DEATH

Abraham Lincoln just after uttering his last words.

The Last Words and Final Moments of 39 U.S. Presidents

Some presidents’ last words have been profound (“This is the last of earth; I am content”) and others have been merely practical (“Help!”).

Resurrectionists raiding a cemetery to provide a cadaver for dissection, 1887.

When Scotland Yard Took On Resurrectionists

In this excerpt from Simon Read’s book ‘Scotland Yard,’ detectives try to determine if the men who turned up at a medical college with a fresh corpse are body snatchers—or murderers.

Dance marathons and walkathons were all the rage in the 1920s and 1930s.

Death, Desperation, and Dollars: The Walkathon Craze of the 1920s and ’30s

In the 1930s, millions of Americans were glued to the first reality show: walking contests where you didn’t stop until you dropped.

Tollund Man on display at the Silkeborg Museum, Denmark.

A Brief History of Bog Bodies

The bodies of Iron Age Europeans are so well preserved in peat bogs that they’re sometimes mistaken for modern murder victims.

Everyone here is someone's late someone.

Why Does ‘Late’ Mean “Dead”?

There’s a historical reason, but there may be a social one as well.

There’s the Rub: How One Murder Victim’s Risqué Grave Became a French Fertility Icon

Victor Noir was killed by a Bonaparte. These days, he’s more famous for something else.

10 Fabulous Ancient Tombs

From King Tut’s treasure-stuffed tomb to one of the world's oldest human burial sites, these ancient resting places sent their occupants to the afterlife in style.

Aaron Burr shoots Alexander Hamilton in the infamous duel.

What Did Aaron Burr Do After Shooting Alexander Hamilton?

The first thing Burr did after fatally shooting Hamilton was go home and eat some breakfast. His later years included treason and a drawn-out divorce.

An illustration of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand (1863-1914), Archduke of Austria, and his wife Sophie, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914.

Murder in Sarajevo: How the Death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lit the Fuse of World War I

The First World War was an unprecedented catastrophe that shaped our modern world. The assassination of an Austrian duke on June 28, 1914, put the events in motion.

Quiz: Can You Guess How These Famous Figures Died?

Whatever a person’s accomplishments in life, death tends to be a humbling experience. Can you guess how these notables expired?

“All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor.”

“The Rainbow Bridge”: The Emotional—and Once-Lost—History of the Popular Pet Memorial Poem

The poem “The Rainbow Bridge” has long comforted animal lovers who are mourning a pet. But for decades, its author remained a mystery.

Queen Elizabeth II sometimes went by Sharon.

11 Royal Code Names

When she was trying to fly under the radar, Queen Elizabeth II went by the name ‘Sharon.’

Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx star in 'Collateral' (2004).

12 Killer Hit Man Movies

The best hit man movies expand beyond the simple idea of murder-for-hire stories.

Recent decades have witnessed too many music festival disasters.

9 of the Worst Music Festival Disasters in United States History

The Route 91 Harvest Festival, Astroworld, South by Southwest, and more have been afflicted by tragedy.

An illustration of the counting-out game “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” from Clara E. Atwood’s ‘A Book of Nursery Rhymes,’ published in 1901.

“Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe”: The Dark Theories—and Racist History—Behind the Childhood Rhyme

Different versions of “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” exist around the world, and there seem to be just as many theories about the rhyme’s potential origin—ranging from shepherds counting sheep to priests selecting sacrificial victims.

Can a Dead Body Still Get a Suntan?

So, you're dead. Do you still need sunscreen?

Bootlegger’s Bounty: The Hidden Treasure of Gangster Dutch Schultz

The ruthless criminal is believed to have buried $100 million in bloody profits nearly 90 years ago. People have been looking for it ever since.

When Big Bird Sang “Bein’ Green” at Jim Henson’s Memorial Service

Before his death in 1990, Jim Henson gave very clear instructions about what his memorial service should look like: no attendees should wear black and a jazz band should be in attendance.

Tibetan prayer flags wave in the Himalayas.

Mount Everest: The World’s Highest Graveyard

Mount Everest’s bitter temperatures, unpredictable weather, icy terrain, and lack of oxygen make climbing it so difficult, in fact, that many don’t survive to tell the tale.

8 Myths About Dead Bodies, Debunked

Corpses are less scary than you think.

Missouri Lawmaker Aims to Bring Back Dueling

The history of political dueling in the U.S. doesn’t end with Hamilton and Burr.

The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.

Charlotte Braun, the ‘Peanuts’ Character Who Met a Gruesome End

When readers failed to warm to a new 'Peanuts' character, Charles Schulz erased her. Permanently.

Is it a time machine? Or a teleportation chamber?

The Legend of London’s Time-Traveling Tomb

Deep in London’s historic Brompton Cemetery sits a mausoleum that houses a Victorian heiress, her daughters, and a time-travel story that keeps growing.

What happened in these deaths is far from clear.

25 of the Most Mysterious Deaths in History

Explorers who vanished off the face of the earth. Conquerors, composers, and scientists who expired from strange illnesses. People tantalizingly close to power who wound up dead. When it comes to these deaths, we might never know what really happened.

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