Morticom unusual and strange deaths through history

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WEIRD HISTORY

DEATH

(10 Entries)

1)
In Exeter, England, during the cholera epidemic in the mid 19th century over 400 people alone died in the space of a few weeks.
A horse and cart would travel the deserted streets collecting corpses on it's way. One man, leaving the pub very drunk, mocked the grisly cart as it went past but he was struck with the cholera bug before he even got home. Within hours he was on the same horse drawn hearse he had mocked.

2)
In Exeter, England, in September 1887, the new Theatre Royale was opened but on it's opening night the theatre machinery failed to work and the actors kept on fluffing their lines, which drew hoots and boo's from the audience.
To make matters worse a gaslight had set fire to a piece of scenery behind the curtain which started off by burning slowly.
The actors and theatre staff were all able to leave through the stage door and the majority of the audience also made an orderly exit, but the 200 people who were in the gallery were unable to escape because of a half door barrier.
Within minutes the flames burst through the curtains and a huge plume of smoke filled the entire theatre and the whole building was a blazing inferno a few moments later.
The fire was so intense that most corpses were burned beyond recognition and the exact number of people killed was never established.

3)
In England, before the 19th century any sailor who had drowned and been washed ashore was not entitled to a Christian burial, and most bodies were simply left to rot on the sand where they were usually eaten by wild dogs and pigs.
Most mariners would wear a gold earring in the hope that it would be sufficient reward for whoever found them to give them a decent burial.

4)
In London, England, during the early 17th century, the Bear Gardens at Bankside was a popular place to go to watch all kinds of amusements and was modelled on the coliseum in Rome.
What the crowds really came to see though was the torture and murder of animals.
Bulls and bears would be set upon by packs of bull mastiffs, many of the dogs themselves being torn apart and killed.
Once a bear which had been blinded was then flogged by six men standing in a circle. Another time a horse which had defeated a pack of dogs that had attacked it had to endure another attack by dogs. The horse also defeated these dogs and eventually men with swords entered the ring and the horse, which would have earned it's freedom in the Roman days, was hacked to death.

5)
In Sparta, Greece, in 400BC, the Spartans had a strange way of treating new born babies. They would be tied to a stake which had been driven into a hillside and left outside overnight. If they survived the cold and any attacks by wild animals they would then be accepted into the warrior culture of this city-state.

6)
In Athlone, Ireland, in October 1697, a massive bolt of lightning hit the arsenal of Athlone Castle, causing two hundred and sixty barrels of gunpowder, 1000 grenades and thousands of musket and pistol balls to explode, demolishing the entire castle instantly and setting fire to 64 houses in the surrounding town.
Only eight people died in the explosion.
It was later noted that "None were killed of note!"

8)
The nursery rhyme 'Ring a Ring o' Roses' refers to the marks that were caused by the great plague.

9)
During the Roman games it took so long to train the wild beasts to tear people to death that to ensure the animals were not injured during feeding time the slaves would have their teeth removed and their arms broken.

10)
Chinese Eunuchs would have their castrated parts preserved in alcohol so that when they died they would be buried in their entirety.