The Mystery of Tycho Brahe’s Death

World-known astronomer Tycho Brahe died of a ruptured bladder because he was too polite to go to the bathroom during a dinner in 1601. That’s the way the story goes. But is it just a myth? Was he actually poisoned by mercury by a jealous colleague or an envoy from King Christian IV of Denmark? After long negotiations, a group of international experts was finally allowed to reopen the grave in November 2010 and remove samples of Tycho Brahe’s bones, teeth, and hair. The samples are now being analyzed to discover the circumstances of Tycho Brahe’s death so that the mystery can finally be solved. Ultimately it may turn out Brahe killed himself! The analysis will likely reveal that he was the victim of mercury poisoning. The question is how long before his death he had ingested the toxin. It will take cutting edge technology to tell us the truth.