Unusual Deaths
In the beginning, there was life. A treasure so beautiful, so precious, a treasure given to everyone. A treasure everyone knows the importance and the extreme significance of.
And sometimes that treasure is taken away abruptly.
Everyone wishes for a peaceful death after living a fulfilling life, but that is not always the case. Throughout history, there have been billions of instances where people have passed away, some earlier than others, some more sad than others, but some of them are so absurd that they are comical in a way.
One of the earliest deaths in recorded history was the tragic death of Draco of Athens. Draco was once the first recorded legislator of Athens. He was the man that replaced the system of oral law and blood feud with a written code to be enforced by a court of law. It was safe to say that Draco was a very popular and well liked man. In fact, “According to a number of Greek historians, Draco died in the Aeginetan theater around 600 B.C. when people, who in a display of approval, threw so many hats and cloaks over him and he suffocated to death”
Imagine being loved so much all at once that people literally shower you with gifts to death. That sounds a pleasant way to pass away if given the option. When given the option, some people decide to end their life on their own terms.
During the Renaissance, there was a man by the name George Plantagent. He was the brother of King Edward IV. Shortly after becoming king, King Edward made George the duke of Clarence, but George fell under the influence of Richard Neville, a man who was slowly losing control from the king. In defiance of Edward, George married Richard’s daughter and “secretly supported an armed uprising in northern England”, so King Edward fled to France for about a year.
When the king came back, he discovered that George was remarrying after his wife had passed away, and objected to the wedding because he thought that George was scheming against him once again to take over his throne. George was later thrown in prison and was pressed charges for slandering the King along with a few other charges. George was sentenced to death by King Edward. However, George wanted to go out in his own way.
Although George was said to be “privately executed”, there was a rumor going around that George had taken his own life by drowning himself. How he drowned was what seemed strange to people because he did not drown in an ocean, not in a bathtub, not even by drinking water. The way that George had decided to end his life was by drowning himself in a barrel of wine.
Some self deaths are done on purpose. Others are sadly done by accident.
Clement Vallandigham was an American lawyer and politician. He was a prominent lawyer believing in states’ rights, low tariffs, and slavery. He tried getting a seat in the House of Congress, but was unsuccessful in doing so three times. He protested the Civil War and believed that President Lincoln had extraordinary powers assumed during the war, which led him to being arrested in 1863 for publicly expressing his sympathies with those in arms against the government. While in prison, he escaped prison and fled to Canada only for him to return a year later in 1864 to Ohio where he returned to his law practice.
During one of his defenses, he was attempting to “prove a client (was) innocent of murder, arguing that the victim had shot himself”. In order to demonstrate to the court, he pulled out a gun that he thought was unloaded and accidentally shot himself. He died of his wound twelve hours later, but at least his client was acquitted of the charges.
Deaths happen most often when they are least expected. While one man passes away in an attempt to defend another man, another man may pass away in an attempt to defend his beloved pet.
Alexander of Greece was a man that was forced to take the throne after his father, Greek King Constatine and his brother George, were pressured to leave the country for being perceived as being pro-German in 1917.
One day, Alexander was walking his dog, “when the dog became embroiled in a fight with a Barbary ape kept on the grounds of the royal estate.” In an attempt to separate his dog and the monkey, he was bitten by the monkey in multiple places. Those monkey bites would later become infected and a few weeks later Alexander passed away due to blood poisoning from the monkey bites.
Deaths happen all the time, usually unexpectedly, sometimes against your will, occasionally on people’s own terms. Deaths are a natural part of life, and are the only guarantee for everyone once they are born in this world. So why not try to shine some light on one of the darkest topics of life?
Be safe. Stay safe.