The philosopher was found guilty of corrupting the youth and not acknowledging their gods and given a death sentence which he carried out himself by drinking poison, believed to be hemlock.
Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León was shot an arrow dipped in the milky white sap extracted from a manchineel tree, which is highly poisonous, while he was on an expedition to search a rumoured fountain of youth.
As per legend, the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt Cleopatra committed suicide by enticing an asp (Egyptian cobra) to bite her. Cleopatra was known to have knowledge about poisons and their effects and was believed to have tested many on condemned prisoners.
Famed general Napoleon Bonaparte believed that he was being poisoned by his British captors. After his death, the autopsy revealed that he had stomach cancer. Researchers even today speculate if his death was indeed hastened by toxic metals.
Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall complained about gastrointestinal issues and other health problems, and the members of the expedition were accused of poisoning him. Later, autopsy found elevated levels of arsenic in his body which proved that his suspicions were right.
Guangxu was throned as the emperor of the Qing dynasty at the age of four and in 1898 was placed under house arrest after a coup. He died at the age of 37 with suspicion of poisoning. In 2008, almost a century after Guangxu’s death, it was revealed the suspicions were true and that extremely high levels of arsenic were present in his body.
Former Bosnian Croat military commander Slobodan Praljak was sentenced to 20 years of prison for war crimes. When his sentence was upheld by the judge, Praljak denied being a war criminal and quickly gulped down something from a vial. His action of taking poison was livestreamed on the website of the court, and he died in the hospital.