PirateQ 
Dr. Brian Rucker, Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Pensacola State College, once again brought history to life – this time, with a full-scale wooden guillotine and a touch of gallows humor.
On May 1, outside of Building 14, Rucker and his European History 1001 class re-enacted a slice of the French Revolution during their lesson on the Reign of Terror. In partnership with PSC Carpentry Instructor Shaun Garner and his students, Rucker asked that a realistic wooden guillotine be constructed, modeled after those used in the late 1700s.
The demonstration served to illustrate the method of execution used on approximately 17,000 people during the French Revolution, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.
Marie Antoinette was allegedly reported to have callously said, “Let them eat cake!” in response to being told the people had no bread to eat; however, only moments before she lost her head (literally), she also reportedly apologized to her executioner for stepping on his foot as he led her to the platform of her death.
“When you think about that, that’s a classy way to go out—to apologize to the person who is fixing to kill you,” Rucker chuckled.
With the French flag flying, compliments of student Cordell Weeks, and a crowd of curious students gathering, a mannequin dressed in period attire, sewn by student Gabe Martin, was secured to the device. Student Melody Patterson, clad in a black executioner’s robe, performed the mock beheading. The mannequin’s head—complete with a wig—gave the crowd some unexpected laughs, falling off prematurely a few times before the official “execution.”
Rucker also provided historical context, explaining that the guillotine was developed by physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin in 1789 after a law was passed requiring all executions to be carried out by machine. The intent was to make capital punishment more humane—and more egalitarian.
After the theatrical demonstration, students celebrated the occasion with slices of cake, baked by student Olivia Kellley, before returning to their review for final exams.
The guillotine, now housed in Ashmore Auditorium, may appear again in future theatrical productions or as an educational prop for other departments.
Scott Schackmann, Head of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, assures all that “Pensacola State College does not condone executing French nobility.”