Cecilia Ruiz - The Book of Extraordinary Deaths: True Accounts of Ill-Fated Lives

6th century BC

Milo of Croton, the notable Greek wrestler, encountered his death in the forest. As he came upon a broken tree trunk split with wedges, he decided to test his strength by tearing the stump in two. The wedges fell and trapped his hands in the tree trunk, leaving him defenseless against hungry wolves.

5th century BC

Aeschylus, the Athenian author known as the father of Greek tragedy, died when an eagle flying high above dropped a tortoise on his head. It is believed that the passing creature may have mistaken his bald head for a rock on which to crack open the shell of the reptile.

Sigurd the Mighty was a Viking warrior from Orkney (now Scotland), whose death was wrought by the lifeless head of nobleman Mel Brigte. After defeating and decapitating his opponent, Sigurd strapped the head to his saddle. As he rode in victory, the teeth in Brigtes skull scraped Sigurds leg, causing a fatal infection.

1478

It is rumored that George Plantagenet, the first Duke of Clarence, was drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine at his own request. He had been accused and sentenced to death for plotting against his brother King Edward IV.

Dancing Plague

1518

In Strasbourg, Alsace, around four hundred people, for no apparent reason, gave in to dancing for days without rest. The episode lasted more than a month, in which some people died from heart attacks, strokes, or simply out of exhaustion.

Hans Steininger

1567

Hans Steininger, the mayor of Braunau (now Austria), broke his neck when, in an attempt to escape a fire that sparked chaos in town, he tripped over his own beard. The length of his well-maintained whiskers, which he usually kept rolled up inside a leather pouch, ran from four to five feet.

Sir Arthur Aston

1649

Sir Arthur Aston, a Royalist commander during the Siege of Drogheda, was beaten to death with his own wooden leg by Parliamentarian soldiers.