A Rockefeller in Papua Sparks A Cannibalistic Mystery
Michael Rockefeller, scion of the influential Rockefeller family, led a life marked by privilege, education, and a passion for art and exploration. Despite his affluent upbringing, Michael pursued his interests with vigor, attending prestigious schools and even serving in the US Army. However, his promising future took a tragic turn in 1961 during an expedition to New Guinea, where he met a macabre and unexpected end. Venturing to New Guinea to study indigenous tribes, Michael’s journey led him to the Asmat tribe along the southwestern coast. Fascinated by their culture, he embarked on collecting artifacts and studying their customs. Yet, tragedy struck during a routine boat journey on November 18th, 1961, when Michael’s vessel capsized in treacherous waters.
While local children swam to safety, Michael and a Dutch anthropologist, Renee Wassing, clung to the overturned boat, hoping to salvage their belongings. In a fateful decision, Michael attempted to swim to shore but never returned. Despite extensive search efforts, he was never found, and his fate remained shrouded in mystery for decades. Recent investigations and eyewitness accounts have suggested that Michael may have been killed and eaten by members of the Asmat tribe, a grim conclusion supported by colonial reports and local testimony. Despite the tragic circumstances of his demise, Michael Rockefeller’s legacy endures through his contributions to anthropology and the arts, with many of the artifacts he collected now housed in renowned institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
All That’s Interesting – The Story of Franz Reichelt, the Man Who Died Jumping Off the Eiffel Tower
American Battlefield Trust – The Death of John Sedgwick
Amusing Planet – Franz Reichelt’s Fatal Jump
Ancient Origins – John of Bohemia: A Heroic King Blind to His Fate
Ancient Origins – Heraclitus Died When He Covered Himself in Cow Dung
Arab America – Al Mutanabbi: The Greatest Arab Poet
BBC – Victorian Strangeness: The Lawyer Who Shot Himself Proving His Case
Catton, Bruce – The Civil War, Three Volumes in One (1984)
Cracked – 4 Dudes Who Tried to Prove Themselves, and Died Horribly Instead
Curious Archive – The Bizarre Death of Garry Hoy
Daily Beast – Was This Rockefeller Heir Eaten by Cannibals?
Discerning History – Peter Bartholomew: Life and Death of a Fanatical Fraud
Encyclopedia Britannica – Al Mutanabbi
Encyclopedia Britannica – Gouverneur Morris
History Collection – Costly Historic Mistakes that People Immediately Regretted
History Colored – How Clement Vallandigham Died Defending a Client in Court
Military History, May 2006 – Facing the Wrath of Khan
Military History Matters – Royal Deaths: John the Blind
Morgan, David – The Mongols (1986)
National Geographic Magazine, September 16th, 2018 – Pick Your Poison: 12 Toxic Tales
Ratchnevsky, Paul – Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy (1994)
Scullard, Howard Hayes – The Elephant in the Greek and Roman World (1974)
Smithsonian Magazine, March, 2014 – What Really Happened to Michael Rockefeller