16 Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions
Your daily dose of irony.
Published 1 month ago in Facepalm
It’s a dog eat dog world out there, or rather a creation eat creator.
Yes, inventors being killed by their own inventions is not a phenomenon limited to the fictional world of Frankenstein. There are a surprising number of inventors whose lives were cruelly taken by that which they delivered unto the world.
If there’s any lesson to take from these incidents, it’s that no invention is too innocuous to cause your own death. Even if you’re not working on a giant death robot, fate has an insidious way of creeping in.
Check it out for your daily dose of irony.
4
Franz Reichelt
Franz Reichelt was a tailor who invented a parachute suit in 1912 that could be worn as a coat. He told authorities he would test it by strapping a dummy into the suit and throwing it off the Eiffel Tower, but at the last minute he confidently donned the coat himself and leapt to his death. The whole thing was captured by a camera crew.
6
Marie Curie
One of the most famous names on this list, Marie Curie, was a chemist and physicist who pioneered research on radioactivity and discovered the radioactive elements radium and polonium. She died in 1934 from severe aplastic anemia, believed to have been contracted from long-term radiation exposure.
7
Carlisle Spedding
Carlisle Spedding, along with his brother James, invented many safety improvements for the mining industry. One such invention was a mechanical device that used spinning gears with flint and steel to generate showers of sparks. This provided illumination and was supposedly safer than an open flame. In 1755, Carlisle Spedding was killed in an underground gas explosion triggered by one of his devices.
8
Henry Winstanley
Henry Winstanley was the architect of the world’s first ever offshore lighthouse in Devon, England. He was confident and boastful about his invention and wanted to shelter inside it during "the greatest storm there ever was" to prove it was safe. The Great Storm of 1703 completely destroyed the lighthouse with Winstanley inside, so thoroughly that no trace of him or the five other men inside was ever found.
10
Stockton Rush
A more recent example, Stockton Rush, was the CEO of the ocean exploration company OceanGate, who oversaw the design of the Titan submersible. During a dive to view the wreck of the Titanic, the Titan imploded, killing Rush and four other passengers. Rush previously spoke about his unregulated design, saying, "At some point, safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything".
11
Thomas Midgley Jr.
Thomas Midgley Jr. was an American chemist and engineer who invented the ‘leaded’ additive to gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons. At age 51, he contracted polio, leaving him severely disabled. In order to help move around, he invented a complex system of ropes and pulleys around his bed. In 1944, he died of strangulation when he became entangled in the ropes.
12
William Bullock
William Bullock invented the web rotary printing press, which was a great improvement on the regular rotary printing press. In 1867, Bullock was performing adjustments on one of his machines being installed at a newspaper in Philadelphia. His foot became caught in the machine, which crushed his leg. He developed gangrene and died during the amputation of his leg.
14
Karel Soucek
Karel Soucek was a stuntman who created a barrel that was shock-absorbent. In 1985, he demonstrated his invention by climbing inside the barrel and having it dropped from the roof of the Houston Astrodome. His barrel missed the tank of water meant to cushion his fall and instead hit the rim of the tank, fatally injuring him.
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