Attila the Hun:
One of the most notorious villains in history, Attila's army had
conquered all of Asia by 450 AD--from Mongolia to the edge of the
Russian Empire--by destroying villages and pillaging the countryside.
How he died: He got a nosebleed on his wedding night
In 453 AD, Attila married a young girl named Ildico. Despite his
reputation for ferocity on the battlefield, he tended to eat and drink
lightly during large banquets. On his wedding night, however, he really
cut loose, gorging himself on food and drink. Sometime during the night
he suffered a nosebleed, but was too drunk to notice. He drowned in his
own blood and was found dead the next morning.
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Tycho Brahe:
An important Danish astronomer of the 16th century. His ground breaking
research allowed Sir Isaac Newton to come up with the theory of gravity.
How he died: Didn't get to the bathroom in time
In the 16th century, it was considered an insult to leave a banquet table
before the meal was over. Brahe, known to drink excessively,
had a bladder condition -- but failed to relieve himself before the banquet
started. He made matters worse by drinking too much at dinner, and was
too polite to ask to be excused. His bladder finally burst, killing him
slowly and painfully over the next 11 days.
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Francis Bacon:
One of the most influential minds of the late 16th century. A statesman,
a philosopher, a writer, and a scientist, he was even rumored to have
written some of Shakespeare's plays.
How he died: Stuffing snow into a chicken
One afternoon in 1625, Bacon was watching a snowstorm and was struck by
the wondrous notion that maybe snow could be used to preserve meat in
the same way that salt was used. Determined to find out, he purchased a
chicken from a nearby village, killed it, and then, standing outside in
the snow, attempted to stuff the chicken full of snow to freeze it. The
chicken never froze, but Bacon did.
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Jerome Irving Rodale:
Founding father of the organic food movement, creator of "Organic
Farming and Gardening" magazine, and founder of Rodale Press, a major
publishing corporation.
How he died: On the "Dick Cavett Show", while discussing the benefits of
organic foods.
Rodale, who bragged "I'm going to live to be 100 unless I'm run down by
a sugar-crazed taxi driver," was only 72 when he appeared on the "Dick
Cavett Show" in January 1971. Part way through the interview, he dropped
dead in his chair. Cause of death: heart attack. The show was never
aired.
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Jim Fixx:
Author of the best selling "Complete Book of Running," which started
the jogging craze of the 1970s.
How he died: A heart attack....while jogging
Fixx was visiting Greensboro, Vermont when he walked out of his house
and began jogging. He'd only gone a short distance when he had a massive
coronary. His autopsy revealed that one of his coronary arteries was 99%
clogged, another was 80% obstructed, and a third was 70% blocked....and
that Fixx had had three other attacks in the weeks prior to his death.