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Unusual Deaths: Bizarre Deaths Of The 20th Century
Notable Famous Deaths Here are some very strange deaths that have occurred during the 20th century. The following list includes some the most unusual ways of dying imaginable. There are lots of strange ways to die, but these might be the strangest deaths of all- unique and extremely rare circumstances that you can think of. Do you know someone who swallowed a toothpick at a party and then died of peritonitis? Did you know about an actress who died when she fell down a chimney, thinking it was a balcony? If not, read this list of all the unusual deaths of 20th century people who died in strange ways.
- 21
1955“ A 38-year old lawyer and a senior partner at the Holden Day Wilson Law firm in Toronto, Canada, fell to his death on July 9, 1993, after he threw himself against a window on the 24th floor of the Toronto-Dominion Centre in an attempt to prove to a group of visiting law students that the glass was "unbreakable." His first attempt failed to damage the glass at all. On his second attempt the glass still didn't break, but popped out of the window frame, and he fell over 300 feet to his death. „ - 24
Gloria Ramirez
1963“ In Riverside, California, for complications of advanced cervical cancer. Before she died, her caregivers claimed that Ramirez's body mysteriously emitted toxic fumes that made several emergency room workers very ill. She was dubbed the "toxic lady" by the media. „ - 35
Janet Parker
1938“ A British medical photographer, died of smallpox in 1978, ten months after the disease was eradicated in the wild, when a researcher at the laboratory Parker worked at accidentally released some virus into the air of the building. She is believed to be the last smallpox fatality in history. „ - 39
Jimmy Lee Gray
1949“ A man executed in Mississippi's gas chamber, died bashing his head against a metal pole behind the chair that he was strapped into. The poisonous gas had failed to kill him but left him in agony and gasping for eight minutes. It was later determined that the executioner was drunk. „ - 40
1780“ A 20-year-old of Nashua, New Hampshire was attending a halftime show at a football game at Shea Stadium on December 9, 1979. During an event which featured novelty and custom-made remote control flying machines, a 40-pound model plane shaped like a lawnmower accidentally dived into the stands with its sharp blades, striking Bowen and another spectator and causing severe head injuries. While the other spectator survived, Bowen died in hospital four days later. „ - 43
Kenji Urada
1944“ A Japanese factory worker was killed by a malfunctioning robot he was working on at a Kawasaki plant in Japan. The robot's arm pushed him into a grinding machine, killing him. „ - 44
Kip Siegel
1923“ Died of a stroke while testifying before a US Congressional subcommittee. „ - 60 1961“ An Internet entrepreneur from Maryland, allegedly solicited a man via the Internet to torture and kill her for the purpose of sexual gratification. Her killer, Robert Fredrick Glass, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the homicide. „
- 67
1984“ Were stranded while scuba diving with a group of divers off Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The group's boat accidentally abandoned them owing to an incorrect head count taken by the dive boat crew. Their bodies were never recovered. The incident inspired the film Open Water and an episode of 20/20. „ - 73
Vladimir Smirnov
1964“ An Olympic champion fencer, died of brain damage nine days after his opponent's foil snapped during a match, penetrated his mask, pierced his eyeball and entered his brain. „ - 17 1969“ Were stranded while scuba diving with a group of divers off Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The group's boat accidentally abandoned them owing to an incorrect head count taken by the dive boat crew. Their bodies were never recovered. The incident inspired the film Open Water and an episode of 20/20. „
- 46
Len Koenecke
1904“ Was bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher by the crew of an aircraft he had chartered, after provoking a fight with the pilot while the plane was in the air. „ - 65
Thomas Midgley, Jr.
1889“ Accidentally strangled himself with the cord of a pulley-operated mechanical bed of his own design. „ - 45 1906“ The Austrian/American mathematician, died of starvation when his wife was hospitalized. Godel suffered from extreme paranoia and refused to eat food prepared by anyone else. He was 65 pounds (approx. 30 kg) when he died. His death certificate reported that he died of "malnutrition and inanition caused by personality disturbance" in Princeton Hospital on January 14, 1978. „
- 28 1874“ A famous American escape artist, was punched in the stomach by an amateur boxer who had heard that Houdini could withstand any blow to his body above his waist, excluding his head. Though this had been done with Houdini's permission, complications from this injury caused him to die days later, on October 31, 1926. It was later determined that Houdini died of a ruptured appendix. „
- 69 1921“ British slapstick comedian, died of a heart attack while performing at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, live on national television. The audience continued to laugh as he lay collapsed on the stage, thinking it was part of the act. Following the principle that the show must go on, his body was left on the stage, hastily curtained off, and while attempts were made to revive him the other actors continued the act on the small part of the set which remained. „
- 55 1965“ A Canadian-born professional wrestler for WWF, died during a pay-per-view event when performing a stunt. It was planned to have Owen come down from the rafters of the Kemper Arena on a safety harness tied to a rope to make his ring entrance. The safety latch was released and Owen dropped 78 feet (24 m), bouncing chest-first off the top rope resulting in a severed aorta, which caused his lungs to fill with blood. „
- 61 1876“ Writer, swallowed a toothpick at a party and then died of peritonitis. „
- 64 1946“ The lead guitarist of Chicago, accidentally shot himself after removing the gun's magazine but remaining unaware a loaded round was in the chamber. „
- 30 1898“ The head of the Japanese Socialist Party, was stabbed to death with a wakizashi sword by extreme rightist Otoya Yamaguchi during a televised political rally. Yamaguchi was immediately arrested and later committed suicide. „
- 63 1911“ Died when he choked on an eyedrop bottle cap in his room at the Hotel Elysee in New York. He would routinely place the cap in his mouth, lean back, and place his eyedrops in each eye. Williams' lack of gag response may have been due to the effects of drugs and alcohol abuse, and it is highly likely that Williams was high when the cap ended up in his throat as drugs and alcohol were found in his room and inside his body. There is speculation that he committed suicide or was murdered (even his brother Walter Dakin alleged this), but nothing has been conclusively proven. „
- 53
Michael Malloy
1873“ A homeless man, was murdered by gassing after surviving multiple poisonings, intentional exposure, and being struck by a car. Malloy was murdered by five men in a plot to collect on life insurance policies they had purchased. „ - 3 1923“ A film director, died while shooting the TV miniseries World War III when he walked into the tail rotor blade of a helicopter and was decapitated. „
- 10 1968“ Died of starvation near Denali National Park after a few months trying to live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness. His life and death were researched by Jon Krakauer,who then wrote the book Into the Wild which was later turned into a movie. „
- 58 1962“ A worker at a Ford Motor Co. plant, was the first known human to be killed by a robot, „
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Unusual Deaths: Bizarre Deaths Of The 20th Century at 9/29/2012 10:30 PM
Unusual Deaths: Bizarre Deaths Of The 20th Century at 2/18/2012 11:20 PM
John Bowen at 7/16/2010 11:12 PM
Unusual Deaths: Bizarre Deaths Of The 20th Century at 2/18/2012 11:23 PM
Unusual Deaths: Bizarre Deaths Of The 20th Century at 6/14/2010 1:28 AM