Robert Odlum's Brooklyn Bridge Fatality

The first man to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge was American swimming instructor Robert Emmet Odlum in 1885. He hoped to demonstrate that people did not die simply from falling through the air, believing the act would encourage those trapped in burning buildings to jump into safety nets. A strong wind turned him during the fall, causing him to strike the water at an angle with his feet and right hip. He died 43 minutes later, and an autopsy listed concussion as the cause of death while also finding three broken ribs and several ruptured organs.

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