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Article: History quest.(French Revolution)
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- January 13, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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During the French Revolution (1789-1799), people really lost their heads. By 1800, this behead more than 15,000 people--including King Louis XVI. Ironically, the device was named after a doctor opposed to the death penalty. He did, however, think decapitation was the fastest, most humane way to go. Indeed, beheadings took seconds, so as many as 50 people could be executed in a day! Who was this man?
The French Revolution (1789-1799) began on July 14, 1789, when a group of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a French fortress, and tore it down. A new legislative assembly was formed in 1791. King Louis XVI was brought to trial and was executed for treason on January 21, ...