Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were both publicly executed using the guillotine
Although beheading methods had already been around for centuries, in 1789 French physician Dr Joseph Guillotin proposed a much more efficient and humane device for decapitation. When the executioner released the rope holding the guillotine’s weighted blade in place, it would drop onto the victim’s neck, killing them in a fraction of a second. This helped to eliminate the human error that was common with axe and sword beheadings, sometimes requiring multiple swings to fully remove the head. Although quick, guillotine executions were popular spectator events during the French Revolution and the guillotine operators became national celebrities.