Four Famous Curses

Sometimes, bad stuff happens. Over and over again. In the presence of the same object or place. Just a bunch of coincidences? Or a curse?

Howard Carter, an English explorer, discovered the ancient tomb of King Tutankhamen and all its riches in 1922. Note that this trip was funded by Lord Carnarvon (George Herbert). Strange and horrific events began to take place several months after the tomb was opened. The Lord came to Cairo and died from pneumonia following complications from a mosquito bite. Apparently, at the exact moment Carnarvon passed away, all the lights in Cairo mysteriously went out.

Back in England, Carnarvon’s son reported that his dog howled and died the same time his father did. Several other people from the expedition died too, but strangely, Howard Carter did not. The creepiest bits? The apparent inscription, “Death comes on wings to he who enters the tomb of a pharaoh,” on King Tut’s tomb, and that Tutankhamen himself was found to have a wound on the left cheek in the exact position as the insect bite on Carnarvon that lead to his death. [s]

On 30th September, 1955, James Dean was killed in a car crash involving his Porsche (which he called “Little Bastard”). Of course, the car was bought by George Barris, who had Little Bastard fall on his legs during a tune up, breaking them. Then, the engine transmission went on to be purchased by two doctors. One was injured and the other killed.

After a car containing Little Bastard’s wheels had them blow up and send the driver to hospital, the car disappeared for a while. Then, in the 60s, a truck carrying it on an exhibition circuit crashed, you guessed it, killing the driver. By the time the authorities arrived, James Dean’s car was long gone. Where? No one knows.

Four actors who played Superman, George Reeves, Bud Collyer, Lee Quigley and Christopher Reeve, met their death soon after portraying the red-caped man in film. Only the other two, Dean Cain and Brandon Routh remain alive. Kirk Alyn died in 1999 (51 years after playing the lead role), but it was in no way associated with Superman.

But that’s not all. Kate Bosworth blames her break up with Orlando Bloom on the movie, and Margot Kidder (who played Lois Lane along Christopher Reeve) went missing for a few days in 1996. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after police found her in a delusional state. Other cases include such as Christopher Reeve’s widow dying of lung cancer at age 44. [s]

William Henry Harrison won the presidency in 1840 with the slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”, referring to his participation in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Then, after delivering a long address on a cold and windy day, he caught a cold, developed complications and died. This death was the start of the Tecumseh’s curse: any president elected in a year ending in a zero would die in office.

This curse held out to be true; presidents which died matching the curse criteria are: Abraham Lincoln (elected in 1860), James Garfield (1880), William McKinley (1900), Warren G. Harding (1920), Franklin Roosevelt (1940) and John F. Kennedy (1960). The first president to foil this curse was Ronald Reagan (1980), and many now consider it to be broken. [s]