The King Who Died on the Toilet After Drinking Hot Chocolate
King George II of England reigned from 1727 to 1760. On October 25, 1760, King George II had just finished a delicious cup of hot chocolate, and went to use the bathroom in Kensington Palace. He was straining so hard that he had an aortic aneurysm. Doctors could not save him, because he was dead just moments after sitting on the toilet. After studying his body extensively, they diagnosed him with an “aortic dissection.” An aortic dissection is a serious condition in which a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body’s main artery (aorta). Blood rushes through the tear, causing the inner and middle layers of the aorta to split. This would later go on to help diagnose and prevent deaths for thousands of people who were suffering with the same problem.