The Electric Chair

The electric chair is a device used historically for execution by electrocution. It consists of a wooden chair with metal straps to secure the individual and metal electrodes that make contact with the body—usually the head and legs. Electricity is passed through the body to cause rapid unconsciousness and death by disrupting vital bodily functions. It was introduced as a more humane alternative to hanging but has since fallen out of favor in many places due to ethical concerns and debates over its humaneness. The electric chair is now largely considered a historical method of capital punishment.