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DEATH

The graveyard at St. Oran's Chapel

Exposed to the Elements: A Strange 1920s Death on the Scottish Island of Iona

Over the course of a century, several theories have arisen to explain the true cause of Nora Emily Fornario's death.

The Terrifying Story of Bela Kiss, Hungary’s Most Murderous Bachelor

There were 174 marriage proposals—and dozens of bodies.

The grave of the Somerton Man in Adelaide, South Australia

The Body of Australia's Somerton Man—a 70-Year-Old Cold Case—Might Be Exhumed

The victim's identity is just one of the story's many mysteries.

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A Low-Carb Diet Could Shorten Your Lifespan

Pass the bread!

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9 Facts About Human Decomposition

Sometimes it can create "soapy" corpses.

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191 Years After His Death, the Poet William Blake Is Getting a New Tombstone

Better late than never.

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7 Weird Graveyard Inventions

Some of these grave innovations are practical. Others, however, border on the bizarre and downright creepy.

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At What Point is a Human Considered Officially Dead?

You can be pronounced or declared dead, but only a few people can do the former.

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7 of the Most Bizarre Ways to Die

We all have to go sometime. Hopefully, it won't be while choking to death at a cockroach-eating contest.

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How Jayne Mansfield Changed the Design of Tractor-Trailers

The film star's death on June 29, 1967 led to lasting safety changes.

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What Do Morticians Do With the Blood They Take Out of Dead Bodies?

The answer is more simple, and less morbid, than you probably think.

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Stephen Hawking’s Memorial Will Beam His Words Toward the Nearest Black Hole

Though he wasn't able to go to outer space during his lifetime, his words will travel there after his death.

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8 Projects That Reenvision the Traditional Cemetery

Burial and cremation aren't the only two options these days.

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Pee, Poison, and Prosthetic Noses: The Story of Astronomer Tycho Brahe's Suspicious Death

It all started when the 54-year-old returned home from a banquet and couldn't pee.

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What Is Death?

Defining it is more complicated than you think.

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Doctor Weighs In on What May Have Killed Saladin, the 12th-Century Muslim Military Leader

It wasn't battle that did him in.

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The Curse on Shakespeare's Grave

Even if death, the Bard was eloquent.

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5 Composers Murdered by the Nazis

Theresienstadt concentration camp was an oddity, even by Nazi standards.

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Do Media Outlets Write Obituaries for Old or Ill Celebrities in Advance?

In a word: absolutely—though not just the old or ill.

Chemung County Historical Society, Elmira, NY

John W. Jones: The Runaway Slave Who Buried Nearly 3000 Confederate Soldiers

He saved lives on the Underground Railroad—then cared for the Confederate dead.

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8 Cemeteries Unearthed at Construction Sites

People that came before us are sometimes underfoot.

Richard the Lionheart

10 People Whose Hearts Were Buried Separately From the Rest of Them

Strange as it sounds today, heart burial was once a common practice for European aristocrats.

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Smoking Just 1 Cigarette a Day Can Significantly Damage Your Health, Study Finds

New research shows that cutting back just isn't good enough.

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Alexander Hamilton’s Son Also Died in a Duel

When Hamilton met Aaron Burr in 1804, the scene would have been very familiar to a family tragedy in Hamilton's past.