The forgotten 'secret city'
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche endured migraines since childhood. In the second half of his life, he suffered from depression and an atypical general paralysis caused by dormant tertiary syphilis. Nietzsche died in 1900, after experiencing pneumonia and multiple strokes.
The famous English poet and explorer died in Greece while participating in the country's struggle for independence from Turkey. He passed of a violent fever, known today to have been a symptom of malaria.
You might not know that the famous French philosopher died of pneumonia. He most likely contracted the illness while living in Sweden's harsh climate.
In early 1816, the beloved author was feeling unwell, but ignored the warning signs. Austen's health quickly declined, and she died at the age of 41. For years, the most common diagnosis was that she suffered from Addison’s disease, a malfunction of the adrenal glands. However, today's medical historians believe she suffered from Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Lola Montez was an Irish dancer, actress, courtesan, and the longtime mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Countess of Landsfeld. By 1860, she was showing the tertiary effects of syphilis, and her health started to deteriorate drastically. She died at the age of 39.
The Soviet leader officially died of a stroke, but modern research suggests syphilis was likely the cause of death. If untreated, it can cause blindness, paralysis, dementia, and death.
France's Sarah Bernhardt was one of the most famous stage actresses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She made several theatrical tours around the world, and was one of the first actresses to make sound recordings and to act in motion pictures. Bernhardt died of uremia, which was the result of acute kidney injury.
During his lifetime, Beethoven reportedly suffered from hearing loss and gastrointestinal issues. A recent DNA test from his hair has reveled that he was predisposed to liver disease and had hepatitis B at the end of his life. The German composer likely died of liver failure.
The early and unexpected death of Mozart was a mystery that caused a lot of speculation in the following decades. Some believed he had been poisoned, others debated that he had died from syphilis. However, modern studies have shown that he actually died from a epidemic streptococcal infection, meaning a strep throat.
American poet Emily Dickinson saw her health decline in her final years. The immediate cause of death was a stroke, which the attending physician attributed to Bright’s disease. However, a modern posthumous diagnosis pointed to severe primary hypertension as the underlying condition.
At the age of 39, FDR contracted polio, a viral disease that invades the nervous system and causes paralysis. It bound him to a wheelchair for much of his presidency. He became weak, and eventually died from a massive cerebral hemorrhage while still in office.
Founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, Saladin was Kurdish and the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. A mysterious death at the time, his end came after a two-week series of sweating attacks. Today, medical historians know it was typhoid.
America's 20th president didn't even hold the office a full year before he was shot in 1881. But it wasn't really the bullet that killed him. Instead, it was the doctors who didn't wash their hands or instruments before removing the bullet from his back. Garfield's wound became infected, and he fought for around 11 weeks before dying.
Co-inventor of the airplane, Wilbur Wright contracted typhoid fever. Typhoid is an extreme bacterial infection contracted through contaminated food or water. He died at the age of 45.
Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer who gave the world some of the most popular concert and theatrical music, including the ballets 'Swan Lake' and 'The Nutcracker.' He sadly died of cholera, probably after getting infected from water or food with Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria responsible for the disease.
Investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement, Ida B. Wells was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She died of kidney disease in 1931.
It’s been speculated that American gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday contracted tuberculosis as a teenager. After 20 years, he finally succumbed to the disease at the Hotel Glenwood in Colorado.
Vitus Bering was a Danish navigator and cartographer who was employed by the Russian Navy. During an expedition, Bering died of scurvy, today a rare condition that occurs when the body has an extreme vitamin C deficiency.
There are several theories around the mysterious death of the king of Aragon. One source states that he succumbed to the plague, others that he died of kidney failure, or even poison. Another famous account relates how he perished from severe indigestion, after eating an entire goose.
The celebrated Scottish writer contracted typhus, which is spread by mites, lice, or fleas. It leads to intense fever and severe rash. The fever is so extreme it can result in death, like it did for Scott.
The Russian emperor died of smallpox, on what was supposed to be his wedding day. At the time, smallpox was one of the most feared diseases on the planet, as it was highly contagious and fatal.
A leader of the British women's suffrage movement, Lydia Becker died after contracting diphtheria, a bacterial infection spread through coughing or sneezing. Today there are thankfully treatments for this.
The man who popularized the term "survival of the fittest" wasn't so fit himself. Darwin suffered from a number of conditions since his early twenties, primarily chronic vomiting, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal trouble. Later in life, he developed eczema, boils, weakness, vertigo, twitching, and joint pain. However, what ultimately killed him was a coronary thrombosis that later led to a heart attack.
While walking through the grounds of his palace, the Greek king tried to stop his German shepherd from attacking his steward’s pet monkey. While doing so, he was attacked by another monkey, which bit him on the leg and torso. Even though his wounds were cleaned, the bite soon became severely infected, and Alexander died five days later.
Silent movie star Fred Thomson stepped on a nail and contracted tetanus, a disease caused by bacteria and often found on rusted metal. If untreated, it can lead to death.
Hemophilia ran in the genes of Europe's royal families in the 19th and 20th centuries, as they had a tradition of marrying other royal relatives. The son of Queen Victoria, Prince Leopold had the disease. This meant that his blood lacked the proteins to make it clot after a cut. He died in 1884, aged 30, after a fall that caused him to bleed heavily.
Benjamin Franklin Bache, prominent journalist and grandson of Benjamin Franklin, died in New York City during the outbreak of yellow fever.
See also: Bizarre celebrity deaths you've probably never heard of
Attila was the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars in Central and Eastern Europe. Despite his successes as a warlord, he suffered a bad nosebleed and choked to death on his own blood.
At an early age, Baldwin IV contracted leprosy, a condition caused by a slowly multiplying bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. It attacks the skin, nerves, and eyes until the victim is permanently disfigured, and the limbs damaged.
For centuries, we've been fascinated by bizarre and macabre deaths, especially when they involve famous historical figures. And while many were brought down by epic struggles or battles, a great number also perished from common diseases. Thankfully for us, science and medicine constantly evolve, and many of these diseases are today curable or at least treatable. Unfortunately for figures like Charles Darwin and Ludwig van Beethoven, however, they weren't so lucky to benefit from these advances in medicine.
So how did these famous figures really die? Click on to find out.
Diseases that killed these famous historical figures
Some of these diseases have since been made treatable
LIFESTYLE History
For centuries, we've been fascinated by bizarre and macabre deaths, especially when they involve famous historical figures. And while many were brought down by epic struggles or battles, a great number also perished from common diseases. Thankfully for us, science and medicine constantly evolve, and many of these diseases are today curable or at least treatable. Unfortunately for figures like Charles Darwin and Ludwig van Beethoven, however, they weren't so lucky to benefit from these advances in medicine.
So how did these famous figures really die? Click on to find out.