Toxic Dates Time Line

The following time line was reproduced from the 2003 Deadly Dates Calendar with the permission of John Trestrail III, editor. For more information about this calendar or questions concerning reprinting please contact:
Mr. John Trestrail Phone: (616) 391-9099 E-mail: john.trestrail@spectrum-health.org
The Toxic Dates Time Line
B.C. 30 Suicide of Cleopatra, by the bite of an Asp (August 30, B.C. 30)
79 Death of Pliny the Elder, Mt. Vesuvius sulfurous cloud (August 25, 79)
1135 Birth of Moses Maimonides (March 30, 1135)
1216 Murder of England’s King John I, by Toad Toxins (October 19, 1216)
1431 Birth of Rodrio Borgia (Jan. 1, 1431)
1493 Birth of alchemist Paracelsus (Nov. 10, 1493)
1507 Death in battle of Cesare Borgia (March 12, 1507)
1519 Birth of poisoner Catherine de' Medici (April 13, 1519)
1541 Death of Paracelsus (September 24, 1541)
1542 Margaret Davie is the last poisoner boiled to death (March 17, 1542)
1589 Catherine de' Medici dies (Jan. 5, 1589)
1636 Birth of toxicologist Eberhard Gockel (June 13, 1636)
1670 Birth of Richard Mead, wrote first book in English on poisons (Aug. 11, 1670)
1676 Execution by beheading of poisoner the Marquise D’Aubrey (July 16, 1676)
1696 Duke Eberhard Ludwig bans the adding of lead to wine (March 10, 1696)
1742 Scientist Carl Scheele dies after inhaling HCN, which he had just discovered (Dec. 9, 1742)
1752 Mary Blandy is hanged for poisoning her father (April 5, 1752)
1770 Suicide of writer Thomas Chatterton, arsenic (August 24, 1770)
1783 Birth of François Magendie, discoverer of Emetine (Oct. 15, 1783)
1787 Birth of toxicologist Mathieu JB Orfila (April 24, 1787)
1789 Explorer John Ledyard dies in Cairo, Egypt, from nerve tonic OD (Jan. 10, 1789)
1791 Murder of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arsenic; Vienna, Austria (Dec. 5, 1791)
1794 Birth of James Marsh, inventor of a test for arsenic (September 2, 1794)
1799 American patriot Patrick Henry dies of an OD of medicinal mercury (June 6, 1799)
Sir Humphrey Davy first describes the effects of “laughing gas” (Dec. 26, 1799)
1809 Mary Bateman, “The Yorkshire Witch,” is executed (March 20, 1809)
1817 Explorer John Franklin dies of lead poisoning (June 11, 1817)
1821 Murder of Napoleon I, arsenic; St. Helena (May 4, 1821)
1840 Orfila uses new Marsh Test for arsenic, in LaFarge trial; Tulle, France (September 14, 1840)
1856 “The Rugeley Poisoner,” William Palmer, MD, hanged; London, England (June 14, 1856)
1859 Poisoner William King, MD, hanged; Cobourg, Ontario (June 9, 1859)
1863 A. von Baeyer discovers barbiturates (names for the Fest of St. Barbara) (May 24, 1863)
Robert E. Lee, weakened by food poisoning, agrees to ill-fated Pickett’s Charge; Gettysburg, PA (July 3, 1863)
1865 Poisoner Edward Pritchard, MD, hanged; Scotland (July 28, 1865)
1869 Birth of Alice Hamilton, matriarch of American occupational medicine (Feb. 27, 1869)
1873 Mary Ann Cotton, poisoner of 15 victims, is hanged (March 24, 1873)
1878 Poisoner Lydia Sherman dies in Wethersfield prison (May 16, 1878)
1882 Poisoner George Lamson, MD, hanged, England (April 28, 1882)
1890 Birth of mystery writer Agatha Christie, Torquay, England (Sept. 15, 1890)
1892 Poisoner Etienne Deschamps hanged; New Orleans, LA (May 12, 1892)
“The Lambeth Poisoner,” Thomas Neill Cream, MD, hanged; England (Nov. 5, 1892)
1893 Poisoner Carlyle Harris is electrocuted at Sing Sing (May 8, 1893)
Union spy Pauline Cushamn dies of Opium OD (Dec. 2, 1893)
1894 Phisalex and Calmette discover anti-venins (Feb. 10, 1894)
1895 Poisoner Robert Buchanan, MD, electrocuted; Sing Sing, NY (July 2, 1895)
1896 Poisoner Herman W. Mudgett, creator of the “house of horror,” is hanged; Chicago (May 7, 1896)
“Cannonball” Crane dies of chloral hydrate OD (September 19, 1896)
1902 Poisoner May Jane Toppen sent to asylum for murder of 100 patients (June 23, 1902)
Death of novelist Emile Zola, from accidental carbon monoxide; Paris, France (Sept. 28, 1902)
1903 Severin Klosovski is executed for poisoning his wives (April 7, 1903)
1904 Dan Mahoney of the Cincinnati Reds dies from ingesting carbolic acid (Feb. 1, 1904)
1905 Poisoner Arthur Devereux hanged; Pentonville, England (Aug. 15, 1905)
1906 Birth of Albert Hoffman, isolator of psychedelic drugs (Jan. 11, 1906)
1907 Suicide of Chick Stahl, Boston Red Sox manager, carbolic acid (March 28, 1907)
Birth of Rachel Carson, author and “Mother of Environmental Movement” (May 27. 1907)
1909 Birth of Dr. Jay Arena, promoter of the “childproof cap” (March 3, 1909)
1910 Poisoner Hawley Harvey Crippen, MD, hanged; England (Nov. 23, 1910)
1915 Absinthe banned in France (March 16, 1915)
Suicide of poisoner “Mad Mr.” Meunter (July 6, 1915)
1916 Death of Romanian Prince Mercier, from poisoned candy dropped from airplanes (November 4, 1916)
1917 World War I:
U.S. accuses Germans of inoculating French citizens with TB (July 9, 1917)
Germans launch first sulphur mustard attack (July 17, 1917)
Disaster, ship Mont Blanc explodes with picric acid; Halifax, Nova Scotia (Dec. 7, 1917)
1920 Birth of LSD guru Timothy Leary (October 22, 1920)
1922 Poisoner Henri Desire Landru guillotined, France (Feb. 23, 1922)
Poisoner Herbert Rowse Armstrong hanged; Gloucester, England (May 31, 1922)
1924 Gee Jon is first criminal executed in U.S. by cyanide in the Gas Chamber (Feb. 28, 1924)
Death of writer Franz Kafka, from opium; Prague, Czechoslovakia (June 3, 1924)
1926 Gertrude Bell, “The Uncrowned Queen of Iraq,” commits suicide with sleeping meds (July 11, 1926)
Poisoner Petrus deBeer executed by hanging (July 30, 1926)
1927 Law — Caustic Poison Act passed to protect children from lye, USA (March 4, 1927)
1931 Silent movie star Art Acord commits suicide with cyanide (Jan. 4, 1931)
1932 Poisoner Daisy Louisa DeMelker hanged; Johannesburg, South Africa (Dec. 30, 1932)
1934 Poisoners (4 men) of Mike Malloy executed; New York (June 8, 1934)
Death of Scientist Marie Curie, radium poisoning (July 4, 1934)
1935 102 cane toads are captured in Hawaii, to be shipped to Australia (June 1, 1935)
Cane toads are released into Australia (August 18, 1935)
Chemical warfare agent, poison gas, used by Italians; Ethiopia (Oct. 10, 1935)
Actress Thelma Todd is found dead in garage from CO poisoning (Dec. 15, 1935)
1937 Poisoner Anna Marie Hahn electrocuted, Cincinnati, OH (June 2, 1937)
1938 Law - Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act passed, USA (June 25, 1938)
“Typhoid Mary” dies after 23 years of confinement (Nov. 11, 1938)
1939 Dr. Sigmund Freud is euthanized with morphine (September 23, 1939)
1940 Suicide of former welterweight champ “Kid McCoy,” from sleeping pills (April 18, 1940)
1941 Japanese use poison gas at Ichang, China, during World War II (Oct. 20, 1941)
1942 Suicide of novelist Stefan Zweig, with Veronal; Austria (Feb. 21, 1942)
1944 Overdose death from barbiturates of evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson (Sept. 27, 1944)
Suicide of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, cyanide; Ulm, Germany (Oct. 14, 1944)
1945 Auschwitz liberated by Soviet Army (Jan. 27, 1945)
Suicide of Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler, with cyanide (May 23, 1945)
Bombing (atomic) of Hiroshima, Japan (August 6, 1945)
Bombing (atomic) of Nagasaki, Japan (August 9, 1945)
1946 Suicide of Nazi Hermann Göring with cyanide; Nuremberg, Germany (Oct. 7, 1946)
1948 Poisoner Sadamachi Hirasawa robs bank, cyanide, Tokyo, Japan (Jan. 26, 1948)
1951 Law — Delaney Committee starts Congressional investigation, USA (Oct. 26, 1951)
1952 Paul “Big Poison” Warner inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, NY (July 19, 1952)
1954 Poisoner Christa Lehman gives E-605 (an OPI) to neighbours; Worms, Germany (Feb. 15, 1954)
Death of computer pioneer Alan Turing from cyanide (June 7, 1954)
1960 Law — Federal Hazardous Substance Labelling Act signed, USA (July 12, 1960)
1962 President Kennedy urges women to turn in their Thalidomide (Aug. 1, 1962)
Death of film star Marilyn Monroe from barbiturate OD; Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 5, 1962)
Dr. Frances Kelsey is awarded gold medal for preventing the Thalidomide disaster (August 17, 1962)
1963 Suicide of author Sylvia Plath, “The Bell Jar,” by natural gas (Feb. 11, 1963)
Death of football star “Big Daddy” Lipscombe from heroin OD (May 10, 1963)
1964 Suicide of actor Alan Ladd, sedatives and alcohol (Jan. 29, 1964)
1965 1st case of “Epping Jaundice” is seen, from contaminated bread in a truck (Feb. 5, 1965)
Actress Dorothy Dandridge is found dead from Tofranil OD (Sept. 8, 1965)
1966 Death of musician Bobby Fuller, from gasoline asphyxia. Foul play (July 18, 1966)
Death of comedian Lenny Bruce, from morphine OD; Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 3, 1966)
1967 Dr. Carl Coppolini is sentenced to life in prison for poisoning wife with succinyl chlorine (April 29, 1967)
Lloyd “Little Poison” Warner inducted into Baseball' Hall of Fame, NY (July 22, 1967)
Suicide of Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, sleeping pills (August 27, 1967)
1968 Suicide of actor Nick Adams, with sedatives (Feb. 7, 1968)
Antidote — FDA approves Desferal for iron poisoning (April 1, 1968)
1970 Death of rock star Jimi Hendrix, from drug OD; London, England (Sept. 18, 1970)
Poison Prevention Act is signed (Dec. 31, 1970)
1971 Birth of poison symbol "Mr. Yuk®" (Jan. 23, 1971)
Suicide of actress Pier Angeli, with barbiturates (September 11, 1971)
1972 Suicide of actor George Sanders, Nembutal (April 26, 1972)
Clean Water Act is passed (October 18, 1972)
1973 Death of actor/martial arts expert, Bruce Lee, equagesic allergy (July 20, 1973)
1974 Poisoner Ronald O’Bryan, “The Candy Man,” Cyanide Halloween candy; Pasadena, TX (October 31, 1974)
1975 Death of mystery writer Agatha Christie, Devon, England (Jan. 12, 1975)
1976 Disaster, Dioxin; Seveso, Italy (July 10, 1976)
Death of actress Anissa Jones (“Buffy” on Family Affair), barbiturate OD (August 28, 1976)
Toxic Substances Control Act (TOSCA), signed by President Gerald Ford (Oct. 11, 1976)
1978 President Jimmy Carter declares emergency at Love Canal, New York (Aug. 7, 1978)
Suicide of actor Charles Boyer, Seconal (August 26, 1978)
Assassination of Georgi Markov, Ricin; London, England (September 7, 1978)
Suicide of 913 People's Temple members, cyanide; Jonestown, Guyana (Nov. 18, 1978)
1979 Death of punk-rock singer Sid Vicious, from heroin OD, New York, NY (Feb. 2, 1979)
Anthrax escapes from Sverdlovsk military facility (April 2, 1979)
Thurman Munson dies of cyanide and carbon monoxide poisoning while trapped in his plane (August 2, 1979)
1980 Drummer John Bonham asphyxiates after 40 shots of vodka (Sept. 25, 1980)
Death of actress Rachel Roberts, from barbiturate OD (Nov. 26, 1980)
Law — Superfund created by President Carter with $1.6 billion, USA (Dec. 12, 1980)
Death of singer Tim Harden from heroin OD (Dec. 29, 1980)
1981 Jaime Vanero Garcia becomes first victim of “rapeseed oil epidemic” (May 1, 1981)
1982 Death of Blues singer Tommy Tucker (Jan. 22, 1982)
Actor John Belushi dies of “speedball” overdose, after 20 injections within 24 hours (March 5, 1982)
1984 Poisoner Ronald C. O’Bryan executed by lethal injection; TX (March 31, 1984)
Robert Diaz is convicted of murdering patients with Lidocaine (March 29, 1984)
1986 Phil Lynott of “Thin Lizzy,” dies from heroin OD (Feb. 4, 1986)
Death of imprisoned Vatican financial advisor Michele Sindona, with cyanide (March 22, 1986)
Antidote — FDA approves Digibind® for digoxin poisoning (April 22, 1986)
Bruce Nickell is poisoned with cyanide, by his wife Stella (June 5, 1986)
CO2 cloud escapes from Lake Nyos, Cameroon, killing 1,000 people (Aug. 21, 1986)
Schweizerhalle environmental disaster occurs, Switzerland (Nov. 1, 1986)
1987 Death of singer Paul Butterfield, from drug OD (May 5, 1987)
Stella Nickel is sentenced to 90 years in prison for murdering her husband with cyanide (May 9, 1987)
1st Toxicology Quiz Bowl held, Vancouver, Canada (West 190, East 115) (Oct. 1, 1987)
Arrest of nurse Richard Angelo for murder of patients with muscle relaxants (Nov. 15, 1987)
1988 Graffiti artist Jean Michel Basquiat is found dead of cocaine and heroin OD (Aug. 12, 1988)
1989 Suicide of activist Abbie Hoffman, by barbiturates and ethanol (April 12, 1989)
CDC receives first reports of EMS syndrome (Nov. 8, 1989)
1990 Dr. Jack Kavorkian assists his first suicide patient (June 4, 1990)
Ban by EPA of mercury in paint (August 20, 1990)
Deaths of religious cult members from CO; Tijuana, Mexico (Dec. 13, 1990)
1991 Antidote — FDA approves use of Succimer® for lead poisoning (Jan. 30, 1991)
Poisoner George Trepal found guilty of murder; Barlow, FL. (March 6, 1991)
19,500 gallons of Vapam falls into the Sacramento River (July 14, 1991)
1st meeting of the Toxicological History Society held, Toronto, Canada (Oct. 4, 1991)
Antidote — FDA approves Flumazenil for benzodiazepine poisoning (Dec. 20, 1991)
1992 Report published of first poisonous bird, “Hooded Pitohui,” Science (Oct. 30, 1992)
1993 Jack-in-the-Box restaurant recalls hamburgers, as E. Coli affects 230 patrons (Jan. 18, 1993)
Suicide of author Fletcher Knebel, “The Seven Days in May,” sleeping pills (Feb. 26, 1993)
Nuclear accident at Tomsk-7, Siberia (April 6, 1993)
Death of veteran defensive back David Weymer, from cocaine OD (April 30, 1993)
248 boa constrictors overdose on cocaine, while being used as “body packers” (June 22, 1993)
1994 Fumes from patient Gloria Ramirez cause collapse of ER personnel (Feb. 19, 1994)
Aum Shunrikyo used Sarin in Matsumoto, Japan, killing 7 citizens (June 27, 1994)
Suicide of Pulitzer Prize photo-journalist Kevin Carter, from CO (July 27, 1994)
53 members of the “Order of the Solar Temple” commit suicide in Canada and Switzerland (October 5, 1994)
Award-winning columnist Betsy Lehman dies from OD of Cytoxan (Dec. 3, 1994)
1995 Singer Phyllis Hyman commits suicide with sleeping pills (June 30, 1995)
Death of Louis Gdalman, RPh, founder of 1st US Poison Center (Aug. 29, 1995)
British astrologer Patric Walker dies from food poisoning (Oct. 8, 1995)
Shannon Hoon of “Blind Melon” dies of drug OD (Oct. 21, 1995)
1996 Don Simpson, producer of Flash Dance and Top Gun, overdoses on “speed” and wine (Jan. 19, 1996)
Actress Margaux Hemingway is found dead of phenobarbital OD (July 1, 1996)
Jonathan Melvoin, of “Smashing Pumpkins,” dies of heroin OD (July 13, 1996)
1997 39 UFO cult member commit suicide with phenobarbital and vodka (March 26, 1997)
Dartmouth dean Karen Watterhahn dies after spilling Dimethyl Mercury in a laboratory (June 12, 1997)
Antizol® (fomepizole) Injection is approved by the FDA (Dec. 4, 1997)
Comedian Chris Farley is found dead from morphine and cocaine OD (Dec. 18, 1997)
1998 Milli Vanilli “singer” Ro Pilatus dies of drug and alcohol OD (April 3, 1998)
Ikuro Hayushi, head of Aum Shinrikyo Hospital, sentenced for role in Sarin deaths (May 26, 1998)
Porn star Trinity Loren dies from drug OD (October 24, 1998)
1999 Li Yuhui is sentenced to death for giving cyanide to 5 woman claiming it a health product (March 23, 1999)
Dallas Cowboy tackle Mark Tuinei dies of XTC and heroin OD (May 6, 1999)
2000 Dam at Bain Mare gold mine, Romania spills 100 tons of cyanide in Danube and Tisza rivers (Jan. 20, 2000)
Dr. Harold Shipman convicted for 15 murders (believed to have poisoned over 300 patients) (Jan. 31, 2000)
President Clinton signs “Poison Center Enhancement and Awareness Act” (Feb. 25, 2000)
Death of Alan Done, MD, creator of the “Done nomogram” (March 18, 2000)
First cases of largest North American E. Coli outbreak begins to appear in Walkerton, Ontario (May 17, 2000)
Dr. Michael Swango is sentenced to life without parole for poisoning patients (September 6, 2000)
2002 Fest of “St. John the Apostle,” patron saint of poison specialists (Dec. 27, 2002)