Many scientists have dedicated their hearts and efforts to inventing groundbreaking contributions for humanity. However, these “beloved creations” have ironically taken their own lives.
1. Marie Curie
Marie Curie (1867 – 1934) was a Polish-born French scientist. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, discovering several new chemical elements, including Radium and Polonium.
In 1903, she and her husband, Pierre Curie, received the Nobel Prize. At that time, the destructive properties of radioactive elements were not yet understood, so while working, Marie Curie did not use any protective measures. At times, she even kept test tubes containing radioactive elements in her drawers or pockets. After prolonged exposure to radioactive substances, Marie Curie died on July 4, 1934, from what was believed to be aplastic anemia. She was only 67 years old. Today, her death is attributed to radiation exposure.
2. Thomas Midgley
Thomas Midgley (May 18, 1889 – November 2, 1944) was an American chemist. He is well-known for inventing leaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Due to his inventions, Midgley has been labeled as “the most responsible for deaths in history.”
Later in life, he contracted polio and suffered from lead poisoning, leaving him bedridden. To cope with his illness, Thomas Midgley invented a system of ropes and pulleys to help him get out of bed more easily. Unfortunately, this invention ultimately led to his death. At the age of 55, he suffocated after getting entangled in the ropes and pulleys of his own device.
3. Parry Thomas
Parry Thomas was a famous Welsh racing driver and engineer. He dreamed of breaking the speed record set by Malcolm Campbell. Thomas designed a car himself to make this dream come true. Eventually, the car was completed, and he named his “beloved creation” Babs. Thomas made groundbreaking improvements to the vehicle, particularly by designing an open chain that connected the wheels to the engines.
On April 27, 1926, Parry Thomas broke the world speed record, and the next day he pushed the speed to 170 km/h. A year later, Malcolm Campbell broke the record that Thomas had set. While attempting to set a new record, the chain suddenly broke, and a part flew back, fatally injuring him.
4. William Bullock
William Bullock was an American inventor. In 1863, he invented a high-speed rotary printing press that operated with great efficiency.
This invention revolutionized the printing industry. One time, while repairing the printing press, he risked inserting his foot under the machine to adjust the pulley. Unfortunately, his foot was injured, leading to gangrene. William Bullock died during surgery to amputate his leg.
5. Otto Lilienthal
German engineer Otto Lilienthal (May 23, 1848 – August 10, 1896) was a pioneer in civil aviation. He was also the first to successfully design a glider. Thus, Otto is celebrated as the “father of aviation.”
Many newspapers and magazines at the time published images of Otto Lilienthal flying. This inventor turned humanity’s long-held dream of creating a flying device into reality. However, this success came at a great cost. In 1896, while conducting a flight, his glider was caught in strong winds and became uncontrollable, crashing to the ground. The inventor sustained severe injuries and died the following day. In his dying moments, Otto told his brother Gustav, “There must be small sacrifices.”
6. Franz Reichelt
Franz Reichelt was an Austrian tailor. He designed a coat that functioned like a parachute and confidently claimed that wearing it would allow people to walk lightly or even fly through the air.
To prove the miraculous effects of his invention, Reichelt conducted a rather foolish experiment. He donned his “masterpiece” and jumped from the top of the Eiffel Tower. At that time, a large crowd of people and reporters gathered to witness the event. Unfortunately, Reichelt’s creation did not perform as he had hoped. The experiment was a complete failure, and the tailor lost his life after falling from great heights.
7. Karel Soucek
Karel Soucek was a Canadian stuntman. He invented a “sealed capsule” and sat inside it to plunge over Niagara Falls. From that point on, his name began to “rise to fame.” During this performance, Soucek sustained minor injuries but was not in danger of death.
In 1985, he convinced a generous company to sponsor another daring experiment of his in Texas. This time, Soucek would free-fall over a waterfall. Below the falls was a water reservoir. However, things did not go as smoothly as before. Upon landing, Soucek did not fall into the reservoir but crashed into the wall. The capsule shattered, leaving him severely injured, and he died the very next day.
8. Cowper Phipps Coles
Cowper Phipps Coles was a distinguished Royal Navy lieutenant. During the Crimean War, he invented a turret for warships. After the war, Coles received a patent for this invention. Recognizing that his “beloved creation” was well-utilized by the Royal Navy, he sought to leverage that design to create his own ship. Coles intended to create a “storm-proof deck” to lower the ship’s center of gravity.
On September 6, 1870, Coles’s ship, the HMS Captain, was officially launched, carrying him and over 500 crew members on its maiden voyage. However, tragedy struck when the ship capsized, causing him and his companions to fall into the water and drown.
9. Alexander Bogdanov
Alexander Bogdanov was a renowned Russian physicist, philosopher, economist, science fiction novelist, and revolutionary. One of his notable experiments involved body regeneration, aiming for “rejuvenation” through blood transfusion.
He performed blood transfusions on many prominent figures of his time, including Lenin’s sister. Later, Bogdanov made a risky decision: he transfused blood into himself, taking it from a patient suffering from tuberculosis and malaria. Shortly after, this versatile scientist died from a virus infection.
10. Henry Winstanley
Henry Winstanley was a famous architect and engineer from England. He designed the first Eddystone Lighthouse and highly valued his work. Henry Winstanley believed in the lighthouse’s sturdiness to the extent that he wished to be inside it during the “greatest storm in history.”
In November 1703, Henry Winstanley’s somewhat bizarre wish came true. The Eddystone Lighthouse faced the brutal destruction of a tremendous storm in England. At that time, Winstanley was conducting some repairs inside the lighthouse. The structure completely collapsed, claiming the lives of Winstanley and five others inside.
11. Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier is one of the scientists who tragically died because of his own invention. Specifically, the French scientist successfully flew in a giant balloon powered by hydrogen and hot air on November 21, 1783. However, during a second test flight to cross the canal from France to England, he perished along with his companion Pierre Romain due to the dangers of this invention.
12. Louis Slotin
In 1946, Louis Slotin, along with seven other scientists, participated in the United States’ atomic bomb project. During one of the experiments, Slotin accidentally dropped a beryllium sphere into a container containing radioactive plutonium and other chemicals, resulting in a radiation incident. Although Slotin quickly exited and sought medical help, he died nine days later from severe radiation exposure.
13. Thomas Andrews
Thomas Andrews was one of the chief architects of the legendary Titanic ship design. During the design phase, Andrews recommended that at least 46 lifeboats be equipped for the Titanic. However, only 20 lifeboats were actually provided for the iconic vessel. He was present during the ship’s maiden voyage and assisted others into the lifeboats, ultimately perishing along with his “brainchild” due to the insufficient number of lifeboats for all passengers and crew.
14. Henry Smolinski and Harold Blake
Engineer Henry Smolinski and his associate Harold Blake died while testing the first prototype of a flying car, which combined the tail of a Cessna Skymaster aircraft with the body of a Ford Pinto in 1973. This vehicle could detach its tail or attach it depending on the user’s needs.
15. Max Valier
Max Valier was a pioneering scientist in rocket science in Germany. In 1927, he co-founded the Space Travel Society. He and his associates worked with rockets using liquid fuel. Unfortunately, Max Valier lost his life due to one of these engines when a rocket exploded, sending a piece of steel into his pulmonary artery, leading to his death.
16. Mike Hughes
Mike Hughes was a controversial scientist as he was a rocket maker who did not “believe in science” and always wanted to prove that “the Earth is flat.”
Mike Hughes was determined to carry out his outrageous challenge. (Photo: Shutterstock).
Initially, Hughes was a limousine driver and was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002 for making a 30-meter jump in a modified limousine. Later, Mike began experimenting with steam-powered rockets to demonstrate the Flat Earth theory.
The launch planned for 2019 was postponed until February 22, 2020, when Hughes and his associate Waldo Stakes attempted to launch the rocket, leading to Hughes’ immediate death as the rocket crashed onto private land near Barstow, California (USA).
17. Stockton Rush
Last week, Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, who was perhaps regarded as the Dr. Frankenstein of deep-sea tourism, died in the submersible Titan that he had designed himself.
It is known that he and four other passengers descended to a depth of 3,800 meters in the Titan to explore the legendary wreck of the Titanic. However, the vessel reportedly encountered issues and suffered a “catastrophic explosion,” resulting in the death of all five members on board.
Notably, Rush is not an exception; many scientists and inventors have also lost their lives due to their own inventions.
