Bess and Sam exit the movie theater in horror. A poster with Thomas Edison's name and an electric elephant say "NOW SHOWING."

January 17, 1903

Thomas Edison releases the film Electrocuting an Elephant. The 74 second movie depicts the execution of a circus elephant named Topsy.

This piece is from the History Shapes Archive, a collection of over 60 single-panel gag cartoons going all the way back to 2018. Republished in full throughout 2023 only on historyshapes.com.
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