In 1923, a jockey suffered a fatal heart attack, but his horse finished and won the race, making him the first and only jockey to win a race after death.
100 Mind-Blowing Fatal Facts
Giraffes are 30 times more likely to get hit by lightning than people. True, there are only five well-documented fatal lightning strikes on giraffes between 1996 and 2010. However, due to the population of the species being just 140,000 during this time, it makes for about 0.003 lightning deaths per thousand giraffes each year. This is 30 times the equivalent fatality rate for humans.
Australia has the most number of venomous snakes worldwide. Australia is home to almost a hundred species of venomous snakes. However, only one fatal snake bite incident is recorded per year.
Eating polar bear liver can kill a human being. If eaten in one meal, 30-90 g of polar bear liver can be fatal. Its high concentration of Vitamin A is toxic to humans.
A man once won a horse race after he died. This one will have you saying, “What the fact?!” but this dark fun fact takes “winning spirit” to another level. Frank Hayes was a jockey who suffered a fatal heart attack mid-race. However, his horse still led and finished the race in first place. As such, Hayes was the first and only jockey to win a race posthumously in 1923.
Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning while playing Jesus in The Passion Of The Christ. While filming the Sermon on the Mount, Caviezel and another film crew were suddenly struck by lightning. Luckily, it wasn’t fatal.
Hydrofluoric acid is the least acidic but remains the most dangerous. This can be fatal when swallowed or breathed. It is also dangerous when coming into contact with the skin.
People once claimed that coconuts kill more people than sharks yearly. In a 1984 study “Injuries Due to Falling Coconuts,” it was claimed that falling coconuts kill 150 per year, which is a lot more than shark-related deaths at 5 per year. However, it was only a misinterpretation of the statistics gathered from Papua New Guinea. However, there have been several documented cases of coconuts killing people. Falling coconuts can cause fatal injuries to the head, neck, shoulders, and back.
Nutmeg can be poisonous. Who doesn’t love a little nutmeg in their hot chocolate? It may seem unlikely, but in certain amounts, nutmeg can be fatal to humans. Compared to other plants and herbs, nutmeg contains higher amounts of a narcotic substance called myristicin. Consuming more than 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg at once can cause side effects such as wild hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and a syncopated heartbeat. In large amounts, it can also lead to organ failure.
In 1923, a jockey suffered a fatal heart attack mid-race. His horse finished and won the race, making him the first and only jockey to win a race after death.
You could survive for a couple of minutes in a leaky spacesuit. Although films such as Total Recall show instant explosions and rapidly puffed-up spacesuits, the effects of being exposed to space are slightly less dramatic. Although it would be unpleasant, you could survive for a couple of minutes. After around 10 seconds, you would lose consciousness. The lower pressure of the vacuum would cause your blood to boil, along with other body fluids (the moisture on your tongue, for example) – but this boiling alone would not be fatal due to the pressure maintained by our blood vessels themselves. Gas bubbles would form in your bodily fluids, causing your body to swell up and bloat. The low humidity of space would cause you to cool down rapidly, and your eyes may freeze over. Within one to two minutes, the lack of oxygen would be deadly. The stress of the situation may make these symptoms worse – you would become oxygen-deprived more quickly. A rapid decompression would cause damage to your lungs, eardrums and sinuses, along with bruising and bleeding from soft tissues.
If you enjoy pumpkin-spice-flavoured foods, you likely appreciate cinnamon and nutmeg. Nutmeg adds a warm and spicy flavour to foods and drinks in small amounts. However, in larger amounts, it can cause hallucinations and ultimately be fatal.