Apr. 25 — First Is Worst
On April 25th, 1792, Nicolas Jacques Pelletier had the high honor of becoming the first person ever to be executed by guillotine in France.
Though we know how much the French eventually loved the guillotine (executing over 16,000 people in 1793–94), this first display of the new machine did not receive a warm welcome from spectators. Compared to lengthy hangings and “ breaking at the wheel “, the guillotine was far too swift to provide the real entertainment that the crowd anticipated.
In all fairness, Pelletier’s crime was severe. In October of the previous year he and some fellow “highwaymen” attacked, robbed, and murdered a man. Pelletier just happened to be the slowest of the gang, being the only one to get himself captured.
It’s also fun to note that the executioner, in order to perfect his art, practiced decapitating corpses before the real show on April 25th. Now THAT is commitment to a craft.
TWT #115
Originally published at http://www.todaywasterrible.com on April 25, 2019.
