Capital punishment in the United States
After Thomas Edison discovered direct current (DC) electricity in 1882, his company showed how powerful it was by using it to kill animals.  The idea of using electricity to kill humans grew out of this.  New York built the first electric chair, and first used it to execute a prisoner on August 6, 1890.  Other states also adopted the electric chair as a method of execution, believing that it was a less painful way to die than hanging.