Death

Documentarian Sebastian Junger, a veteran reporter and skeptic discusses his experiences—in particular, a frightening vision—after an aneurysm and internal hemorrhaging left him nearly dead. Junger talks about his NDE, the possible scientific explanations, and how that day changed his fundamental worldview.

Philosophers often argue the counterintuitive view that there's actually nothing to fear about death. How do they come to this attitude of acceptance toward fate? This video articulates the views on death from Socrates, Epicurus, and Zhuangzi in a breezy, digestible way.

Over 1,500 years of Roman and Byzantine imperial history, roughly 150 emperors reigned for an average of 11 years. Their median age was 51, and just less than half of them were killed. Historian Garrett Ryan compiles the macabre history of their final resting places, including several whose bodies were thrown into the Tiber. Then there's Nicephorus I, whose skull reportedly became the favorite drinking cup of Krum, the khan of the Bulgars. Watch the video here.

Popularized in 2017 by Margareta Magnusson and her book "Döstädning: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning," Swedish death cleaning is a cultural practice that encourages older folks to organize (and often donate) their belongings before they pass. This article explores the reasons behind the practice and explains how it can alleviate stress around death.

Of the thousands of celebrities whose name you know, how many can you remember the year they died? This simple game tests your knowledge of celebrity death days. An exact match gets you 1,000 points, and if you select within 15 years of the right year you get some points. Go see how much you remember here.

Before modern science and medicine, death was much harder to escape. Using real mortality records from London's Dreadful Visitation–a collection of all the Bills of Mortality from 1665–this interactive game gives you an idea of what may have possibly killed you during the Great Plague. Grow your appreciation for life today as you stumble upon causes of death like “livergrown” and “drowned at St. Katharine’s by the Tower”.

This article from Eater shares a fresh perspective on eating amongst the dead. Writer Tiffany Leigh shares the cultural significance of picnicking in cemeteries during the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, which is celebrated in Chinese culture. Her article explains how Qingming can be a tender and lighthearted event to remember the deceased and how that can differ from modern American attitudes toward death and cemeteries.

What happens after someone has a near-death experience? This podcast details how one man's life changed after his near-death experience, something common in those who experience the phenomenon, according to experts. Randy Schiefer nearly died in 2020 when he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and put in a medically induced coma. As medical staff worked to save him, Schiefer says he was elsewhere. After his experience, he and his family report that his behavior shifted, and he became more emotionally vulnerable and religious and lost his former lifelong fear of death.

Near-death experiences usually happen during death or on the border of life and death when a person isn't understood to be conscious. This article details the science of what's going on with the brain during NDEs.

Since forever ago, people have been burying the dead in odd ways that are still practiced today. Here's a roundup of some of the strangest burial spots in the world.