Killed By His Pet Monkeys

November 30, 2011

And other weird ways to go…

THEY WENT THATAWAY

Some famous people aren’t just remarkable for how they lived,
but also for how they died. Take these folks, for example

JOHN A. ROEBLING (1806–69)
Claim to Fame: The engineer who designed the Brooklyn Bridge
Cause of Death: Killed by the Brooklyn Bridge
Details: On June 28, 1869 Roebling was standing on a dock surveying the location of the tower on the Brooklyn side. When an approaching ferry pressed up against the dock, Roebling got his right foot caught between the boat and the dock and his toes were badly crushed. They were amputated later that same day. Roebling refused further medical treatment, perhaps contributing to his developingtetanus, a disease caused when a wound is infected by a strain of bacteria commonly found in dirt. In the days before tetanus shots, the disease could be fatal, and in Roebling’s case it was. After a week of suffering terrible seizures he died on July 22.
Note: Roebling’s son Washington, who took over supervision of the project after his father’s death, was also nearly killed by the Brooklyn Bridge. Long hours spent in caissons, the pressurized underwater chambers used to construct the bridge’s foundation, left him severely disabled by decompression sickness, more commonly known as “the bends.” For the remaining decade that it took to finish the bridge, he supervised the project from his house via intermediaries, rarely returned to the job site, and did not attend the bridge’s opening in 1883.

KING ALEXANDER OF GREECE (1893–1920)
Claim to Fame: Alexander reigned from 1917 to 1920. He was a first cousin of Prince Philip of England
Cause of Death: Killed by his pet monkeys
Details: On October 2, 1920, the king was walking his dog through the Royal Garden in Athens—now called the National Garden—when one the monkeys that lived there attacked the dog. (Some sources claim it was the dog that attacked the mon- key.) When Alexander tried to separate them with a stick, a second monkey came to the defense of the first, and the King was badly bitten by both. He died from his wounds three weeks later.
Note: Alexander became king during World War I after his father, King Constantine I, was forced off the throne because of his pro-German sympathies. After Alexander’s death Constantine returned to the throne, making Alexander a rare example of a king who succeeded his father and was succeeded by him, as well. Constantine abdicated a second time in 1922, this time for good.

JASPER NEWTON “JACK” DANIEL (1846–1911)
Claim to Fame: The distiller who created Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
Cause of Death: A bad memory, exacerbated by a short temper
Details: Daniel had a terrible time remembering the combination to his office safe (no word on whether whiskey was a factor), and it was usually his nephew’s job to open it One morning, however, Daniel came in to work early and his nephew wasn’t there. Daniel tried to open the safe himself and got so frustrated in the attempt that he kicked the safe, striking it so hard that he broke his toe. The toe became infected, and he developed septicemia, or blood poisoning, which killed him on October 10, 1911. Daniel’s last words (according to the distillery): “One last drink, please.”

That’s another in our series of article excerpts from the brand new Uncle John’s 24-KARAT GOLD Bathroom Reader. Read about more weird deaths, and hundreds of other stories – at 30% off the usual price as part of our annual HOLIDAY SALE.

• Past excerpts can be found by hitting “Excerpts” in the tags blow this post.