Many civilizations have practiced pushing eyelids closed shortly after death, sometimes employing coins to seal the eyelids shut until rigor mortis intervenes. Open eyes upon death may be viewed as a sign that the departed is afraid of the future, owing to previous conduct. Or they could be taken as a gesture of defiance, as some ancient peoples believed that closing the eyes would make them vulnerable to evil spirits. In today's world, people who die with their eyes open are extremely rare. When this happens, it usually means that the person died during or immediately after a traumatic event and had no time to close their eyes before they passed away. The last known case of a person dying with their eyes open in the United States occurred in 2002 when a 32-year-old woman named Diane Whipple died during surgery at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. Her family said that she went into cardiac arrest just like in a real life movie: "Her eyes stayed wide open throughout the procedure," her husband said. "Then they sewed her up and put her under for the anesthetic." After more than an hour, doctors were able to revive her again. But by then it was too late: She was dead. Since then, no other cases have been reported in America. However, there have been several cases worldwide and within the past few years, more people have been reporting deaths with their eyes open.