Okay, so this whole Tutankhamun curse thing kept popping up everywhere lately. You know, documentaries mentioning it, folks online debating if it’s real. Honestly, I figured it was mostly just spooky stories for tourists. But then I thought, “What if there’s actually something weird going on?” So I decided to dive in myself, try to find out if those mysterious deaths had any meat on the bone. Just me, my laptop, and way too much coffee.
Getting Started: Where the Heck Do You Even Begin?
First thing, I needed to figure out who actually died around that whole Tut discovery business. Everyone always talks about Lord Carnarvon. So I guess that’s square one. I fired up the browser – simple searches at first: “people involved Tutankhamun excavation who died.” Names started popping up alright. Carnarvon, Carter… then some others I hadn’t really heard of much. George Herbert, Herbert Carter… wait no, Howard Carter lived! See, I was getting confused already.
I quickly realized I needed a proper list. Who opened the tomb? Who was around in those first few years after? My desk looked like a paper bomb went off as I scribbled names and dates. Messy, but it worked.
Going Deeper: This Got Weeeeeeird
Okay, names down. Now, how did they die? This is where it got seriously strange. Carnarvon, the big boss money man? Died in Egypt just months after the tomb opening… from a mosquito bite that got infected? Seriously? A freakin’ mosquito bite taking down a healthy guy like that?
Then you got George Jay Gould, some super rich American guy who visited the tomb after Carnarvon died. He caught a fever while in Egypt and died not long after getting home? That pattern… getting a bit spooky.
Archibald Douglas Reid, the guy tasked with X-raying the mummy before they unwrapped it? Died suddenly after doing the X-rays? Didn’t even get to finish the job. Weird.
And Richard Bethell? Carter’s personal secretary. Found dead in bed at his club in London just a few years later. Cause? Smothered, they called it “heart failure.” But smothered? That sounds shady as heck. Nobody saw nothing?
Then there’s Aubrey Herbert, Carnarvon’s half-brother. Died from blood poisoning following dental surgery? This was years later! But the story goes he was convinced the curse got his brother and was coming for him next. Went kinda nuts worrying about it before dying. Spooky connections messing with your head.
Putting It Together: My Top 5 Mysterious Deaths
So after going through all this, wading through so many names and causes that often felt flimsy or way too coincidental, I ended up with my personal top 5 “Yeah, that makes you raise an eyebrow” deaths linked to the curse idea:
- Carnarvon & the Mosquito: Fit, rich guy. Dies from infected mosquito bite mere months after opening the tomb? Too random. Too fast.
- George Jay Gould’s Fever: Visits tomb, gets mystery illness in Egypt, dies shortly after leaving? Feels connected.
- Archibald Reid & the X-Ray: Dies suddenly right after starting the crucial X-raying process? No real explanation. Very odd timing.
- Richard Bethell’s Smothered Death: Young, Carter’s secretary. Found “smothered” (so heart failure?) in London? Sounds fishy, like maybe unseen pressure or threat.
- Aubrey Herbert’s Poison & Paranoia: The brother, years later, dying from dental infection? Spooky? Not the craziest. But his absolute belief in the curse eating him up? Made the connection feel chilling.
Honestly, some folks listed might just be coincidence – bad luck, Egypt being tough health-wise back then. But these five? Man, the timing, the causes being so bizarre sometimes, and the close ties to the tomb opening… it makes you wonder. Was it germs? Bad coincidence? Ancient mold spores? Or something we just can’t explain? It was creepy digging it up, let me tell you!
