March 3, 2010

Today’s Overheated Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Two Russian men died in a sauna after jumping into a plunge pool that had accidentally been heated to boiling point. The two men jumped into the pool to cool down after sweating in a steam room. A third man tried to save the victims but was unable to pull the men out of the boiling water. The two men’s bodies were discovered in the sauna in the city of Kirov in central Russia on February 18, 2010 and “their death was caused by overheating”, the Kirov regional investigative committee confirmed in a statement. The water in the pool was “overheated due to an error by one of the victims,” investigators said. Saunas usually include a cold plunge pool. The men were named by investigators as the director of an old people’s home and the director of a residential home for people with psychiatric problems.

Culled from: Herald Sun

March 6, 2010

Today’s Head First Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Police say an 8-year-old Ohio girl died after falling into a hole she dug while playing in a snow bank in front of her family’s home. Emily Kramer was playing alone Sunday afternoon (February 7, 2010) when she fell head first into the hole and could not free herself. The girl’s father had been outside with her earlier and returned to pull her out of the snow and find her unconscious. The girl was taken to Samaritan Regional Health System, where she was pronounced dead. The girl’s waist had blocked her access to air, and she had kicked off one of her boots. She dug the 12-inch to 15-inch-wide hole with a larger shovel, and a small sand shovel was found inside.

Culled from: The Associated Press
Generously submitted by: Aimee

Aimee adds the following: “This kind of snow is very heavy, especially the older compacted snow underneath the fresher. I was out in it on Sunday and my foot got wedged in a hole pretty tightly. I had to use my hands to enlarge the hole so I could get my foot loose.

March 7, 2010

Today’s Common Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Execution by shooting is the most common method of execution in the world, used in over 70 countries. Whilst most of these countries use the firing squad, single person shooting is still found. In Soviet Russia, a single bullet to the back of the head was the most frequently used method of execution for military and non-military alike. This is still the main method of execution in Communist China though the gunshot can be to either the neck or head. In the past, the Chinese government would ask the family of the executed person to pay the price of the bullet. In Taiwan, the prisoner is first injected with a strong anesthetic to render him senseless and then a bullet is fired in to his heart.

Culled from: ListVerse.Com
Generously submitted by: Jason T.

Hmmmm… The Taiwanese method seems like a waste of ammo to me. Or a waste of drugs. I mean, why not just drug them to death and skip the bullet, or shoot them in the heart and skip the drugs? Oh, there I go thinking like a greedy American again…

March 15, 2010

I’m back from a short trip back home to Catatonia, and on the plane home I began reading a fascinating book called “Curse Of The Narrows” which is about the horrifying munitions ship blast that devastated Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917. I thought I’d share some excerpts as I go

Today’s Explosive Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

On December 6, 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a munitions ship (the Mont Blanc) collided with a vessel in the Narrows of the harbor, triggering a catastrophic fire and explosion that destroyed much of the city and killed over 1,600 people. Altogether 2,925 tons or 5.85 million pounds of powder exploded, giving off over 9,000 degrees (F) of heat. All 6,880,627 pounds of the Mont Blanc‘s iron hull shot up over a thousand feet, roiling within the initial flame ball until much of it vaporized. The air blast blew through the narrow streets, toppling buildings and crashing through windows, doors, walls, and chimneys until it slowed to 756 miles an hour. The blast crushed internal organs, exploding lungs and eardrums of those standing closest to the ship, most of whom died instantly. It picked up others, only to thrash them against trees, walls, and lampposts with enough force to kill them. Roofs and ceilings collapsed on top of their owners. Floors dropped into the basement and trapped families under timber, beams, and furniture. This was particularly dangerous for those close to the harbor because a fireball, which was invisible in the daylight, shot out over a 1/2 to 3/4 mile area surrounding the Mont Blanc. Richmond houses caught fire like so much kindling. In houses able to withstand the blast, windows stretched inward until the glass shattered around its weakest point, sending out a shower of arrow-shaped slivers that cut their way through curtains, wallpaper, and walls. The glass spared no one. Some people were beheaded where they stood; others were saved by a falling bed or bookshelf. It pierced the faces and upper chests of anyone unlucky enough to be standing in front of a window. Many people reported passing out. Many others who had watched the fire seconds before awoke to find themselves unable to see.

Culled from: Curse of the Narrows

March 16, 2010

Here’s another excerpt from a fascinating book I’m currently reading called “Curse Of The Narrows” which is about the horrifying munitions ship blast that devastated Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917:

Today’s Horrifying Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Fraser arrived at her house on Roome Street shortly after nine. No sooner had she arrived… than she awoke in the yard, confused. People were screaming and everyone she saw was covered in blood. Looking south, she saw the fire start to take hold near her parents’ house… and she started running, but found it tough to see through her tears. On Gottingen Street she passed her father. “I saw my poor father, down on all fours crawling like an animal, moaning and crying, but I did not stop. I had to get home even though I expected to find them all dead. My path was strewn with debris of all sorts, fallen wires and trees, and even dead bodies.” When she arrived home she found her mother, seven sisters, and an aunt lying on the ground. She did not see her brother Arthur. The women appeared disoriented, unable to answer her questions, barely able to speak. The house was flattened. “Mother, where is Arthur?” Maude Fraser pointed to the ruins… [Elizabeth] turned to her mother but stopped in horror. “I saw my aunt, who was expecting a baby, dragging her little six-year-old boy by the hand. Her eyes were both blown out of her head and she was telling him to hurry; he was dead but she did not know it.”

Culled from: Curse of the Narrows

Can you imagine a more horrifying sight? Now there’s a memory that a 24-pack won’t wash away!

March 18, 2010

Here’s another excerpt from a fascinating book I’m currently reading called “Curse Of The Narrows” which is about the horrifying munitions ship blast that devastated Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1917:

Today’s Flying Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Dorothy Lloyd and her sister Dolly arrived at the school grounds panting and out of breath, asking about their sisters Margaret and Hilda. The four sisters had been caught up in the blast, which then dropped them briefly to the ground. This did not strike Dorothy as nearly as unusual as the long pieces of tubing tumbling above them. “Dolly, look at the stove pipes flying in the air.” “Those aren’t stove pipes,” Dolly corrected her. “They’re sailors.”

Culled from: Curse of the Narrows

April 2, 2010

Today’s Striking Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

On December 28, 2006, a ball-style trailer hitch killed 32-year-old Sean O’Shea of Encinitas, California, when it bounced up from the roadway and through his windshield, striking him in the head before coming to rest in his vehicle’s back cargo area. The 5 or 6 pound hitch either fell off a truck or came off the back of a vehicle.

Culled from: Snopes.Com
Generously submitted by: Paradox