10 Weirdest Deaths In History

Known as the Penman of the Constitution, Gouverneur Morris was one of the United States' Founding Fathers. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution, the latter of which he wrote the Preamble to. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he didn't think of himself as a citizen of his home state, but as a citizens of a nation. He was also a fierce critic of slavery. Clearly, this is a smart, forward-thinking man.

But a medical doctor, he was not.

First, do you know what whalebone is? It's actually a misnomer. Whalebone is just another name for baleen, or keratin bristles found in the mouths of baleen whales, meant to filter out krill. It's made of the same material as fingernails and toenails.

Mr. Morris had a bit of blockage in his urethra. The historical records never expound upon that, and that's okay. No one wants to know. But the mad lad got a piece of whalebone and tried to clear said blockage, resulting in some, well... localized injuries... which resulted in an infection that ultimately claimed his life.

Remember this story when you hear people talk about the Founding Fathers like they were omniscient demigods who got everything right 100% of the time. Remember the whalebone. Remember it...