Safety Coffins and the Fear of Premature Burial

Did you know people were once buried alive so often that it terrified entire cities?

In the 18th and 19th centuries, doctors frequently declared people dead too early.

Some were unconscious, in comas or suffering from illness, but still alive. So inventors created

safety coffins. They were fitted with bells, flags, and breathing tubes.

If someone woke up underground, they could ring for help. Some cemeteries

even hired guards just to listen for bells at night. No one knows how many were saved,

but the fear was real.