History of the guillotine

November 28, 1789, Doctor Joseph Guillotin presents to the deputies of Assemblé constituent a machine intended for the decapitation of condemned and designed by the surgeon Antoine Louis, secretary perpetual of the Academy of surgery.

Joseph Guillotin

According to Doctor Guillotin, philanthropist and deputy of the State Third of Paris, it must also introduce the equality of all the citizens vis-a-vis to the capital punishment. «The offences of the same kind will be punished by the same kind of sorrow, whatever the row and the state of the culprit», he in a bill writes.

June 3, 1791, the constituent Assembly, on a proposal of the deputy the Furrier of Saint-Fargeau, enacts that «very condemned to death will have the distinct head»
One improves the machine by replacing in particular the chopper in the shape of crescent by a chopper in the shape of trapezoid.
A Nicolas-Jacques Furrier, highwayman, makes of them the expenses for the first time on April 25, 1792.

The machine is initially called «louisette» or «louison». Then, parliamentary correspondents, dissatisfied with Doctor Guillotin who, with the Assembly, in his capacity as questeur, asked them to be held well, will baptize it «guillotine», not without attracting the protests of the interested party.

The instrument weighs 580 kg, including 40 kg for the whole sheep-chopper (which is distributed in the following way: 30kg of dead load, 7 kg for the chopper and 3 bolts of 1 kg each one)
The height of the amounts is 4,50 m and the fall of the chopper is done on a 2,25 m height.
• The number of guillotines is fixed by decree of the 25 meadow year I (June 13, 1793): a machine to be sliced by department.

In the slang of the streets, the machine will be also called it «national razor» or there «Widow»

It will collect in France a sharp success until June 29, 1939, date on which the executions cease being public. The last execution goes back to September 10, 1977.

The death penalty is abolished in France on October 9, 1981.

According to the site: perso.wanadoo.fr/herodote