Good Executions? December 10, 2012
Posted by Beachcombing in : Ancient, Contemporary, Medieval, Modern
Is there such a thing as a ‘good execution’: after all the extinction of human life should never or almost never be a cause for celebration? Well, historians have used the phrase, in the past generation – though it has older antecedents – to refer to the extent to which the criminal cooperates with his [...]
Madame Tussaud Meets the Guillotine November 6, 2012
Posted by Beachcombing in : Modern
***Dedicated to Laura: for an excellent background to Madame Tussaud follow this link (and look out particularly for Brad Pitt’s knickers)*** Anna Maria Tussaud (obit 1850) came to Britain in 1802 to show her famous wax impressions as an entrepreneur, but she remained in the country as an exile once the Napoleonic Wars had begun. [...]
