When Brilliant Ideas Backfire: 19 Geniuses Who Paid the Price for Their Own Ingenuity
#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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#13
Francis Edgar Stanley (1949-1918)
Francis Edgar Stanley invented the Stanley Steamer, a steam-powered automobile. In 1918, he crashed the car into a woodpile to avoid colliding with a farm wagon. The manufacturer met its match against competition with internal combustion engine vehicles, and was defunct in 1924.
#16
Cowper Phipps Coles (1819-1870)
A captain for the Royal Navy, Cowper Phipps Coles created a patent for the design of the revolving gun turret in 1867. In 1870, he was aboard a masted turret ship that he designed when it sank off the coast of Cape Finisterre in Spain. He and his crew drowned.
#19
Valerian Abakovsky (1895-1921)
Valerian Abadovsky created the Aerowagon, a high-speed railcar fitted with a large propeller and aircraft engine. It was produced to transport Soviet documents and government officials on business. In 1921, while on a test ride, the railcar derailed while going at such high speeds, causing the deaths of Valerian and six others on board.
