Interesting facts about dying

Did you know?

You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.

Fleas have the distinction of killing more people than all the wars man has ever fought. The "Black Death" plague killed 1/4 of Europe's population in the 14th century, caused by germs transmitted from rodents to humans by fleas. 

Dr. Alice Chase, who wrote "Nutrition for Health" and numerous books on the science of proper eating, died of malnutrition.

When Mahatma Gandhi died, an autopsy revealed that his small intestine contained five gold Krugerrands (South African gold coins). 

When Thomas Edison died in 1941; Henry Ford captured his last dying breath in a bottle. 

In 1845, President Andrew Jackson's pet parrot was removed from his funeral for swearing.

There are over 200 Euphemisms for death in the English language

The English language contains many euphemisms related to dying and death. The practice of using euphemisms for death is likely to have originated with the belief that to speak the word "death" was to invite death. This may explain why death is a taboo subject in many English-speaking cultures. The use of euphemisms often involves metaphors for the person moving into another state or another place which seems to be more acceptable for those dealing with bereavement than using the term ‘dead’.

Some common euphemisms for death include: