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This is one of the 350 Interesting Lists. The 350 challenge here is to create a list
of unusual ways to die. Can you help? There
is a form at the bottom of the page for you
to submit your suggestions. All submissions welcomed! Death comes to us all eventually! But some die in unusual circumstances - either instantly or very slowly. What is our fate? |
Man dies of Bestiality 2005: Kenneth Pinyan of Seattle died of acute peritonitis after submitting to anal intercourse with a stallion. Pinyan had done this before, and he delayed his visit to the hospital for several hours out of reluctance for official cognizance. The case led to the criminalization of bestiality in Washington. His story was recounted in the 2007 documentary film Zoo. An unfair way to go Mark Twain once said, "Golf is a good walk spoiled," and although many a duffer has spent a frustrating couple of hours on the links, few actually die as a result. In 1997, Irishman David Bailey was not so lucky. Bailey was retrieving an errant shot from a ditch when a frightened rat ran up his pant leg and urinated on him. The rat didn't bite or scratch the golfer, so even though his friends kept telling him to shower, Bailey didn't think much of the encounter and kept playing. His kidneys failed two weeks later, and he died. The cause was leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread by rodents, dogs, or livestock that is usually mild but can cause meningitis, pneumonia, liver disease, or kidney disease. Publications International, Ltd. Eagle dropped a tortoise on his head Bald headed, Aeschylus, was a Greek playwright back in 500 BC. Many historians consider him the father of Greek tragedies. According to legend, eagles picked up tortoises and attempt to crack them open by dropping them on rocks. An eagle mistook Aeschylus' head for a rock and dropped it on him instead. Deadly twist Isadora Duncan was one of the most famous dancers of her time. Her fans marveled at her artistic spirit and expressive dance moves, and she is credited with creating modern dance. But it was another modern creation that prematurely ended her life. She was leaving an appearance on September 14, 1927, when her trademark long scarf got caught in the wheel axle of her new convertible. She died of strangulation and a broken neck at age 50. Publications International, Ltd. Died Drinking too much Water 2007: Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old woman from Sacramento, died of water intoxication while trying to win a Wii console in a KDND 107.9 "The End" radio station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest, which involved drinking large quantities of water without urinating. She was second in the contest. Body discovered 20 years after death 1984: An unidentified man died of presumed natural causes in the unfinished Tokyo apartment building in which he had been squatting for 11 years. His decomposed remains were discovered 20 years later, on June 1, 2004 with a newspaper dated February 20, 1984 by his side. Killed in the Latrine Scandalous 3rd-century Roman emperor Elagabalus married and divorced five women, including a Vestal Virgin (a holy priestess), who under Roman law should have been buried alive for losing her virginity. Elagabalus also may have been bisexual. Objecting to his sexual behaviour and his habit of forcing others to follow his religious customs, his grandmother Julia Maesa and aunt Julia Avita Mamaea murdered Elagabalus and his mother (Julia Maesa's own daughter) in the emperor's latrine. Their bodies were dragged through the streets of Rome and thrown into the Tiber River. Died Changing a Light Bulb Claude François was a French pop singer in the 1960s who had a hit with the folk song ‘If I Had a Hammer.’ On March 11, 1978, François's obsession with cleanliness did him in when he was electrocuted in the bathroom of his Paris apartment as he tried to fix a broken light bulb while standing in a water-filled bathtub. Shot whilst filming Brandon Lee, an aspiring actor and the son of martial arts star Bruce Lee, was killed in a freak accident on the set of The Crow on March 31, 1993. Lee, who was 28 at the time, was playing a character who gets shot by thugs upon entering his apartment. Tragically, the handgun used in the scene had a real bullet lodged in its barrel, which was propelled out by the force of the blank being shot. Lee was hit in the abdomen and died later that day. The movie was nearly complete at the time of the shooting, but a stunt double was needed to complete a few remaining scenes, and Lee's face was digitally superimposed onto the stunt double's body.  |
Killed by an asteroid In 1980 UK government scientists calculated that that one member of the public would be killed by an asteroid every 7,000 years. Odds of meeting your death In 2006, The Daily Mirror looked at some causes of death and just what the odds are of meeting your Maker in that way… 300,000,000/1 Shark Attack Around 40 people are killed every year from shark attacks, with the numbers increasing as more people take holidays on coasts where sharks live. 300,000,000/1 Fairground Accident THE worst rollercoaster accident in Britain was in 1972 when five children were killed on the Big Dipper in Battersea, London, when one of the cars broke loose and collided with another. In July 2006, 29 people were injured when the Runaway Mine Train at Alton Towers 250,000,000/1 Falling Coconut Coconuts apparently kill around 150 people every year. Falling from a height of 80 feet, they can build up an impact speed of 50 mph. 11,000,000/1 Plane Crash Plane crashes worldwide claim 1,300 people every year. Young men are most likely to emerge from the wreckage alive - and 12 per cent of passengers who survive the impact will die from shock later. 10,000,000/1 Killed by Lightening IN the UK around five people are killed by being hit by lightning every year. And men are four times more likely to be struck than women. 10,000,000/1 Killed by the escape of radiation from a nearby nuclear power station THE chances of an explosion at a nuclear reactor are increasing with the risk of terrorism and as conventional fuels run out. The Chernobyl 9,300,000/1 Dying in Terrorist Attack In 2005 there were 651 significant international terrorist attacks worldwide, killing nearly 2,000 people. 5,000,000/1 Scalded by Hot Water Children under five are most at risk, with 126 accidents reported every year in Britain. In Japan, around 150 people die from hot water scalding every year. 4,400,000/1 Left-handed people killed using a right-handed product More than 2,500 left-handed people are killed every year around the world from using equipment meant for right-handed people. The right-handed power saw is the most deadly item. 3,500,000/1 Dying of a Snake Bite SNAKE bites kill an estimated 25,000 people a year. More people die from snakebite in India than in any other country in the world, with the total death toll estimated I to average 10 - 12,000 annually. 3,000,000/1 Dying from Food Poisoning More than 79,000 cases of food poisoning were reported last year in the UK, while every year around 200 people die as a result of eating contaminated food. 2,300,000/1 Dying from Falling Off a Ladder On average 15 people die from falling off ladders every year in Britain, and around 1,200 suffer serious injuries. A quarter of all falls happen off ladders. 2,000,000/1 Dying after Falling out of Bed IN Britain around 20 people die from falling out of bed every year, with the young and the elderly most at risk. 685,000/1 Drowning in the Bath A Higher percentage of people drown in their bath water than in public swimming pools, with young children and the elderly most at risk. Around 25 babies drown in baths every year. 500,000/1 Being Killed in a Train Crash Despite a number of fatal crashes, public transport is still the safest way to travel. Buses are even safer than trains, with the odds of being killed 13 million to one. 43,500/1 Being Killed in an Accident at Work More accidents happen at work than anywhere else. Every year there are more than 25,000 serious workplace accidents, killing around 300 people in the UK. 8,000/1 Killed in a Road Accident Every year 1,500 car drivers and adult passengers die in road smashes, while around 1,000 pedestrians and cyclists die in road accidents. Worldwide, over 3,000 people are killed in road crashes daily. 5/1 Dying from Cancer Around 130,000 people die from cancer every \ year, of whom 65,000 are ' aged under 75. The most common killers are lung, breast, colon and prostate cancer. 2.5/1 Dying from a Heart Attack or Stroke THE leading cause of death in Britain, coronary heart disease and strokes account for over 200,000 deaths every year. Someone has a heart attack every two minutes. Reported on www.mirror.co.uk August 2006  |
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