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Picture the scene...you’re in Ancient Greece, 3rd Century BC, you've fed your donkey some wine and now it's drunk and eating your figs, you burst out laughing until you die. Sounds like quite ...

One of the most important philosophers in Stoicism, Chrysippus saw a donkey eating figs one day, made a lame joke to his pal, and laughed so much and so hard at his own quip that he died.

It may be the earliest recorded mention of death from laughter - the Greek philosopher Chrysippus perished from the uncontrollable mirth induced after feeding his donkey wine and watching it try ...