In early August 1881, Lemuel W. Smith, 30, got drunk and made the bad decision to grab two metal strips on the generator that powered the lights of Buffalo, N.Y., known at the time as the “Electric ...

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On this day, May 4, in 1990, Jesse Tafero was executed in Florida after his electric chair malfunctioned, causing flames to leap from his head. Tafero’s death sparked a debate on humane methods of ...

On this date in 1890, a Buffalo man had the dubious honor of being the first man to meet his death on the electric chair. And that isn't Buffalo's only tie to the chair.