Joe McCarthy led his fellow senators on a witch hunt in a search for communists, in which many were accused but none ever proven. His lack of evidence and broad based lies finally caught up to him and he was censured by the Senate after a famous television editorial by Ed Murrow.

Although still a senator, McCarthy stayed at home and watch television most of the day. Always known as a heavy drinker, he plunged even deeper in alcohol. His appearance rapidly diminished to that of a bloated and yellowish caricature. He was admitted to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda where it was said he was undergoing treatment of a knee injury, but it was to treat his liver failure because of the alcohol. He died at an age of 48.

His legacy lives on as his name has become a symbol of indiscriminate allegations with unsubstantiated charges.

Oscar Wilde is primarily known for his literary works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, and The Importance of Being Earnest. During his time, however, he was also known for his quick wit and his social commentaries. Wilde was an indiscriminate homosexual and his escapades soon caught up with him in the conservative England of the times. Even though Wilde was married, he had carried on a long affair with the son of the Marquess of Queensbury.

After a trial in which Wilde was condemned for his moral violations, he spent two years in solitary confinement. It was there that he injured his eardrum. After his release, Wilde drank incredible amounts of absinthe, ignoring the dangers of over use. His eardrum injury flared up and the infection spread, eventually causing encephalitis (swelling of the brain). He was taken to a dingy hotel (he was now broke and relied solely on the generosity of others) where he died after bouts of delirium.

It is said that his last words were "it’s the wallpaper or me...one of us has to go", but there are doubts to that witty remark is actually true.

The scourge of Western Civilization was a simple man who came from the land which is now known as Hungary and threatened the existence of all of the West. Ranging from the plains of Mongolia to the fringes of the Roman Empire, Attila was a savage killer who would wipe out entire towns.

He was on his way to invading the heart of the original Roman Empire, Italy, but paused long enough to get married. The usually restrained Attila jumped into the festivities with abandon. He drank heavily (which was unusual for him).

The next morning, the Scourge was found dead. A blood vessel had broken in his nose, and Attila, so drunk that he didn’t wake up, had choked to death as the blood pooled in his throat.

Chang and Eng Bunker
The famous Siamese Twins
May 11, 1811-January 17, 1874
Aged 62

The original Siamese twins. They weren’t the first but they were the first ones to make a living off their disadvantage. They were joined at the chest which gave them quite a bit of flexibility, especially as they grew older and the ligament attaching them stretched out, allowing them to stand virtually side by side.

They were exhibited as freaks when they were about 18 and they realized how much money they could make off this venture. In ten years, they made enough to retire and they bought a farm in North Caroline. There, they married the Yates sisters. Unbelievably, the two fathered 21 children.

In 1870, P.T. Barnum convinced the duo to come out of retirement and they toured Europe and were extremely popular. On their way home, Chang, a heavy drinker suffered a stroke. He eventually had a couple of years of chronic illnesses before dying on January 17. Eng, died soon afterwards. During an autopsy, the doctors believed that Eng didn’t die because of any problems but because of the fear and isolation of Chang’s death.

The notorious Scarface Capone was a man who catapulted himself into the position of having it all. During his heyday in the 1920’s and 1930’s, it is estimated that he brought in over 100 million dollars a year. Although he was a racketeer involved with bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, and murder, it was his financial records that brought him to justice as he was convicted of income tax invasion in 1931.

During his prison time in Atlanta, it was discovered that Capone was in the later stages of syphilis. After his transfer to Alcatraz, the disease spread into his brain. The once proud and notorious leader spent almost his last year in prison in the hospital ward undergoing treatment including shock therapy.

Capone was released to his Miami Beach home. He was a shell of a man. He would talk incoherently, always confused, and paranoid of everyone. He spent most of his day in his pajamas, fishing off his dock. He finally suffered a brain hemorrhage and died. Although he once grabbed front page headlines around the nation, his death brought little attention and his obituary was buried in the back of most of the newspapers. It would take a television show (The Untouchables) to bring back Al Capone to prominence as the notorious leader of the Underworld.

To many, the name Montgomery Clift might be recognizable as one of those "actors" in some old movies seen on American Movie Classics. But early in his career, Clift was considered one of the finest actors who introduced a moodiness and sulleness to the craft. In fact, it was Clift who paved the way for two other men to follow him, Marlon Brando and James Dean. Both of these revered actors idolized Clift and followed his methods.

Clift blazed his way early with notable performances in From Here to Eternity and A Place in the Sun. If he had died young, he’d likely be up with James Dean as a legend. However, he didn’t. He was a severe alcoholic and mixed drinks with drugs. He suffered a stroke which left his face partially paralyzed. He became a difficult actor to work with and most studios passed on him. Clift ended up doing supporting roles because no one would invest in him as a leading man.

The ravages to his body finally caught hold in 1966 when he was cast in a low budget movie, his first in nearly five years. Although he died of a heart attack, it was the constant abuse of his body that just shut it down. He was only 45 but appeared to be an old man.

Critics and actors look to Clift’s early days and wonder what might have been if he could have avoided his path of self destruction. He might have been one of the all time greats, instead he is relegated to an an almost forgotten actor, one of many.

Florence Nightingale is remembered for her role in elevating the status of Nurse to a respectable and skilled position. It was during the Crimean war where she led the charge for hospital reform and where she carried out her duties with incredible diligence. She became a legend and young girls were inspired to read about and emulate her.

Although Nightingale was 36 during the war where she established herself, she lived another 54 years but not to much is heard regarding her years after the Crimean. She spent all of those years in bed, an invalid for over half a century. Her disease? although it’s not known for sure, most of the experts chalk it up to hypochondria. And what’s worse is that she was a horrible patient for all those years, and was called tyrannical by one family member.