Photo: Courtesy of Slate. We are big fans of the Internet's ongoing obsession with viral maps, but this latest one, courtesy of Slate, might be a bit much, even for us. Viral-map guru Ben Blatt looked at statistics from 2005 to determine the most common cause of death, excluding cancer and heart disease, state by state. If you're feeling a touch too peppy today and need to be brought back down to earth, this is the map for you.
According to his findings, strokes are a major harbinger of death in America and seem to have both coasts on lock. Respiratory diseases are the next great killer, affecting states like Montana, Nevada, and New York.
In Florida, accidents are the most common cause of death. We're not sure why the residents of the Sunshine State are so prone to deadly mishaps, but we're pretty sure it has something to do with alligators. Other states where accidents tend to bring on the Grim Reaper include Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico.
It's important to note that cancer and heart disease are the two leading killers in every state. In fact, they account for more deaths than the next eight causes of death combined. Happy Thursday! (Slate)