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Valerian Abakovsky - Valerian Abakovsky was a Russian inventor who passed away aged 25, due to his invention, the Aerowagon.

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Valerian Abakovsky - The Aerowagon was an experimental, high-speed railcar, intended to shuttle Soviet officials. On a test drive, the wagon derailed, killing six of the 22 passengers, including Abakovsky.

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Luis Jiménez -

This American sculptor had a career spanning 30 years. Perhaps his most famous work is 'Blue Mustang,' a 32-feet (9.8-m) tall horse located at Denver International Airport, Colorado.

(Photo: Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Luis Jiménez -

One day, a large section of the Mustang fell on Mr. Jiménez, severing an artery in his leg. He died from his injuries.

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Franz Reichelt - This tailor lived until 1912, when he was notoriously killed by his own invention in Paris, France.

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Franz Reichelt - Reichelt invented the coat parachute, and wanted to test it out on the first deck of the Eiffel Tower. The invention failed on its first attempt, and Reichelt died on camera.

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Marie Curie - The Polish pioneer of medicine reached many milestones in her life. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first to win two Nobel Prizes, thanks to research on radioactivity.

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Marie Curie - Curie is credited with co-discovering radioactive elements like radium and polonium. She eventually died due to exposure to radiation which emitted from her research.

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Henry Smolinski -

Henry Smolinski was the designer of the AVE Mizar, which is basically a flying car, launched in 1973.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Henry Smolinski -

The AVE Mizar was basically a Ford Pinto attached to an airplane. Smolinski manned the car during a test flight, which fatally ended in disaster.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Max Valier - During the 1920s, Max Valier was a member of a German rocket society. During this time, he invented liquid-fueled rocket engines.

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Max Valier - However, in 1930, Valier was killed when an alcohol-fueled engine exploded on his test bench in Berlin.

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Horace Lawson Hunley - A Confederate marine, Horace Lawson Hunley developed submarines during the American Civil War. One of his inventions, the H. L. Hunley, became a death trap.

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Horace Lawson Hunley - Hunley assumed command during a test ride in 1863. The sub failed to resurface, and he and seven other crew members drowned to death.

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William Bullock - The web rotary printing press helped revolutionize the modern world. It also took the life of its inventor, William Bullock.

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William Bullock - While installing a machine in Philadelphia, Bullock's foot was caught and crushed by the invention. His foot developed gangrene, and he later died during the operation.

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Thomas Andrews, Jr. - This British shipbuilder was the naval architect in charge of plans for the RMS Titanic, you know, that monolithic vessel that sank in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Thomas Andrews, Jr. - Andrews was traveling on board the vessel on its maiden voyage, which notoriously ended in disaster. Over 1,500 other passengers died in the event.

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Henry Winstanley - Winstanley was a painter (that's his self-portrait above) and engineer. He built the first Eddystone lighthouse, which was targeted in the Great Storm of 1703.

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Henry Winstanley - The storm raged through the Eddystone Rocks, destroying the lighthouse and killing Winstanley, along with five other men.

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Aurel Vlaicu - The Romanian engineer named a self-built airplane after himself. However, the Vlaicu II didn't fare too well on a flight across the Carpathian Mountains.

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Aurel Vlaicu - Sadly, the plane did not finish the journey, and Vlaicu died in the crash in 1913. That said, the cause of the disaster remains a mystery.

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Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier - The French chemist and aviation pioneer invented the Rozière balloon in 1785. It crashed that same year, on a test ride across the English Channel.

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Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier - Accounts claim that the balloon caught fire, deflating the balloon, which caused it to crash in Pas-de-Calais. Rozier died in the crash.

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Francis Edgar Stanley - This fellow co-founded the Stanley Motor Carriage Company with his twin brother. They manufactured the Stanley Steamer, a high-powered steam car.

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Francis Edgar Stanley - Stanley died while driving a Stanley Steamer in 1918. The crash occurred when he tried to avoid farm wagons, and he swerved into a woodpile.

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Sylvester H. Roper - Roper was an inventor of the Roper steam velocipede, a futuristic steam buggy which some say was the world's first motorcycle.

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Sylvester H. Roper - He died in 1896 aged 72, during a public steam trial. His steam-powered bike crashed, which caused Roper to have a heart attack. It's not 100% clear if the heart attack or crash caused the death.

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Fred Duesenberg - Along with his brother August, Fred Duesenberg found fame after founding the Duesenberg Motors Company, which produced luxury cars from 1913 to 1937.

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Fred Duesenberg - Fred Duesenberg was killed in 1932 in a fatal high-speed road accident, while driving a Duesenberg automobile.

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Thomas Midgley, Jr. - Mr. Midgley was a U.S. engineer who became one of many people who contracted polio in the 20th century. However, that wasn't what killed him.

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Thomas Midgley, Jr. -

Midgley developed a network of ropes and pulleys to help him in bed. One day, he became entangled in the device, and strangled himself to death at the age of 55.

Find out how these inventions improve your everyday life!

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