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History is full of shocking, gruesome, and downright terrifying ways to die. Join us as we count down some of the most brutal deaths ever recorded, spanning from ancient civilizations to the modern era! Our timeline covers savage executions, shocking assassinations, and tragic accidents that reveal just how merciless history can truly be. Which of these horrifying fates do you find most disturbing?
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00:00Admit the murder or you will see what our authority looks like.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at a chronology of some of the most disturbing
00:08deaths to ever occur, from the 6th century BCE to the 21st century. For this list, we'll be
00:14taking a look at brutal executions, shocking political assassinations, and tragic accidents,
00:20showcasing a timeline of how death has manifested throughout history.
00:30Circa 6th century BC, the brazen bull.
00:37Modern historians aren't sure if the brazen bull really existed, but it is extensively
00:42referenced by an ancient Greek historian named Diodorus Siculus. Siculus wrote about the brazen
00:48bull in his famous work Bibliotheca Historica. Back in the 500s BC, the city of Acragis, Sicily,
00:54was ruled by the tyrant Phalaris. As the story goes, a man named Perillos made the brazen bull
01:01for Phalaris as a new method of execution. A condemned criminal would climb inside the hollow
01:06bronze bull, and a fire would be lit directly underneath it. The interior of the bull would
01:12then gradually increase in temperature, and the criminal inside was slowly roasted to death.
01:21Their screams would then be heard as bull sounds from the outside.
01:2846 BC, Cato the Younger. A prominent opponent of Julius Caesar, Cato the Younger was a powerful Roman
01:35senator. His policies indirectly led to Caesar's civil war, which lasted from 49 to 45 BCE.
01:43Caesar emerged victorious, and rather than beg for forgiveness or pardon, Cato decided to end his own
01:49life. Cato grabbed a sword while having dinner and drove it into his stomach. According to the Greek
01:54historian Plutarch, Cato was quickly seen to by a physician. When Cato regained consciousness and
02:00realized that his attempt had failed, he tore open the stitches and finished the job.
02:04As gross as this is, there's a chance that Plutarch greatly exaggerated the story.
02:1244 BC, Julius Caesar. Serving as the dictator of Rome between 49 and 44 BC,
02:19Julius Caesar went out in dramatic fashion. Caesar's senators feared that he was growing too tyrannical,
02:24and was no longer fit to lead the Roman Republic.
02:26You were going to consider revoking my brother's exile. I'm still considering it.
02:32As a result, they committed what they saw as tyrannicide, and killed Caesar in the Curia of Pompey.
02:38On March 15, 44 BC, Caesar was stabbed a total of 23 times, and the resulting autopsy theorized that
02:45he had died from severe blood loss. Despite the numerous stabbings, it's believed that only one
02:53of the wounds proved fatal. Caesar's wildly dramatic death was turned into the subject
02:57of theater and immortalized in Shakespeare's famous play.
03:07Circa 69-71 A.D.
03:09St. Bartholomew
03:11St. Bartholomew was one of Jesus Christ's Twelve Apostles. He's remembered as a devoted preacher,
03:17carrying Christianity to distant lands, and said to have traveled across the known world,
03:22from India in the east, to Armenia and Azerbaijan in the west. He spread the gospel,
03:27despite relentless opposition, eventually leading to his martyrdom. Tradition holds that Bartholomew
03:33was captured in Armenia by those outraged at his conversions. Refusing to renounce his faith,
03:39he was subjected to savage torture. He was reportedly flayed alive, and then beheaded.
03:44Today, St. Bartholomew is venerated as a patron saint of tanners and leatherworkers,
03:50a nod to the method of his execution.
03:56258 A.D.
03:57St. Lawrence
03:58A Christian martyr, St. Lawrence was a Roman deacon under Pope Sixtus II, who served for just
04:04one year between 257 and 258 A.D. The Roman emperor, Valerian, persecuted Christians and
04:11ordered the execution of its leaders. As a result, many prominent Christians were killed in August of
04:16258, including Pope Sixtus II and St. Lawrence. Legend has it that Lawrence was placed on a gridiron
04:24over some coals and essentially cooked to death. As a result, he's now the patron saint of chefs.
04:30This account was recorded by a poet named Prudentius and St. Ambrose of Milan. However,
04:36some modern historians contest this story, arguing instead that Lawrence was decapitated like Pope Sixtus II.
04:47363 A.D. St. Cassian
04:49St. Cassian of Imola represents every teacher's worst nightmare. In 4th century Italy, Cassian was
04:56a man dedicated to shaping young minds. He taught reading and writing, wielding a stylus instead of a
05:02sword. When he refused to engage in an activity which went against his Christian faith, the Roman
05:07authorities condemned him to an unthinkable fate. His executioners, his own students. Resenting his
05:14past punishments and bent on revenge, they tied him to a stake. Armed with their pointed styluses,
05:20the tools of their lessons, they stabbed him. The countless shallow wounds prolonged his agony in
05:26what became one of history's most excruciating martyrdoms. 613 A.D. Brunhilde of Austrasia.
05:41613 A.D. Brunhilde of Austrasia.
05:42Brunhilde, part of the inspiration for Wagner's Valkyrie Brunhilde, was far more than opera's
05:47braided heroine. In reality, Queen Brunhilde ruled one of Europe's largest kingdoms over 1400 years ago.
05:53She was a Visigoth who married into Frankish rule of Austrasia and Burgundy. Brunhilde ruled for decades,
05:59in three separate regencies, through sheer force of will and combat. At age 70, serving as regent for
06:06her grandson. She was betrayed, deposed, and captured. The histories differ on the manner of
06:11her execution. Some say she was dragged to death by a wild horse, others say that she was drawn and
06:17quartered. Today, her mythic legacy survives in costumes and opera halls.
06:331219 Inalchuk, Governor of Ohtrar
06:36Inalchuk, the ruthless governor of Ohtrar, made one of the most insanely stupid mistakes in human history.
06:42Haughty and arrogant, he scoffed at a trade caravan sent by Genghis Khan in 1218. He murdered the
06:49messengers and dismissed the potential threat.
06:52No man, Persian or Greek, no man threatens a messenger!
06:55He would ultimately be rewarded with brutal execution as his nation burned around him.
07:00The Mongols under Genghis Khan soon besieged the city of Ohtrar, a siege that lasted five long months.
07:05Suffice it to say that Khan was less than pleased with Inalchuk's disrespect and cruelty.
07:10He laid a long and bloody siege to Ohtrar, after which Inalchuk was captured. While the exact
07:16method of his execution is uncertain, it's widely believed that he was killed by having
07:20molten silver poured into his eyes and ears. The story about him executing Inalchuk by pouring
07:26molten silver in his mouth, eyes, and ears could well be true. Some historians doubt it,
07:30but that's what was written, and let's face it, Inalchuk was never going to get anything but a grisly death.
07:401289. Ugolino della Garadesca Ugolino della Garadesca was a 13th century Italian nobleman,
07:46caught between two warring families and the powers they controlled. He navigated the politics as well
07:52as he could, rising to great prominence in Pisa. Food riots in 1288 led to a fatal mistake. During the
07:59chaos, Ugolino killed the nephew of the archbishop. The archbishop and Ugolino's enemies seized the
08:05opportunity to cast him down. He was ultimately detained in a tower with his two sons and two
08:11grandsons. After a few months, the archbishop ordered that the keys to their prison be thrown
08:16into the Arno River. Ugolino and his family were left to slowly starve to death. Dante Alighieri
08:22immortalized Ugolino's suffering in his inferno, ensuring this tragic story would echo through the
08:28ages. 1302. Simon Annabar of Udumarois
08:34Simon Annabar of Udumarois, a Flemish nobleman, became a tragic figure in the annals of medieval history.
08:41In 1302, he expressed his belief that the Count of Flanders deserved rulership over parts of Artois.
08:48He was subsequently dragged out of a tavern and convicted of treason against France.
08:52You're under arrest for treason! Treason, but I love France!
08:57His sentence was a horrific display of medieval justice. Breaking on the wheel.
09:01The breaking wheel was essentially a large wooden wagon wheel that sometimes had iron spikes attached
09:07to the outer edge. First, he was bound to a large wooden wheel. Next, the executioners broke his limbs
09:13with a large, heavy club. Annabar was still alive when his limbs were broken. After this punishment,
09:18he was drawn and quartered. His execution certainly taught a lesson in the cruel ministrations of
09:24medieval French justice. 1305. William Wallace
09:34Born in 1270, William Wallace has become immortalized in pop culture thanks to Mel Gibson and his seminal
09:41film Braveheart. After fighting for Scottish independence, Wallace was named guardian of
09:46Scotland and eventually convicted of high treason by King Edward I of England.
09:58Wallace was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. We won't get into the specifics,
10:03but suffice to say, quartered is exactly what it sounds like. Following the incredibly graphic
10:09and painful execution, Wallace, or what was left of him, was made an example of atop London Bridge.
10:15Things were done very, very differently back then. 1327, King Edward II.
10:23One day you will be a king. At least try to act like one.
10:29King Edward II of England led a turbulent life marked by political failures and scandal.
10:34Ascending the throne in 1307, Edward's reign was defined by his controversial relationships with
10:40favorites like Pierce Gaveston, which are widely presumed to have had a sexual component.
10:45His political enemies, most notably his wife, Isabella, used his military defeats,
10:51most notably at Bannockburn, to undermine his authority.
10:55Your son will not sit long on the throne, I swear it.
10:58Twenty years after taking the throne, Edward was forced to abdicate in favor of his son,
11:03Edward III, and was imprisoned. His death later that year is infamous for its alleged brutality.
11:09Chroniclers claim that he was murdered at Berkeley Castle with a red-hot poker, though the truth
11:15remains debated. 1384, John Patrick.
11:21It's safe to say that the Hundred Years' War between France and England was responsible for the savage
11:26demise of many. Michel Pintoine, known as the Monk of Saint-Denis, wrote about multiple events surrounding
11:32the conflict, including the death of a man named John Patrick. A representative of Scotland,
11:37Patrick was seized by rebels while traveling through France. And though he was perhaps not
11:42even a direct participant of the war, the ambassador's captors decided to make an example out of him
11:47anyway. Admit the murder. Admit the murder or you will see what our authority looks like.
11:53They placed a metal crown on his head after it had been heated to an excruciatingly scalding temperature.
11:59Such a torturous method of murder seems appallingly horrendous, especially considering that the Monk's
12:05account implies that Patrick was just an unlucky victim of circumstance.
12:131514, Giorgi Doza. Medieval Europe was filled with revolts and uprisings,
12:18and Giorgia Doza of Transylvania led one of them. In the early 1500s, Doza led a peasant's rebellion
12:25against the nobility of the Kingdom of Hungary. He and his soldiers fought well, but they didn't stand
12:30a chance against the kingdom's massive army. Doza was eventually captured, and his execution was
12:36crafted to mock his ambitions. Doza was placed on a scalding iron throne and forced to wear a smoldering
12:43crown. He was then made to witness the execution of his own brother. And, while Doza was still alive,
12:54his body, shall we say, provided sustenance for other prisoners of war. That must have made for
13:00one hellish sight. 1521, Ferdinand Magellan. A world-famous explorer, Ferdinand Magellan died on
13:09April 27th, 1521, at the age of 41. Magellan was exploring what is now the Philippines when he
13:16encountered fierce resistance from a local tribe. The two parties engaged in the Battle of Mactan,
13:21which resulted in a decisive Mactan victory. It also resulted in the death of Ferdinand Magellan.
13:27Magellan was storming the beach with his men when he was hit by spears. He was also cut on the
13:32leg,
13:33and when he collapsed, was pounced on by numerous Mactan men. What remained was kept as a war trophy
13:39by Mactan chief Lapu-Lapu. 1584, Balthazar Girard. In March of 1580, King Philip II of Spain
13:51offered a sizable reward for the head of William of Orange. William was the leader of the Dutch
13:57revolt against Spain, and one of the main instigators of the Eighty Years' War. This bounty
14:02was answered by a man named Balthazar Girard, who killed William on July 10th, 1584. In response,
14:10Girard was tortured and executed. The methods of torture were extraordinarily harsh even for the time.
14:15The ordeal is way too graphic to be conveyed, but it consists of 300-pound weights, fire, branding,
14:22flaying, and sharp nails. Girard was finally put out of his misery in the Market Square on July 14th,
14:29having suffered what is probably the worst death in human history.
14:351649 Arthur Astin. An English army officer, Arthur Astin fought for King Charles I during the English
14:42Civil War, which raged for ten years between 1642 and 1652. Astin took part in the Siege of
14:50Drogheda, which saw him protecting the coastal Irish town from the invading Oliver Cromwell and his
14:55parliamentarians. Cromwell emerged victorious and laid waste to Drogheda, killing soldiers and civilians
15:01alike. Astin was confronted at Millmount Fort and killed after surrendering. It's reported that
15:08parliamentarian soldiers grabbed Astin's heavy wooden leg and beat him to death with it. He was one of
15:14the nearly 4,000 casualties that occurred during the siege. 1692, Giles Corey.
15:24Are you protecting Satan? Confess, you did see attacking spirits!
15:28No! I only thought I saw them, but I did not!
15:31In the late 1600s, hundreds of people in colonial Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft, and many
15:36were killed. A farmer named Giles Corey had it pretty darn bad. Corey was accused of witchcraft,
15:47but refused to enter a plea. When this happened, the accused would be subjected to a form of torture
15:52called Pien Fortedur. Corey was laid on the ground, and large rocks were placed on top of him.
15:58The hope was that the increasing weight would cause so much pain that Corey would eventually
16:02cave and enter a plea. But Corey remained silent, and the accumulative weight slowly but surely
16:17crushed him to death. 1718 Blackbeard
16:24Englishman Edward Teach is perhaps better known by his nickname Blackbeard. Blackbeard terrorized the
16:30seas of North America in the early 18th century with his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. But his notorious
16:35adventures came to an end on November 22nd, 1718. The governor of Virginia had ordered Blackbeard's
16:41capture, and he was attacked by Lieutenant Robert Maynard and his crew. According to Maynard himself,
16:47he fell with five shot in him, and twenty dismal cuts in several parts of his body. His body was
16:54carelessly thrown into the water, and his head was attached to the bow spirit of Maynard's ship.
17:00It then stood for several years in Chesapeake Bay as a public warning against piracy.
17:081781, Tupac Amaru II.
17:17No, we're not talking about that Tupac, though the famed American rapper was named for this legendary
17:23Peruvian revolutionary. He was instrumental in inspiring the Inca rebellion against Spanish
17:28colonists in 1780 South America. When finally captured, Tupac's final fate involved psychological
17:35and physical suffering. The Spanish insisted that Tupac watch the agonizing execution of his wife
17:44and other family members, before he endured his own physical disfigurement. First, Amaru lost his tongue,
17:51then he had each of his major limbs tied to four horses, which were sent running in opposite directions.
17:56When that still did not defeat him, the fallen leader lost his head, with his parts tragically
18:01displayed for all to see. All said, at least Tupac Amaru was a tough takedown.
18:101834, David Douglas. A famous botanist from the 19th century, David Douglas is the namesake for the
18:16Douglas Fir Tree of western North America. After traversing the Pacific Northwest, Douglas made his
18:22way to Hawaii, and it was here that he would die. Douglas was climbing a dormant volcano called Mauna Kea,
18:28when he fell into a trapping pit meant for wild cattle. While inside the pit, Douglas was mauled
18:37and trampled to death by a wild bull. Not a great way to go. However, suspicion also fell on a
18:46local
18:46hunter named Edward Gurney. Gurney was the last person to see Douglas alive, money was missing from
18:52Douglas's body after it was recovered, and it was Gurney's pit into which Douglas supposedly fell.
19:011916, Grigori Rasputin.
19:03Rasputin! Rasputin!
19:06This man has a reputation for being incredibly hard to kill. A reputation that is buoyed by the
19:12likes of the animated Anastasia movie, and that super catchy Boney M song.
19:20Rasputin was a supposed mystical healer who found himself in the social circles of Russian
19:25nobility. Accounts of his last stand are exaggerated, but yes, he certainly did experience a prolonged
19:32and painful death. Time to dance on your graves. First, he ate cake and drank wine that had been
19:41laced with cyanide. Nothing happened. Conspirators dropping pretenses, he was then shot in the chest.
19:47He collapsed, but ultimately survived.
19:56It took two more shots, including one to the head, to finally put Rasputin down for good.
20:01His body was subsequently dumped into the Malayanevka River in St. Petersburg.
20:06You said yourself I hit him in the head.
20:10Rasputin, this guy.
20:141920s, The Radium Girls.
20:15Unfortunately, not all of history's worst deaths were over quickly. Radiation poisoning has been
20:21among them, and a group of female factory employees fell victim to this in the 1920s.
20:27Known now as the Radium Girls, these women unknowingly ingested radium from luminous paint
20:32that they were assured was harmless. The radium painters weren't given much in the way of protection.
20:37In fact, workers were encouraged to use their lips and tongues to shape the tips of their brushes.
20:42Soon, the effects of the radium showed up in the health of the workers.
20:45Exposure caused serious health problems, including bone deterioration, tooth decay,
20:51sterility, anemia, and cancer. Some of the workers sought litigation against their employers,
20:56who were unwilling to accept responsibility. Five victims in New Jersey ultimately received
21:01settlements, though the insidious medical issues eventually claimed their lives. The court cases
21:06now hold historical significance because of their assistance with developing labor laws and women's
21:11rights, though it makes the casualties no less tragic.
21:14Expodile painters have already died of inexplicable causes. One of them was my sister. Do you believe that?
21:221974 Deborah Stone. Between 1974 and 1988, Disneyland had an attraction called America Sings.
21:30This was a rotating theater that contained a bunch of singing animatronic animals.
21:41The attraction was open for just nine days before tragedy struck. An employee named Deborah Stone
21:47was in the wrong position when the stage began to move. As a result, she was crushed between the
21:52rotating and the stationary walls. Stone reportedly screamed, but theatergoers thought it was part of the
21:58show. Luckily, one audience member thought otherwise and went to get help. Unfortunately,
22:03Stone was already dead by the time they arrived.
22:091983 – The Bifur Dolphin Incident A drilling rig that operated in the North Sea,
22:15the Bifur Dolphin saw its share of accidents. The most dreadful occurred on November 5th, 1983.
22:21Six men were working inside a diving chamber, which is meant to hold people under water. This chamber
22:27requires significant pressurization to protect the inhabitants from the ambient pressure of the deep sea.
22:32Unfortunately, a dive tender named William Cramond prematurely opened the clamp before the chamber
22:38was correctly pressurized. A massive, uncontrolled decompression occurred, killing five of the six men.
22:45Their blood boiled, and one of them was forced through an extremely narrow opening.
22:521999 – Hisashi Ouchi. Radiation sickness is an extraordinarily painful way to go. And while most
23:00people remember disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima, the worst nuclear-related death started in the
23:05Japanese village of Tokai. On September 30th, 1999, technician Hisashi Ouchi was blasted with an enormous
23:13amount of radiation. Following the accident, Ouchi immediately felt sick and grew disoriented.
23:19While at the hospital, it was discovered that the incident had essentially destroyed Ouchi's immune system,
23:25and that it was only a matter of time before he died. But his family insisted that the doctors
23:30do everything they could. So, they kept Ouchi alive for months, despite his body literally withering away.
23:36After numerous resuscitations, Ouchi finally died of a massive heart attack.
23:442001 – Gordon Moffat
23:47Gordon Moffat. This Scottish man from the town of Buckhaven was working on an oil rig when he suffered
23:53a gruesome demise. Moffat was dangling from a harness that was fed through a mouse hole – a small
23:58hole from which the harness cable spools, measuring 10 to 12 inches in diameter. The winch pulled Moffat
24:04towards the mouse hole at a speed of 11 inches per second, and his body was forced through. The
24:10official cause of death was crush asphyxiation and multiple injuries. The drilling company was
24:15fined £60,000 for the debacle. 2002 – Sean Doyle
24:22New York medical examiner Judy Melanick calls Sean Doyle's death the worst she has ever seen. Doyle went
24:29out drinking with his friend Michael Wright and Wright's girlfriend. Perhaps inebriated,
24:34Wright made the assumption that Doyle was hitting on his partner. He attacked Doyle and threw him
24:39down a manhole. Unfortunately, a main had broken, and at the bottom lay a pool of boiling water. Doyle
24:46did not die instantly. Unfortunately, responders were not able to enter the manhole owing to the incredible
24:52heat, and Doyle didn't make it. 2003 – Timothy Treadwell
24:58In all the faces of all the bears that Treadwell ever filmed, I discover no kinship, no understanding,
25:06no mercy. You may love nature, but nature does not love you back. Timothy Treadwell was a fervent
25:12bear enthusiast. I must hold my own if I'm going to stay within this land. For once there is weakness,
25:18they will explode it, they will take me out. He started an organization to help protect bear
25:22habitats, and then he lived amongst them in Alaska's Katmai National Park. But his devotion
25:28to these wild animals would be his downfall. Treadwell was camping with his girlfriend Amy
25:33Huguenard when they were attacked by a massive brown bear. Treadwell's camera was on at the time,
25:39and it captured the audio of his demise. This audio has never been released, but listeners have provided
25:44descriptions that are horrific enough. Both the camera and the couple's remains were found the
25:54next day. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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26:132009. John Jones. An amateur spelunker, John Jones was exploring Utah's Nutty Putty Cave with his
26:21brother on the night of November 24, 2009. Jones came across what he thought was the infamous Birth
26:27Canal Passageway. However, Jones's estimation was a bit off, and he entered an unmarked opening measuring
26:3310 by 18 inches. Jones was traversing the passage when he got stuck upside down. He has since slid
26:40back into that original position with his head down at a 60 or 70 degree angle, so a very uncomfortable
26:45spot. He remained upside down for the next 28 hours. Rescuers tried to save Jones, but there was nothing
26:52they could do with the size and geography of the passage. Jones's body eventually failed from being
26:57upside down for so long, and he went into cardiac arrest. Which brutal historical death haunts you the most?
27:04Let us know in the comments below!
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