7.1 Francis Bacon

(A) In 1626 Francis Bacon had the cool idea that snow might keep food fresh, just like modern refrigerators do. One winter day, he ran to the market, bought a chicken, and filled it with snow.  The result: Bacon caught a cold and died a few days later. 

(B) In AD 79 a man named Pliny wanted to study the volcano Vesuvius as it erupted. He went too close and died after breathing in too much volcanic dust.

(C) The Swedish scientist Karl Scheele discovered more new chemicals than anyone else. He also had the dangerous habit of tasting them. Amazingly, he tasted the deadly chemical hydrogen cyanide and lived. But he also tasted mercury and wasn’t so lucky. He died of mercury poisoning.