Lists of unusual deaths

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

These are a series of incomplete lists of unusual deaths, unique or extremely rare circumstances of death recorded throughout history, noted as being unusual by multiple sources.

• 
  The death of Aeschylus, killed by a tortoise dropped onto his head by an eagle, illustrated in the 15th-century Florentine Picture-Chronicle by Baccio Baldini
• 
  Frederick Barbarossa's strange drowning gave rise to legends that he was still alive
• 
  Franz Reichelt, known as the "Flying Tailor", prior to his death testing an early wingsuit

Unusual deaths

Lists of unusual deaths
Antiquity
Middle Ages	Renaissance	Early modern period
19th century	20th century	21st century
Animal deaths

• List of unusual deaths in antiquity
• List of unusual deaths in the Middle Ages
• List of unusual deaths in the Renaissance
• List of unusual deaths in the early modern period
• List of unusual deaths in the 19th century
• List of unusual deaths in the 20th century
• List of unusual deaths in the 21st century
• List of unusual animal deaths

See also

• Autoerotic fatality
• Darwin Awards
• Death by coconut
• Death from laughter
• Execution by elephant
• Spontaneous human combustion
• 1000 Ways to Die
• Stupid Deaths, a recurring segment in the television adaptation of Horrible Histories
• Death during consensual sex

Lists

• List of association footballers who died while playing
• List of causes of death by rate
• List of racing cyclists and pacemakers with a cycling-related death
• List of entertainers who died during a performance
• List of inventors killed by their own invention
• List of last words
• Lists of people by cause of death
• List of people who died on the toilet
• List of people executed for witchcraft
• Lists of people who disappeared
• List of political self-immolations
• List of premature obituaries
• List of selfie-related injuries and deaths
• Toilet-related injuries and deaths
• List of deaths due to injuries sustained in boxing
• United States amusement park accidents
• Wheel-well stowaway § List of wheel-well stowaways

Further reading

• Bellamy, John G (2008). Strange Inhuman Deaths. History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-3864-8.
• Daws, Nick (2005). Daft Deaths and Famous Last Words. Lagoon Books. ISBN 978-1-9047-9715-9.
• Dreher, Dale (12 March 2012). Death by Misadventure: 210 Dumb Ways to Die. ASIN B007JYWNV4.
• Dunning, John (February 1997). Strange Deaths. True Crime. ISBN 978-185958498-9.
• Powell, Michael (2008). Curious Events in History. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4027-6307-6.
• Sieveking, Paul; Simmons, Ian; Stevenson, Val (2000). Strange Deaths: More Than 375 Freakish Fatalities. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7607-1947-3. Retrieved 4 January 2022 – via Google Books.
• Sieveking, Paul (1998). The Fortean Times Book of More Strange Deaths. John Brown. ISBN 978-1-902212-02-9.
• Sieveking, Paul (2011). The Fortean Times Book of Strange Deaths. Russell Blackman. ISBN 978-1-907779-97-8.
• Southwell, David; Twist, Sean (2007). Mysterious Deaths and Disappearances. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4042-1081-3.
• Winterbotham, Russell R. (1929). Curious and Unusual Deaths. Girard, KS: Haldeman-Julius.

External links

• "Curious and Unusual Deaths Pictures". Discovery Channel. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
• "Freakish Fatalities Articles". Snopes. Retrieved 7 August 2024.