It was relatively common in the middle ages for Kings, royals, and various other titled men to die in combat, and they were at least usually expected to fight personally. Despite the dangers of medieval combat and the expectations of nobility, however, many at the highest levels of aristocracy died in less than noble mundane accidents, and even in embarrassing circumstances.
Think the momentary worldwide obsession with crop circles would deserve to be remembered just for the nostalgia alone- they represent the weirdness of the 1980s.