25 Unusual Deaths That Will Leave You Scratching Your Head

It’s believed Arius, presbyter of Alexandria, may have ingested poison before his gruesome death. He was walking across the imperial forum in Constantinople when he suffered sudden diarrhea followed by hemorrhaging, eventually causing his intestines to be expelled from his anus.

Starry-eyed poet Li Bai tried to kiss the reflection of the moon in the water next to his boat when he fell overboard and drowned in the 8th century. It has been said the poet had a penchant for liquor, which may have played a factor in his demise. He even wrote a poem before his death titled, “Alone and Drinking Under the Moon.”

King Adolf Frederick of Sweden didn’t die hungry. The king suffered fatal digestion problems after eating caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, lobster, and 14 servings of his favorite dessert, served in a bowl of hot milk. Swedish children today still remember him as “the king who ate himself to death.”

It was rumored that King Edward II of England was murdered by having a red-hot iron inserted into his anus. Before his death, Edward was dethroned and imprisoned by his wife, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer.

Be careful what you wish for. American revolutionary James Otis Jr. often told his friends that he wanted to be killed by a bolt of lightning when his time arrived. His wish came true in 1783 when he was standing in the doorway of his friend’s house and lightning struck the chimney.