Summit Gist

A final cigarette... then the hangman's noose: Three men put to death in Kuwaiti car park in country's first execution in six years Blindfolded, his hands bound, a condemned prisoner puffs desperately on a final cigarette. Just a few minutes later he and two others are led up a short flight of stairs, nooses are placed around their necks before a trapdoor opens beneath their feet. This is justice Kuwait-style... read story and watch the video  The Gulf-Arab state hanged three convicted murderers today, the first executions to take place there since 2007, state news agency KUNA reported. Israel executed precise airstrikes on Gaza's public library, causing extensive damage and the loss of thousands of historical documents and books housed in the facility. See photos here Kuwait, which has a population of around three and a half million people, operates a judicial system which is a mixture of Islamic Sharia law, English common law, and the Ottoman civil code. The state carri...

"First person puts up his head, I'll blow his motherf**king head off!"⁠ That's what publishing heiress Patty Hearst said as she robbed a San Francisco bank on April 15, 1974. But she didn't introduce herself by her birth name. Instead, she reportedly called herself "Tania," the name she'd taken after joining the Symbionese Liberation Army, a leftist guerrilla group. It was a shocking transformation for the apolitical 19-year-old — especially since the SLA had actually kidnapped Hearst from her Berkeley home just a couple of months prior. The bank incident led many to believe that Hearst was forced into joining the group while in captivity. But others were convinced that she was genuinely radicalized, especially since just one month later, she fired multiple bullets outside of a Los Angeles store to help her "comrades" escape from being arrested for shoplifting. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ In 1974, a group of leftist radicals calling themselves the “Symbionese Li...

Florida's Messiest Execution On July 8, 1999, the execution of Allen Lee Davis set off a shock wave that rippled around the world. During his time in the electric chair, Davis bled profusely from the nose and suffered burns to his head, leg, and groin area. As the switch was thrown, the “Tiny” Davis, who was executed for the May 11, 1982, murder of Nancy Weiler and her two daughters, reared back against the restraints, giving witnesses a chilling glimpse under a black hood designed to hide the faces of the condemned. Blood poured from his vivid purple nose, ran down the wide leather strap that covered his mouth and soaked the white shirt. After the power was turned off, Davis was still alive. Witnesses said his chest rose and fell about 10 times before he went still. After the execution, state prison officials and Governor Jeb Bush said the Old Sparky functioned properly. Three photos of the incident have been published on Florida’s High Court official website in an attempt to argu...

American soldier killed by German snipers in Leipzig, 1945 War photographer Robert Capa took this iconic photo of an American soldier shot and killed by a German sniper in the battle for Leipzig on 18 April 1945. The soldier became known as the ‘last man to die’ in WWII after the image appeared in Life magazine’s Victory issue....  During the final days of the war, a platoon of machine gunners entered a Leipzig building looking for positions to set up covering fire points that would protect foot soldiers of the 2nd U.S. Infantry advancing across the bridge. Two members of the platoon found an open balcony that commanded on an unobstructed view of the bridge, set up their gun. For a while, one soldier fired the gun while the other fed it. Then one soldier went inside and the other manned the smoking gun alone. While absorbed in reloading it, a German sniper’s bullet from the street pierced his forehead. He crumpled to the floor, dead. War photographer Robert Capa climbed through a b...

In 1734, a Chinese official was sentenced to death by "waist chopping." After being cut in two at the waist, he remained alive long enough to write the Chinese character  ("horrible") 7 times with his own blood before dying. After hearing this, the Emperor abolished this form of execution As a result of his refusal to plead, on September 17, Corey was subjected to the procedure by Sheriff George Corwin, but he was steadfast in that refusal, nor did he cry out in pain as the rocks were placed on the boards. After two days, Corey was asked three times to enter a plea, but each time he replied, "More weight," and the sheriff complied. Occasionally, Corwin would even stand on the stones himself. Robert Calef, who was a witness along with other townsfolk, later said, "In the pressing, Giles Corey's tongue was pressed out of his mouth; the Sheriff, with his cane, forced it in again." There are several accounts of Corey's last words. The most co...