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Lord Francis Douglas

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The Resume

    (February 8, 1847-July 14, 1865)
    Born in Cummertrees, Dumfries, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Birth name was Francis William Bouverie Douglas
    Novice British mountaineer
    Took part in the first ascent of the Matterhorn (July 13-14, 1865)
    Fell to his death, with three other expedition participants, on the way down from the summit

Why he might be annoying:

    He was uncle to Oscar Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas.
    He and artist Edward Whymper made hasty plans to scale the Matterhorn after learning about a similar expedition being planned by Italian climbers.
    His death caused a scandal within the British climbing community, and Queen Victoria even briefly considered banning mountaineering to all British subjects as a result.
    Edward Whymper was accused of having cut the rope to ensure that he wasn’t dragged down by Douglas and the others, but a subsequent inquiry found no evidence of this and he was acquitted in court.
    A segment of Peabody’s Improbable History made him an elderly Victorian - complete with a monocle and a drooping handlebar mustache (he was eighteen at the time of the accident).

Why he might not be annoying:

    His father may have committed suicide.
    He lived in the shadow of his older, eccentric, brother - the Marquess of Queensberry.
    Before the Matterhorn disaster, he had successfully ascended the Swiss Ober Gabelhorn.
    He fell when climber Douglas Hadow slipped and pulled him and two others in the rope team down the north face with him.
    Although the bodies of the three other climbers were located and returned to the United Kingdom, his own body was never found.
    An expedition team was formed 150 years after the accident in an attempt to find his remains, and was unsuccessful.
    The shreds of his garments, along with the frayed rope from the expedition, are on display in the town museum of Zermatt, the Swiss village at the base of the Matterhorn.

Credit: Eddie Burphy & BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 107 Votes: 41.12% Annoying