Apparently A Number Of People Have A Fear Of Being Buried Alive,

and waking up in their coffin, underground, 

U.S. Patent No. 81,437 which led to the invention of devices like the one above, Patent No. 81,437 granted to Franz Vester on August 25, 1868 for an “Improved Burial-Case” the fear is known as taphophobia, there is a remarkably good article on it here, but what about being buried alive, intentionally? strange as it sounds there were a couple of guys that actually raced each other to stay buried underground longest, 

Mike Meaney (centre, in coffin) is lowered into the ground as spectators look on. / Jim Gray/GettyImages, in the 1960s, the fad was human burial. Characters with names like Digger O’Dell welcomed mounds of dirt to be heaped atop them while they idled underground, with air and food passed to them via tubing. Texan Bill White had made a career out of it, dubbing himself “The Living Corpse” back in the UK Mike Meaney, a 33-year-old labourer, was fit and stout. More importantly, he had a burning desire to be recognized for something, dreams of boxing were waylaid by a hand injury, the burial fad seemed like a good fit—all it would require is a strong mind and will, and that is what he had, “I think I’m appointed by my maker to become the underground champion of the world,” he said later. “I wanted to win the world title for my wife and family, most because I always wanted my daughter in the years to come—she’s aged only 3 now—to always say her father was a world champion.”

on February 21, 1968, the stunt started, Incredibly, Meaney’s was not the only voluntary burial taking place. In Texas, habitual burial enthusiast Bill White was also getting soil shovelled over him yet again, intent on maintaining his own record. What Meaney had meant as a competition against himself would turn out to be an endurance test between two men, who would break first? Meaney’s coffin measured 6 feet, 3 inches long, 2 feet, 6 inches wide, and 2 feet high. It was also lined with foam, presumably for whatever comfort that might provide, and a hole in which Meaney could relieve himself. Near the hole was lime that helped reduce any noxious odours, above Meaney returns to the surface, for the full story have a look here, for myself It is a record I just would not ever wish to be in, but back in the day, being buried alive certainly took the nations interest.