Buzz
Death is a subject that has always intrigued me, and since it’s been a while since I last shared a list on this topic, I felt it was the right time to revisit it. In this compilation, we explore 10 random facts that all share one thing in common: their connection to death in some form. Don’t forget to check out the original list and feel free to share any additional death-related facts in the comments below.
10. Gregory Biggs
Gregory Biggs, a homeless man from Fort Worth, Texas, was hit by a car driven by Chante Jawan Mallard, who had been intoxicated and under the influence of drugs that night. Biggs’ torso became stuck in Mallard’s windshield, suffering serious injuries that weren’t immediately fatal. Instead of seeking help, Mallard drove home, parked her car in her garage with Biggs still lodged in the windshield, and visited him multiple times, even apologizing for the incident. Biggs ultimately succumbed to his injuries hours later. Chante Mallard was convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. The film *Stuck* is loosely based on this bizarre and tragic case.
9. Disenfranchised Grief
Disenfranchised grief refers to a type of sorrow that goes unrecognized by society. Instances that can lead to disenfranchised grief include the loss of a pet, the end of a pregnancy through miscarriage or abortion, a mother’s decision to give up a child for adoption, the death of a well-known public figure, or even the passing of a fictional character. This contrasts with more widely acknowledged forms of grief, like losing a spouse, parent, or child, which tend to receive more recognition, even in unconventional living arrangements. When disenfranchised grief is valid, it can lead to difficulties in accessing bereavement leave at work. Unfortunately, there are few established support systems, traditions, or organizations to aid individuals in coping with this kind of grief.
8. Safety Coffin
A safety coffin, also known as a security coffin, is equipped with a mechanism to prevent the danger of premature burial or to allow the person inside to signal if they have been mistakenly buried alive. Numerous safety coffin designs were patented throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and variations of these designs are still in use today. The first documented safety coffin was created at the request of Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick before his death in 1792. His design included a window to let in light, an air tube for fresh air, and a lock to replace a nailed-down lid. Additionally, two keys were kept in a special pocket of his shroud—one for the coffin lid and the other for the tomb door.
7. Death Erection
A death erection, also referred to as angel lust or terminal erection, is a post-mortem erection, a form of priapism, that can be observed in the bodies of males who have been executed, especially by hanging. This phenomenon is believed to occur due to pressure on the cerebellum caused by the noose. Hanging, whether in the case of an execution or a suicide, is known to affect the genitalia of both men and women. In women, the labia may become engorged with blood, and there may be vaginal discharge. In men, an erection of the penis, often accompanied by the discharge of urine, mucus, or prostatic fluid, is commonly observed. This phenomenon may also arise from other causes of death, including fatal gunshot wounds to the brain, damage to major blood vessels, or poisoning. Forensic experts use postmortem erections as a sign that the death was likely sudden and violent.
6. Walking Ghost
The walking ghost phase in radiation poisoning is a brief period, lasting anywhere from hours to days, where the individual appears to be healthy after being exposed to 10-50 sieverts of radiation. As implied by its name, this phase is followed by certain death. The temporary sense of recovery occurs due to the delayed onset of radiation’s harmful effects. While radiation causes severe damage to bone marrow and kills many rapidly dividing cells, these effects don’t become evident right away. For instance, while the gastrointestinal tract’s rapidly dividing cells are destroyed by irradiation, diarrhea doesn’t appear until the cells begin to shed, resulting in bloody stools. This loss of the gut lining makes the body susceptible to bacterial infection, leading to sepsis. Additionally, the ability to absorb nutrients from food is lost. Similarly, the immune system’s rapidly proliferating cells are affected, and bone marrow destruction ceases white blood cell production. The remaining white blood cells continue functioning for a short while until they are depleted.
5. Lazarus Syndrome
Lazarus syndrome refers to the spontaneous return of circulation after unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation. This phenomenon has been documented in medical literature at least 25 times since 1982. Also known as the Lazarus phenomenon, the condition takes its name from the biblical tale of Lazarus, who was resurrected by Jesus. One documented case involved a 66-year-old man with a suspected abdominal aneurysm. While being treated for this condition, the patient went into cardiac arrest and received chest compressions and defibrillation shocks for 17 minutes. No vital signs returned, and the patient was declared dead, with resuscitation efforts discontinued. However, 10 minutes later, a pulse was detected. The aneurysm was treated successfully, and the patient made a full recovery without any lasting physical or neurological issues.
4. Republican Marriage
Republican marriage (French: mariage républicain) is said to have been a form of execution that allegedly took place in Nantes during the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France. The method reportedly involved binding a naked man and woman together and drowning them. This practice is believed to have occurred during the noyades massacres, which were ordered by Jean-Baptiste Carrier, a local Jacobin representative-on-mission, between November 1793 and January 1794 in Nantes. While most sources suggest that the victims were drowned in the Loire River, a few accounts describe an alternate method where the couple was impaled with a sword before or instead of being drowned. Although the mass drownings of men, women, and children during the noyades are generally accepted as fact, the existence of the “republican marriages” has been questioned by several historians, who regard it as a potential legend.
3. Maschalismos
Maschalismos refers to the practice of preventing the dead from rising or haunting the living in the form of the undead. The term originates from Ancient Greek and was also used to describe procedural laws related to such customs in later Greek law. Over time, maschalismos has come to encompass a variety of cultural practices worldwide where the dead are ritually mutilated to prevent them from causing harm to the living. In the Moluccas, a woman who died during childbirth is buried with pins through her joints and eggs placed under her chin or armpits, based on the belief that the dead have the ability to fly, and that the presence of eggs would trigger maternal instincts that keep the ghost near the body. In Europe, suicides were sometimes buried with a stake driven through their heart, their bodies placed upside down, or their heads severed and placed between their legs. Tying the feet or large toes of the dead together is still practiced in many parts of Britain and the continent. The Omaha people, an Indigenous tribe in America, would slit the soles of the feet of those killed by lightning. The Basuto and Bechuana people slit the sinews and spinal cords of their deceased. The Herbert River Aborigines of Australia would beat the body to break the bones and fill body incisions with stones. Such practices, referred to as maschalismos, are widespread among cultures across the globe. [Image Source]
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2. Lal Bihari
Lal Bihari (born 1961) is a farmer from Uttar Pradesh, India, who was officially declared dead between 1976 and 1994. He founded the Mritak Sangh, or the Association of the Dead, in Uttar Pradesh. Lal Bihari fought the Indian government bureaucracy for 18 years to prove that he was alive. His ordeal began when he tried to apply for a bank loan in 1976, only to discover that he had been officially declared dead. His uncle had bribed a government official to register him as deceased in order to seize ownership of Bihari’s land. Bihari uncovered at least 100 other individuals in similar situations, officially listed as dead. He created the Mritak Sangh in Azamgarh district, where he and other members faced the threat of being killed by those who had appropriated their property. Today, the association boasts over 20,000 members across India. By 2004, they had successfully declared four members, including Bihari, officially alive again.
1. London Necropolis Railway Station
The London Necropolis railway station was a specially designed station built by the London Necropolis Company for the transport of funeral trains to Brookwood Cemetery. It opened on 13 November 1854, located just outside London's Waterloo station, on the London and South Western Railway line. Three-carriage trains would transport both coffins and mourners from the station, positioned between York Street (now Leake Street) and Westminster Bridge Road, directly to the cemetery’s platforms. In 1902, the station was relocated a short distance away to 121 Westminster Bridge Road due to the reconstruction of the mainline station. Before 1900, funeral trains typically ran once a day, but afterward, they only operated 'as needed', and by the mid-1930s, they were reduced to twice-weekly trips, with much of their traffic shifting to road transport. The station was destroyed by bombs on the night of 16 April 1941 and was never rebuilt or reopened. However, the entrance to the station still stands on Westminster Bridge Road.
