The Ultimate Survivor or Thriver?

As if it wasn't enough to create an entirely new instrument, Adolphe Sax's childhood could be the quintessential case for surviving, thriving, or both, having cheated death on numerous occasions. Let us count the ways, shall we?

From the age of three, our great innovator faced a string of misfortunes, starting with a fall down the stairs that left him in a coma for several days, which could be seen as either clumsiness or sheer defiance of fate. Sure, a fall down the stairs is fairly common for a young child, but typically when battling a stone floor, let’s say the stone floor is more often than not the victor.

More instances of surviving? Sax once swallowed a pin. And on another occasion he drank an entire cup of acidic water that was left out in his father’s workshop -- classic “bring your child to work day” mischief, right?

Sax’s prickly popularity didn’t exactly blow everyone away; however, he was blown across a room by a gunpowder explosion while working in his father’s shop.

As an aside, Sax's life makes one re-think the whole 19th century child in the workplace, no?

If you're now thinking "whew, he eventually made it to adulthood," it might interest you to learn that Sax survived several poisoning attempts in his adulthood at the hands of his Parisian rivals in the instrument business.

Perhaps his childhood misfortunes were a harbinger after all?

All in all, it is remarkable that Adolphe Sax survives his childhood and his adulthood, long enough at least to afford him the opportunity to invent our unique and extraordinary instrument.

In the end, do you think Adolphe Sax was the ultimate survivor or thriver? Let us know!