Includes bibliographical references and index.

Welcome to the disaster zone -- Bobby Leach -- Daredevil days -- Draco of Athens -- Fan-tastically fatal -- John Sedgwick -- Famous last words -- Li Bai -- Going overboard -- Franz Reichelt -- The flying tailor -- Sophie Blanchard -- The sky's the limit -- Timeline of deaths.

"Welcome to the disaster zone where awful accidents kill people around the world. Follow along to see how a famous stuntman met his end at the hands (peel) of an orange, a harsh Greek lawmaker was killed by cloaks, and a groundbreaking balloonist died in a freak hot air balloon accident. There's no telling what other disastrous deaths await"--