Adolphe Sax -

: Receiving serious burns from a gunpowder explosion and accidentally falling onto a hot stove. Near Drowning : Almost drowning in a river. The Invention: Bridging Two Worlds

A feature on (1814–1894) is essentially a study in resilience; it is the story of a man nicknamed "the ghost" who survived nearly a dozen brushes with death to invent an instrument that defined 20th-century music. The Man Who Wouldn't Die adolphe sax

Before he ever touched a workbench, Sax became a legend in his hometown of Dinant, Belgium, for his improbable survival. His neighbors were convinced he was either cursed or protected, as he survived: : Receiving serious burns from a gunpowder explosion

: Drinking a bowl of vitriol (acidic water) he mistook for milk. The Man Who Wouldn't Die Before he ever

Born into a family of instrument makers, Sax was a child prodigy who submitted flutes to competitions by age 15. In the early 1840s, he set out to create an instrument that bridged the gap between (like the clarinet) and brass (like the trumpet).