Famous Lasts

LAST EXECUTION IN TOWER OF LONDON
The last execution in the Tower of London took place on Thursday, August 14, 1941, when Josef Jakobs, a German spy, was shot by an eight-man firing squad. Because he had suffered a broken ankle when he had parachuted into England on the night of January 31, 1941, he could not stand before the firing squad and he was, instead, seated in an old Windsor chair and tied up. Five of the eight shots pierced his heart.

LAST PERSON BURNED AT THE STAKE
Phoebe Harrius was convicted of coining false money, a crime of high treason at that time, and was executed by being burned at the stake in front of Newgate Prison in England, in 1786.

LAST SURVIVING SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Charles Carroll was the last of the 59 men who signed the Declaration of Independence to die. He passed away in 1832 at the age of 95.

LAST PEANUTS COMIC STRIP
The last original Peanuts Comic Strip was published February 13, 2000. Coincidentally, creator Charles M. Schultz died the night before.

LAST GRATEFUL DEAD CONCERT
The Grateful Dead gave their last concert with leader Jerry Garcia at Chicago's Soldier Field in 1995. Jerry died a month later of a heart attack while in drug rehab.

LAST MISS CANADA
Nicole Dunsdon, the last Miss Canada, completed her reign in October 1992. In 1991 women's groups had successfully lobbied to have the Miss Canada contest canceled, claiming it was degrading to women.

LAST US MUTINY HANGING
The last US Navy man hanged for mutiny was Midshipman Philip Spencer in 1842. The son of Secretary of War John C. Spencer, he had schemed with 2 others to turn his ship to piracy.

LAST US PUBLIC EXECUTION
The last public execution in America was the hanging of a 22-year-old black man named Rainey Bethea at Owensboro, KY, in 1936. Bethea had been convicted of the slaying of a 70-year-old white woman. By five o'clock the morning of the execution, 20,000 people were in the field, including over 200 sheriffs and deputies from various parts of the U.S.

LAST BUDDY HOLLY PERFORMANCE
Buddy Holly's last performance was on February 2, 1959, his last record, "It Doesn't Matter," was released in 1959.

LAST US SOLDIER EXECUTED FOR DESERTION
Private Eddie Slovik was tried by court-martial and sentenced to death for desertion during WWII. He was shot by his own unit, the 28th Infantry Division, in a small town in northeast France. There were 70 executions by firing squad during WWII, but Slovik's was the only one for desertion. The rest were for rape or murder.

LAST CHAIRMAN OF RUSSIAN KGB
The last chairman of Russia's KGB was Vadim Viktorovich Bakatin in 1991.

LAST WITCHCRAFT HANGING
The last person hanged for witchcraft in the American colonies was executed on September 22, 1692.

LAST WOMAN HANGED IN ENGLAND
Ruth Ellis was executed by hanging in 1955; the suspension of capital punishment throughout England made her the last woman to be executed by this method.

LAST BEATLES CONCERT
The Beatles last concert was at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on August 29, 1966, although the group did have an impromptu performance on the roof of their Abbey Road Studios when recording the Let it Be album.

LAST FAR SIDE CARTOON
The last original "Far Side" by cartoonist Gary Larson was published in 1995. The first had appeared in 1980

LAST KAISER OF GERMANY
Wilhelm II was the last Kaiser. He was forced to abdicate in 1918.

LAST GUILLOTINE EXECUTION
The last public execution by guillotine was on June 17, 1939. Eugene Weidman was executed before a large crowd in Versailles, France. The last nonpublic use of the guillotine in France, at Baumetes Prison, in Marseilles, was the execution of convicted murderer Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant, on September 10, 1977. France abolished capital punishment on September 9, 1981.

LAST RULER OF HAWAII
Queen Liliuokalani, the last royal ruler of Hawaii, was deposed in 1893.

LAST BRITISH MONARCH WHO ABDICATED
On December 11, 1937, Edward VIII of England abdicated, ending a reign of 325 days. He married Wallis Warfield Simpson on June 3, 1938.

LAST CALIFORNIA GRIZZLY
Although it is the central figure in the state's flag, the last grizzly in California was spotted in the Sierras in 1924.

LAST CAROLINA PARAKEET
The last known Carolina parakeets were sighted on Lake Okeechobee in 1904 by ornithologist Dr. Frank Chapman.

LAST GREAT AUK
The last great auk (Pinguinus impennis) was killed by collectors on Eldey Island in 1844.

LAST BEATLES SONG
The Beatles recorded their last song together, "I Me Mine," in 1970.

LAST BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY
Beethoven's last symphony was his 9th.

LAST ED SULLIVAN SHOW
The last Ed Sullivan Show on CBS-TV was June 6, 1971. Running for more than 20 years, the Ed Sullivan Show was the longest running variety show on TV. The first show had been telecast on June 20, 1948.

LAST KING OF ITALY
Victor Emmanuel III was the last royal king of Italy. He reigned 1900 to 1946.

LAST LIFE MAGAZINE
The last weekly issue of "Life" magazine was issued December 29, 1972.