Top 10 Individuals Who Took Their Own Lives in Public

Holiday Contest: Second Place. A big round of applause to Samehrocks for this remarkable (though grim) compilation – earning the runner-up prize of a 1GB Apple iPod shuffle worth $79!

10. Romas Kalanta

Romas Kalanta (February 22, 1953 – May 14, 1972) is celebrated as a national icon in Lithuania and has inspired numerous literary works. On May 14, 1972, in the city of Kaunas, Kalanta performed a self-immolation in a public square to protest the Soviet Union's suppression of Lithuanian language, culture, and identity. During that era, it was nearly impossible to inform the Western world about such injustices, as the Soviet regime tightly controlled all forms of international communication.

Before this incident, outsiders were only exposed to the “positive” aspects of Lithuania’s situation—the narrative carefully curated by the government. Kalanta’s act of self-immolation was witnessed by many, including foreign journalists visiting the Soviet Union. Despite the government’s efforts to suppress the story, it spread rapidly through oral accounts, becoming a powerful legend. This incident sparked widespread student protests across Lithuania, particularly in Kaunas.

Kalanta doused himself in fuel before igniting the flames. Given the clandestine nature of the era, many details surrounding the event remain contested. It is widely believed that he and a small group of classmates formed a patriotic organization, and they drew lots to decide who would undertake the mission.

Malachi Ritscher (born Mark David Ritscher; January 13, 1954 – November 3, 2006) was a talented musician, skilled recording engineer, and passionate anti-war activist.

Ritscher gained national attention when he performed an act of self-immolation on the side of the Kennedy Expressway near downtown Chicago during the morning rush hour on Friday, November 3, 2006, as a protest against the Iraq War. In a suicide note published on his website, he elaborated on his political beliefs regarding the war and his decision to end his life, stating at one point, 'If I am forced to pay for your brutal war, I refuse to exist in your world.'

Ritscher’s act of self-immolation is among only nine recorded instances in American history where such an extreme protest method was used.

Georgakis, a Greek student at the University of Genoa and a member of the Center Union party since 1968, anonymously shared an interview with a newspaper in July 1970. In it, he exposed the military junta’s infiltration of Greek student movements in Italy. His identity was quickly uncovered, and fearing repercussions for his family in Greece, he resolved to take drastic action to draw Western attention to his country’s plight. In the early hours of September 19, 1970, Georgakis set himself on fire in Matteotti Square, Genoa, to protest the dictatorial rule of Georgios Papadopoulos.

The Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 aimed to suppress the liberal reforms introduced by Alexander Dubček’s government during the Prague Spring. Palach tragically died after setting himself ablaze in Wenceslas Square, Prague, on January 16, 1969, as an act of protest.

Palach’s funeral became a significant demonstration against the Soviet occupation. A month later, on February 25, 1969, another student, Jan Zajíc, self-immolated in the same location. This was followed by Evžen Plocek’s similar act in Jihlava in April of that same year.

Norman Morrison (December 29, 1933 – November 2, 1965), originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, was a Quaker from Baltimore who became widely known for his tragic self-immolation at the age of 31, protesting the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War.

On November 2, 1965, Morrison poured kerosene over himself and ignited it beneath the Pentagon office of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. He brought his one-year-old daughter, Emily, to the scene, either placing her on the ground or handing her to someone in the crowd before setting himself on fire. The exact reasons for bringing Emily and then ensuring her safety remain unclear.

Ryszard Siwiec (1909—September 12, 1968) was a Polish accountant, educator, and former Home Army soldier who became the first individual to self-immolate in protest against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. On September 8, 1968, during a national harvest festival at Warsaw’s Dziesięciolecia Stadium, he set himself on fire in front of nearly 100,000 spectators, including top government officials and foreign diplomats. Siwiec, a father of five from Przemyśl, meticulously planned his act, leaving behind written and recorded messages expressing his disgust at the Warsaw Pact invasion and Poland’s complicity. His death preceded Jan Palach’s famous self-immolation in Prague by four months. The Polish communist regime suppressed all information about Siwiec’s protest, labeling him as mentally ill. Despite being filmed, the incident was omitted from official newsreels. Czechs only learned of his death after Radio Free Europe reported it two months after Palach’s death.

Emily Wilding Davison (1872 – June 8, 1913) was a prominent UK women’s suffrage activist. She is believed to have intentionally stepped in front of King George V’s horse during the Epsom Derby, resulting in her death.

Davison, born in Blackheath, London, pursued higher education at Royal Holloway College and later studied English Language and Literature at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, earning first-class honors. Despite Oxford’s policy of not granting degrees to women at the time, she excelled academically. Joining the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1906, she quickly engaged in militant activism. Arrested multiple times, she was imprisoned for offenses including an assault on a man she misidentified as David Lloyd George. In Holloway Prison, she went on hunger strikes, endured force-feeding, and attempted suicide by jumping down an iron staircase, sustaining severe spinal injuries from the 30-foot fall.

On the night of July 13, 1911, during the census, Davison concealed herself in a cupboard within the Palace of Westminster. This allowed her to truthfully list her residence on the census form as the 'House of Commons.' Tony Benn, MP, later placed an unofficial plaque there to honor this act.

Davison’s intentions at the June 4, 1913, Derby remain unclear. The purchase of a return rail ticket has led many to believe suicide was not her initial plan. Footage of the event shows her stepping onto the track in front of the horse, Anmer, carrying a WSPU banner. Instead of halting, Anmer struck her, leaving her unconscious. Witnesses were divided on her motives, with some claiming she meant to cross the track, thinking all horses had passed, while others believed she tried to stop the King’s horse. She succumbed to a fractured skull four days later at Epsom Cottage Hospital. The jockey, Herbert Jones, suffered a mild concussion, and the horse survived with minor injuries.

Davison was laid to rest in the churchyard of St. Mary the Virgin in Morpeth, Northumberland. Her funeral drew a large gathering, and her gravestone features the WSPU motto, 'Deeds not words.' She was honored with two funerals, one in London and another in her hometown.

On the morning of July 15, 1974, Chubbuck surprised her colleagues by insisting on reading a newscast to open her show, Suncoast Digest, a task she had never undertaken before. While her scheduled guest waited in the studio, she sat at the anchor’s desk. Unbeknownst to them, her script included a speculative account of her own suicide, predicting her death eleven hours later. She concealed a .38 revolver in her puppet bag and placed it under the desk.

In the first eight minutes of the broadcast, Chubbuck reported on three national news stories followed by a local shooting incident at the Beef and Bottle Restaurant near Sarasota-Bradenton Airport on U.S. 41. When the film reel of the restaurant shooting malfunctioned, she calmly remarked:

“In line with Channel 40’s commitment to delivering the latest in graphic content, and in living color, you are about to witness another first: an attempted suicide.”

She then pulled out the revolver and shot herself behind her right ear. Chubbuck collapsed violently, and the technical director faded the screen to black. Camerawoman Jean Reed initially thought it was a staged stunt, only realizing the truth upon seeing Chubbuck’s convulsing body.

The station immediately switched to a Public Service announcement, followed by a movie. Viewers flooded 9-1-1 and the station with calls, many questioning whether the incident was real or staged.

Chubbuck was rushed to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where she was declared dead 14 hours later. A WXLT staff member, following her prepared instructions, distributed the news to other media outlets using the copy she had left for this purpose.

On January 22, 1987, the day before his sentencing, Dwyer held a press conference to 'provide an update on the situation.' Many anticipated he would resign. Instead, a visibly distressed Dwyer reiterated his innocence and refused to step down as state treasurer. His final words to the attendees were:

“I face up to 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine for a crime I didn’t commit. Judge Muir has already told the press he felt 'invigorated' by my guilty verdict and intends to make an example of me. But imprisoning me won’t deter others because everyone who knows me knows I’m innocent. It won’t be justice because I’ve done nothing wrong. The guilty verdict has only strengthened my resolve to expose the flaws in our legal system. Yet, when I discuss this, people say, 'Why bother? No one cares. You’ll look foolish.' Shows like 60 Minutes, 20/20, and advocates like the ACLU and Jack Anderson have highlighted similar cases for years, but nothing changes.”

At this juncture, Dwyer paused his prepared speech and handed envelopes to three staff members. It was later revealed that one contained a suicide note addressed to his wife, another included an organ donor card and related documents, and the third was a letter to the newly inaugurated governor, Robert P. Casey.

After distributing the envelopes, Dwyer opened a manila envelope and pulled out a .357 Magnum revolver. He advised the crowd, 'Please leave the room if this will offend you.' Attendees pleaded with him to put the gun down, with cries of 'Budd, don’t!' heard on television. Some attempted to approach him, but he warned, 'Stay away, this thing will hurt someone.' Amid shouts of 'Budd, Budd, Budd!' Dwyer placed the gun barrel in his mouth and fired. He slumped against a wall, blood streaming from his nose, as five television cameras captured the scene. Dwyer was pronounced dead at 11:31 a.m. CDT.

On June 11, 1963, Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, seated himself at a bustling Saigon intersection, doused himself in gasoline, and lit a match, setting himself ablaze. Đức perished within minutes, and his act was immortalized in a renowned photograph taken by a war correspondent. Witnesses were struck by his silence as he burned. Đức’s self-immolation was a protest against President Ngô Đình Diệm’s regime for its persecution of Buddhists.