Greatest Deaths Ever

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

Whether Jesus 'died' or not it's the most significant death since it's central to christian belief that he did die and was raised from the dead. No death has had more significance in history, nor is any death likely to as far as anyone can see.

 

Then again, the recent sacking of Neil McDonald as Carlisle manager is making a few waves.

 

Jesus is an interesting one. How well known throughout the world was he at the time he died? Were millions of people thinking, "Damnit, Jesus died", or was it just the disciples and assorted hangers-on who were sad? For me, the death has to have a profound impact on people everywhere at the time the person goes.

 

Besides, are we totally certain there even was a Jesus?

[Dead O'Gonner 1]

Whether Jesus 'died' or not it's the most significant death since it's central to christian belief that he did die and was raised from the dead. No death has had more significance in history, nor is any death likely to as far as anyone can see.

 

Then again, the recent sacking of Neil McDonald as Carlisle manager is making a few waves.

 

Jesus is an interesting one. How well known throughout the world was he at the time he died? Were millions of people thinking, "Damnit, Jesus died", or was it just the disciples and assorted hangers-on who were sad? For me, the death has to have a profound impact on people everywhere at the time the person goes.

 

Besides, are we totally certain there even was a Jesus?

 

Thats the point tho! it doesnt matter if he did or didnt exist the point is that his "death" was prolific and still effects people today. I think it was more than his followers so yes id say that he would have been famous in those days. Half the roman army was after him surely that would have made him well known.

 

Im not religious in anyway and i usually have these sorts of debates with believers but u cant doubt that its effected the way we live today thats the sh*t with religion, its all good to have a faith if it makes you happy but if it starts causing death then its got to be questioned

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

Cowboy

 

Not sure it's as simple as saying the most significant death depends on how it impacts on people at the time and how famous the person is. There are a select few whose deaths meant little on the day but have become hugely significant. Jesus is in there with - for example - Nick Drake and Anne Frank on this score. Also, there's the highly charged matter of whether a certain British four year old is still breathing at the mo. We might find out she died within hours and has been at the bottom of the sea throughout her famous period. And Bin-laden, still alive, if so; still well enough to be calling the shots in his organisation? The last two would still be significant deaths if announced today despite the fact the individuals may have died long before.

 

Death eh, a right complicated business.

[Dead O'Gonner 1]

Do artists like picasso for example who became famous after there demise count? they are now famous and some people in this catagory had marvolus deaths but until then they were unknowns.

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

To be a great death, to me it needs to be great at the time. Otherwise it's not really the death that is great/noteworthy/memorable, it's the person and their life's body of work that's great. So, although Picasso was a great artist, with many (now) famous works, the fact he was old, and wasn't cranking out masterpieces when he went, would mean although his death was that of a quite significant figure, it lacked the "Whoa!" factor. In this regard, there is a difference between "great" and "significant". The (for lack of a better word) entertainment factor needs to be present, for me at least, for a death to be truly great.

 

Assuming he was well-known throughout a reasonably large part of the then-known world, Jesus' death, especially if it was how Mel Gibson envisioned it, would be a fairly great one. I'm just not sure how famous he was at the time - clearly not as famous as he is now.

 

Deaths which are unknown at the time and are only found out about subsequently should, in my view, be evaluated as if the person died just before the world finds out about it.

[Dead O'Gonner 1]

To be a great death, to me it needs to be great at the time. Otherwise it's not really the death that is great/noteworthy/memorable, it's the person and their life's body of work that's great. So, although Picasso was a great artist, with many (now) famous works, the fact he was old, and wasn't cranking out masterpieces when he went, would mean although his death was that of a quite significant figure, it lacked the "Whoa!" factor. In this regard, there is a difference between "great" and "significant". The (for lack of a better word) entertainment factor needs to be present, for me at least, for a death to be truly great.

 

Assuming he was well-known throughout a reasonably large part of the then-known world, Jesus' death, especially if it was how Mel Gibson envisioned it, would be a fairly great one. I'm just not sure how famous he was at the time - clearly not as famous as he is now.

 

Deaths which are unknown at the time and are only found out about subsequently should, in my view, be evaluated as if the person died just before the world finds out about it.

 

In some cases (give me a chance to find a example) its not the life of the unknown which makes them famous it is in fact their cause or way out of this world which then makes them famous

[Dead O'Gonner 1]

To be a great death, to me it needs to be great at the time. Otherwise it's not really the death that is great/noteworthy/memorable, it's the person and their life's body of work that's great. So, although Picasso was a great artist, with many (now) famous works, the fact he was old, and wasn't cranking out masterpieces when he went, would mean although his death was that of a quite significant figure, it lacked the "Whoa!" factor. In this regard, there is a difference between "great" and "significant". The (for lack of a better word) entertainment factor needs to be present, for me at least, for a death to be truly great.

 

Assuming he was well-known throughout a reasonably large part of the then-known world, Jesus' death, especially if it was how Mel Gibson envisioned it, would be a fairly great one. I'm just not sure how famous he was at the time - clearly not as famous as he is now.

 

Deaths which are unknown at the time and are only found out about subsequently should, in my view, be evaluated as if the person died just before the world finds out about it.

 

In some cases (give me a chance to find a example) its not the life of the unknown which makes them famous it is in fact their cause or way out of this world which then makes them famous

 

CASEY JONES

 

CASEY JONES (1864-1900), U.S. railroad engineer

 

John Luther Jones was born near Cayce, Ky., and carried the nickname Casey throughout his life. He began work on the Illinois Central Railroad as a fireman in 1888, soon graduated to engineer, and thereafter drove express freights in the South and Midwest. On the night of Apr. 29, 1900, when he ended his New Orleans-Memphis run on the Cannonball Express, he learned that the engineer scheduled for the return trip was ill. Casey needed the money, so he took the throttle of the "Old 382" again. At 4:00 A.M. near Vaughan, Miss., he saw a stalled freight train on the track ahead, tried to brake his hurtling locomotive, but knew he couldn't stop it in time. "Jump, Sim!" he shouted to his fireman, and Casey rode his engine alone into the collision. He was the only casualty; workmen found his mangled body with one hand on the whistle cord, the other on the brake. Newspapers spread an account of the incident throughout the country, and engine wiper Wallace Saunders, a black friend of Jones's, wrote "The Ballad of Casey Jones." The song immortalized Casey's name and made him a legendary folk figure. Casey's home in Jackson, Tenn., is now a railroad museum.

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

Yeah and I still think Anne Frank's death in the war is a 'great' one in the lasting impact it's had. In the post-war confusion it meant virtually nothing but as an example of the inhumanity of Naziism her life, and death are hugely significant. She might have lived to be a mediocre writer, but that's hardly the point. Then there's the Megan and Sarah of their respective laws.....

[Dead O'Gonner 1]

Yeah and I still think Anne Frank's death in the war is a 'great' one in the lasting impact it's had. In the post-war confusion it meant virtually nothing but as an example of the inhumanity of Naziism her life, and death are hugely significant. She might have lived to be a mediocre writer, but that's hardly the point. Then there's the Megan and Sarah of their respective laws.....

 

Deffinatly even if they would have never made it onto any Death pool their deaths are still surely significant

[Canadian Paul 97]

Besides, are we totally certain there even was a Jesus?

 

I hate to be Banshees Scream (no I really really hate it) but we can never be totally sure of anything. As far as historical proof goes, however, you can be pretty sure that Jesus was a historical figure and that he was executed by the Romans.

 

The rest of the story is up to debate.

[Youth in Asia 1,087]

Besides, are we totally certain there even was a Jesus?

 

I hate to be Banshees Scream (no I really really hate it) but we can never be totally sure of anything. As far as historical proof goes, however, you can be pretty sure that Jesus was a historical figure and that he was executed by the Romans.

 

The rest of the story is up to debate.

 

 

pretty sure that Jesus was a historical figure?

 

- yes, in the sense that anyone who's name has ever made it into a book is

 

and that he was executed by the Romans?

 

- no, he was only on the Cross for 3 hours, whereas they usually left them there for 5 days to make sure they had died. Analysis of biblical passages has cast big doubt on whether enough wounds had been inflicted to ensure death. It is more than likely that he was taken down by Joseph of Arimathea in an injured condition, and then able to recover in the tomb, then make himself scarce. According to Halibut tradition he saw out his days in obscurity in the East. Although the big holes in his hands may have caused some comment.

 

 

So I would say that apart from the fact that his name does appear in a couple of historical records, the rest of the story (including the death) is up to debate. I would vote it Greatest Perceived Death.

[Slave to the Grave 26]

I hate to be Banshees Scream (no I really really hate it)...... snip...... however, you can be pretty sure that Jesus was a historical figure and that he was executed by the Romans.

 

 

Well, we all have our crosses to bear CP

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

If Jesus did escape to the East he wasn't necessarily in retirement. One tradition even suggests his tomb is there and continues to be revered to this day.

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,219]

If Jesus did escape to the East he wasn't necessarily in retirement. One tradition even suggests his tomb is there and continues to be revered to this day.

 

Now thats Horses**t.

The things local councils will do to attract tourists is ridiculous.

[Godot 149]

I think George Mallory and Andrew Irvine deserve a mention. People are still arguing about their deaths more than 80 years on.

 

Scott of the Antarctic must also be a contender, not to mention Captain Oates with one of the best "last words."

 

Then there's Isadora Duncan whose style fixation for long flowing scarves was the death of her, leading to Gertrude Stein's comment that "affectations can be dangerous."

 

Oh and what about Giocante Casabianca whose fate must be known to all Deathlisters?

[Banshees Scream 110]

The bottom line of this debate and controversial - conversation is regardless of what Jesus had up his sleeve (if he had anything up his sleeve) the man has been idolized and is the front man to a religion called 'Christianity' as I hope we all know. The man 'Jesus Christ' literally defines the word superstar.

 

Did Jesus step on frozen water? Did Jesus have bread and fish in his back pocket? How much wine did Jesus drink? Could Jesus have made Mary Magdeline a whore of his very own? Did Jesus heal the sick? Did Jesus perform miracles? I don't think we will ever know. I'm aware of professional researchers trying to prove certain facts and they are probably way off not to mention the whole story on his tomb (is significant bullshit). I mean significant. I'm sorry I watched that Larry King episode.

 

I think one guy claimed he found Noah's Ark. Think about it. (Imagine saying 'hey I've found Noah's Ark' At this rate next I'm expecting somebody to nail two pieces of ply wood together and call it' the almighty cross'.

 

All I can say is the legacy of this man has more then lived and personally I believe Jesus may have known something nobody else knew. In this world there are many deaths that we can call significant, but there are only a few that we can call great.

[Youth in Asia 1,087]

The bottom line of this debate and controversial - conversation is regardless of what Jesus had up his sleeve (if he had anything up his sleeve) the man has been idolized and is the front man to a religion called 'Christianity' as I hope we all know. The man 'Jesus Christ' literally defines the word superstar.

 

Did Jesus step on frozen water? Did Jesus have bread and fish in his back pocket? How much wine did Jesus drink? Could Jesus have made Mary Magdeline a whore of his very own? Did Jesus heal the sick? Did Jesus perform miracles? I don't think we will ever know. I'm aware of professional researchers trying to prove certain facts and they are probably way off not to mention the whole story on his tomb (is significant bullshit). I mean significant. I'm sorry I watched that Larry King episode.

 

I think one guy claimed he found Noah's Ark. Think about it. (Imagine saying 'hey I've found Noah's Ark' At this rate next I'm expecting somebody to nail two pieces of ply wood together and call it' the almighty cross'.

 

All I can say is the legacy of this man has more then lived and personally I believe Jesus may have known something nobody else knew. In this world there are many deaths that we can call significant, but there are only a few that we can call great.

 

Ok then, it's either Jesus or Michael Hutchence

[Dead O'Gonner 1]

The bottom line of this debate and controversial - conversation is regardless of what Jesus had up his sleeve (if he had anything up his sleeve) the man has been idolized and is the front man to a religion called 'Christianity' as I hope we all know. The man 'Jesus Christ' literally defines the word superstar.

 

Did Jesus step on frozen water? Did Jesus have bread and fish in his back pocket? How much wine did Jesus drink? Could Jesus have made Mary Magdeline a whore of his very own? Did Jesus heal the sick? Did Jesus perform miracles? I don't think we will ever know. I'm aware of professional researchers trying to prove certain facts and they are probably way off not to mention the whole story on his tomb (is significant bullshit). I mean significant. I'm sorry I watched that Larry King episode.

 

I think one guy claimed he found Noah's Ark. Think about it. (Imagine saying 'hey I've found Noah's Ark' At this rate next I'm expecting somebody to nail two pieces of ply wood together and call it' the almighty cross'.

 

All I can say is the legacy of this man has more then lived and personally I believe Jesus may have known something nobody else knew. In this world there are many deaths that we can call significant, but there are only a few that we can call great.

 

Ok then, it's either Jesus or Michael Hutchence

 

Did The ark have all the animals inside?

[Guest Guest]

The man 'Jesus Christ' literally defines the word superstar.

 

I thought that was Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber?

[Dead O'Gonner 1]

The man 'Jesus Christ' literally defines the word superstar.

 

I thought that was Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber?

 

No he was the phantom of the opera! also very close to denise van outen but rarely takes of his coat of many colours not even for maria von trapp

[weasel 2]

What is the most shocking death of any famous person during your lifetime? I know we are probably dealing with members from teenagers to "old" people, like me.

 

Two come to mind for me - JFK in '63, though I was only 7 years old, and Lady Di, with a nod to JFK, Jr.

[maryportfuncity 10,657]

If I'm honest when it comes to news reports of deaths it's not the famous ones that really caught me. The mass deaths at football matches though, especially Hillsboro and Bradford made me think, mainly because I'd been in old stands and standing on cramped and fenced terraces. Loads of people going to matches were aware of the dangers, those deaths were as preventable as the assassinations of the famous or the accident that saw off Diana.

[Alphonsin 1]

In my opinion, the most significant death [yep, the criteria can be argued over and over] was that of Christ, as some others have said. To question his historical existence is daft; we have far, far more reason to suppose that he lived than we do, say, Julius Caesar. (Interestingly, Jewish historical reports of the time recorded that he was raised again, too, but said that this was a work of sorcery and downplayed any suggestion of his role as Messiah; but I'm not going to go there).

For me, Diana was the most memorable death. Part of that is because I must have been in the last 0.005 per cent of Europe to hear about it. I was with a then girlfriend walking in the mountains of Slovakia and the night after her death had some people saying to me "Diana... Princess Diana.. deeeed... deeeed", which I utterly failed to understand. I just replied with "Paul Gascoigne", "Manchester Utd" and any other phrase that seemed to indicate that, yes, I'm British, and let's enjoy any cultural shared space [but why say "deeeed" all the time?].

It wasn't until the next night that a German tourist elsewhere managed to tell me what had happened.

I thought Diana was a stupid cow, but it was very strange to think that she was, well, deeeed. It kept on coming into my mind -- "She can't be dead. Really?", all the time. For days and days.

Another death that I found very significant was that of Bob Flannigan [spelling probably wrong, but I'm too tired and pissed to bother with the intertubes]. He was the subject of Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flannigan, Super-Masochist, or a similarly named film. He'd been ill since he was young with a painful lung condition and during puberty discovered that he could alleviate his discomfort by having pain inflicted on him by others. In the course of the documentary you see him experiencing really awful, accepted pain (in a largely sexual context). Near the end, though, there's a scene where he's in hospital dying. He sits up after a spell unconscious and starts going "Sh*t! sh*t! I'm dying! f*****g hell! I'm dying!". It's terrifying. And you think "Jeez, this is a guy who can go through all sorts of terrifying sh*t and handle it, and those are things that I'm not going to go through (like having his cock knotted and pool balls pushed up his backside)" but you see him go through the moments before dying, which there's a good chance you and I *will* actually be aware of, and think "Crikey! That's not going to be fun!".

Hey ho...

PS: I shan't drag up the earlier thread in which I mentioned my work situation, but would just like to say thanks to the people who responded, rather unexpectedly, with kind regards and encouragement. Thanks!

[chicago103 41]

Stating that Jesus Christ's death was the most significant in human history has nothing to do with whether you are a believer or not and even if you do believe he rose from the dead he still died before he rose. This has to do with just objective observation of the impact his death had. I think it is a historical consenses that he did exist and that he did die in the manner that he did, beyond that how do we know that other historical figures such as Julius Ceaser died exactly the way the story says, so it is reasonable to assume that a man named Jesus did die by crucifixion and his death had the largest impact on human history.

 

Think about it, our very calendar is based on his life and he is best known for how he died. Countless images of his death (crosses, crusifixes, paintings) has been a major part of art for centuries, buildings built (churches) that perform rituals that remind us of his death (the last supper, the crucifixion, etc), the world's largest religion's main focus is on this man's death. The entirety of western civilization was focused on this man's death for centuries and still does to this day to a degree. Even other well known religious figures (Muhammed, Budda, etc.) aren't as well known for how they died as Jesus. Just the idea that well over a billion people in this world believe that this man died for the sins of the world. So I think its clear that regardless of any personal beliefs or biases we have about the theological claims that Jesus Christ's death was the most significant in human history.

[Monoclinic 39]

Stating that Jesus Christ's death was the most significant in human history has nothing to do with whether you are a believer or not and even if you do believe he rose from the dead he still died before he rose. This has to do with just objective observation of the impact his death had. I think it is a historical consenses that he did exist and that he did die in the manner that he did, beyond that how do we know that other historical figures such as Julius Ceaser died exactly the way the story says, so it is reasonable to assume that a man named Jesus did die by crucifixion and his death had the largest impact on human history.

 

Think about it, our very calendar is based on his life and he is best known for how he died. Countless images of his death (crosses, crusifixes, paintings) has been a major part of art for centuries, buildings built (churches) that perform rituals that remind us of his death (the last supper, the crucifixion, etc), the world's largest religion's main focus is on this man's death. The entirety of western civilization was focused on this man's death for centuries and still does to this day to a degree. Even other well known religious figures (Muhammed, Budda, etc.) aren't as well known for how they died as Jesus. Just the idea that well over a billion people in this world believe that this man died for the sins of the world. So I think its clear that regardless of any personal beliefs or biases we have about the theological claims that Jesus Christ's death was the most significant in human history.

 

Well I'm glad that's settled. Are you going to be devising a thread for the most significant death for every year since 1 AD (year O obviously dedicated to the Lord himself) ? I am in two minds over 899 AD, whether to go with Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, which would be significant to me owing to my Wessex origins, or Arnulf of Karantania, King of the East Franks, just because I think the name Arnulf is quite amusing.