Famous Dumb Deaths

How Not To Die:The Dumbest Deaths in Recorded HistoryAttila the Hun:One of the most notorious villains in history, Attila's army had conquered all of Asia by 450 AD--from Mongolia to the edge of the Russian Empire--by destroying villages and pillaging the countryside.How he died: He got a nosebleed on his wedding nightIn 453 AD, Attila married a young girl named Ildico. Despite his reputation for ferocity on the battlefield, he tended to eat and drink lightly during large banquets. On his wedding night, however, he really cut loose, gorging himself on food and drink. Sometime during the night he suffered a nosebleed, but was too drunk to notice. He drowned in his own blood and was found dead the next morning.Tycho Brahe:An important Danish astronomer of the 16th century. His ground breaking research allowed Sir Isaac Newton to come up with the theory of gravity.How he died: Didn't get to the bathroom in timeIn the 16th century, it was considered an insult to leave a banquet table before the meal was over. Brahe, known to drink excessively, had a bladder condition -- but failed to relieve himself before the banquet started. He made matters worse by drinking too much at dinner, and was too polite to ask to be excused. His bladder finally burst, killing him slowly and painfully over the next 11 days.Horace Wells:Pioneered the use of anaesthesia in the 1840s`How he died: Used anaesthetics to commit suicideWhile experimenting with various gases during his anaesthesia research, Wells became addicted to chloroform. In 1848 he was arrested for spraying two women with sulphuric acid. In a letter he wrote from jail, he blamed chloroform for his problems, claiming that he'd gotten high before the attack. Four days later he was found dead in his cell. He'd anaesthetized himself with chloroform and slashed open his thigh with a razor.George Washington:First President of the United States of AmericaWashington died as the result of syphilis. The treatment in those days was 'bleeding.' The doctors believed that his disease was caused by 'bad blood,' so they slit his arms with five razors and removed a few pints. Surprisingly, he was only worse the next day, so they reasoned that not enough blood had been removed. They repeated the procedure. This continued for eleven days until Washington died. The syphilis helped to insure Washington's role as 'the father of our country!'Francis Bacon:One of the most influential minds of the late 16th century. A statesman, a philosopher, a writer, and a scientist, he was even rumoured to have written some of Shakespeare's plays.How he died: Stuffing snow into a chickenOne afternoon in 1625, Bacon was watching a snowstorm and was struck by the wondrous notion that maybe snow could be used to preserve meat in the same way that salt was used. Determined to find out, he purchased a chicken from a nearby village, killed it, and then, standing outside in the snow, attempted to stuff the chicken full of snow to freeze it. The chicken never froze, but Bacon did.Jerome Irving Rodale:Founding father of the organic food movement, creator of 'Organic Farming and Gardening' magazine, and founder of Rodale Press, a major publishing corporation.How he died: On the 'Dick Cavett Show', while discussing the benefits of organic foods.Rodale, who bragged 'I'm going to live to be 100 unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver,' was only 72 when he appeared on the 'Dick Cavett Show' in January 1971. Part way through the interview, he dropped dead in his chair. Cause of death: heart attack. The show was never aired.Aeschylus:A Greek playwright back in 500 BC. Many historians consider him the father of Greek tragedies.How he died: An eagle dropped a tortoise on his headAccording to legend, eagles picked up tortoises and attempt to crack them open by dropping them on rocks. An eagle mistook Aeschylus' head for a rock (he was bald) and dropped it on him instead.Jim Fixx:Author of the best selling 'Complete Book of Running,' which started the jogging craze of the 1970s.How he died: A heart attack....while joggingFixx was visiting Greensboro, Vermont when he walked out of his house and began jogging. He'd only gone a short distance when he had a massive coronary. His autopsy revealed that one of his coronary arteries was 99% clogged, another was 80% obstructed, and a third was 70% blocked....and that Fixx had had three other attacks in the weeks prior to his death.And finally there's Lully,One of our favourite 16th-century composers, who wrote music for the king of France.While rehearsing the musicians, he got too serious beating time with his staff, and drove it right through his foot. He died of infection.