Which historical figure died in the weirdest way possible?

Chrysippus of Solos was a Greek philosopher known for his great contributions to Stoicism, a philosophical doctrine that seeks to achieve happiness and wisdom regardless of material goods.

He was a very important philosopher, a highly admired sage at the time known for his eccentricity and arrogance, “If I thought there was someone better than me, I would have already gone to teach myself. ” He wrote more than 705 works and is considered the founder of the city of Stoa and the father of grammar as a discipline in Greece.

Leaving aside his contributions to the world of philosophy and science, the most striking thing about his career was the way he died. Chrysippus was a very serious man, a highly respected intellectual, and death came to him when he least expected it: laughing.

What made him die of laughter?

In the middle of a night of drinking, the philosopher decided to get a donkey drunk. He made the animal drink large amounts of wine until it became disoriented, in search of food, the donkey decided to try eating some prickly pears. The strange situation was so funny to the philosopher that he died in the middle of a laugh.

His companions do not know how to explain for sure what it was that Chrysippus found so funny about that situation, but he will be remembered forever for making the phrase “He died of laughter” a reality.

Wait a minute, dying of laughter is possible?

Yes. Laughter itself does not cause death, but a very strong reaction of the body can cause heart failure, suffocation, release of clots in the brain, among other consequences.

The expression “to die of laughter”

It is one of the most common popular sayings and is used to express that something was extremely funny, but in reality the phrase has a rather particular background: a list of deaths due to fits of laughter.

One of the most famous cases is that of Cleopatra’s assistant, who died witnessing the death of her husband.

Zeuxis, a famous Greek painter, died of laughter when an old lady asked him for a portrait of Aphrodite using her as a model.

In 1410 King Martin of Aragon died of a combination of indigestion and excessive laughter, as did Pietro Aretino and Thomas Urguhart.

Chrysippus of Solos