With the great history of innovation that humanity has behind it, it’s to be expected that victims will appear from time to time, when it comes to the more dangerous  inventions. Below you can read about 6 of those people that were killed by their own inventions in the past.

Cowper Coles – The Turret Ship

Cowper Coles was the inventor of the turret ship. Born in 1819, he joined the Royal Navy when he was 11 years old, and took part in the Sevastopol siege in the 1850′s. During the war he and other officers built a raft with a rotating protective turret. The turret design was patented by Coles after the war is over.

In 1866, after years of pressing the Navy, he finally received approval to build a turret ship, and so the HMS Captain was built. The HMS Captain capsized in 1870, due to errors in the design (inadequate stability), and it’s creator, Cowper Coles was one of the 500 that died when it sunk. Only 18 of its crew survived.

William Bullock – Rotary Printing Press

William Bullock was the inventor of the web rotary printing press in 1863, which revolutionized the printing industry. With just 3 workers, his printing press could print 10,000 units per hour.

In 1867, Bullock was caught in the gears of his own printing press while he was making adjustments to it. While he was installing the printer for the Philadelphia Public Ledger newspaper, he kicked a driving belt onto a pulley and he caught his leg in the machine, and it was crushed and broken. A few days later gangrene set in and 9 days after the accident Bullock died during the operation done to amputate his leg.

Otto Lilienthal – Hang Glider

Otto Lilienthal was one of the pioneers of human aviation and the first to succeed repeated flights with hang gliders.

Since he started using his own gliders he made over 2000 flights from 1891 to 1896 when he crashed from a height of 17m (56 feet) and eventually died two days later from his injuries.

To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything.

- Otto Lilienthal

Thomas Midgley, Jr. – Own Design Mechanical Bed

Thomas Midgley was an American inventor born in 1889 that has over one hundred patents registered on his name, including Freon and tetra-ethyl lead (TEL – a gasoline additive).

At age 51, in 1940, he contracted polio, which left him severely disabled. He designed a complicated system of strings and pulley that lifted him up from his bed. This invention eventually led to his death in 1944, when he was accidentally entangled in the ropes and died by strangulation at age 55.

Alexander Bogdanov – Blood Transfusion Gone Wrong

Alexander Bogdanov, of Belarus nationality, was a scientist born in 1873, that had interests varying from the universal systems theory to human rejuvenation through blood transfusion.

He started doing experiments on blood transfusion in 1924, with the hope of achieving partial rejuvenation or eternal youth. After doing 11 blood transfusions on himself, he reported an improvement in eyesight and a suspension in balding, along with other improvements.

After Lenin’s death, he was commissioned to study Lenin’s brain and, if possible, to resuscitate his body. In his letters to the Soviet leaders Joseph Stalin and Bukharin he dreamed of physically rejuvenating the Bolshevik party leadership.

Bogdanov died in 1928, after he did a transfusion on himself with blood from a student that had tuberculosis and malaria.

Franz Reichelt – Overcoat/Parachute

Franz Reichelt, born in Austria in the 1800′s, was a tailor that became well known because of his accidental death.

He designed an overcoat, that was supposed to work as a parachute and bring the wearer gently on the ground or allow him to fly.

He tried to demonstrate his overcoat by jumping from the first deck of the Eiffel Tower, at a height of 60 meters. His parachute didn’t work as intended and Reichelt died on impact. His death was recorded by the cameras present to witness the experiment.

Here’s the video of his fall and death:

Tags:BloodTransfusion,Dead Inventors,EiffelTower,HangGlider,Parachute Overcoat,Rotary Printing Press,Turret Ship