Chemistry's Father Dies: Lavoisier Executed by Guillotine
The Convention ordered the arrest of all former tax gatherers, dragging Antoine Lavoisier into a trial where he faced execution for his work with the Ferme Générale. Guillotined on May 8, 1794, alongside twenty-seven co-defendants, his death silenced a man who had proposed educational reforms and defended foreign scientists like Lagrange. This loss deprived France of its leading chemist just as the Revolution intensified its purge of perceived enemies.
May 8, 1794
232 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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