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It’s not unusual to hear someone passionately declare that they would give their life for a cause or ambition. However, there are those who actually followed through on that sentiment, intertwining their own death with their final goals. Below are ten examples of people who saw their dreams fulfilled in the most irreversible way.
10. Charles Vance Millar
As the saying goes, 'Some men just want to watch the world burn.' While Charles Vance Millar was no villain, he certainly embraced the role of the trickster. A Canadian lawyer with a penchant for practical jokes, especially those that played on people's greed, he made it clear that his sense of humor didn’t end with his life. Millar’s death was his ultimate prank.
Charles Millar passed away from a stroke on October 31, 1926. Upon the reading of his will, the world was introduced to some of his strange requests. For example, he bequeathed a vacation home in Jamaica to three men who despised each other, and shares in a horse racing club to two staunch anti-horse racing activists. Yet, the most famous part of his will is undoubtedly the Great Stork Derby.
In his will, Millar decreed that a portion of his fortune would go to the woman in Toronto who gave birth to the most children over the decade following his death. Ten years and a Supreme Court case later, four women were each awarded $110,000.
9. Codrus
While many cases of this phenomenon aren't as lighthearted as the one above, some are still remarkably honorable.
Codrus, the final King of Athens, ruled from 1089 to 1068 BC. In the last year of his reign, the Dorians prepared to invade southern Greece. Before embarking on this campaign, they consulted the Oracle of Delphi, who foretold their victory as long as no harm befell the king. It’s crucial to note that during these times, prophecies were held in great reverence.
Upon learning of this prophecy and determined to protect his people from war, Codrus devised a plan. Disguised as a peasant, he infiltrated the Dorian camp and provoked a fight with their soldiers, during which the King was killed. Once the Dorians realized the truth, they withdrew, fearing the foretold defeat.
Due to his courage, it was decided that no one was deemed worthy to take Codrus's place as king, leading to the abolition of the monarchy.
8. Giles Corey
The Salem Witch Trials are often regarded as one of history's most notorious examples of mass hysteria, and for good reason. Between February 1692 and May 1693, over 200 individuals were accused of practicing witchcraft. Nineteen of them were found guilty and executed, including a man named Giles Corey.
In March 1692, Corey’s wife was arrested on charges of witchcraft. While he initially gave testimony against her, he later sought to retract it. In April of the same year, he was arrested, and the authorities attempted to put him on trial. Giles, however, refused to enter a plea, and according to the laws of the time, anyone who remained silent could not be tried. In an effort to force a plea from him, the sheriff subjected Corey to a brutal form of torture known as pressing.
While some historians question the details, it is widely believed that Corey feared his property would be unjustly confiscated if he entered a plea. During the torture, his only words were, 'More weight.' After enduring several days of agony, Giles Corey finally succumbed to death.
Although he had managed to secure his estate, the Sheriff later attempted to extort money from his surviving family members.
7. R. Budd Dwyer
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for individuals to resort to death as a means of ensuring their families are financially supported after they’re gone.
Robert Budd Dwyer served as the State Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 to 1987. He was accused of accepting bribes in exchange for awarding a government contract to a California company. In December 1986, he was convicted, and his sentencing was set for January the following year. Dwyer maintained his innocence until his tragic end.
On January 22, 1987, Dwyer held a press conference where he reiterated his innocence one last time. After finishing his statement, he took a revolver from a manila envelope and, in a shocking moment, shot himself in the head live on television.
Had Dwyer been sentenced before his death, state law would have prevented his wife from receiving survivor benefits. Multiple sources close to him have stated that his suicide was motivated by his desire to ensure his family received the full benefits he had intended for them.
6. Thomas G. Doty
While this article does not intend to suggest that these actions are to be imitated, the following examples are presented as a stark reminder that such extreme tactics can just as easily fail as succeed.
Like Dwyer, Thomas Doty sought to use his death to secure his family's financial future. However, unlike Dwyer, his actions resulted in far more fatalities than just his own. On May 22, 1962, Doty boarded Continental Airlines Flight 11, which was en route from Chicago to Kansas City but would never reach its destination. During the flight, he went into the plane's bathroom and detonated six sticks of dynamite he had smuggled aboard. The explosion caused the crash, killing all 45 people on board.
Before the flight, Doty had purchased $300,000 in life insurance. However, when his death was ruled a suicide, the policies were voided, and his widow received only a $3 refund.
5. Charles Joeseph Gliniewicz
Charles Joeseph “Joe” Gliniewicz served as a police lieutenant in Fox Lake, Illinois. On September 1, 2015, he radioed in to report that he was pursuing three armed suspects. He was later found dead, sparking a manhunt to locate the suspects.
It wasn’t long after his funeral that rumors began circulating, suggesting that Gliniewicz’s death was, in fact, a suicide. A subsequent investigation revealed that he had been embezzling funds from a youth mentorship program for years. With an upcoming audit poised to uncover his crimes, Gliniewicz resorted to a desperate measure: he attempted to have the auditor murdered.
When that plan failed, he staged an elaborate suicide in an effort to cover up his criminal activities.
4. Lasantha Wickrematunge
Being a journalist in Sri Lanka could be a perilous job, and no one understood this more than Lasantha Wickrematunge. From the start of his career, he faced constant threats and harassment. On one occasion, he and his wife were dragged from their car and beaten with clubs. The danger escalated to the point where his wife took their three children to Australia for their safety. Just before his death, Wickrematunge remarked, “When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.”
On January 8, 2009, Wickrematunge was shot and killed on his way to work. However, he had foreseen his assassination and wrote a final editorial to be published after his death. In the piece, he accused the government of using assassination as its “Primary Tool” for silencing journalists.
It remains to be seen whether his death will spark any real change in Sri Lanka, but his assassination has certainly drawn international attention to the state of press freedom in the country.
3. Alexander Hamilton
The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been brewing for years before their infamous duel. The Federalist Hamilton's animosity towards Burr began when Burr defeated his father-in-law in a U.S. Senate race. Hamilton used his political influence to block Burr’s career advancement multiple times, fueling the tension between them. Eventually, the situation escalated to the point where Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel.
The two opponents met on the morning of July 11, 1804. Hamilton fired first, but missed. Burr then took his shot and struck his target, delivering a fatal wound. Some speculate that Hamilton deliberately missed, hoping to damage Burr's reputation instead. If that was indeed his intention, he succeeded, as the duel marked the end of Burr’s political career.
2. Mishima Yukio
Mishima Yukio was a man of two great passions: writing and fervent nationalism. A misdiagnosed case of tuberculosis prevented him from serving in World War II, but it did nothing to quell his longing for a return to Imperial Japan following the country's defeat. He harshly criticized Emperor Hirohito for renouncing his divine status, believing this made the sacrifice of the millions of Japanese who died in the war meaningless. Mishima founded the Tatenokai, or Shield Society, a private militia committed to restoring the Emperor's power.
On November 25, 1970, Mishima and four members of the Tatenokai took control of an office at the Tokyo headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Japanese Self Defense Force. From a balcony, Mishima delivered a ten-minute speech, urging the soldiers to join him in a coup. When his call was met with mockery, he retreated into the office and committed seppuku with the assistance of his followers.
It is widely believed that Mishima did not expect his coup to succeed, but rather saw it as a means to facilitate his suicide. His death had been planned months in advance, and he even arranged for funds to be provided for the legal defense of his followers.
1. Dave Duerson
Dave Duerson had a distinguished career in football, spanning back to his college days. Over the course of his eleven years in the NFL, he played for the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, and Phoenix Cardinals. Duerson was selected for the Pro Bowl four years in a row. However, this success came at a significant cost; according to his family, he sustained at least ten concussions throughout his playing years.
Duerson was discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on February 17, 2011. In his final note, he requested that his brain be sent to the Boston University School of Medicine for research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Dr. Ann McKee later confirmed that it was 'indisputable' that he had been suffering from the disease.
Duerson’s tragic death reignited public concern about the long-term consequences of playing football and the impact it has on players' health over time.
