« Reply #463 on: February 14, 2026, 09:28:14 am »

The last public outdoor hanging in the United States took place on August 14, 1936, in Owensboro, Kentucky, when Rainey Bethea was executed before a crowd estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 people.
He was charged with the rape and murder of 70-year-old Lischia Edwards in Owensboro. He confessed to the crime.
Key details
Person executed: Rainey Bethea, age 26
Location: Owensboro, Kentucky
Date: August 14, 1936
Crowd size: Roughly 10,000–20,000 spectators
Significance: Widely recognized as the last public execution in the U.S.
Aftermath: Public outrage and media attention led Kentucky to outlaw public executions in 1938.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2026, 09:50:21 am by ChemEngrMBA »

Logged
"I have now purchased and given away six copies of the book! Well done sir!" - Bigun
5 Star Review by LMAO
The Book Commentary: "The book (Brilliant Creations - The Wonder of Nature and Life) is pure genius."
Review by John Orosz, M.D. "Wow, beyond outstanding. Please send me twenty signed copies for colleagues, family, and libraries."
"This book should be required reading for every teenager. I was running every morning for twenty years with a genius." - Mike McCartney, D.D.S.
"You have the most agile mind of anyone I know." -
Avice Marie Griffin, PhD, Clinical Psychologist