The 'unkillable' death of Rasputin
Rasputin was murdered in the Yusupov Palace in Petrograd on the night of 29–30 December 1916 (Old Style 16–17 December); Prince Yusupov's memoir says poisoned cakes had no effect, that he rose after being shot, and that he was still alive when thrown into the river.
1916 CE · 59.93, 30.30 · status: disputed
The account
The tale of a man who would not die made Rasputin a figure of legend. The autopsy found three bullet wounds, one to the forehead at close range, and modern historians doubt the poison and the drowning; some suggest British intelligence involvement. Rasputin's prophetic letter that the dynasty would fall within two years of his murder is also of uncertain origin.
The sceptical view
Yusupov's account was self-serving and dramatised; forensic evidence suggests the head shot killed him.