-
Thinkstock1 of 10
While most people kick the bucket thanks to heart disease or cancer, a handful leave the world in more creative ways. For instance, writer Tennessee Williams choked to death on a bottle cap, and singer/politician Sonny Bono skied directly into a tree. While these famous fatalities are certainly odd, check out how the following 10 ill-fated folks met their maker, and death by cap or tree will seem relatively normal.
Death by Tampons
After a car accident damaged his sinuses, 26-year-old Mark Gleeson became a serious snorer. When the Brit's doctor told him the condition was incurable in 1996, he searched for an at-home solution and decided that inserting a tampon into each nostril before bed was worth a shot. Unfortunately, the experiment caused him to suffocate in his sleep.
-
Hulton Archive/Getty Images2 of 10
Death by Beer
On Oct. 17, 1814, at the Meux family brewery in Tottenham Court, London, a massive vat with more than 162,000 gallons of beer cracked open, causing several other vats to follow in a giant domino effect. A 385,000-gallon wave of beer rushed from the building, destroying two homes and killing eight people.
-
Hulton Archive/Getty Images3 of 10
Death by Scarf
Isadora Duncan, an American dancer many credit with founding modern dance, was fond of long, flowing scarves. In 1927, one such scarf, wrapped tightly around her neck, got ensnared in the wheels of her lover's convertible, strangling her, breaking her neck and pulling her right out of the vehicle and onto the pavement. Talk about a horrific way to leave your lover.
-
Thinkstock4 of 10
Death by Sewer
In 2008, a 57-year-old Canadian man died while trying to retrieve his wallet from a storm sewer. Though police had seen the man and asked him to stop his search, the guy sneaked back to the sewer, removed the grate and went headfirst into the ground, where he became wedged several feet below the street. Firefighters used a tow truck to get the man free, but the poor Canuck was already beyond resuscitation.
-
JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images5 of 10
Death by Video Game
On a summer day in 2005, 28-year-old South Korean Lee Seung Seop entered an Internet cafe to play a popular online game. Two days later, Seop collapsed, was rushed to the hospital and died of cardiac arrest brought on by severe exhaustion. The gamer had been playing for 50 hours straight, taking only short breaks to nap and use the bathroom.
You'd think gaming fools would learn from this, but tragedy struck again just last week. An 18-year-old Taiwanese boy had played "Diablo III" for 40 straight hours in another Internet cafe and then passed out. A waitress woke him up, but after taking a few steps he collapsed, was rushed to the hospital and died shortly after.
-
Thinkstock6 of 10
Death by Peanuts
While allergic reactions to peanuts are a common type of food-related death, processing-plant worker Willie Murphy experienced a different kind of nutastrophe. In 1993, he was buried alive by an avalanche of peanuts in a Georgia factory.
-
Thinkstock7 of 10
Death by Crotch Shot
At the 1983 U.S. Open (tennis), linesman Dick Wertheim sustained a life-ending injury on the job. Nailed in the nads by an errant serve from Stefan Edberg, Wertheim toppled over in pain, hitting his head on the concrete court and dying almost immediately.
-
Comstock/Thinkstock8 of 10
Death by Cake
While a stripper popping out of a cake may sound like an awesome idea, the move has proved deadly before. In 1995, an erotic entertainer suffocated to death inside a bachelor-party cake. After leaving the stripper in the confection for over an hour, the partying pals wheeled the cake out only to get a different kind of surprise when the woman never popped out.
-
All That Is Interesting/Tumblr9 of 10
Death by Beard
Hans Steininger, an Austrian who held the record for longest beard in the 16th century, actually died due to his famous facial hair. Hans neglected to roll up his 4.5-foot beard before running for safety during a massive town fire. He accidentally stepped on his lengthy chin fur and tripped, breaking his neck and dying on the spot.
-
Wikimedia Commons10 of 10Next: Ridiculous Fake Tough Guys
Death by Demonstration
In 1871, Ohio politician and successful lawyer Clement Vallandigham was defending a man accused of shooting a bar patron during a brawl. Vallandigham believed the accuser had actually shot himself while grabbing his pistol from a kneeling position. When re-enacting the movement for the jury, he accidentally grabbed a loaded gun and shot himself. While the wound proved fatal, the deathly demonstration convinced the jury and won the case for the defendant.