By: History.com Editors

1814

Funeral held for the man behind the guillotine

History.com Editors

Published: November 13, 2009

Last Updated: January 30, 2025

The funeral of Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, the namesake of the infamous execution device, takes place outside of Paris, France.

The Guillotine

See why this device was a preferred form of legal execution.

Guillotin had what he felt were the purest motives for inventing the guillotine and was deeply distressed at how his reputation had become besmirched in the aftermath. Guillotin had bestowed the deadly contraption on the French as a “philanthropic gesture” for the systematic criminal justice reform that was taking place in 1789. The machine was intended to show the intellectual and social progress of the French Revolution; by killing aristocrats and journeymen the same way, equality in death was ensured.

The first use of the guillotine was on April 25, 1792, when Nicolas Pelletier was put to death for armed robbery and assault in Place de Greve. The newspapers reported that guillotine was not an immediate sensation. The crowds seemed to miss the gallows at first. However, it quickly caught on with the public and many thought it brought dignity back to the executioner.

However, the prestige of the guillotine fell precipitously due to its frequent use in the French Terror following the Revolution. It became the focal point of the awful political executions and was so closely identified with the terrible abuses of the time that it was perceived as partially responsible for the excesses itself. Still, it was used sporadically in France into the 20th century.

8 Things You May Not Know About the Guillotine

Learn eight surprising facts about the execution device once dubbed the “National Razor” of France.

Depiction of the guillotine at Paris, 1791-1792. Found in the Collection of Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Artist Anonymous.

By: Evan Andrews

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on March 28th

1834

Congress censures President Jackson

On March 28, 1834, President Andrew Jackson is censured by Congress for refusing to turn over documents. Jackson was the first president to suffer this formal disapproval from Congress. During his first term, Jackson decided to dismantle the Bank of the United States and find a friendlier source of funds for his western expansion plans. […]

1862

Union forces halt Confederates at Battle of Glorieta Pass

On March 28, 1862, Union forces stop the Confederate invasion of New Mexico Territory when they turn the Rebels back at Glorieta Pass. This action was part of the broader movement by the Confederates to capture New Mexico and other parts of the West. This would secure territory that the Rebels thought was rightfully theirs […]

1915

First American citizen killed during WWI

On March 28, 1915, the first American citizen is killed in the eight-month-old European conflict that would become known as the First World War. Leon Thrasher, a 31-year-old mining engineer and native of Massachusetts, drowned when a German submarine, the U-28, torpedoed the cargo-passenger ship Falaba, on its way from Liverpool to West Africa, off […]

1939

Spanish Civil War ends

In Spain, the Republican defenders of Madrid raise the white flag over the city, bringing an end to the fighting of the bloody three-year Spanish Civil War. Three days later, General Francisco Franco declares the war officially over. In 1931, Spanish King Alfonso XIII approved elections to decide the government of Spain, and voters overwhelmingly […]

End of Spanish Civil War

1958

W.C. Handy—the “Father of the Blues”—dies

W.C. Handy, one of the most important figures in 20th-century American popular music history, dies in New York City on March 28, 1958. As a composer, musician and a musicologist, he is best known for mainstreaming the Blues, helping to bring Black sounds to the forefront of American popular music. William Christopher Handy, born in […]

1960

First star laid on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

On March 28, 1960, the first permanent star is laid in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at the intersection of Hollywood and Gower. It honors film producer and director Stanley Kramer. Kramer initially earned his reputation producing films like High Noon and The Caine Mutiny, and for helping to launch Marlon Brando’s career. He later […]

1969

President Eisenhower dies

Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States and one of the most highly regarded American generals of World War II, dies in Washington, D.C., at the age of 78. Born in Denison, Texas, in 1890, Eisenhower graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1915, and after World War I he steadily […]

Richard Nixon Delivering Eulogy for Dwight Eisenhower

1979

Nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island

The worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry begins when a pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island fails to close.

Three Mile Island

1984

Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis

On March 28, 1984, Bob Irsay (1923-1997), owner of the once-mighty Baltimore Colts, moves the team to Indianapolis. Without any sort of public announcement, Irsay hired movers to pack up the team’s offices in Owings Mills, Maryland, in the middle of the night, while the city of Baltimore slept. Robert Irsay gained control of the […]

2006

Duke lacrosse team suspended following sexual assault allegations

Duke University officials suspend the men’s lacrosse team for two games following allegations that team members sexually assaulted a stripper hired to perform at a party. Three players were later charged with rape. The case became a national scandal, impacted by issues of race, politics and class. In April 2007, all charges against the young […]

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Citation Information

Article title
Funeral held for the man behind the guillotine
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
April 14, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 30, 2025
Original Published Date
November 13, 2009

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