‘Inventors’ killed by their inventions happens way more than people probably realize. First one that comes to mind is the Segway guy. Then there’s the more recent dude who built that shitty submarine for dives to the Titanic. Anyone else care to share any incidents?
My favourite is the guy who invented leaded petrol and poisoned us all, then invented CFCs and poisoned the atmosphere, then…
Thomas Midgley Jr. (1889–1944) was an American engineer and chemist who contracted polio at age 51, leaving him severely disabled. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to help others lift him from bed. He became entangled in the ropes and died of strangulation at the age of 55.
Marie curie wasn’t really an inventor. She was a scientist discovering new physics… which turned out to be dangerous. She died likely due to lacking safety precautions people didn’t know were needed since radioactivity is harmful mainly in the long-term. Even then she lived a reasonably long time.
There’s the French dude who tried building his own parachute, climbed to the lower level of the Eiffel Tower, and tried making a spectacle of proving how good his parachute was by jumping from it. He promptly died on impact when it didn’t, in fact, prove very good at all.
Musk didn’t invent shit. He bought his way in to being the CEO using his daddy’s money. These companies are successful despite musk, not because of him
I think basically it’s a situation where he did manage to create the “scientific prodigy” reputation around himself, this created public buzz around whatever he was doing, and that did translate into different forms of funding. So some of the success is due to him, but basically on account of fraud. Same basic principle as Trump.
Well, the main salesman for Skydrol (a phosphate based, non-flammable hydraulic fluid for aviation), did not invent the product; but was known to drink some of it during his pitch to “prove” that the fluid was safe. He died of stomach cancer.
The Chief Designer of the ‘Titanic’ Saved Everyone He Could as His Ship Went Down. Thomas Andrews died in 1912, when the ship he had designed sank, after encouraging the Titanic’s passengers to get off the ship if they could.
It would do a lot to correct the public’s understanding of irony. Ever since Alanis Morisette came out with her hit Ironic everyone’s been using it wrong
I had something real witty all planned out as a response to your irony comment, but before I can click the “reply” link, out of nowhere IT’S LIKE RAAAIIIIIIAAAAAIIIIINN ON YOUR WEDDING DAAY steamrolls into my head like Yoko Ono on a goddamn bullhorn and I get lost in the song and completely forget everything I was going to say. And I was so proud, too. Damn you, Alanis!
It’s like raaaaiiin on a sunny day,
A free ride when the meter said 12.78,
Some good advice from a doctor that was fake,
And who would have thought it figured?
Just the complete irony of Musk being killed by Autopilot would be too much for me.
‘Inventors’ killed by their inventions happens way more than people probably realize. First one that comes to mind is the Segway guy. Then there’s the more recent dude who built that shitty submarine for dives to the Titanic. Anyone else care to share any incidents?
Not a death, but the guy who started Match.com reportedly lost his girlfriend to a guy she met on Match.com.
That might be worse than death to be frank.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors_killed_by_their_own_invention
My favourite is the guy who invented leaded petrol and poisoned us all, then invented CFCs and poisoned the atmosphere, then…
Thomas Midgley Jr. (1889–1944) was an American engineer and chemist who contracted polio at age 51, leaving him severely disabled. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to help others lift him from bed. He became entangled in the ropes and died of strangulation at the age of 55.
Fuckin lol 😂
Well, the segway guy, Dean Kamen, is alive. The owner of the company or something like that died though.
So having removed one, I’ll add in the guy that made leaded gas.
A British businessman purchased Segway in 2009, and in 2010 accidentally reversed off a cliff while walking his dog by the ocean, and died.
Nobody mentioned Marie Curie yet?
Marie curie wasn’t really an inventor. She was a scientist discovering new physics… which turned out to be dangerous. She died likely due to lacking safety precautions people didn’t know were needed since radioactivity is harmful mainly in the long-term. Even then she lived a reasonably long time.
You’re not wrong, but just to be clear: Musk did not invent the Tesla.
There’s the French dude who tried building his own parachute, climbed to the lower level of the Eiffel Tower, and tried making a spectacle of proving how good his parachute was by jumping from it. He promptly died on impact when it didn’t, in fact, prove very good at all.
You forgot to mention that his “parachute” looked to be a bunch of cloaks and furs tied around his neck like a cape. That’s important info lol
Til I invented the parachute when I was 5.
So if it had worked he would have hung himself?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Reichelt.ogv
Musk didn’t invent shit. He bought his way in to being the CEO using his daddy’s money. These companies are successful despite musk, not because of him
I think basically it’s a situation where he did manage to create the “scientific prodigy” reputation around himself, this created public buzz around whatever he was doing, and that did translate into different forms of funding. So some of the success is due to him, but basically on account of fraud. Same basic principle as Trump.
Well, the main salesman for Skydrol (a phosphate based, non-flammable hydraulic fluid for aviation), did not invent the product; but was known to drink some of it during his pitch to “prove” that the fluid was safe. He died of stomach cancer.
The Chief Designer of the ‘Titanic’ Saved Everyone He Could as His Ship Went Down. Thomas Andrews died in 1912, when the ship he had designed sank, after encouraging the Titanic’s passengers to get off the ship if they could.
Hope springs eternal, as they say
Dean Kamen is still alive. The person you’re thinking of was the new ceo after he sold the company, not the segway’s inventor
It would do a lot to correct the public’s understanding of irony. Ever since Alanis Morisette came out with her hit Ironic everyone’s been using it wrong
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I had something real witty all planned out as a response to your irony comment, but before I can click the “reply” link, out of nowhere IT’S LIKE RAAAIIIIIIAAAAAIIIIINN ON YOUR WEDDING DAAY steamrolls into my head like Yoko Ono on a goddamn bullhorn and I get lost in the song and completely forget everything I was going to say. And I was so proud, too. Damn you, Alanis!
A song named “Ironic” filled with a bunch of scenarios but not a single one is ironic is… a little bit ironic, don’t ya think?
Yeah, I really do think
It’s like raaaaiiin on a sunny day, A free ride when the meter said 12.78, Some good advice from a doctor that was fake, And who would have thought it figured?
I wonder at what point we just change the definition