The Cruzan Family's fight for their daughter's right to die helped raise awareness about the need for advanced health directives and living wills.
All in Death
Legs Diamond Finally Dies
By double-crossing friends and foes alike, Diamond created a world of enemies.
Silver Bridge Collapse
46 people died as cars and trucks plunged 100 feet into the near-freezing water of the Ohio River.
John Kendrick's Final Salute
John Kendrick was a Cape Cod sea captain who lived an adventure-filled life.
Bad Night at the Hacienda Motel
It was on this evening that Sam Cooke, the King of Soul, was shot dead in a seedy Los Angeles motel.
The End of Escobar
Despite his attempt to portray himself as a Robin Hood character, Pablo Escobar's ruthlessness and greed eventually caught up with him.
Death of Ivan Ivanovich
The Tsar cradled his son’s bleeding head and cried out, “May I be damned! I’ve killed my son! I’ve killed my son!”
The Westfield Ferry
In 1871, 125 lives were lost when one of the Staten Island ferries exploded.
Empire State Disaster
A B-25 bomber on a routine transport mission slammed into the Empire State Building.
Hero Boiled Alive
Others warned him not to dive in, but he told them, "Like hell I won't!"
Triskaidekaphobia
He dreaded the number 13...and as he feared, he died on Friday the 13th.
Bad Idea
Garry Hoy's fatal plunge is now a gold standard in the realm of urban legends.
Death in the Mess
Dale Buis and Chester Ovnand are the first of over 58,000 names on the Vietnam War Memorial.
Soapy Smith
He was one of the most infamous con artists on the western frontier.
All-American Hero
One by one, three boys fell off the underwater cliff. None of them could swim, and neither could Joe Delaney.
Last of the Great Auks
It was an excellent swimmer, but rather clumsy on land, which made it easy prey for eagles, polar bears and humans.
Heaven's Gate
This was the day that police found the bodies of 39 members of a religious cult based in San Diego County.
The Deadly Beat
Jean-Baptiste Lully, the Italian composer whose fast-tempoed music livened up the court of France's Louis XIV, died on this day after a 3-month battle with an infection that started with a smashed toe.
Attack of the Crocodiles
It was on this day in what is now Burma, that hundreds of Japanese soldiers were attacked and eaten by crocodiles.
Bad Day at Boroughbridge
This was the day that Humphrey de Bohun, the 4th Earl of Hereford met his particularly gruesome fate.