman (”Death By Baseball”): I believe that the most accurate statement would be that he is/was the only Major League Baseball player to have died in this way. A number of players at other levels of the game, particularly in the minors, have died from pitched baseballs not to mention those that have been killed by batted balls–as happened to a minor league coach just this season.
Juliecat
August 17th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Just for information sake…..The song..”Hey Man, Nice shot”, by the band ‘Filter’…is based on Bud Dwyers suicide! You can see the actual footage of the suicide, (I’ve seen it)…not sure of the website… research by name or “public suicides”!!!!
bren
August 17th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
top sight some amusing some disturbing steve irwin died doing what he loved and im sure that is the way he would want it,too soon i agree but he managed to change lives he impacted on me for sure and countless others, his memory will live on.
onur
September 10th, 2007 at 7:11 am
^^
The Mighty Bogg!!
September 11th, 2007 at 6:42 am
I cannot believe how this interesting blog turned into a fist-fight regarding Steve Irwin. None of the above mentioned incidents are funny at all, but lo! and behold! should anybody mention the, still, recent death of an Australian adventurer. Surely even Steve’s biggest fans have to concede that his death was indeed strange, as the title of the article states. Nuff said re: Steve…

As for the veracity and corrections offered by numerous readers regarding the contents of the article, I say thank you for generating stimulating discussion as to the the facts and nuances of the matter reported.
PJ in SF
September 18th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I seem to recall a story of a salesman for a company that makes safety windows for high rise buildings. While demonstrating the unbreakable quality of his wares by pounding on a window on the top floor of a skyscraper the window shattered and he fell to his death. Or something like that.
Potty Hawer
September 19th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Go in fear of exclamation points (!), which tend to cheapen the effect of these terrific daffy items. The “shock, surprise!” element is built into the examples themselves and the reader need not further be prodded into responding. Unnecessary mental image produced: hayseed slapping his knee and yodeling. Great site though and THANK YOU for it. Sorry to be a crotchety old wizard about the plethora of !!!!!’s.
a. mccord
September 20th, 2007 at 11:07 am
My G G Uncle, Daniel Olcott, was shot on the courthouse steps by the ex-husband of a woman for whom he had just won a divorce. You win some, you loose some. AOM
Kittyn
September 21st, 2007 at 2:46 am
The woman who died because of water poisoning here in sacramento, ca should have seen it coming. Anything in excess is harmfull. Whoever thinks drinking gallons of water (or anything) and not peeing for hours has it coming.
Tim in PA
September 21st, 2007 at 4:32 am
There is the story of a guy who was reading a blog about how people had died strange deaths when suddenly he himsel……. …………….. ………. …………….. …….. ……….. …….. …….. ……..
amywithlemon
September 27th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
regarding the laughing vs. interesting/odd stuff.

none of it’s funny, it’s bizarre. and if we’re all honest, we probably found some humour in there somewhere. humour is one of the ways we deal with grief and emotions. by finding the humour in a situation, people tend to avoid the pain of it. so, yeah, i might have thought, ‘dang. sucks to be you.’ and i wasn’t the first. that doesn’t mean it’s disrespectful. it only means we’re human.

i think it was nice that steve got to do what he loved. i think he was interesting to say the least. i don’t like the whole animal planet thing, so i was never that impressed. he knew what the risks were at what he was doing. whatever. as for laughing about any of it, see above. (although, i don’t think it was funny. but a standard, ‘wow, that sucks.’ seems appropriate as i never knew him.)

honestly, i’m just glad i didn’t read about the bizarre death of his child as he dangled the baby in front of the jaws of an alligator. defend that.
Lynn
November 9th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
adding to the death of Rasputin..
he was tied up with a rope before he was thrown into the river, and when they received him from the river he was dead, but the ropes were untied.

almost got away from that one too haha.
Geir Giske
November 9th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
A few years ago, there was a vodka drinking contest in Russia where the winner died from alcohol intoxication before he could receive the prize. This became a media issue that apparently forced politicians to impose restrictions.
READ THIS.
November 15th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Some guy was cleaning his gun, accidentally shot it, killed himself, the bullet went through his head, went through the window, hit his wife while she was driving home directly in the head, and then she hit her son playing in the street. THEY ALL DIED.
wow….
sank
December 1st, 2007 at 2:06 am
Another strange death was that of legendary rock singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain.
Most of the people believe that it was a suicide but some say it was a murder!
Cookie
December 10th, 2007 at 7:03 am
i’ve read this from a book, what supposidly happened in this case is;
some guy decided he wanted to committ suicide, so he got a rope tide it round a branch on the side of a cliff and tide it round his neck. he then jumped and to make things quicker he went to shoot himself in the head. unfortunatly he missed his head, hit the branch and fell a conciderable hight into water. strange as it may be when he was found he was fine. but died a week later from numonia.
JEAN CARLOS
January 13th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
tu maldita madres escriban en espanol. mamaguevo a todos.
Call Me Joe
January 16th, 2008 at 4:36 am
Tommy Cooper a UK comedian died live on UK TV on a Sunday night 15 April 1984 in front of an audience of several million - I know because I was one of them.
gfdsa54321
January 16th, 2008 at 4:39 am
no one mentioned the woman who worked for renyolds cigarettes in richmond va. she was found inside a blast oven for drying 4hr.s later.anything for a smoke ?
Niklas
January 16th, 2008 at 4:42 am
I’m with everybody who’s up for Rasputin. His death was phenomenal.
herman
January 16th, 2008 at 4:56 am
how about the guy who added his two since in about another “strange” death and died from carpal tunnel
aaaaaa
January 16th, 2008 at 6:17 am
All funny stuff, but Irwin was hardly funny. Great bloke, and TBH, quite a believable death.
ethan
January 16th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Bob Marley died of brain cancer, not lung cancer. BTW, i think all of these deaths are kinda sad. I really don’t think its very funny to die even if its under the blubber of some fat wrestling dude ;P (Shirley “Big Daddy” Crabtree)
Thorn
January 16th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I like The Crocodile Hunter as much as the next guy, but just because he is fro Australia does not mean you should be any more or less offended by references to his passing.

We are all people so spare me the “We Aussies stick together”. We should all look out for each other and the sooner we do the better the world will be.

That said Steve was in the ocean messing with animals that have a mechanism for defending themselves when they feel threatened. So I do NOT feel that it should be on this list. It is certainly not strange to die to an animal defending itself. It might be uncommon in this particular case but certainly not strange. Some might even argue it was long over due, and you could make a valid argument for that. You can not tempt fate/the odds for ever. Eventually it will catch up with you.

He did a lot for wildlife, he entertained many, and he leaves behind a loving family. That is sad but let’s not make him out to be Mother Teresa here.