#A-Z: Death by... Zipper

Last story! Yay, I did it.

How lucky he was--the most beautiful girl he knew agreed to go to the fair with him. Her hand brushed his as she climbed into the metal cage. A shiver went up his spine.

“I’m so scared,” she said and sat down close to him. The ride attendant slammed the door shut, locking them in.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he replied. “I’ve been on this ride loads of times. You are in for the ride of your life. Hang on tight.” He gripped the metal bar in front of him. With both her arms, she grabbed his arm and placed her head on his shoulder.

How lucky he was.

The ride began and the cage rocked as they made their way high in the air. Now she sat up straight and grabbed his hand. He felt the urge to kiss her but he wanted to wait for the swan ride around the lake.

Quickly the ride swung them upside down and round and round. He heard her laugh and scream in delight. She never let go of his hand—how lucky he was.

With the constant movement, the didn’t notice the door unlock and swing open. They fell together, still holding each other’s hand.

For a point: What story (of the twenty-six I wrote) was your favourite or stuck with you most?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

In the late summer of 1793, refugees from a yellow fever epidemic in the Caribbean fled to Philadelphia. Within weeks, people throughout the city were experiencing symptoms. By the middle of October, 100 people were dying from the virus every day. Caring for the victims so strained public services that the local city government collapsed. The virus, like malaria, is carried and transferred by mosquitoes.
 

Sources:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/yellow-fever-breaks-out-in-philadelphia

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/yellowfever.htm

This Death By … story is based on:

On September 7, 1977, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a public warning, urging carnival-goers not to ride the Zipper after four deaths occurred due to compartment doors opening mid-ride. The safety restraints being attached to the door itself, riders are left unrestrained whenever the door is open. The four victims all died after falling from their compartments.

Sources:

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml77/77098.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipper_%28ride%29

Death by... Yellow Fever

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The bodies littered the street. The plague didn’t discriminate, it took poor children along with the rich. Anthony carefully stepped over recently deceased gentlemen, the man’s yellow face writhed with agony—blood ran down his face from his eyes like tears. Only the dead cried for each other, the living hid in fear from the nearly invisible biters.

He finally reached the City Hall. Outside, the committee of the dead solicited for the task of body removal, coffins waiting, eager. Sad.

Anthony described the symptoms: fever, delirium. The victim was yellow.

“We will come in six hours,” they told him.

“Is there nothing that can be done?”

“No. Six hours we arrive to remove the body.”

So Anthony returned to his home, afraid to tell his family the news. The man in the stables had brought the plague. He should have sent his family away. Now it was too late. A chill ran down his bones. Slowly he entered the barn, afraid of what awaited him. But the previously delirious man had regained his senses. It didn’t matter. He would die in six hours anyways.

“Water, please. I need water.” The man reached out to him. "I'm so thirsty."

Anthony reached out to him but he had nothing to give. Anthony could only offer his hand, a hand that had turned yellow.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with glow-in-the-dark paint at the United States Radium factory in Orange, New Jersey around 1917. The women, who had been told the paint was harmless, ingested deadly amounts of radium by licking their paintbrushes to sharpen them; some also painted their fingernails and teeth with the glowing substance.

Five of the women challenged their employer in a case that established the right of individual workers who contract occupational diseases to sue their employers.

Sources:

http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/history/biographies/marie_curie.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls#cite_note-interesting-0

http://lgrossman.com/pics/radium/

http://www.damninteresting.com/undark-and-the-radium-girls/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqR2VbepHdM

Death by... X-Ray

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

“Do you have regrets, Mrs. Smith?” one reported shouted from the crowd outside the courtroom.

“What do you have to say about the defence’s allegations that you are sick from dental x-rays and not due to the job?” asked another.

Annie slightly lifted her head. The noise was becoming unbearable. They called a break because she collapsed on the stand, couldn’t they give her a moment’s rest? She wanted to shout at them, but the thought of it only aggravated the pain she felt in all her joints.

“They call us the Living Dead,” she finally whispered. Her daughter, who sat on her lap, shifted and Annie let out a low moan. It hurt to hold her child but she didn’t want to let her go. She didn’t know how much time she had left. Bending over, she kissed her daughter’s hair with her toothless jaw. Her teeth had fallen out long ago.

“I don’t have time for regrets,” she added. Eight years of painting with radium… who knew this would be the outcome? A skeleton of a form and not yet thirty. There was a time she loved her job in the watch factory. She would lick the paint brush end to form a tip before dipping it in the radium. They even painted their nails and lips to surprise their husbands in the dark before bed.

Who knew.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

The ancient Greeks typically attributed remarkable deaths to famous persons in keeping with their characters. Milo of Croton was walking in a forest when he came upon a tree-trunk split with wedges. In what was probably intended as a display of strength, Milo inserted his hands into the cleft to rend the tree. The wedges fell from the cleft, and the tree closed upon his hands, trapping him. Unable to free himself, the wrestler was devoured by wolves.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_of_Croton

Death by... Wolves

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

Weak! He was anything but weak. How dare they say he wasn’t the wrestler he used to be. He picked up his axe and made his way into the woods for he could still chop wood faster than any man he knew.

Deep in the woods, he came to a felled tree, one he chopped down before. Still the wedges were embedded along the side. He bent over and grabbed one half of the trunk and began to pull, pull with all his might. With each crack of the bark he would stick his hand in farther for more leverage. He didn’t notice the wedges slowly slipping out.

It only took a split second for the two sides of the trunk to slap together, crushing his hand deep inside. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t free his hand. He must have screamed for hours but no one seemed to hear.

However, the wolves heard and as nightfall approached, the hungry creatures neared.

They did eventually find him at the base of that tree--though only a skeleton--and along side him, the bones of six wolves. See, he was strong.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

Xiao Yi was thirteen when he threw himself from the top of a twenty-four story tower block in his home town, leaving notes that spoke of his addiction and his hope of being reunited with fellow cyber-players in heaven. 
 

Sources:

http://www.play.tm/news/5928/chinese-suicide-shows-addiction-dangers/

Death by... Video Games

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

Thirteen year old Lin stood atop the twenty-four storey building and looked down. They didn’t look like humans from up there, more like ants. Little bugs that went about their work in the real world.

The real world. Now, that was a concept he didn’t quite understand anymore. He spent more time as a warrior fighting battles in demon-filled lands, foregoing meals and hygiene, than he did studying and sleeping.

Two of his friends had already succumb to the limitations of the real world. And how he missed them. He wondered if they played games in heaven. He wondered if they were at peace. Were they conquerers?

He didn’t have to wonder long, for he would see them soon.

“Save a place for me,” he cried out to the heavens and jumped.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

Georgi Ivanov Markov died as a result of an incident on a London street when a micro-engineered pellet containing ricin was fired into his leg via an umbrella wielded by someone associated with the Bulgarian secret police.
Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Markov

http://www.nysun.com/arts/death-by-umbrella/40821/

http://readrussia.com/blog/made-in-russia/00120/

Death by... Umbrella

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The 1.52mm pellet under the microscope wasn’t larger than a pinhead. Amazing, something so small causing rapid death to a grown man. Robert stood from the microscope and stretched his arms above his head. Brilliant.

A young man in a lab coat entered the room.

“Have we discovered the contents of our little capsule?” Robert asked him. The man nodded and handed him the sheet.

Robert read it. “Brilliant.” Without another moment’s hesitation, headed into the autopsy room.

George, deceased, lay prone on a metal slab. His chest slit in two, ribs spread. Robert stepped closer to the body and peered at the forty-nine year old man who died much too young.

Robert held up the paper. “Ricin.”

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

Sherwood Anderson was an American novelist and short story writer who died on a cruise through Panama at the age of 64. An autopsy revealed that he had accidentally swallowed a toothpick (presumably in a martini olive), which had perforated his colon and caused a fatal case of peritonitis.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwood_Anderson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_Men

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many_Marriages

http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/23025.html

Death by ... Toothpick

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

“Shall I hate and fear my own body, this house in which I must live, or shall I respect and care for it? Well, the devil! The question is not worth answering. I shall take life as it offers itself.” Sherwood slammed the thick, hard-covered book down on the table.

“Bravo,” many in the audience called out.

“Read more,” shouted one man.

“No more,” Sherwood replied. He picked up his third martini and gulped it down also, olive and all. “If you want to learn more, buy the book.” He pumped his chest with his fist to help the olive down.

Sherwood had enough of the crowd. They all asked him the same questions: How do you feel about the comments that this book marks the decline of writing? How does that make me feel? What are they, my shrink? He raised his hand and asked for another martini.

Another drink came and he looked at the olive, stuck with short toothpick, floating around the top. His last empty glass passed his face and he thought, what happened to all the toothpicks? He hadn’t swallowed them had he?

That’s when he noticed the first sharp pang in his stomach.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

Thomas Midgley, Jr. was an American mechanical engineer and chemist. Midgley was a key figure in a team of chemists, led by Charles F. Kettering, that developed the tetraethyllead (TEL) additive to gasoline as well as some of the first chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). In 1940, at the age of 51, Midgley contracted poliomyelitis, which left him severely disabled. This led him to devise an elaborate system of strings and pulleys to help others lift him from bed. This system was the eventual cause of his death when he was accidentally entangled in the ropes of this device and died of strangulation at the age of 55.

Midgley died three decades before the ozone depleting effects of CFCs in the atmosphere became widely known. Another adverse effect of Midgley's work was the release of large quantities of lead into the atmosphere as a result of the large-scale combustion of leaded gasoline all over the world.

High atmospheric lead levels have been associated with serious health problems. J. R. McNeill, an environmental historian, has remarked that Midgley "had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history."

Sources:

http://itthing.com/most-ironic-deaths

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley,_Jr.

http://www.nndb.com/people/727/000205112/

http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/lead2.htm

#A-Z: Death by... Strangulation

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

Thomas invented the bed because he deserved it.

Why shouldn’t he create a bed to help him? He had helped contribute to some of the world’s greatest gifts to mankind. He, alone, revolutionized gasoline. Because of his brilliant ideas, the addition of tetraethyl lead to ethyl had removed the knocking from car engines. He deserved every award he received.

They also lauded his invention of chlorofluorocarbons and gave him the Perkin Medal. Someday, he would be talked about everywhere. It was a sad, sad day for humankind when he contracted Poliomyelitis. He could no long work like he used to in the science community.

With careful maneuvering, he used the pulleys to sit up. Somehow a rope fell around his neck. That wasn’t suppose to happen. Now what was he to do? He yanked at another rope but that one only tightened choked him further. The call button lay just beyond his reach but he couldn’t move without constricting himself even more. He moved his head around, struggling to follow each line. He could just reach the one he needed.

Thomas soon realized, however, that the bed he invented would eventually kill him. Ironic. It should have been a simple device that could move him from bed to wheelchair, but the ropes and pulleys seemed to take on a life of their own that morning. 

As each movement pulled the ropes tighter, he struggled more, causing the ropes to tighten further…

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

1979: 25-year-old Robert Williams, a Ford Motor assembly line worker, was killed on the job in a Flat Rock, Michigan, casting plant. It’s the first recorded human death by robot. Williams died instantly in 1979 when the robot’s arm slammed him as he was gathering parts in a storage facility, where the robot also retrieved parts. Williams’ family was later awarded $10 million in damages.

Sources:

http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/01/0125robot-kills-worker/

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7KMyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Bu8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3301,87702&dq=flat-rock+williams+robot&hl=en

http://www.botjunkie.com/2010/01/25/31st-anniversary-of-first-human-death-by-robot-sorta/

#A-Z: Death by... Robot

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

“Stupid robot,” Robert said and kicked the steal legs of the machine. The unit creaked and groaned with every kick.

From the moment the machines had taken over their jobs, there had been much animosity. Worker against boss. Man against machine. Well, he hated them all. Robots couldn’t be trusted. Although programmed to perform menial jobs, the headless creatures of steel with arms and legs were smart, too smart. They quietly went about their work, but soon, they would take over the world.

“You think you’re so smart,” he went on, climbing into a bin near the robot’s arms. “Well look who’s slow today. You’re broken. Can’t do your job now, can you?” He reached for car parts that the robot was meant to retrieve. Something had gone wrong and the robot wasn’t keeping up with the rest of the units.

Robert thought he heard a sound from below and peeked over the bin wall. The robot held a different position but stood still. Strange. He went about retrieving more parts. Again he heard a slight swooshing noise, he looked up but only saw the robot arm a split second before it hit him in the head.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

In September of 1988, Adeana and Jay Dickinson, a young couple married just a month, loaded an all-terrain vehicle and trailer with supplies for a mining excursion and set off over the mud flats for a destination "on the other side of the inlet," according to Chadwick. A few hundred yards from shore, the trailer became stuck and Adeana hopped off the back of the ATV to shove it free. The Turnagain mud tightened around her legs.

Her husband tried to free her for more than two hours, according to media accounts, using a dredge from their mining equipment to pump water into the mud around her legs. He freed one leg, but then the dredge broke.

And the tide moved in.

Chadwick, who then worked for the Anchorage Fire Department, responded to the call. Other rescuers came as well, from the State Troopers and Girdwood. They toiled frantically as the water rose first to Dickinson's waist, then her shoulders. Unable to free her as the tide surged forth, they had to break off the rescue attempt and watch her drown

Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCwrjMjG5Lo

http://www.unmuseum.org/quicksand.htm

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4074030

#A-Z: Death by... Quicksand

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

No one should have to watch their wife drown.

It should’ve been easy, just cross the short inlet to the other side. Sure, we knew the mud was dangerous, we prepared for it. I guess not enough.

I want to blame the trailer for the tragedy but I couldn’t. There was no one to blame but me—me and my greed.

When she jumped from her ATV, her legs became firmly planted, and although I urgently pumped water around them, I could only free one. One.

The fire department and rescuers arrived, but time was not on our side. The tide moved in too quickly.

I’ll never forget the panic and dread in her eyes.

“I’m so cold,” she told me and the water rose to her waist.

“Just hang on, we’re going to get you out. We will get you out.” Her hands were as cold as ice.

Although I begged and pleaded, the rescue attempt stopped when the water reached her neck. I wanted to jump into the water but they held me back.

I yelled that I loved her but I’m not sure she heard me. She had closed her eyes by then. She didn’t struggle as the water slowly covered her mouth and then her nose.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

Franz Reichelt, an Austrian-born French tailor, inventor and parachuting pioneer, is remembered for his accidental death by jumping from the Eiffel Tower while testing a wearable parachute of his own design. Believing that the lack of a suitably high test platform was partially to blame for his failures, Reichelt repeatedly petitioned the Parisian Prefecture of Police for permission to conduct a test from the Eiffel Tower. He was finally granted permission in early 1912, but when he arrived at the tower on February 4 he made it clear that he intended to jump himself rather than conduct an experiment with dummies. Despite attempts by his friends and spectators to dissuade him, he jumped from the first platform of the tower wearing his invention. The parachute failed to deploy and he crashed into the icy ground at the foot of the tower.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Reichelt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BepyTSzueno

#A-Z: Death by... Parachute

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

February 1912

Franz strutted for the cameras. The large suit attached to his back made him look somewhat like a peacock, but how proud he was.

The day was cold, people huddled together to block the stiff breeze that blew across the lake. Police officers stood at the base of the tower, keeping the crowds back as Franz climbed the steps leading to the first platform.

“You must not do this,” his friends begged. “Use dummies for the test. You must use dummies.”

“Nonsense,” he replied. “I want to try the experiment myself and without trickery, as I intend to prove the worth of my invention. You are going to see how my 72 kilos and my parachute will give your arguments the most decisive of denials.”

At the top, he stood on the rail 187 feet from the ground and waved to the crowds below.

“À bientôt."

After making a few adjustments to his parachute and a slight hesitation, he leapt outwards.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

Julien Offray de La Mettrie, a French physician and philosopher, held a celebration of sensual pleasure which was said to have resulted in his early death. The French ambassador to Prussia, Tirconnel, grateful to La Mettrie for curing him of an illness, held a feast in his honour. It was claimed that La Mettrie wanted to show either his power of gluttony or his strong constitution by devouring a large quantity of pâte de faisan aux truffes. As a result, he developed a gastric illness of some sort, became delirious, and died.
 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julien_Offray_de_La_Mettrie

http://www.egs.edu/library/julien-offray-de-la-mettrie/biography/

http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/LaMettrie/Eulogy/

http://versuslaboratory.janvaneyck.nl/app/webroot/uploads/cw-La%20Mettrie%20death.pdf

#A-Z: Death by... Over-Eating

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

Julien deserved it, all of it. No wonder the French ambassador had laid the delicious feast for him. So many were grateful for the life-saving work he did for them. Julien stuffed three olives in his mouth, then another bite of pâte de faisan aux truffes. Yes, he deserved it.
 

“You will owe me your life if you eat all the food on the table,” said the ambassador.

Julien only laughed. “I only have today, my Lord.” He ignored the others at the table who watched him eat. They could say what they wanted behind his back, laughed if they desired. Jealousy, all jealousy.

“Who does he think he is? He is the laughing stock of all great thinkers.” said one.

“True,” said another. “He may act merry, but he is a very bad author. By not reading his books, one can be very content.”

So Julien ate and ate, because he deserved it. He ate himself into indigestion, then delirium, then death.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

A 51-year-old woman from DeSoto Parish and a 20-year-old man from St. Bernard Parish, a suburb of New Orleans, died after using Neti pots containing tap water to flush their sinuses. Both became infected with Naegleria fowleri, a parasite known as the brain-eating amoeba.

Naegleria fowleri enters the body through the nose to cause a brain infection with symptoms similar to those of bacterial meningitis. Headache, fever, nausea and stiff neck swiftly give way to confusion, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations. And if left untreated, the infection can cause death within one to 12 days.

#A-Z: Death by... Neti-pot

Today, something a bit different. To win a point: What is a Neti-Pot? Anyone… anyone? Enjoy my crack at poetry.

Don’t let this happen to you:

You can’t stop from… from… ”ah-choo!”

So you think,

what better way,

to flush the blues away,

then with water that comes from your sink.

But that’s not the end of it all,

for in the water are things that can crawl

up your nose

to your brain

amoebas ingrain

and soon all life it will drain.

It starts with a headache and fever,

and progresses until you have seizures

Hallucinations in bed,

and there are no meds

and in one to twelve days, you’ll be dead.

To win a point: What is a Neti-Pot?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

The Boston Molasses flood was a disaster of epic proportions, producing a 15 foot high wave of sticky, viscous fluid moving twice as fast as a man could run. 21 people were drowned or crushed by the wave. A molasses tank exploded and the resulting flood killed 21 people and injured another 150. It also destroyed a number of houses and drowned many horses. A large molasses storage tank burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35  mph.
 

Sources:

http://edp.org/molpark.htm

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9B04E4D71339E13ABC4E52DFB7668382609EDE&oref=slogin

http://www.3ammagazine.com/short_stories/non-fict/truetales/molasses.html

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/molasses-floods-boston-streets

http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/civil/articles/86176.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Molasses_Disaster

#A-Z: Death by... Molasses

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

‘…Six, seven, eight.’ Maria counted the firewood that lay on her bright red coat beside her. She only needed two more pieces. After standing and raising her arms above her head, she took a deep breath in and made her way along the tracks, peering beneath the freight cars for wood.
 

Although a mid-January afternoon, the day was fine. The sun warmed her legs beneath her wool skirt. With her black shoe, she kicked some small pebbles at the pigeons cooing nearby. The flapped their wings and took a few steps with their small red feet but quickly returned to their places, pecking at the ground beneath them.

‘Maria,’ Mrs Clougherty called out to her.

Maria turned and waved. She pointed at the firewood and received a nod in return. 

Suddenly, a rumble caused Maria to look up, she thought it was a train was running along the tracks above her head but she only saw brown. A sweet-smelling wave of death.

A fireman from Engine Seven surveyed the mess and sighed. He could hear screams, horses whinnying, and the creaks of metal. There was a worry that the tracks might fall down on them, but his first priority was to find survivors. Another shot rang out and the whinnying stopped. His boots come off in the molasses—wet, warm and sticky. Damn.

He bent down to pull his boot out when he saw the bright red coat.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

Chrysippus of Soli (c. 279 BC – c. 206 BC) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He died during the 143rd Olympiad (208–204 BC) at the age of 73. He was watching a donkey eat some figs and cried out: "Now give the donkey a drink of pure wine to wash down the figs", whereupon he died in a fit of laughter. 
 

Sources:

http://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/philosophers/chrysippus/

http://www.iep.utm.edu/chrysipp/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter-induced_syncope

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_from_laughter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysippus

#A-Z: Death by... Laughter

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

“The enjoyment of this wine and of this feast, is not fated simply, but co-fated with there being good wine and fine entertainment. Give me the principles, and I will find the proofs myself. And the proof is in the wine.” The Stoic held up the goblet of wine and the people cheered. He laughed at their easy amusement, he laughed at their laughter. For tonight was a good night, all things were joyful. He took in more wine.
 

A man riding a donkey entered the room and paraded around the head of the tables. The people cheered. While women danced to joyful music played by men on lutes and harps, the donkey made his way over to one of the tables and poked its nose into the fruit that lay there. With its lips it pulled a fig from a bowl.

“Now give the donkey a drink of pure wine to wash down the figs,” the Stoic said and he erupted into a fit of laughter. The people laughed and cheered again. The laughter was contagious for all things were joyful, it could not be contained. 

The laughter could not be contained by his heart and soon his heart and the laughter stopped.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

On 5 April 1923, George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, died in the Continental-Savoy Hotel in Cairo, in the Kingdom of Egypt. This led to the story of the "Curse of Tutankhamun", the "Mummy's Curse". His death is most probably explained by blood poisoning (progressing to pneumonia) after accidentally shaving a mosquito bite infected with erysipelas. However, at the same moment, all the lights in Cairo went out. Back in England, Herbert's dog, Susie, let out a howl and died.

Sources:

http://wikimapia.org/9993105/Grave-of-George-Herbert-5th-Earl-of-Carnarvon-discover-of-King-Tut-s-Tomb

http://deathaday.blogspot.mx/2008/04/april-5-george-herbert.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erysipelas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteremia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herbert,_5th_Earl_of_Carnarvon

http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/treasures-of-king-tut

#A-Z: Death by... King Tut's Curse

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

Doctor’s Journal 
 

April 5, 1923

The patient’s condition has not improved. His fever refuses to break and he complains of chills and headaches. I fear it will not be long before he succumbs. We search for the reason behind the sudden onset of symptoms but none of the staff can agree. Most believe it’s King Tut’s Curse. They are afraid to be in the hotel room with the patient. I believe it’s related to a mosquito bite on the patient’s upper right cheek which has become infected and continues to swell.

Tomorrow I need to talk again to the patient about his dog, Susie. I do not like her in the room, it will only make the infection worse. Perhaps now that he has periods of lucidity, I can move the whining dog out.

April 6, 1923

The city is in an uproar. The patient took his last breath at one-thirty this morning and the lights around the city went out. They are all claiming it was the curse. I can not convince them otherwise. Especially when Susie died at his feet shortly after.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

John Desborough, 41, was giving a demonstration to pupils at Liverpool College when he slipped. The blunt end of the javelin penetrated his eye socket and caused severe brain damage. He died three weeks later in hospital.
 

Sources:

http://1000waysdie.wikia.com/wiki/Dead_Eye

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3132425

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/365923.stm

http://www.wikihow.com/Throw-a-Javelin

http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/ss/Javelinthrow.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javelin_throw

#A-Z: Death by... Javelin

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

“So as you see, you rest the javelin in your hand, like this. Hold the javelin high with your elbow up and pointed forward. Run towards the throw line. At the end of the run, plant your left leg and push off with your right. Turn your hips so they are again perpendicular to the target area as you transfer your weight forward. Release the javelin and remember to follow through completely.”
 

John threw the javelin far into the field of the college. The students cheered. He bowed and ran to fetch the javelin. The grass was wet and when he approached, he slipped. To the horror of all witnessing the event, the blunt end of the javelin penetrated his eye socket and his brain. 

The students ran onto the streets to flag down an ambulance but it was too late.

Who or what event is portrayed in this story?

The previous Death By … story is based on:

William Hover was killed when an icicle fell 30 feet and landed on his head. It went through his Derby hat and caused a scalp wound. Although the wound was dressed and he managed to get home, he died of a concussion of the brain later that day.

Sources:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE2D71F3AE433A25753C3A9679C94669ED7CF

http://mythbustersresults.com/special1

http://gogreentravelgreen.com/green-travel-stories/10-chilling-tales-of-people-killed-by-icicles/