Several investors risked their lives for their inventions. For some, it was an ambitious project fueled by a passion to develop something significant, while others aimed to help society and improve the world. Although many succeeded in both inventing and surviving, for some, the cost of their innovation was their life. Take a look at some of the unlucky inventors whose inventions tragically cost them their lives.
Stockton Rush
The world was captivated by OceanGate’s Stockton’s invention, the submersible Titan. Unfortunately, in June 2023, he, along with four passengers, was reported missing during a mission to explore the wreck of the RMS Titanic. Later, it was confirmed that the submersible collapsed under the intense pressure of the deep sea, and the inventor was killed.
Horace Lawson Hunley
During American Civil War, Horace developed submarines. In 1863, he took control of his H. L. Hunley (submarine) during a test run. Unfortunately, it failed to resurface. Hunley, along with several other crew members, died by drowning.
Marie Curie
Marie Curie is known for her pioneering research on radioactivity. The Polish-French physicist and chemist discovered the radioactive polonium and radium, for which she won a Nobel Prize. Unfortunately, in 1934, she died after prolonged exposure to radiation emitted during her research.
Henry Smolinski
Henry Smolinski designed a flying car based on the Ford Pinto named the AVE Mizar, which was the only product of the company. In 1973, he passed away during a test flight.
Valerian Abakovsky
This Russian inventor constructed the Aerowagon, which was a high-speed railcar powered by an aircraft engine and propeller, intended to carry Soviet officials. Unfortunately, he died in July 1921, when his Aerowagon derailed at high speed, killing six of the 22 others who were onboard.
Aurel Vlaicu
Aurel constructed the airplane Vlaicu II. Unfortunately, he died in 1913 while attempting to cross the Carpathian Mountains when his self-constructed airplane failed and crashed.
Franz Reichelt
A tailor who invented the coat parachute wanted to test it out, but he fell to his death from the first deck of the Eiffel Tower while testing. Apparently, Franz was supposed to use a dummy, but at the last moment, he confidentially got into the coat parachute himself and met his fate in 1912.
Henry Winstanley
Henry built the first Eddystone lighthouse. Unfortunately, the painter and engineer died during the Great Storm of 1703, while he and five other men were seeking shelter. The storm completely destroyed the lighthouse and no trace of them was ever found.
William Bullock
William invented the web rotary printing press, which revolutionized the modern world. However, in 1867, the same rotary printing press took his life as his foot got crushed while installing a new machine in Philadelphia. The injury developed gangrene and he passed away during an amputation.
Thomas Andrews, Jr.
Thomas designed Titanic’s famous vessel. In April 1912, the naval architect was on board during its maiden voyage, when it hit an iceberg and sank, leading to his death along with 1,500 other people.
Max Valier
In the 1920s, Max Valier, who was a member of the German rocket society, invented liquid-fueled rocket engines. In 1930, his alcohol-fueled engine exploded while he was doing a bench test in Berlin, leading to his death.
Thomas Midgley, Jr.
Thomas was one of the many people who contracted polio in the 20th century. The US engineer developed a network of ropes and pulleys that could help him in bed. Sadly, Thomas got stuck in the device and accidentally strangled himself to death.
Francis Edgar Stanley
Francis and his twin brother founded the Stanley Motor Carriage Company, which manufactured the high-powered steam car called the Stanley Steamer. In 1918, Francis, who was driving the car, died in a crash, which happened when he tried to avoid farm wagons and swerved into a pile of wood.
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
In 1785, Jean-François invented the Rozière. Unfortunately, the same year, the balloon crashed during a test ride across the English Channel. It was believed that a fire caused the balloon to deflate. The crash claimed the life of the French chemist and aviation pioneer.
Sylvester H. Roper
Sylvester invented a futuristic steam buggy- Roper steam velocipede, which was considered by some as the world’s first motorcycle. In 1896, during a public steam trial, his steam-propelled bike crashed, which caused him a heart attack. It is not clear, whether the heart attack or the crash was the cause of his death.
Fred Duesenberg
Fred and his brother August founded the Duesenberg Motors Company, which produced luxury cars during 1913-1937. Sadly, Fred, who was driving a Duesenberg automobile, died in a fatal high-speed road accident in 1932.
Luis Jiménez
Apparently, Luis Jiménez, the American sculptor and graphic artist, was fatally injured while working on it, which was commissioned by Denver International Airport. As per the report, a piece of is 32-foot mustang sculpture came loose and pinned him against a steel support. The bright blue horse, which is still outside Colorado airport, was completed after his death.
Otto Lilienthal
Otto, known as the flying man and the father of flight, built several innovative unpowered gliders. The German aviator was fatally injured when his glider stalled on his fourth flight of the day. He met an untimely death after falling nearly 50 feet while flying the first controllable glider.
William Nelson
William, who invented a new way to motorize bicycles, fell off his prototype bike during a test run and died instantly. The American inventor, who worked for General Electric, was just 24 years old at the time of his death.
Karel Soucek
Karel developed a shock-absorbent barrel. The Czech stuntman died during a demonstration when the barrel fell from the roof of the Houston Astrodome. The barrel was supposed to land in a water tank that would catch him and soften his fall, but instead, he was seriously injured as the barrel hit the edge of the tank.
Mike Hughes
Mike was famous for flying in self-built steam rockets. The American limousine driver, who was nicknamed “Mad” Mike Hughes, died while piloting his homemade steam-powered rocket when his parachute failed to deploy during a crash landing.
Henri Thuile
Henri, who invented the large, high-speed Thuile steam locomotive, passed away while doing a test run. Conflicting reports suggest that he was either thrown from the derailing train and hit a telegraph pole or leaned too much that he instantly got killed by hitting his head on a piece of bridge scaffolding.
Henry Fleuss
Henry Fleuss, who invented Oxygen Diving Rebreather, passed away in 1932 while testing it during a dive. Apparently, the pure oxygen used in the rebreather proved to be deadly.
Alexander Bogdanov
Alexander, the pioneer in the field of blood transfusions, founded the first Institute of Blood Transfusion in 1926. Sadly, the Russian polymath died while doing an experiment of blood transfusion between himself, and a 21-year-old student, who had an inactive case of tuberculosis. He believed that the young man’s blood would rejuvenate his own aging body, and that his own blood, which he thought resistant to tuberculosis, would cure the student’s disease. Alexander died from an acute hemolytic transfusion reaction.
Michael Dacre
Michael Dacre passed away in a crash while testing a flying taxi device that he designed for quick and affordable travel.
Harry K. Daghlian Jr. and Louis Slotin
American physicist Harry and Canadian physicist and chemist Louis, who were part of the Manhattan Project, were experimenting with plutonium. The duo passed away due to the lethal doses of radiation. While Harry, who was just 24 years old, passed away in 1945, Louis died a year later in 1946 at the age of 35.
Hammad al-Jawhari
Hammad, who was a sort of inventor, was obsessed with flight. The Kazakh Turkic scholar from Farab attempted to fly by attaching a pair of wooden wings with feathers stuck to it, jumped from the roof of a mosque and fell to his death.
John Day
This English carpenter and wheelwright died while testing an experimental diving chamber in 1774. His death was the first known fatal accident that involved a submarine. His attempt to build a submersible chamber and details of his death were published in dissertation by Nikolai Detlef Falck in 1775.
Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky
Dr. Sabin invented the luminescent paint that contained the highly radioactive element radium (discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie), which was used for clocks in the early 20th century. He was also a founder of the United States Radium Corporation, where some workers started falling sick and died from radium poisoning. It is reported that the Austrian scientist’s invention took his life too, as he developed aplastic anemia and passed away in November 1928.
William Pitt
William Pitt designed the underwater cable ferry. Unfortunately, in 1909, the Canadian ferryman passed away after getting injuries from an accident involving his ferry’s machinery.
Webster Wagner
Webster and his brother James developed a wagon-making business. He founded the Wagner Palace Car Company. In 1882, the American inventor and manufacturer tragically died in a train accident. Webster was traveling in a luxury train car of the New York Central Railroad when it collided with another rail car from the Hudson River Railroad. His body was found crushed between two of his own company’s rail cars.
Robert Cocking
This British watercolor artist was known as a pioneer parachutist. His homemade parachute, which was designed to reach 8,000 feet, failed and slowed down because of the combined weight of the balloon, the parachute and the three men in it. In short, Robert neglected to include the weight of the parachute in his calculations, which resulted in a crash, that instantly killed him.
Cowper Phipps Coles
Cowper, who spent much of his life at sea, designed various machines, including a revolving gun turret for ships. The Royal Navy captain, who was aboard the HMS Captain, which was built using his design, drowned after the boat capsized due to intense weather. Tragically, everyone, including him on board, was killed.
Georg Wilhelm Richmann
Georg conducted experiments on natural electricity. The Baltic German electrical investigator created an apparatus to study electricity from lightning. Sadly, he died after being struck by a ball of lightning while attempting to ground the electrical discharge from a storm.
Julius H. Kroehl
Julius created the first submarine which could dive and resurface on its own- the Sub Marine Explorer. It is believed that the German-American inventor and former Union Navy contractor passed away due to decompression sickness, during test dives with his submarine.
Percy Pilcher
Percy Pilcher developed hang gliders and produced a motor-driven triplane, which he planned to test at Stanford Hall. Unfortunately, due to mechanical issues, his test was delayed. Not to disappoint his guests, he decided to fly the Hawk instead. Due to bad weather, Hawk experienced structural failure in mid-air, leading to a crash that resulted in Percy’s death.
Karl Flach
Karl designed the submarine Flach for the Chilean government after the bombing of Valparaíso. Unfortunately, the submarine failed to surface, and he, along with his son and other sailors, lost their lives.
