But an ambulance was not the only memento mori, and there were other auguries capable of scaring us shitless.

NEWYORKER: Rat Beach

This year, instead of sinking into a celebration of catastrophic kitsch, it's worth restoring the Titanic to its rightful place as a most modern memento mori.

WSJ: Titanic Centennial Commemorations Sink to New Lows | Postmodern Times by Eric Felten

Here, she stands atop a flowing wave of red and white marble, and emerging from beneath her is the winged skeleton of Death, holding aloft an hourglass: a terrifying memento mori hidden in this setting of religious beauty.

BBC: The classic wonders of Rome