In August 1890 an inmate in Auburn Prison, New York, was executed in an electric chair, the first time this method of execution had ever been used.
When Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia (Ethiopia today) heard about this example of modern technology, he was suitably impressed. He was certain this was exactly what Abyssinia needed to move into the 20th century.
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Coming up: What happened when electric chairs were imported into Ethiopia for the first time?
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
In August 1890 an inmate in Auburn Prison, New York, was executed in an electric chair, the first time this method of execution had ever been used.
When Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia (Ethiopia today) heard about this example of modern technology, he was suitably impressed. He was certain this was exactly what Abyssinia needed to move into the 20th century.
Determined not to allow his country to fall behind, Menelik promptly ordered three electric chairs from the U.S. manufacturers. The chairs arrived and were duly unpacked.
But Menelik was in for a shock; no one had told him that the chairs needed an outside electrical source to work.
The revelation presented him with a major difficulty: Abyssinia had no electricity.
A lesser man might have been devastated by such a disaster, but not Menelik. He immediately found a use for one of the chairs — as his imperial throne.
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