Zachary Taylor - Unusual Death

Zachary Taylor was a war hero in the Mexican-American war who became the 12th president of the United States in 1849. 

In 1850, while attending a Fourth of July event at the Washington Monument, which was then under construction, Taylor consumed copious amounts of raw fruit and iced milk during the long, hot day. This combination of foods gave Taylor diarrhea and dysentery, which he died from five days later.

Marie Curie - Unusual Death

Marie Skłodowska Curie was a Polish-French physicist and chemist who discovered radioactivity and the methods used to isolate radioactive isotopes. She and her husband were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, and she received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. 

 It is unfortunate, then, that what killed Curie was the very thing that she devoted her life to. She suffered many ailments due to exposure from radiation, including cataracts that rendered her nearly-blind. In 1934, she died from aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow disease caused by radiation.

Harry Houdini - Unusual Death

Erik Weisz, known better by his stage name Harry Houdini, is remembered as one of the greatest magicians and escapists of all time. 

On October 31, 1926, Houdini was killed by a college student's punch. The student had seen Houdini’s act where he received multiple blows to the torso without reacting and attempted to replicate the trick by viciously punching Houdini. 

Unfortunately, he did not give the magician time to brace for the attack and his punches ruptured Houdini’s appendix, killing him.

Natalia Nements - Unusual Death

The tragic story of Natalia Nemets boiled alive in a confectionary factory is perhaps one of the most gruesome and horrifying accidental deaths in a factory.

The 36-year-old mother was busy at work in a candy factory in October 2017, in the Russian city of Stary Oskol. Suddenly, her colleagues noticed that she was missing.

They frantically searched the factory for Nemets and made a startling discovery – her legs poking out of a vat of molten caramel. Upon finding her, they knew that there was nothing that could be done to save her; Nemets was surely dead. In addition to the boiling hot caramel, the vat contained whirring blades to stir its contents.

Gloria Ramirez - Unusual Death

Unusual deaths of this nature are reminiscent of something out of The X-Files. They called Gloria Ramirez the “Toxic Lady” as nearly every person who operated on her in the final moments of her life become uncontrollably ill – and to this day, nobody knows why.

On Feb. 19, 1994, Ramirez’s family rushed her to the hospital. Doctors discovered that her heartbeat was way too fast. Her blood pressure had also dropped dangerously low and she was unable to answer questions coherently.

Gloria Ramirez was only 31-years-old, when the doctors treated her. She had cervical cancer, and though these weren’t the usual symptoms, they were willing to attribute whatever signs she had to her disease. So doctors focused on simply keeping her alive.

Defibrillation of her heart was the next step. Doctors removed her shirt and discovered that her skin was covered in an oily sheen. A strange fruity, garlicky smell emanated from her mouth.

One of the nurses in the room complained of a burning sensation on her face, then fainted. Another developed breathing problems and apnea. Soon after, yet another nurse passed out. When she came to, she couldn’t move her arms or legs. All in all, 23 out of 37 staff members caring for Ramirez experienced at least one symptom.

The hospital was ordered to evacuate, but a few doctors remained behind to try and save Ramirez. They didn’t succeed. Ramirez died at 8:50 p.m. that night, and her body was placed in isolation.

Grigori Rasputin - Unusual Death

Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic and faith healer who became entrenched in the Russian royal family during the turn of the century it was believed he was the only one who could treat the Tsar’s son, Alexei, for his hemophilia. However, the aristocracy and populace questioned the relationship between the family and Rasputin. Rasputin’s sexual exploits and decadent lifestyle also made many question his relationship with the Tsarina, Alexandria. 

Seeking to remove this blemish from the Tsar’s reputation, a group of nobles plotted to kill Rasputin in 1916. They invited the mystic to a house where they gave him tea, cakes, and wine poisoned with arsenic. After eating the cakes and drinking three glasses of poisoned wine, the conspirators were shocked to see him seemingly unaffected. One of them then shot him in the chest and left to construct an alibi. When he returned, he was attacked by Rasputin, who had survived the bullet. The men then shot Rasputin two more times, wrapped him in a rug, and threw his body into an icy river.

Franc Reicheit - Unusual Death

Franc Reicheit was an Austrian-born French tailor who was well known during his time for his inventions. Reichelt is best known for his fatal 1912 leap from the Eiffel Tower. Having obtained permission from the Parisian police to test his new parachute suit from the landmark. Upon jumping, the suit failed and he fell to his end.