How The Electric Chair Was Invented?

In 1881, a New York dentist named Alfred P. Southwick observed a man accidentally killed by an electric generator and proposed using electricity for executions.

The electric chair, one of the most infamous methods of capital punishment in modern history, is a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution and also to torture prisoners.

In 1888, New York became the first state to adopt electrocution as a method of execution. On August 6, 1890, William Kemmler, a convicted murderer, became the first person executed in the electric chair at Auburn Prison in New York.  

The electric chair operates by delivering a high-voltage shock to the condemned prisoner. First the prisoner is strapped to a wooden chair with leather restraints. Then electrodes are attached to the scalp and a shaved portion of the leg to ensure conductivity. A saline-soaked sponge is placed between the electrode and the scalp to reduce resistance.

An electric chair is traditionally made of wood because wood is a non-conductive material, which prevents unintended electrical currents from flowing through the chair itself. This ensures that the electric current is directed through the condemned person's body rather than being dissipated through the chair. 

While the electric chair was once seen as a technological advancement, its use has been marred by numerous botched executions.

Today, most U.S. states have abandoned the electric chair in favor of lethal injection. However, some states, including Tennessee and South Carolina, still allow condemned prisoners to choose electrocution if they wish. Outside the U.S., the method is virtually extinct.

The electric chair is a stark reminder of the evolving nature of capital punishment and the broader history of state-sanctioned torture and execution methods. As debates over the morality of capital punishment persist, the electric chair stands as a symbol of both scientific progress and the dark complexities of justice, reflecting humanity’s ongoing struggle between law, ethics, and the limits of punishment.