Events 1725

1725-00-00; France

h1Category: Spontaneous Human Combustion

In 1725, Nicole Miller was found dead, burned to death, her incinerated body found in an unburned chair. Her husband was arrested and accused of the murder. He was acquitted at trial when surgeon Nicholas Le Cat convinced the court Nicole Miller was a victim of Spontaneous Human Combustion. The final verdict proclaimed that Nicole had died "by a visitation of God".

Charles Dickens mentioned this case in the preface to the 1853 printing of "Bleak House," giving credence to his use of the phenomena to kill off a character in the following passage:

h1Newsletter Article: The Mystery of Spontaneous Human Combustion