There are many strange, unusual, and even mysterious stories about people who have died throughout history. Below are some of the most intriguing and bizarre tales of how people have met their end in ways you wouldn’t believe.
1. Hans Steininger: Death by Beard
In 1567, Hans Steininger, a proud Austrian man famous for having the longest beard in the world, met his demise in a tragic yet bizarre accident. His beard, which measured over four and a half feet long, was normally rolled up and tucked safely away in his pocket. However, when a fire broke out in his town, Steininger forgot to secure it. In his haste to escape, he tripped over his own beard, fell down a flight of stairs, and broke his neck.
2. Chrysippus: Death by Laughter
The ancient Greek philosopher Chrysippus met an unusual end in 207 BC—he literally laughed himself to death. The story goes that Chrysippus was watching a donkey eat some figs when he jokingly called out for the animal to be given wine to wash them down. The absurdity of the thought was so funny to him that he burst into uncontrollable laughter, which soon led to his death.
3. Edgar Allan Poe: The Mysterious Circumstances
The death of Edgar Allan Poe is shrouded in mystery. On October 3, 1849, the famous American writer was found delirious in Baltimore, wearing someone else’s clothes and in a state of disarray. Poe never fully recovered and died four days later, leaving behind no coherent explanation of what happened to him. Theories about his death range from alcohol poisoning and rabies to a bizarre form of election fraud known as “cooping.”
4. Georgi Markov: Assassinated by an Umbrella
In one of the strangest assassinations of the Cold War era, Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was killed in 1978 in London by an umbrella—though not just any umbrella. As Markov waited for a bus, a man brushed against him and jabbed him with an umbrella rigged to inject a tiny pellet containing ricin, a deadly poison. Markov developed a fever and died three days later.
5. Allan Pinkerton: Death by Tongue Injury
Allan Pinkerton, the famous American detective and founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, ironically died in an entirely preventable and rather absurd way. While walking down a street, he slipped and bit his tongue. The wound became infected, leading to gangrene and ultimately his death.
6. Franz Reichelt: The Tailor Who Fell from the Eiffel Tower
Franz Reichelt was an Austrian-born tailor who believed he had invented a wearable parachute suit. To demonstrate his invention’s effectiveness, he decided to jump from the Eiffel Tower in 1912. Despite warnings from his friends and onlookers, Reichelt leaped from the first platform of the tower wearing his parachute suit, which tragically failed to open.
7. Tycho Brahe: Death by Bladder
Tycho Brahe, the famous Danish astronomer, died in 1601 under strange circumstances involving his bladder. It’s said that Brahe was attending a royal banquet and, out of politeness, refused to leave the table to relieve himself. His bladder eventually became infected, and he succumbed to the illness days later.
8. Isadora Duncan: The Tragic Death by Scarf
Isadora Duncan, a pioneering dancer known for her flowing, graceful movements, met her untimely end in 1927 due to her iconic accessory—a long, flowing scarf. While riding in an open-top car in Nice, France, Duncan’s scarf became entangled in the car’s rear wheel axle, pulling her out of the vehicle and fatally snapping her neck.
9. Grigori Rasputin: The Mad Monk’s Legendary Demise
Grigori Rasputin, the infamous Russian mystic and advisor to the Romanovs, reportedly survived multiple assassination attempts in a single night. In 1916, his enemies poisoned him with cyanide, which seemed to have no effect. They then shot him, beat him, and eventually threw him into the icy Neva River. Despite these violent efforts, autopsies later suggested that Rasputin may have ultimately died from drowning.
10. Bobby Leach: Daredevil Dies from an Orange Peel
Bobby Leach, known for his dangerous stunts, including surviving a barrel ride over Niagara Falls, ironically met his end after slipping on an orange peel. In 1926, Leach fell and injured his leg while walking down the street. The injury became infected, and he died from complications after the leg was amputated.
These stories offer a glimpse into the strange and unpredictable ways some people have met their fate throughout history.
