Who Knew That Going to the Toilet Could Be So Dangerous?

We love Google. And we just adore Wikipedia. Frankly, how did people amuse themselves before it was possible to waste unbelievable amounts of time looking up random facts? Faint memories stir at the back of our cerebellum: possibly people used to talk to each other. Or read books. Or give money to charity. Anyway, who cares? We've got some seriously random information for you - about famous people who died on the toilet!

Let's start with the main man, shall we? The King! Of Rock'n'Roll! Elvis! The Pelvis! He popped his clogs and joined the heavenly choir on August 16, 1977. Not a glamorous way to go, perhaps, but then again a toilet is a good a place to pass on as any.

Elvis: Hunk-a hunk-a burning... Well, let's leave it at that, shall we?

Elvis on the toilet. Believe us, there are many tasteless toilet-related Elvis images floating around
on the net. We content ourselves with this one, from bdembroidery

Edmund II of England, known to his pals as Edmund Ironside, is rumoured to have been stabbed while going to the bog in 1016.

Edmund II: If he looks startled it's because he was unexpectedly stabbed while on the toilet.
Image from thepeerage.com

King Wenceslaus III of Bohemia was killed by having a spear thrust through him while on the bog in 1306. Ouch.

King Wenceslaus III: Killed while seated on his, er, throne. Image from Wikipedia.

George II (father of the mad one) met the Grim Reaper, in the shape of an aortic dissection, while in the water closet in 1760. Wikipedia tells us that, "According to Horace Walpole's memoirs, King George 'rose as usual at six, and drank his chocolate; for all his actions were invariably methodic. A quarter after seven he went into a little closet. His German valet de chambre in waiting heard a noise, and running in, found the King dead on the floor.'"

George II: Splendid-looking man, weak interior plumbing.

Also, says Wikipedia, "In 1945, the German submarine U-1206 was sunk after the toilet malfunctioned, and a crewman's botched repair forced them to the surface". (Read all about it here.)

When going to the bog on one of these, proceed with caution. Image from wrecksite.eu

Really, where would we be without Wikipedia? Here are some fascinating facts we found entirely by mistake, from the Wikipedia page about the tv program QI (starring, of course, the inimitable Stephen Fry) :

The number of people killed by sharks since records began (roughly 2,200) is equal to just five per cent of the number of toilet-related injuries in the United States in 1996. The total number of people injured by toilets was 43,687.

The toilet paper capital of the world is Green Bay, Wisconsin.

George III's last words were "I think I'll have another one of Mr. Bellamy's pork pies". He died on the toilet, like Elvis Presley.

Like father, like son!

George III: Mad as a box of frogs. Died, reportedly, on the toilet. Image from Wikipedia (where else?)