Doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin did not invent the guillotine; he merely recommended its use to the National Assembly. And it wasn't Doctor Antoine Louis either; he just constructed a new French version of the decapitation machine already being used in Germany and Italy. The French version was built in 1789 and was to become infamous during the French Revolution. It is virtually impossible to say who actually invented the guillotine.
Another myth about the guillotine is that Joseph Ignace Guillotin, the man it was named after, met his end under its heavy blade. This is untrue; he died a completely natural death. However, it is true that the guillotine was used in France as late as 1977 to execute Hamida Djandoubi for torture and murder.
It is also true that Sweden used the guillotine once. This occurred in 1910 when Alfred Ander was executed for armed robbery; it was to be Sweden's last execution.
Source:
The Guinness Book of Records, 1996
Translation: Ron Henderson
Return to Magazine Magnus.