Saturday, May 12, 2018

Execution by Cannon

Execution by Cannon in Shiraz, Iran, Mid-Late 19th Century


Execution by cannon was a method of execution in which the victim was typically tied to the mouth of a cannon which was then fired. The prisoner is generally tied to a gun with the upper part of the small of his back resting against the muzzle. When the gun is fired, his head is seen to go straight up into the air some forty or fifty feet; the arms fly off right and left, high up in the air, and fall at, perhaps, a hundred yards distance; the legs drop to the ground beneath the muzzle of the gun; and the body is literally blown away altogether, not a vestige being seen.

Suppression of the Indian Revolt by the English,
 a painting by Vasily Vereshchagin c. 1884. 
Blowing from a gun (wiki) was a reported means of execution as long ago as the 16th century, by the Mughal Empire, and was used until the 20th century. The method was utilized by Portuguese colonialists in the 16th and 17th centuries, from as early as 1509 across their empire from Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) to Mozambique to Brazil. The Mughals used the method throughout the 17th century and into the 18th, particularly against rebels.

This method of execution is most closely associated with the colonial government of the British Raj. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (wiki), "blowing from a gun" was a method the British used to execute rebels as well as for those natives found guilty of desertion. Using the methods previously practiced by the Mughals, the British began implementing blowing from guns in the latter half of the 18th century.

The destroying of the body and scattering the remains over a wide area had a particular religious function as a means of execution in the Indian subcontinent as it effectively prevented the necessary funeral rites of Muslims and Hindus. Thus, for believers the punishment was extended beyond death. This was well understood by foreign occupiers and the practice was not generally employed by them as concurrent foreign-occupiers of Africa, Australasia or the Americas.

Here's a brief BBC re-enactment:



At ExecutedToday, an account from the February 15, 1862 Harper’s Weekly of a very messy spectacle orchestrated to maintain British control of Punjab (scans of the original pages are here and here):
"The commanding officer directed port-fires to be lit. “Ready!” “Fire!” and the drama was played out. An eye-witness says: “The scene and stench were overpowering. I felt myself terribly convulsed, and could observe that the numerous native spectators were awe-stricken — that they not only trembled like aspen-leaves, but also changed into unnatural hues. Precaution was not taken to remove the sponge-and-load men from the muzzles of the guns; the consequence was that they were greatly bespattered with blood, and one man in particular received a stunning blow from a shivered arm!“
More at Strange History and vintage everyday.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Wednesday links

James M. Barrie was born on May 9, 1860: here's the dark side of Peter Pan.

A tornado's low-frequency sounds could reveal where it'll strike.

What happens to birds during a hurricane?

Early attempts to produce the flying car we were supposed to have by now

Amish Commerce: Costco in Lancaster, PA has stalls reserved for horse and buggy parking.

"Fits neatly inside a lizard's cloaca": Scientists are leaving Amazon reviews, and it's amazing.

ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include the physics of laundry, the poop-filled mites on your face, the Wild West's last stagecoach tavern, and the anniversary of V.E. Day, the day World War 2 ended in Europe.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

For your wino mom or wife on Mother's Day: FlaskScarf, tampon flasks, or the Wine Rack

Check out the FlaskScarf for women; they come in a variety of colors and stripes and have a hidden bladder than can hold up to 8-ounces of booze (or whatever). When you're thirsty just suck on your scarf!













From the makers the FlaskTie for men:


If your mom isn't a scarf person, there's always the classic tampon flask (which comes in a set of five!) or the Wine Rack, which would, since it holds 25 ounces of liquid in it's bra-shaped bladder, probably have some make-mom-look-like-Dolly-Parton properties :



Slightly classier are these fake lotion containers, which are actually very highly rated:

Happy Mother's Day!

Tuesday links

It's V.E. Day: on May 8, 1945, World War 2 ended in Europe.


Just so you know, there are Poop-Filled Mites On Your Face Right Now.

The Last Stagecoach Tavern of the Wild Wild West.

Not a plot summary for a SyFy movie: Army researchers are developing a self-aware squid-like robot you can 3D print in the field.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include how donuts are made, daggers made from human thigh bones, Neanderthals sea voyages, and illustrated manliness lessons: how to undress in 20 seconds or less (in case you need to rescue someone who's drowning) and the Tactical Order of Dressing (as taught to military and emergency personnel).

Monday, May 7, 2018

Just so you know, there are Poop-Filled Mites On Your Face Right Now

Right now, there are tiny mites eating, laying eggs, dying, and leaking feces on your face. They're not actually pooping, per se, because of the fact that they the lack anuses:
"They store all of their poop in their abdomens until the day they die, at which point they decompose and leak feces all over your face."
More at the video below, made by Gross Science:



Related:


Everything you never wanted to know about the mites that eat, crawl, and have sex on your face.


NatGeo has a gallery of extreme close-ups of mites.

By the way, you can buy a container of 1,000 live predatory mites here - makes a great gift!

Monday links

Manliness lessons: how to undress in 20 seconds or less (in case you need to rescue someone who's drowning), plus, so you can always be battle-ready - the Tactical Order of Dressing: An Illustrated Guide (as taught to military and emergency personnel).

The Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code - Bill Benter wrote an algorithm that couldn’t lose at the track. Close to a billion dollars later, he tells his story for the first time.

Treadmills Were Meant To Be Atonement Machines.


Human Thigh Bones Make The Best Bone Daggers, in Case You Were Wondering.

Neanderthals may have gone on sea voyages.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include Star Wars Day and International Respect for Chickens Day, the politics of the Louisiana Purchase, the Turkish roots of Swedish meatballs, strange cases of mass hysteria (including the mysterious dancing epidemic of 1518, and why we evolved to poop in the same place as our friends.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Check out the carving on this instrument - a medieval guitar later converted into a violin

From the British Museum's Twitter feed: