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Most of the living creatures on this planet get by just fine with what nature has decided to make available for them, but we humans are always dreaming up new ways to be more comfortable and make our lives easier. Our ability to build things can be both a blessing and a curse since we sometimes make things that do us more harm than good. The best inventions far outnumber the bad, however, so we’ve got a pretty good record so far. Let’s take a moment to consider which inventions might be worthy of inclusion of a list of the best inventions of all time.

1. Paper

Without paper, it would be hard to imagine that we would have made the kind of progress we have enjoyed through the years. Can you imagine carrying a pile of stone tablets to school every day? It is believed that paper was invented in China by the Han Dynasty during the Second Century.

2. The Wheel

There’s no way to diminish the importance of this invention. When most people think about important inventions, it’s not too often that the wheel is excluded. Just take a few minutes right now to think of all the cars, trucks, bicycles and other vehicles that are in motion on Earth right now and it will help give you some perspective on how important the invention of the wheel was for mankind.

3. Telephone

The invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 propelled our ability to communicate light-years ahead of where it had been for thousands of years. The ability to simply pick up a phone and talk to someone across town or across the country seemed like pure magic at the time and laid the groundwork for all of the communications mediums we have at our disposal today, including the Internet and cell phones.

4. Antibiotics

Before these drugs were created, millions of people were killed by bacterial diseases and infections that are now considered curable. While we might step on a nail or scrape a knee and think little of it in terms of our mortality, these were the types of injuries that could cause an infection serious enough to be fatal before antibiotics were developed.

5. Light Bulb

Although the invention of the light bulb may be best recognized for its ability to turn night into day, that may not have been the best thing to come of it. At the time gaslights were used for lightning quite effectively for lighting, but it was the electrical infrastructure that was constructed to power those light bulbs that gave as an amazing variety of inventions we use every day, from hair dryers to refrigerators to computers.

6. Airplane

There was a time when the dream of soaring through the air like a bird was probably considered lunacy. Many attempts were made to build flying machines and most of them ended in failure and even loss of life. When Orville and Wilbur Wright succeeded with their attempt at flight in 1903 the world was changed forever.

7. Anesthetic

It’s probably hard for any of us today to imagine having surgery performed on us while having to remain awake and experience all the pain and discomfort that goes along with it. Although early methods of anesthetizing people were somewhat crude and much more dangerous than they are today, it was a breakthrough that has spared millions from pain and misery.

8. Printing Press

Can you imagine writing a book and then having to literally re-write it by hand each time you wanted someone to have their own copy? Before the printing press there really was no good way to mass-produce a written text.

9. Language

When you think about important inventions in history, language may not come to mind because it’s not something you can put your hands on. Language, however, is an invention, and an incredibly important one at that. It is certainly an invention that made many others possible. Without the ability to communicate, it would have been difficult or impossible to share ideas and pass important information from one generation to another.

10. Computers and the Internet

The invention of the computer made it easy for us to store and retrieve incredible volumes of information very quickly. When the internet came along and tied the world’s computers together, the greatest compilation of human knowledge ever known to man came into existence.

The internet changed the world and continues to change the world as a tool for learning that is unrivaled in human history, and as a way for us to communicate that seemed like a distant dream only a few decades ago.

Does He Want to be More Than Just Good Friends?

How do you know when a friendship with a man has the potential to progress into a meaningful relationship? Well as we know men are creatures of habit, and if you observe them closely they will give off certain signals that will help you to answer this question. Of course misreading the signs can be embarrassing and in some cases it can even damage a friendship. By watching and listening for certain behaviours you can suss out how he really feels about you and avoid that awkward conversation.

Conversation Intensifies

Most men will talk all day long about football, cars, beer…..man stuff! But when his conversations with you become more personal and involve his real thoughts and emotions this is a sign he trusts you, and values your opinion. We all need someone to confide in, and this becomes an essential aspect of a loving relationship. When a man finds himself talking to a woman in a way that is different to the way he speaks to his other friends it is a sure sign he is into her on a more intimate level.

‘I just wanted to say hi……’

As a rule, men don’t call for a chat with just anyone. If he is calling or texting you throughout the day he just can’t get you out of his head and is desperate to hear your voice. It’s believed that if a guy keeps contacting you between 12pm and 5pm for just random chit-chat he has fallen for you hook, line and sinker!

Your Friends Are Now His Friends Too

What your friends think of your new guy is so important and he knows it. A man knows that to stand a chance with you, he has to impress your friends too! You may notice he is making a special effort to speak to your girlfriends, or he may even be spending time with them when you are not there. This is likely to mean he is interested in you and wants to know more about you from their point of view.

He Calls You By Name

You may have noticed him using your name more frequently during conversation. This can be an indication that a man is keen on a woman. It shows he feels comfortable around you and is interested in what you have to say.

You and Me?……No way!!

So the safest way to find out if a girl is interested and avoid a crash and burn situation is to make the suggestion in jest. If she shudders at the thought of it then he can simply pretend it was just a joke and move on like nothing happened. However if she seems to like the idea then he knows he is in with a chance. You are on the same wavelength, and it is possible things may progress in the future.

The land down under, home to the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, vegemite, kangaroos and wine. What springs to mind when Australia is mentioned? Boomerangs and the Outback? Steve Erwin, Nicole Kidman or Hugh Jackman? It’s no secret that Australia has a lot to offer but there is so much more to this country than you may think.

Fun Facts About the Land Down Under

A Sporty Nation

• Australia’s capital was dubbed Sports Capital of the world, due to 70% of the total population participating in recreational activity or sport at least once a week. This is not surprising if you consider that more than 85% of Australians live within 100 kilometres of the the coast, making Australia one of the most urbanised coastal region populations in the world.
• The now nationwide sport Aussie Rules footy was originally designed to keep Cricketers fit during the off seasons. Now this sport is one of the most popular in the country, among rugby, soccer and cricket.

Cop Convicts

• In 1789 Governor Arthur Phillip’s appointed Australia’s first police force, the Night Watch and the Row Boat Guard were made up of the best-behaved convicts. Despite having a history of being a convict colony, the homicide rate compared to the United States is notably less. With 1.2 per 100,000 Australian population to the 6.3 per 100,00 of United States.
• Ever hear an Australian refer to a English person as a Pome? This slang is surprisingly actually an acronym for Prisoners of Mother England.

Go The Distance

• To get an idea of the size of Australia, the distance between London to Moscow equates to the width of the entire country. Populated with over 10,000 beautiful beaches that if you visited one new beach every day, it would take a total of 27 years for you to have visited them all. To add to this the famous Great Barrier Reef is the planes largest living structure, which even has its own postbox.
• Placed third in the world for having the largest ocean territory, Australia spans three oceans and covers around 12 million square kilometres. Not only this but located in Southern Australia is Anna Creek Station. This 34,000 square kilometre cattle station is the largest in the world. It’s certainly an impressive collection of titles and with being the only nation-continent with a tally of 20 million people its mind blowing when you consider that 91% or approximately 7 million square kilometres of the continent is covered by vegetation.
• Surprisingly Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano. Not only that but did you know that the Australian Alps can on times receive more snowfall than Switzerland?

Booze Control

• For the early settlers Rum was the currency of choice, used to pay military officers in lieu of money and prisoners for menial labour. This was abandoned when harsher rules were put in place by the soon nicknamed Rum Corps. Seizing control over land, supplies and labour.
• In 1954, Bob Hawke entered the Guinness Book of Records when he drank a yard glass of ale in under 12 seconds. The Prime Minister later parlayed his drinking skills to being a man of the people and this earning him the title of Australia’s most popular Prime Minister.
• You can thank this boozy nation for the invention of the Wine Cask. Boxed wine is consumed worldwide but it was the Australians who came up with the idea. Commonly referred to as Goon Sack, a cheap wine designed to get people intoxicated at an impressive speed (drink with caution).
• It was once tallied that the average Aussie drinks 96 litres of beer every year, and even though it is ranked as 3rd in the world for its sporty nation, around 63% of the population is overweight.
• As one of the world’s biggest names in the wine industry, there are over 60 designated wine regions across Australia. Approximately 1.34 trillion bottles of wine are produced by Australia every year.

Critters Of The Land

• Australia has more kangaroos than people, impressive when you quantify that Australia’s population is over 20 million.
• Also like the Kangaroo, Emus cannot walk backwards, this being one of the reasons they are present on the coat of arms. This makes Australia the only country in the entire world that eats an animal from their coat of arms. Available in most supermarkets, butchers and restaurants, kangaroo is sold as an alternative to beef or lamb as it is healthier with only 1-2% of it containing fat.
• A country renowned for their wildlife, it is reported that 75% of Australia’s living species are still unknown to humans. With creators of all walks of life, Australia is home to an impressive array of species, being the only country where you can still find the Lung Fish. This is a living fossil from the Triassic period from over 350 million years ago.
• When first brought over to Britain, the Platypus was thought to be part of a practical joke from their overseas visitors. Unbeknown to them the deservingly gentle looking platypus has venom strong enough to kill a small dog.
• The notorious Box Jellyfish has killed more people in Australia than Stonefish, Sharks and crocodiles combined.
• Home to many dangerous creators, Australia has 20 of the top 25 most deadly snakes listed. Numbers 1 to 11 all originate from the continent, as well as the inland Taipan which is the number 1 most deadliest snakes in the world.
• Saudi Arabia import camels from Australia (mostly for meat production). The Feral Camel Management Program was launched to combat against the “pest control” of camels in the outbreak. There was a reported record of over one million feral camels at one point in time, this being the reason for the $19m program to be launched.

The People

• Hot on the heels of New Zealand’s law change to legalise women’s right to vote, Australia became the second country to follow suit and bring the law in too.
• Australia Day is a National holiday that celebrates the diversity of Australian society, it is a celebration about accepting people regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, racial differences or their personal political viewpoints. Australia is a mixture of multicultural people, with Indigenous people and migrants from all over the globe. There are over 200 different languages and dialects spoken, including 45 Indigenous languages alone. Melbourne is said to be the second largest “Greek City” second to Athens, over 47% of the Australian Greek community call Melbourne home.
• The worlds “first flash” mob took place in 1832 at a Tasmanian prison when 300 women inmates came together in an act of solidarity against the guards and bared their butts at the visiting Governor during an assembly. Collectively the female convicts from Cascades Female Factory spun around, lifted their skirts and shook their bottoms whilst slapping their bare skin and tooting ugly noises, aimed at Sir John Franklin, his wife and the reverend William Bedford. This therefore creating the world’s first ever “flash mob”.

Being in love can be said to be one of the best feelings that a person can ever experience. That warm fuzzy feeling that takes over your body, the butterflies in your stomach, the never-ending blushing and smiles when that special somebody crosses your mind. Yes, that same person you thought about just now. But wait!! There is a flip side to love that can have you in tears and unable to function properly, especially when you realize the guy you made you so happy and contented is the one to have you feeling so broken and drained. You now find yourself so deep you cannot seem to stop obsessing over him despite what he did.

No girl should allow a man to make her feel like she is worth less than what she really is. You are a jewel in your own way, never forget that.

However, if you are someone who feels that she is on the sour side of love where you don’t know or find it hard to stop obsessing over a guy, then don’t worry because we have a few tips that will help get over this obsession.

What’s the one thing on a man that can have a woman fawning and smiling besides his muscles and charm? If you said his smell, then yes you are indeed correct. All women like to walk past a man knowing he smells really good while for men, they like to know that they smell great when passing women especially if he is trying to get her attention. From a collection of surveys and detailed research, here are the top 10 most popular aftershaves for men.

10. Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit de L’Homme – A very elegant exquisite cologne, relatively easy on the pocket. Has a very pleasant opening smell of citrus with bergamot. Then as the hours go on it lingers off into a woodsy but floral scent. Can be worn for any occasion, sits well on the skin and is not overpowering. Great choice for a signature scent.

9. Terre d’Hermes – A bit on the expensive side as designer colognes go but certainly a good buy. A great gift idea or just to add to your collection. It starts out as a mineral or earthy scent and as it begins to dry down you start to get a spicy, orange woodsy type of smell. Quite unique and can be worn mostly for special occasions given the refined scent and definitely worth the money.

8. Bleu De Chanel – With a good mix of peppermint and a sporty kind of grapefruit, with a lasting scent. It has great projection and can be worn just about anywhere. Can even be made a signature smell for you. It doesn’t trail off into a woodsy fragrance like others in the Chanel line and the citrus smell remains a constant turn-on.

7. The One by Dolce and Gabbana – This has made its mark over time and this one in particular was made to appeal to the sexier side of a man. A blast of citrus mixed with tobacco and cedar gives it that manly but playful scent. It trails off with a more spicy smell when drying and the ginger makes it quite sporty. Suggested to be worn for special occasions.

6. Acqua Di Gio Profumo by Giorgio Armani – This fragrance was tweaked from the original Acqua Di Gio released in 1996. However, this scent when sprayed comes off with rosemary, citrus but quite refined. A very classy and inviting smell that is great for just about any occasion. Great projection and waters down to a woodsy and incense type smell. A bit on the expensive and exclusive side but definitely worth the purchase. Due to its exclusiveness chedk the Giorgio Armani website as that’s probably the best place to find it.

5. Aventus Creed – A much hyped cologne with a unique and powerful blackcurrant with an Italian bergamot fragrance to complement the hype on opening. Known by many as the signature scent for the modern man, as it mellows out into a woody orange smell that remains consistent. Can be worn just about anywhere, you name it, you can wear it.

4. Noir Eau De Toilette by Tom Ford – For the opening fragrance you will get a scent of pure citrus oils with a dab of lemon that will water down to a more tame powdery scent. If you want to have a light scent but still have a balance to your manly side then this cologne is for you. The spiciness will continue right through and as it dries out you get a woodsy and musky scent. Average projection and sits closer to the skin. Recommended to be worn casually.

3. One Million by Paco Rabanne – The first thing that hits you when you spray this cologne is its powerful but smooth tangy almost fruit like scent. As it trails out and dries, there is also a light hint of cinnamon that can be compared to bubble gum. Usually preferred for date and club nights and a good gift idea. If you are a man that is going for a simple suave look or you just want to leave a mark, this is a good selection that can be purchased on Amazon.

2. Polo Blue Sport by Ralph Lauren – A light, crisp and clean cut fragrance. It has a light hint of mint ginger and lemon that mellows into a smooth sea grass scent. Quite a pleasant scent that is good for semi-formal occasions or just to run some errands.

1. Boss Sport by Hugo Boss – Quite a simple scent but just a bit more intense than the older version from 1998. The fragrance comes off with a mix of apple mix with lavender and cinnamon. Can be worn for most occasions so if you are a guy that’s going for a woodsy opening that trails off into a smooth almost spicy lavender scent, then this is just the aftershave for you. After all, who doesn’t want to smell like a BOSS?

As the world sees the return of Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon, let us reflect on the wisdom of the Jedi, The Sith Lord and The Force to be able to garner 9 hidden lessons Star Wars teaches us about life.

1. Our thoughts and activities affect our future.
“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn

That, which we spend many of our days pursuing and thinking about, directly impacts our future (for good or bad). With this in mind, we have to invest our time and energy into the people and things we are enthusiastic about, as well as our visions, instead of focusing on the negative or filling our lives with empty diversions.

2. Do not let your life be guided by fear.
“Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda

We are crippled by fear from doing what must be done. It prevents us from becoming the person we are supposed to be. It makes us frightened of those we don’t understand and isolates us from others.

Historically speaking, fear has fuelled many genocides, wars, persecutions, and riots. Certainly, Yoda was onto something.

3. Believe in the life you want to live – and live it!
“Do or do not… there is no try.” – Yoda

We can spend our whole lives debating all sorts of things, be frozen in fear and fighting with doubt. Yet, in life, nothing is sure. We can make a determination and stay with it or waste valuable time wallowing in uncertainty.

4. Do not lie to yourself. We generally already know what the appropriate thing to do is.
“Already know you, that which you need.” – Yoda

Listen to your Gut Instinct, your heart, as well as your conscience. Listen to the nagging ideas that just will not go away, or that Yoda voice. The remedy is within, although the road ahead looks perilous.

5. At times, we simply need to let it go.
“Let go of your hate.” – Luke Skywalker

There’s absolutely no room for hate, fear, and sorrow in our lives. At times, we simply need to let it go so that we may finally be free.

6. Surround yourself with people that understand you and are supportive.
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” – Darth Vader

There’s certainly no reason whatsoever to waste your time or energy on people that bring you down. Instead, fill your life with the believers and doers, those who inspire you to do well and those that bring positive energy into your life. Otherwise, you may recur to the dark side…

7. Do not let impractical odds hold you back.
“Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.” – C-3PO:

Even if an asteroid field is launching towards you and your odds of being successful is 3,720 to 1, do not let this appalling ratio deter you from following your heart.

8. Oftentimes, success emanates from surmounting failures.
“Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” – Obi- Wan Kenobi

Success cannot thrive without hard work. It’s discovered exclusively through deep devotion, trial and error, as well as the ability to see drawbacks as stepping stones towards later success.

9. Humor goes a very long way.
“One thing’s for sure, we’re all gonna be a lot thinner.” – Han Solo (as the garbage crusher closes in)

It is natural to freak out when things get tough. Nevertheless, freaking out is not the most productive or efficient means to solve a problem. With humor, the mood lightens and gives everyone time to regroup and reassess the scenario. In addition, it keeps spirits high, empowering individuals to do what must be done. Not to mention girls like dudes that can throw in a joke or two occasionally.

Life experience teaches most people that you’ve got to take the bad along with the good, and that certainly applies to the super-connected digital world we live in today. As convenient as it is to shop online or purchase a latte using a cell phone, there are risks inherent in all technologies. As our personal information gets shot around the world at the speed of light through fiber optic cables and cellular networks and is ultimately stored on some server somewhere, it is vulnerable to cybercriminals who specialize in stealing the identities of random people and using that information for their own personal gain. Virtually everyone is vulnerable to identity theft, so here are some signs to watch for that may indicate that you have become a victim.

The two of you have been together for quite a long time, and things seem to be heading towards matrimony. But how can you know that he is ready to pop the question for sure? There are a number of signals to be on the lookout for if you see your man exhibiting these signs be on the lookout for an engagement ring in your champagne.

He frequently highlights his financial independence

Many guys aren’t comfortable with facing their most important life decisions with large doses of instability in the future. They will want to get their job, prospects, and future squared away before they pick the woman they want to spend the rest of their life with. If he keeps bringing up the fact that his financial life and his plans for the future all point to stability, he may be trying to tell you that he is confident that he can financially support two people.

Whether or not electric cars actually help the environment is a subject of debate these days. One recent study concluded that a person driving an electric car who used energy produced by a coal-fired power plant is actually doing more damage to the environment than they would if they drove a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle.

Some of the more recent developments in the technology used to manufacture electric cars is allowing some manufacturers to build electric cars that are much more powerful than ever before. There are also more models that could be considered luxury vehicles, making electric cars a more tempting choice for people that are accustomed to expensive things. This list of the most expensive electric cars is interesting.

1. Rimac Concept One

It’s obvious from this first entry that many of these ultra-expensive electric automobiles will have names that are not at all familiar to those of us that don’t own our own island or luxury yacht. That may be just as well since this exotic electric hotrod’s price tag could trigger a fatal attack of “sticker shock!” It’s retail price is listed at $980,000, which is only $20,000 shy of a million dollars! For that price, buyers could reasonably expect to get something pretty special in return, and if you consider that this is the fastest electric car in the world, that would probably do the trick for many potential customers. This electric rocket on wheels can reach speeds of up to 310 miles per hour (500 kmh). When fully-charged the Rimac Concept One will take you about 370 miles, and do so very quickly if you desire.

2. Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive

The name Mercedes Benz is certainly not unfamiliar to most people and is recognized worldwide as being synonymous with luxury automobiles. This limited edition sports machine is the electric equivalent to the German auto maker’s gasoline-powered SLS AMG and it carries a very hefty $544,236 price tag. Even though it has four electric motors on board, its top speed of 155 miles per hour (250 kmh) pales in comparison to some of the other electric speed demons on this list.

3. Lightning GT

British auto maker Lightning is now in the electric car business and the Lightning GT is the first all-electric automobile they have offered. The car is expected to retail for somewhere around $300,000 and their current plans involve offering just 20 models for sale, so competition among would-be buyers could be pretty fierce. This electric car is reportedly capable of going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in five seconds and it’s top speed is 130 miles per hour (209 kmh).

4. Eliica

An electric car is a pretty unique concept to begin with but the engineers and designers at Keio University in Tokyo have definitely taken it to a whole new level with the introduction of the Eliica. Their 8-wheeled car looks more like something that might be seen in a 1960s science fiction movie! It’s extremely unique appearance sets it apart from the other sleek-looking models on this list and frankly, this car borders on downright ugly. The designers appear to be betting heavily that wealthy individuals will be willing to part with $225,000 to own one of these bizarre-looking automobiles. Despite it’s clunky appearance, the Eliica can get up and move out when it wants to. It has a top speed of 230 miles per hour which is more than sufficient to leave most stock gasoline-powered cars in the dust. There’s no question that driving down the street in one of these oddly retro-futuristic automobiles will turn a lot of heads.

5. Audi R8 e-tron

This is probably not the electric car the buyer with a serious need for speed will be interested in. It’s the slowest car on the list with a top speed of 125 miles per hour (200 kmh) and it can go from a standstill to 62 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds. The Audi R8 e-tron is powered by four electric motors that each output 140 kW of power. Audi decided to produce only a small number of these automobiles that are priced in the $150,000 vicinity. This electric sports car was definitely designed to look more like a racing car than most of the other entries on this list.

6. Tesla Roadster Model S

Unlike the Rimac or Eliica, the Tesla brand is likely to be familiar to a lot more people even if they don’t have any plans to by an electric car. It’s only a select few, however, that will have any serious intention of getting a Roadster Model S of their own since they are priced at $119,720 for the top-of-the-line model. Even so, it is a heck of a lot less than you would have to pay for a Rimac Concept One. The Tesla won’t get you to your destination as fast as the Rimac, in fact its top speed of 130 miles per hour (209 kmh) is less than half that of the Concept One. Still, driving a Tesla is likely to impress your friends, and by most accounts, they are pretty cool cars.

The topic of death is one that will never cease to generate interest, and no one is more interesting than the man who is sanctioned by the state to administer death. He is put into such a unique position; a killer of killers, a righter-of-wrongs so to speak.

How does someone reconcile their duties with what they know in their heart? Are these men really servants of justice, or are they no better than the men they send on to the next life? Like so much of humanity, the answer often lies somewhere between two of the extremes. What follows is the story of ten executioners who struggled to cope (or didn’t) with the massive burden of responsibility that executioners carry.

10. Edwin Davis

As civilization has moved ever forward, we have shed many of the barbaric practices of the past. Practices such as killing undesirables by brutally hanging them. Instead, we started brutally killing them with electricity. Hanging is far from pleasant, instead of the intended broken neck, convicts often would asphyxiate—a slow and painful process that could take up to half an hour.

The state of New York saw its first execution by electrocution on August 6, 1890. Edwin Davis was the executioner charged with ending the life of William Kemmler, a convicted murder. Both men understood the significance of the event, and Kemmler is reported as hamming up his fifteen minutes of fame with a wild stage bow.

The thing about new technology is that it doesn’t always work on the first try. The first pull of the switch administered a supposedly lethal surge lasting 17 seconds. When the circuit was broken, Kemmler was still alive and trying to breathe. Not to be discouraged, Davis again pulled the switch, though the second shock went on for more than a few minutes. Apparently, the effects of the electrocution were so horrible that a reporter who was present fainted, and witnesses gagged at the smell of Kemmler’s charred flesh.

After a 24 year career, Davis retired in 1914. From his time as a ‘prison electrician’ (a misleadingly mundane job title by today’s standards) Davis administered lethal doses of electricity to more than 300 people in multiple states. While some men who dealt death to convicts had trouble sleeping at night, Davis was a different sort of man. He boasted about his work and was even the builder of the first electric chair back in 1890.

9. John Hulbert

Edwin Davis was an accomplished executioner with a hefty resume of over 300 electrocutions, and he was boastful until the end. His protégé, a man named John W. Hulbert Jr., was less enamored with the grisly business of killing people. Hulbert took over for Davis when he retired, and retired himself in 1926.

During his career he was responsible for the deaths of over 140 convicts, but he never shared his mentor’s enthusiasm. When asked about his retirement, Hulbert said “I got tired of killing people.” The stress associated with his job was more than he bargained for, and his fears got the best of him.

When he went out, Hulbert was armed with a gun for fear of reprisals from friends or relatives of the convicts he had executed—remember there were more than 140. He built up a routine to protect himself in other ways too. After he performed his obligation to the state and to justice he would dine at the same restaurant. He would always order the same meal and he relied on one single waiter who was generously compensated. Hulbert lived in constant fear that his food would be poisoned as a retribution for a death caused at his hands.

In the end, it turned out that he had nothing to fear from strangers. It was the stress of his grim profession and perhaps some imbalance within in him that ended John Hulbert’s life. In 1929, he went down into his basement and took his own life with a gun.

8. Robert Elliott

Next in the line of executioner succession is a man named Robert Elliott. Like his predecessor, Elliott was a private and worried man who attempted to conceal his identity for fear of the repercussions associated with being a state sanctioned killer. Despite his attempts, his name became public less than a year after he began his career and he became the recipient of a host of threatening letters. The worst of these was a bomb hurled at his house. While the front porch was destroyed Elliott was unharmed.

Topping the career of Edwin Davis he successfully executed 386 convicts on behalf of the state and of justice. While he was officially employed in New York, he also carried out executions in several other states. While Hulbert’s career slowly ate away at his insides and began to unravel his psyche, Elliot was apparently unfazed by the tremendous weight of his position. It wasn’t until he eventually penned his memoirs that people learned his true feelings on the topic of capital punishment.

Elliott went to church every Sunday, and his spirituality can be found in his assessment of the death penalty. Elliott firmly believed that justice and revenge should be carried out by God, not by men. The way Elliott saw things, he carried out his duties to ensure that at the very least the condemned men whose lives he took did not suffer.

7. Joseph Francel

Like Elliott and Hulbert before him, Joseph Francel resisted the scrutiny of the public eye as an executioner. He worked in Sing Sing from 1939 to 1953, and try as he might, his involvement in the sentences of several high profile convicts.

Described as a soft spoken man from the Catskill Mountains, a rural and mountainous region in upstate New York, Francel was responsible for the executions of 137 convicted men and women. Several famous mobsters met their end when he pulled the switch, two of whom were the Rosenbergs. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg met the electric chair through a conviction that they were stealing atomic secrets for sale to the Soviets. While the execution of Julius Rosenberg went smoothly, his wife required a second dose of electricity. This raised eyebrows, and concerns were raised that she died inside the Jewish Sabbath.

Citing poor pay and friction with prison administration, Francel resigned. Records indicate that his compensation per execution was competitive: he was paid $150 per electrocuted convict.

6. James Van Hise

While the first electrocution occurred in New York in the year 1890, it wasn’t until 1907 that the first state sanctioned execution involving an electric chair occurred in New Jersey. It was turn of the century execution heavy hitter Edwin Davis that pulled the switch both times. Davis’ execution in the Trenton state prison was the first of many, but in other parts of New Jersey, the state retained a sour veteran hangman by the name of James Van Hise.

After hanging 250 convicts throughout the course of his career, Van Hise was sitting in the hot seat (so to speak) for replacement. The modern world was looking down on the barbarism that accompanied hanging and instead sought the clean and humane approach of death by electrocution. More electrocutions meant less hangings, and while Edwin Davis would go on to make more money, Van Hise was facing replacement.

To remedy the often unreliable and grotesquely inhumane act of hanging—and to prevent his trade from fading into history—Van Hise decided that a counter weight that would pull upwards on the victim’s neck was a more reliable method that relying on gravity and the drop to break a convict’s neck.

The first time Van Hise was afforded an opportunity to test out his new invention he was in one of his characteristically unpleasant moods. He hurried convicted wife-killer Edwin Tapley onto the gallows and cut his last words short with the traditional black execution hood. The weighted system was an unmitigated failure. It took nearly fifteen minutes for Tapley to expire, and Van Hise never lived down his backfired attempt to build a better mouse trap.