Browsing: April 25

A Brief History On April 25, 1792, the guillotine was served its first victim.  Meant to be a humane form of capital punishment, other modern forms have also attempted to achieve a quick and painless death for the condemned.  Other methods have been purposely designed to cause pain and terror, both to the condemned and to potential violators. H ere are 10 methods of execution that are not very humane, even if they were intended to be. Obviously, there are many more interesting methods of execution, so stay tuned for a sequel list on this website. 10. Smashing the Head.…

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A Brief History The French Revolution was easily one of the most significant political revolutions in history and Napoleon was one of the greatest military leaders of all time.  Their era in history is not surprisingly full of bizarre moments as captured in the following timeline. Prologue On September 29, 1758 (New Style Calendar), one of the greatest naval heroes of all time was born, Horatio Nelson, the man that would become Vice Admiral and 1st Viscount Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar. On August 15, 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born.  He would later go on to be known for many things,…

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A Brief History On April 25, 1792, a major step in the history of execution devices was made when a “highwayman” (robber) became the first victim of the Guillotine. Digging Deeper Revolutionary France struggled to find humanity amid the brutality of the revolution. Although not the inventor of the guillotine, its use was proposed to the revolutionary government by Joseph-Iganace Guillotin who was recommending a system of capital punishment in keeping with the ideals of the revolution.  Aside from the swift and sure death the guillotine offered, it was to be the only method of execution for people of any…

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A Brief History On April 25, 2014, The Quiet Ones will be released in American theaters.  The film purports to be inspired by actual events, but to what extent does the movie recreate these so-called “actual events”? Digging Deeper In the 1970s, real-life Dr. Alan Robert George Owen created the Toronto Society for Psychical Research.  According to journalists Ryan and Louise Hung, this group consisted of eight adult men and women who invented a fictional  aristocrat named Philip Aylesford.  This fake man lived centuries ago and achieved infamy for cheating on his wife with a Gypsy.  The angry wife then…

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