Tragic Stories of Inventors Killed by Their Own Creations

Franz Reichelt – The inventor of a parachute suit, he died testing it by jumping off the Eiffel Tower.

Thomas Midgley Jr. – The creator of leaded gasoline, he later died from a contraption he designed to help him move after becoming disabled.

Marie Curie – A pioneer of radioactivity research, she suffered radiation exposure, which contributed to her death.

Horace Lawson Hunley – Developer of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, he died during one of its test runs.

Henry Winstanley – The builder of the Eddystone Lighthouse, he was killed when the lighthouse collapsed in a storm.

Alexander Bogdanov – A Russian scientist, he died from blood poisoning after experimenting with blood transfusions.

William Bullock – The inventor of the rotary printing press, Bullock was killed when his leg was crushed by his machine.

Sylvester H. Roper – Creator of a steam-powered bicycle, Roper died of a heart attack while demonstrating the machine.