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Our earlier collections, 10 Truly Bizarre Deaths and Top 10 Unfortunate Or Embarrassing Deaths, have always fascinated readers by revealing the peculiar and often grim aspects of human existence. This latest compilation continues the trend! If you know of any other unusual deaths, especially recent ones, that haven’t been featured before, feel free to share them in the comments for everyone’s curiosity. The entries are arranged chronologically.
10. Hypatia of Alexandria 415 AD
Method of Death: Killed by monks using seashells
Hypatia of Alexandria, a renowned Greek scholar from Egypt, is celebrated as the first prominent female mathematician, also excelling in philosophy and astronomy. Her influence reportedly caused tension between Imperial Prefect Orestes and Bishop Cyril, drawing hostility from Christians seeking reconciliation between the two. In March 415, during Lent, a Christian mob, likely led by Peter the Reader, Cyril’s aide, intercepted her chariot on her way home. They stripped her, dragged her to the Caesareum church, and murdered her brutally. Accounts describe her being flayed with shells and pottery shards, then burned alive.
9. Sigurd the Mighty 892 AD
Method of Death: Infection from a strap-on head
Sigurd Eysteinsson, known as Sigurd I The Mighty, ruled as the second Viking Earl of Orkney from 875 to 892, succeeding his brother Ragnald the Wise. He played a key role in the Viking conquest of northern Scotland. His death resulted from an unusual incident involving Maelbrigte, a local ruler he had slain. After beheading Maelbrigte, Sigurd attached the head to his saddle. While riding, Maelbrigte’s teeth scratched Sigurd’s leg, leading to an infection that proved fatal.
8. György Dózsa 1514
Method of Death: Devoured while still alive
György Dózsa, a Székely warrior and leader of a peasant uprising in Hungary, was sentenced by the Transylvanian nobility to a gruesome execution. He was forced to sit on a scorching iron throne, wear a blazing iron crown, and hold a searing iron scepter, mocking his royal aspirations. While still alive, six of his fellow rebels, who had been starved for a week, were set upon him and consumed parts of his partially roasted body.
7. William Kogut 1930
Method of Death: Ingenious suicide using makeshift explosives
William Kogut, a death row inmate at San Quentin, devised a unique method to end his life using limited resources in his cell. He tore apart multiple packs of playing cards, specifically targeting red ones due to their nitrocellulose-based ink, which is highly flammable. He packed these pieces into a pipe, sealed one end with a broom handle, and soaked the contents with water. Placing the pipe on a kerosene heater, he positioned the open end against his head. The heat generated steam, building pressure until the pipe exploded, propelling card fragments into his skull with lethal force. In his suicide note, Kogut expressed that he alone deserved to face punishment for his crimes.
6. Sirkka Sari 1939
Method of Death: Plunged down a chimney
In 1939, celebrated Finnish actress Sirkka Sari (Jahnsson) was attending the premiere of her latest film, “A Rich Girl,” at the Aulanko hotel. During the festivities, likely fueled by alcohol and a playful spirit, she ventured up the stairs to the hotel’s roof. Upon reaching the top, she opened a door and spotted a dark rectangular patch, which she mistakenly believed to be an asphalt scenery deck. Tragically, it was a chimney. She leaped into it, falling to her death in the boiler below.
5. The Collyer brothers 1947
Method of Death: Extreme eccentricity
The Collyer brothers, notorious for their extreme hoarding habits, were discovered dead in their New York residence in 1947. Langley, the younger brother, perished after triggering one of his own booby traps, which caused a massive pile of books, newspapers, and other items to collapse on him. His blind brother, Homer, who relied entirely on Langley for survival, succumbed to starvation several days later. Their bodies were eventually recovered after an extensive cleanup operation to remove tons of debris from their home.
4. Georgi Markov 1978
Method of Death: Assassinated using a modified umbrella
Georgi Ivanov Markov, a Bulgarian dissident writer, was targeted by the Bulgarian government, which sought assistance from the KGB to eliminate him. On September 7, 1978, while crossing Waterloo Bridge over the River Thames, Markov was waiting at a bus stop when a man with an umbrella jabbed him in the calf. The assailant, speaking with a foreign accent, apologized and left. Markov felt a sharp sting and later developed a high fever, leading to his hospitalization. He died three days later on September 11, 1978, at age 49, from ricin poisoning delivered via a pellet injected by the umbrella.
3. Dr. Hitoshi Nikaidoh 2003
Method of Death: Beheaded by an elevator
Dr. Hitoshi Nikaidoh (pictured above, left), a respected surgeon, met a tragic end on August 16, 2003, at Christus St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas. As he entered an elevator, the doors closed abruptly, trapping his head inside while his body remained outside. His body was later discovered at the bottom of the elevator shaft, with the top portion of his head, severed just above the jaw, found inside the elevator. An investigation revealed that faulty electrical wiring, installed by a maintenance company days earlier, had disabled all safety mechanisms.
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.
2. David Allen Kirwan 1981
Method of Death: Plunged into a near-boiling hot spring
On July 20, 1981, 24-year-old David Allen Kirwan attempted to save a friend’s dog that had fallen into Celestine Pool, a scalding hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. Ignoring warnings from onlookers, Kirwan jumped headfirst into the pool but failed to rescue the dog. After struggling back to the edge, he was pulled out, revealing severe third-degree burns covering his entire body and blindness caused by the 200°F (93°C) water. As he was led to the sidewalk, Kirwan reportedly said, “That was stupid. How bad am I? That was a stupid thing I did.” When his shoe was removed, his skin came off with it. He passed away the following day at a Salt Lake City hospital. This remains the only known instance of someone dying after intentionally entering one of Yellowstone’s hot springs, despite at least 19 other scalding-related deaths.
1. John Bowen 1979
Method of Death: Struck by a remote-controlled flying lawnmower
On December 9, 1979, 20-year-old John Bowen from Nashua, New Hampshire, was watching a halftime show at Shea Stadium during a football game. The event featured unique remote-controlled flying machines, including a 40-pound model plane designed to resemble a lawnmower. Tragically, the model malfunctioned, plunging into the stands. Its spinning blades struck Bowen and another spectator, causing critical head injuries. While the other individual survived, Bowen succumbed to his injuries four days later in the hospital.
