Problem: Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 - 11 April 1890), often incorrectly called John Merrick, was an English man with very severe face and body deformities who was first exhibited at a freak show as the "Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital after he met Frederick Treves, subsequently becoming well known in London society. Merrick was born in Leicester, and began to develop abnormally during the first few years of his life: his skin appeared thick and lumpy, he developed enlarged lips, a bony lump grew on his forehead, one of his arms and both of his feet became enlarged and at some point during his childhood he fell and damaged his hip, resulting in permanent lameness. When he was 9, his mother died from bronchopneumonia, and his father soon remarried. Merrick left school at the age of 13 and had difficulty finding employment.

On three occasions Merrick left the hospital and London on holiday, spending a few weeks at a time in the countryside. Through elaborate arrangements that allowed Merrick to board a train unseen and have an entire carriage to himself, he travelled to Northamptonshire to stay at Fawsley Hall, the estate of Lady Knightley. He stayed at the gamekeeper's cottage and spent the days walking in the estate's woods, collecting wild flowers. He befriended a young farm labourer who later recalled Merrick as an interesting and well-educated man. Treves called this "the one supreme holiday of [Merrick's] life", although in fact there were three such trips. Merrick's condition gradually deteriorated during his four years at the London Hospital. He required a great deal of care from the nursing staff and spent much of his time in bed, or sitting in his quarters, with diminishing energy. His facial deformities continued to grow and his head became even more enlarged. He died on 11 April 1890, at the age of 27. At around 3:00 p.m., Treves's house surgeon visited Merrick and found him lying dead across his bed. His body was formally identified by his uncle, Charles Merrick. An inquest was held on 15 April by Wynne Edwin Baxter, who had come to notoriety conducting inquests for the Whitechapel murders of 1888. Merrick's death was ruled accidental and the certified cause of death was asphyxia, caused by the weight of his head as he lay down. Treves, who performed an autopsy on the body, said that Merrick had died of a dislocated neck. Knowing that Merrick had always slept sitting upright out of necessity, Treves came to the conclusion that Merrick must have "made the experiment", attempting to sleep lying down "like other people". Treves dissected Merrick's body and took plaster casts of his head and limbs. He took skin samples, which were later lost during the Second World War, and mounted his skeleton, which remains in the pathology collection at the Royal London Hospital. Although the skeleton has never been on public display, there is a small museum dedicated to his life, housing some of his personal effects.

What was the cause of death?

Answer with quotes: Merrick's death was ruled accidental and the certified cause of death was asphyxia, caused by the weight of his head as he lay down.

Question:
Affirmed (February 21, 1975 - January 12, 2001) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Affirmed was also known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, including in all three Triple Crown races. Affirmed was the last horse to win the Triple Crown for a 37-year period, which was ended in 2015 by American Pharoah. Affirmed won fourteen Grade
As a two-year-old, Affirmed won seven of his nine starts, with two placings, for earnings of $343,477 under regular rider Steve Cauthen, then a teenager. Notably, six of those starts were against his rival, Calumet Farm's Alydar, with Affirmed winning four and Alydar winning two. Affirmed won his first start in a maiden special weight race at Belmont Park on May 24, 1977. He followed up with a win in the Youthful Stakes on June 15 where he defeated Alydar by eight lengths. On July 6 in the Great American Stakes, Alydar evened the score with a 3 1/2 length win after mounting a powerful stretch drive. Affirmed was then shipped across country to Hollywood Park, where he won the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes on July 23. He then shipped back to New York where he won the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga on August 17 by 2 1/2 lengths over the previously undefeated Tilt Up. In his next start on August 27 in the Hopeful Stakes, his main rival was Alydar, who was the even money favorite after winning four straight races. Affirmed stalked the early pace set by Tilt Up with Alydar in close contention. Around the far turn, Affirmed moved to the lead with Alydar closing ground on the outside. In mid-stretch, Alydar had closed to within a head but Affirmed pulled away in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by half a length. His time of 1:15 2/5 for 6 1/2 furlongs was a new stakes record. The two horses again faced off in the Belmont Futurity on September 10, with Affirmed going off as the narrow favorite. After a good start, Affirmed settled into second place behind longshot Rough Sea, while Alydar overcame a bad start to move into third place down the backstretch. Rounding into the stretch, Affirmed moved to the lead. Alydar responded and the two horses dueled head-to-head for the final furlong. Alydar appeared to be in the lead for much of the stretch drive before Affirmed rallied in the final stride to win by a nose. "He never gave up," said Cauthen, "even when he was headed." Alydar turned the tables in the Champagne Stakes on October 15, sweeping by Affirmed in the stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The two faced off again in the Laurel Futurity on October 29, then one of the most prestigious races for two-year-olds in the country, with Affirmed winning by a neck. With his 4-2 margin in the series against Alydar, Affirmed was named the 1977 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
Answer this question using a quote from the text above:

How did he do during tthe 1977 season?

Answer:
Affirmed won seven of his nine starts, with two placings, for earnings of $343,477