1-156-116 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

Execution of Kemmler, the first man to die in the electric chair, Auburn Prison, USA, 6 August 1890. William Kemmler, a brute who chopped a woman to bits with an axe, was the first man to be executed by electrocution. Westinghouse generators were used, with alternating current. Three surges of current were needed. From La Science Illustree, (Paris, 1891).