The Bizarre Story of Cleopatra’s Death

Arguably one of the most misunderstood figures in history, the legend of Cleopatra’s death surely takes the cake for one of the most peculiar tales. The queen of Egypt is renowned for her beauty, intellect, and charm, all of which supposedly led two of Rome’s most famous generals, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, to fall head over heels for her. But it’s not their love stories that stand out the most. Instead, it’s her death.

Traditionally, it’s thought that Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing a poisonous asp to bite her. After losing a battle, she was in danger of being paraded as a prisoner through the streets of Rome. That’s supposedly where the asp comes in. According to Plutarch, a Greek historian, the queen had a small poisonous snake brought to her hidden within a basket of figs. She then held the creature to her chest and let it bite her, leading to her death.

The Benjamin Franklin and the Turkey Tale

Benjamin Franklin, a polymath well remembered for his contributions to science, particularly electricity, had an unusual perspective on the choice of the national bird. Today, the U.S. national bird is the Bald Eagle, a choice sanctified in 1782. However, the story holds that Franklin was not pleased with this choice.

In a letter to his daughter, Franklin reportedly voiced his preference for the humble turkey over the bald eagle. He argued that the eagle was a bird of bad moral character and did not get his living honestly, but that the Turkey was a much more respectable bird and even a bit of a braggart. This letter, however, doesn’t mean Franklin advocated for the turkey to become the nation’s symbol—he was only commenting to his daughter on the characteristics of the two birds.

The Apollo 10 Astronauts and the Floating ‘Turd’

Space travel certainly has its challenges, but perhaps the strangest story to come out of NASA’s Apollo moon missions is the tale of the floating feces. In 1969, the crew of Apollo 10 were deep into their mission, halfway between the Earth and the Moon when an uninvited guest made its appearance – a floating piece of feces.

The crew’s awkward and humorous conversation regarding the origin of the unwelcome item was immortalized in the mission’s transcript and, of course, in history. Without the comforts of gravity to keep such matters in their proper place, the eventualities of the human digestive system made the journey to space as well.

The Dancing Plague of 1518

The dancing plague of the early 16th Century in Strasbourg, Alsace (modern day France) surely ranks high in the list of history’s strangest events. In July 1518, a woman named Mrs. Troffea began to dance fervently in a street. Nothing too peculiar, right? Except she didn’t stop. For days. More and more people joined in until there was a throng of around 400 dancers. And no, they weren’t breaking into a pre-planned flash mob.

Various theories have been proposed, including that they were part of a religious cult, or that they consumed bread made from rye flour contaminated with the toxic and psychoactive fungus Ergot, which can lead to convulsions and hallucinations. Others think it may have been stress-induced mass hysteria. Whatever led to it, many died from heart attacks, strokes, and exhaustion. And that’s certainly a bizarre spin on history.

The Atomic Wedgie Death

In a twisted tale from more recent history, murder by “atomic wedgie” became a reality in 2013. A domestic argument between stepfather and stepson in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, took a fatal turn when Denver Lee St. Clair was given an ‘atomic wedgie’ by his stepson Brad Davis.

For those unfamiliar with schoolyard pranks, this is when the waistband of the victim’s underwear is pulled over their head. Bizarrely, this ended up killing St. Clair, who asphyxiated from the waistband of his underwear compressing his neck. For this strange method of murder, Davis was subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

Through Knowing some of these twisted tales, it’s clear that history can certainly be stranger than fiction. From dancing plagues to atomic wedgie deaths, strange events have always been a part of human history—and they are part of what makes it so fascinating.