Special Sub-Topic: History of the Electric Chair Click Here To Play: History of the Electric Chair

Who was the first person executed by means of electrocution?

William Kemmler. After a long legal battle, New York was allowed to electrocute William Kemmler, an axe murderer, on August 6, 1890. It took two jolts.

New York was the first state to use the chair, so what was the second?

Ohio. After Ohio followed Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

By what name is Florida's historic electric chair best known?

Old Sparky. It was used for decades, so its name is definitely deserving.

In 1946, Willie Francis went to the electric chair in Louisiana. Why didn't he die?

Not enough volts were sent. By mistake, only one tenth of the standard voltage was sent through Francis's body. Francis, who remained awake throughout the process, later said that it felt like "cold peanut butter" in his mouth. Francis was successfully executed a year later.

What color is Alabama's electric chair?

Yellow. Known as the "Yellow Mama", Alabama's electric chair is still an option for condemned prisoners who would prefer not to die by lethal injection. Before lethal injection was adopted by the state in May 2003 Lynda Block was the last person to be electrocuted.

Bruno Hauptmann was executed in which state's electric chair for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's infant son.

New Jersey. This trial was one of the most controversial in American history. Hauptmann maintained his innocence to the end, which was April 3, 1936.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg rode the lightning at New York's Sing Sing Prison in 1953 for what crime?

Espionage. The two were convicted of selling atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. There is controversy regarding their guilt.

Which of the following states has never had the electric chair?

Nevada. On February 8, 1924, Nevada became the first state to use the gas chamber. The state has never had an electric chair.

Alas, the electric chair is falling out of favor. Three botched executions in Florida in the 1990s made lethal injection more favorable. In 1999, one prisoner suffered a nosebleed during his electrocution. What was his name?

Allen Lee Davis. Three hundred and forty-four pound Allen Lee Davis' nose started bleeding during his execution. Photographs were posted online by order of the Florida Supreme Court, and the public outcry resulted in lethal injection being the preferred method of execution in the state.

The electric chair is still an option in some states. In Virginia, Earl Bramblett chose electrocution over lethal injection for his April 9, 2003 execution. Why?

To make a statement. Bramblett, who maintained his innocence, wanted to make a strong statement by dying a gruesome death. The actual execution went by without a problem.