8 Extremely Bizarre Deaths Throughout History

Way back in 892, in a place called Orkney, a man by the name of Sigurd the Mighty defeated an enemy – and cut off the man's head. In a fit of triumph, he strapped the gentleman's noggin onto his saddle and rode off in style. His victory was short lived, however. While riding, his enemy's teeth grazed his leg, leaving a wound that led to a deadly infection. Karma, anyone?

Sir Arthur Aston did not enjoy a death befitting his title. Actually, I'm pretty sure he didn't enjoy his death at all. I know that no one does, but this poor guy … wow. Prosthetic limbs, in 1649, weren't all that great, but they could still be used to club someone to death. Poor Arthur's wooden leg was used in just such a manner. He was clubbed to death with it. His own leg!

Actually, this one involves 323,000 gallons of beer … well, everywhere. If you've heard of the London Beer Flood of 1814, you know where this was going. A total of nine people died in the flood, which occurred when vats belonging to the Meux and Company Brewery burst open and poured out into the streets of London. What a way to go, huh?

Speaking of death by alcohol, the Duke of Clarence experienced a similar fate – but he chose to. When George Plantagenet was sentenced to death in 1478, he was given the opportunity to choose his own means of execution. He wanted to be drowned. In wine. So he was upended over a barrel of the stuff and lowered to his grape-goodness doom.

In 1771, the King of Sweden had a very sumptuous meal. King Adolf Fredrik enjoyed smoked herring, lobster, sauerkraut, caviar, over a dozen servings of semla, and ample amounts of champagne. And then he died. He ate himself to death – and he's still famous for doing so. At least it was a luxurious last meal.

Let's go back to 1327. In England, Edward II is about to be killed. The murder weapon? An iron, heated to red hot temperatures. Where did it go? Well … where the sun fails to shine, even on the brightest of days. Ouch...

Readers of 'Salem's Lot will find this scenario familiar, I think. Back in 1947, there lived two brothers: Langley and Homer Collyer. They were serious hoarders – in New York City, no less, where it's hard to hoard. Langley was so serious about all his stuff that he'd rigged his home with various booby traps – one of which killed him. When he triggered it, stacks of newspapers, boxes of books, and assorted other items crushed him to death. Homer, paralyzed, blind, and dependent on Langley, perished from starvation several days following his brother's death.

Carrots are good for you, but did you know that way too many of them can cause your skin to take on an orange cast? And if you drink way, way too much carrot juice then you, like Basil Brown, could die from it. Seriously. An advocate of health food who was considered more than a little unstable, Brown used carrot juice to drink himself to death.

So what have we learned from these extremely bizarre deaths throughout history? Don't eat – or drink – too much, don't cut off people's heads (even if you don't like them), don't hoard, don't bend over when someone comes near you with a poker, and don't ever let anyone else near your wooden leg. What is the most bizarre death you've ever heard about?

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