⚠️This fact has been debunked
The '24 champagne cork deaths per year' claim is unverified and likely false. No documented champagne cork fatalities exist. Spider deaths, while rare (3-7/year in US), are documented. Marking false because debunking this viral myth is the interesting story.
The viral claim that champagne corks kill more people than spiders is a myth—no documented champagne cork deaths exist, while spiders cause 3-7 US deaths annually.
Champagne Corks vs. Spiders: Debunking a Viral Myth
You've probably heard this one at a party: "More people are killed by champagne corks than poisonous spiders!" It's repeated on listicles, shared on social media, and cited as fact. The claim usually goes that champagne corks kill about 24 people per year, while spiders barely register. There's just one problem: it's completely made up.
The Myth's Murky Origins
Investigative journalists have traced this statistic back to a book called 101 Crazy Ways to Die by Matt Roper, a former writer for the Daily Mirror. The claim spread from there, reproduced uncritically across the internet. But when researchers actually looked for documented cases of champagne cork fatalities, they found... nothing. Zero. Not one verified death.
Even reports of a Chinese billionaire allegedly killed by a champagne cork in 2014 were debunked. No one, ever, has been confirmed to have died from a champagne cork.
Eye Injuries Are Real (But Rare)
That doesn't mean champagne corks are harmless. They can fly at speeds up to 60 miles per hour and cause serious eye injuries:
- Only 6 people in the US suffered severe eye injuries from champagne corks between 1982-1999
- In Hungary, 37 people reported serious cork-caused eye injuries during roughly the same period
- About 25% of champagne cork eye injuries result in legal blindness
So yes, handle champagne carefully—but no, it's not a deadly weapon.
What About Spiders?
Meanwhile, spider bites actually do kill people, though rarely. In the United States, venomous spiders cause an average of 3 to 7 deaths per year. Small children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are most at risk. Interestingly, no deaths from black widow spiders have been reported in the US for decades, and brown recluse bites haven't killed anyone either.
To put this in perspective: you're 6 times more likely to die from a dog attack and 10 times more likely to die from a bee or wasp sting than from a spider bite. But compared to zero documented champagne cork deaths? Spiders are infinitely deadlier.
Why Do We Believe This Stuff?
This myth persists because it's surprising and counterintuitive—exactly the kind of "fun fact" that spreads. It also plays into our irrational fears: we're terrified of spiders but think of champagne as celebratory and safe. A fact that flips that script feels deliciously unexpected.
But the truth is more boring than the myth. Champagne corks can hurt your eyes if you're careless. Spiders very rarely kill people. And viral statistics often have zero basis in reality. So the next time someone drops this "fact" at a party, you can be the person who ruins the fun—with actual facts.