On August 6, 1890, at Auburn Prison, New York, William Kemmler became the first person to be sent to the chair. He was convicted of murdering his lover, Matilda Ziegler, with an axe. After he was strapped in, a charge of approximately 700 volts was delivered for only 17 seconds before the current failed. Although witnesses reported smelling burnt clothing and charred flesh, Kemmler was far from dead, and a second shock was prepared. The second charge was 1,030 volts and applied for about two minutes, whereupon smoke was observed coming from the head of Kemmler, who was clearly deceased. An autopsy showed that the electrode attached to his back had burned through to the spine. Electrocution as a humane means of execution was first suggested in 1881 by Dr. Albert Southwick, a dentist. Southwick had witnessed an elderly drunkard “painlessly” killed after touching the terminals of an electrical generator in Buffalo, New York. In the prevalent form of execution at the time—death b...
This photo captures the last moments of Ayano Tokumasu, the girl wearing the red sweater in the background. She slipped and fell into Niagara Falls shortly after this photo was taken
This photo captures the last moments of Ayano Tokumasu, the girl wearing the red sweater in the background. She slipped and fell into Niagara Falls shortly after this photo was taken.
In 2011, authorities recovered the body of a woman from the Niagara River. She was later identified as Ayano Tokumasu, a 20-year-old international student from Japan. While visiting Niagara Falls with a friend, Tokumasu climbed over a railing to pose for a picture.
She was straddling the railing to look at the falls, and when she stood up, she lost her footing and fell into the river 24 meters upstream from the brink of the falls.
Moments before the tragic accident occurred, an Ontario-based couple was also taking pictures of themselves, and they captured what is thought to be the final moments of Tokumasu. In the photo, she can be seen in the background.
She is wearing a red sweater and appears to be standing on top of the rock barrier. The picture does not show whether she was standing on the railing. The incident was captured in CCTV surveillance and no foul play was involved.

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