Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Strange Deaths

Convinced she would inherit her mother's stomach cancer, Tina Christopherson of Florida drank up to four gallons of water a day. Over time, her kidneys weakened to such an extent that fluid began draining into her lungs, and she died of internal drowning.

The insomnia of a middle-aged Italian industrialist made his sleep for only one hour a night and caused him to perform military salutes during vivid dreams. It also caused impotence, amnesia and an incurable lung infection. It killed him with in a year.

The defence in an Irish murder trial hung on whether the accused, Thomas McGann, could draw a gun from his pocket without shooting himself. Demonstrating in court, his lawyer shot his own foot, and died 12 hours later. McGann, however, was acquitted.

During World War II, the British invented a 'sticky bomb' which would adhere to tanks. Unfortunately, it also struck to the thrower's hand, leaving him a five-second delay to extricate himself before it went off. After a number of premature deaths, it was never used again.

Robert Taylor of Seattle committed suicide by using a solar sensor attached to a gun. When the first rays of the sun hit the sensor, it activated a battery which fired a .22 caliber round into his head.

In an attempt to kill an alcoholic at his bar in Chicago, Anthony Masino served him an anti-freeze tupertine and horse linament laced with rat poison. When these failed, he fed him rotten oysters, wood alcohol, carpet tacks, spoiled fish, and hired someone to run him over and dump him in the woods. He only succeeded by shoving a hosepipe up his nose and gassing him to death.

Random Odds & Ends
  • In 1961, the Brazilian government passed a law banning the sale of Pele to an overseas club.
  • Dolphins have two brains and never sleep with both at once.
  • One in ten adults have an extra pair of ribs.
  • It takes about 50 hours for a snake to digest one frog.
  • Ducks will lay eggs only in the early morning.
  • Each eye of the chameleon is independent of the other. They can watch and study two totally different pictures at the same time.

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