Strange Historical Accidents

Strange accidents occur all over the world every day. We see these accidents on the news and all over the internet, but some of the strangest accidents that have ever happened can be found in history books. Here are just a few of those strange accidents in history.

Strange Accident in History #5, The Death of Lady Coventry

Lady Coventry or Maria Gunning was a celebrated beauty of her time. She devoted herself to applying pasty white makeup and red rouge every day. This was the style of the time. Her husband hated this practice and tried to stop her from doing it, but her vanity prevailed. She probably should have listened to him. Lady Coventry died at the age of 27 from over use of lead-based makeup.

Strange Accident in History #4, Napoleon’s Cough

Rumor has it that while Napoleon was suffering from a bad cough he accidentally ordered the execution of 1,200 prisoners. His officers had been awaiting orders from the emperor when he was seized by a coughing fit. The emperor exclaimed "Ma sacre toux," meaning "My damn cough," (or literally "My sacred cough," but I think we know what he meant). His men took his words to be "Massacre-tous," meaning "Massacre all." This strange accident would top the list if it were proven. However, accounts of the incident vary greatly and many doubt whether this ever happened.

Strange Accident in History #3, The London Beer Flood

On October 16, 1814, a vat of beer at London’s Meux and Company Brewery cracked open. Beer gushed out, causing yet another vat to open. The result was 550,000 gallons of beer pouring through the streets of London. Eight people drowned in the beer and one died of alcohol poisoning.

Strange Accident in History#2, Le Bal des Ardents or "The Ball of Burning Men"

On January 28, 1393, King Charles VI of France hosted a ball to celebrate the marriage of Queen Isabeau’s maid of honor. Charles had the brilliant idea to have himself and five of his friends disguise themselves as savages. The idea took a strange turn when the men decided to cover themselves with pitch and feathers. Remember pitch is very flammable and the primary sources of light indoors at the time were torches.

The men entered the ball disguised this way and chained together. A horrible accident occurred when a man approached them with a torch so that he could get a better look. The men went up in flames immediately. The king was saved by Jeanne de Boulogne, who threw her petticoats over him to put out the blaze. One other of the men was able to throw himself into a vat of water. The other victims of this strange accident were not so lucky. Two burned alive that night at the ball. The other two died within days from their injuries.

Strange Accident in History #1, Boston Molasses Disaster

On January 15, 1919, a tank of molasses exploded in Boston’s North End. The explosion caused a huge shockwave that was sufficient to knock houses off of their foundations. Shards of metal from the tank were found up to 200 ft. away. Right after the explosion this accident took a very strange turn.

The tank was filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses. When the tank exploded the molasses formed a 25-30 ft. wave that went through the streets of Boston at speeds around 35 mph. People caught in the wave were either smashed against large objects or they drowned in the molasses. This strange accident caused 21 deaths and 150 injuries. Rumor has it that on a hot day in the North End the air still smells sweet.

So there you have them, five of the strangest accidents in history. When accidents like this happen people cannot help but be shocked. Perhaps that’s why some of these stories are still remembered hundreds of years later.

Sources

L’Atelier, Ted et Eux, Une danse du feu Dieu, retrieved 7/9/09, tde.typepad.com/thierry_do_blog/2008/06une-danse-du-fe.html

Alfred, Randy, Morass of Molasses Mucks up Boston, retrieved 7/9/09 wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2009/01/dayintech.0115

Maria Coventry, Countess of Coventry, retrieved 7/9/09, wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Coventry,_Countess_of_coventry