Listen to today’s Subversive Historian

The Electric Chair by Subversive Historian Gabriel San Roman

One-hundred and eighteen years ago on this day in people’s history, Walter Kemmler became the first person executed by the electric chair in the United States. On August 6th, 1890, Kemmler was electrocuted in New York’s Albany State Prison with 1,000 volts for 17 seconds. Attending physicians quickly confirmed that Kemmler was still alive and ordered a second electrocution at twice the voltage that killed him. Death by the electric chair, an almost uniquely American form of punishment, is still an approved method of execution in states such as Alabama, Florida, and Virginia. A 1997 execution in Florida by the method caused controversy as flames shot out of the condemned man’s head due to a malfunction.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think flames and smoke shooting out of someone’s head constitutes cruel and unusual punishment! But that’s just me…

“Let’s keep it real! For Uprising, this is your truth professa’ saying it’s no mystery why they conceal our history.”