In a not too distant past, public executions were a popular form of entertainment. The more cruel and sadistic the execution, the more people would come to watch.
A standard execution method in Nordic countries was to first chop off the hand of the criminal, and then cut off his head. The criminal had to see what was about to happen to his head. His reaction at seeing his hand chopped off was part of the entertainment.
For more serious crimes, even crueler methods of execution were devised. People were hung, drawn and quartered for treason. People were burned alive for blasphemy.
There were never a lack of spectators to watch these sadistic rituals. However, quite suddenly, people stopped turning up to the execution events. Sadistic killings of miserable people was no longer seen as wholesome family entertainment, and the execution methods had to be made more humane to draw the same kind of crowds.
Public hangings were introduced as the new norm. But pretty soon, this too had to be toned down. Seeing the criminals tread air and wriggle as they swung from their necks, their eyes bulging and faces turning purple, was too much, The criminals had to have a bag placed over their heads, and a drop was devised to ensure that their necks were broken so that they no longer wriggled and tread the air.
However, even this became too much for people and executions had to move out of the public eye. Public executions were no longer seen as entertainment. It was protested and opposed to the point that it had to be performed behind closed doors, and today execution has ceased to exist as a legitimate form of punishment in all but a handful of countries.
Wholesome family entertainment
By Loyset Liédet - Figure 12, Page 122 of A Traitor's Death?, Public Domain, Link
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