Strangest Deaths in History
Some deaths are so unlikely that they sound made up. These are real ones: freak accidents, fatal demonstrations and medical mysteries, each checked against historical sources.
The Strange Death of Tycho Brahe (October 24, 1601)
The astronomer Tycho Brahe died in Prague in October 1601, eleven days after falling ill at a banquet. Rumours of poison lasted 400 years, until his body was exhumed in 2010. Read the full story
The Lawyer Who Proved His Point (June 17, 1871)
The full story of Clement Vallandigham, the Civil War Copperhead exiled by Lincoln who died in 1871 after accidentally shooting himself while showing how a murder victim might have shot himself. Read the full story
Franz Reichelt, the Flying Tailor (February 4, 1912)
The full story of Franz Reichelt, the Paris tailor who jumped from the Eiffel Tower in 1912 to test his parachute suit, and the film that recorded it. Read the full story
Isadora Duncan's Fatal Scarf (September 14, 1927)
On 14 September 1927 the dancer Isadora Duncan was killed in Nice when her long scarf caught in the wheel of an open car. Her death became one of the most famous in history. Read the full story
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