When Brilliant Ideas Backfire: 19 Geniuses Who Paid the Price for Their Own Ingenuity

Ever wondered if your latest genius invention might just be your ticket to an untimely exit? I mean, you spend all this time dreaming up some brilliant gizmo or contraption, only to have it backfire—literally. Sounds like a bizarre plot twist from a dark comedy, right? But nope, for some inventors, their proud creations turned out to be the final act of their own lives. You’d think inventing is all about making the world safer or cooler, yet here we have 20 folks whose inventions signed their death warrants. Buckle up—it’s gonna be a wild, sometimes grim, and utterly fascinating ride through innovation’s most ironic tragedies. LEARN MORE

#1

Franz Reichelt (1879-1912)

Also known as “The Flying Tailor,” Franz Reichelt created a parachute suit. He attempted to test his invention by jumping off the Eiffel Tower. In doing so, however, the parachute failed to open, and he plummeted to his death with crowds of people watching.

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#3

Henry Smolinski (D. 1973)

Based on the Ford Pinto, the AVE Mizar was a flying car created by Henry Smolinski. He took this for a test flight in 1973, and it crashed, claiming both his life and that of AVE’s vice president, Harold Blake.

Doug Duncan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#4

Jean-François Pilâtre De Rozier (1754-1785)

French aviation pioneer Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier developed one of the first hot-air balloons in 1783. Two years later, he took a test flight in an attempt to cross the English Channel, but the balloon crashed, and he did not survive.

André Pujos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#5

William Bullock (1813-1867)

William Bullock invented the rotary printing press to allow for easier and more efficient paper printing. While maintaining one of his machines, his foot was caught in one of the rotary wheels and was crushed. He died from a gangrenous infection whilst it was being amputated.

Original artist not known, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#6

Henry Winstanley (1644-1703)

Henry Winstanley created the Eddystone Lighthouse, the first offshore lighthouse in the world. Henry was so boastful of his creation that he sheltered himself in it “during the greatest storm there ever was.” The greatest storm came on November 27, 1703, when a cyclone destroyed the lighthouse with Henry still inside. No trace of him was ever found.

Henry Winstanley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#7

Alexander Bogdanov (1873-1928)

Alexander Bogdanov was a pioneer in hematology and helped create blood transfusion. He believed that injecting himself with younger people’s blood would rejuvenate him and halt his aging (why is beyond me). In 1928, he ended up injecting himself with blood from a tuberculosis-ridden patient, which, spoiler alert, led to his death.

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#8

Li Si (280 Bc – 208 Bc)

Li Si served as the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty and oversaw the construction of the Great Wall of China. He developed the Five Pains execution method, which is so brutal that all details will be left out. In 208 BC, he was convicted of treason and had five pieces of his anatomy removed, and he bled to death.

laphamsquarterly.org Report

#9

Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896)

Otto Lilienthal became a pioneer in aviation technology by creating one of the first hang gliders in history. In 1896, while taking one for a test flight, he lost control of the glider and crashed into the ground, breaking his spine in the process. Unsurprisingly, he did not survive the injury.

Ottomar Anschütz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#10

Stockton Rush (1962-2023)

“At some point, safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed, don’t get in your car, don’t do anything.” Those words came around to bite Stockton Rush square in the behind on June 18, 2023, on the ill-fated undersea voyage to see the Titanic wreckage using his Titan submarine. The submarine imploded, resulting in the deaths of him and four others on board.

OceanGate, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Report

#11

Karel Soucek (1947-1985)

Czech-Canadian stuntman Karel Soucek developed his own shock-absorbent barrel, which he was encased in as he successfully went over Niagara Falls in 1984. One year later, he used the same barrel at a show in the Houston Astrodome when it was dropped from the roof. It hit the rim of the water tank, which was meant to cushion his fall. Karel did not survive.

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