Find what you love and let it kill you
You could say that they died trying.
Did they want to die? It is unlikely, but perhaps their consumed and feverish minds were willing to put everything on the line – including the one thing that mattered the most – life.
You could say that they were brave. They didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. They challenged and fought valiantly. They battled against the norms and laws of the world laid down by their predecessors. They fashioned new pathways despite the thrashing of rejection and doubt.
The fierce passion for what they were creating or discovering grew into a concerning obsession. An obsession so maddening that it took over their lives. An obsession that they paid for with their lives.
But, an obsession that led to victory. A fixation that they were right to permit consummation of every thought and deed, to the point of fatal consequences.
You could say many things, but you could not say it was a waste. Not a waste of time, not a waste of determination and not a waste of a life.
A Celebration of Death
Let us celebrate these heroes and heroines. These prolific scientists and intrepid inventors.
Let us not only celebrate their lives, but more so their deaths. For it is their deaths that allowed the growth and improvement of what they were pursuing.
They did let it kill them, but it in the end, the actual end, they won the fight.
Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Death by disease of the bone marrow caused by her work with chemicals and the exposure to radioactivity.
A New Element
She had a momentous, zealous and inspiring career,
That created a profound effect in the scientific sphere.
Paving the way for women in a field of male domination.
Through the discovery of polonium and study of radiation.
“I didn’t do it for myself. I did it for women everywhere.”
“The study of science won’t only change the world, it will change everything.”
Alexander Bogdanov (1873-1928)
Death by transfusing the blood from a student with malaria to himself.
A Red Star
Blurring the lines between what was fiction and seemly fact.
He believed the mystery of eternal youth had been cracked.
With a strong political conscious and an inquisitive mind.
His dedication to blood transfusions, made him one of a kind.
“I am prepared to fight for what I believe in. If we don’t fight for our beliefs then what is our purpose?”
“I am willing to dedicate my body to science. What is one life?”
Franz Reichelt (1879-1912)
Death by impact when his parachute failed during a jump off the Eiffel Tower.
A Leap Of Conviction
With the dawn of aviation, a brave tailor took a stand.
He was daring and determined to fly safely to land.
He remained undaunted in the face of denial.
Proving too stubborn and gripped with his trial.
“All I want is to show the world what my mind has been dreaming of.”
“Maybe one day my invention could save a life. What a delicious thought.”
Horace Hunley (1823-1863)
Death by drowning when he tested his new submarine (The Hunley) in the sea.
The Lost Hunley
A wandering lawyer and planter who found himself in the ocean
An eager engineer improving shipping lanes with utmost devotion.
His dedication led to the first submarine, but it was a cursed creation.
Many disastrous attempts were fatal and shocked the whole nation.
“Their lives were not a waste. We can thank them for changing history.”
“It is important to remain spirited in times like these. Without spirit we have nothing.”
Karen Wetterhahn (1948–1997)
Death by mercury poisoning when she worked on an experiment without adequate protection.
A Measured Life
A hard working professor, who gave her life to science.
A motivational inspiration and supporter of female alliance.
She exercised caution with the toxins she daily treated.
But despite various measures, with mercury she was defeated.
“I don’t see myself as an inspiration. I see myself as achieving what every woman has the right to.”
“We must never underestimate the dangers of chemicals. There is only so much we know about them.”
Written by Kelly-Anne Ellis
The quotes were created and inspired by research
conducted into the lives of the people.
