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In 1888, hangings in America were falling out of favor, and a task force was assembled to find a more “humane” method of capital punishment. At the very same time, electricity was transforming the modern world , and the infamous Current Wars were raging.

On one side was George Westinghouse, backed by Nikola Tesla, advocating for AC (alternating current). On the other was Thomas Edison, pushing for the widespread use of DC (direct current). When the electric chair emerged as a possible new method of execution, the debate over which type of current it would use became a deadly serious issue.

Enter William Kemmler, the first person in history sentenced to die in the electric chair. What followed was a gruesome spectacle that horrified witnesses, fueled propaganda in the Current Wars, and changed executions in America forever.

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