Emperor Menelik: Electric MoronAs part of a vigorous campaign to modernize Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1890, Emperor Menelik II eagerly ordered three electric chairs from New York, where the world's first electric chair had recently been installed (at Auburn Prison). Only when the chairs arrived and were unpacked did the emperor realize that he had a small problem: his kingdom had no electricity.
Abyssinian criminals heaved a collective sigh of relief as two of the chairs were consigned to the scrap heap. The third, incredibly, was converted into Menelik's imperial throne.
[Trivia: When it was first suggested that Constantinople be electrified, it was explained that dynamos would be required. The Sultan promptly vetoed the project; "dynamos" sounded too much like "dynamite." Several years passed before the Turks saw the light.]
Menelik II, (1844-1913) Ethiopian emperor (1889-1913) [noted for his role in securing Ethiopian liberation from Italian domination (1896)]
[Sources: John Train, True Remarkable Occurrences]More Menelik II anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Modernization Capital Punishment Ignorance Dummies Ethiopia Electricity Africa Chairs Shortsightedness Oversights Thrones
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