9 inventors who were killed by their inventions

Yes, we know, “no pain, no gain,” but too much of a good thing…

Accident Claims Advice has put together an infographic of inventors who wound up being killed by their inventions, or as the infographic puts it, “Inventing your own demise.” No doubt not what these folks intended, but, hey.

For every Marie Curie, discoverer of radioactivity who died of exposure to the materials with which she bravely worked, there’s a Horace Lawson Hunley, the inventor of a hand-powered submarine who decided to take command during a test run and promptly drowned everyone on board, including himself.

The full infographic is here. All the excerpts below were researched and created by Accident Claims Advice.

Thomas Midgely, Jr. (1889-1944)

Midgely, prior to hospitalization and being hoisted by his own petard.

Franz Reichelt (1879-1912)

It probably seemed like a good idea for a little while, anyway.

William Bullock (1813–1867)

Tripped up.

Valerian Abakovsky (1895-1921)

The problem was when his Aerowagon went aeroborne.

Henry Smolinkski (1933-1973)

Max Valier (1895-1930)

Valier in one of his rocket-powered cars.

Horace Lawson Hunley (1823-1863)

Might’ve let someone else drive.

Marie Curie (1867–1934)

Perillos of Athens

History is full of intrepid individuals who gave their lives in pursuit of their science, some more amusingly so than others. What they share, though, is a belief in their own creativity and a certainty that moving humankind forward requires personal courage and sometimes, sacrifice.