The death penalty has laws that date back as far as eighteenth century BC in the city of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). In the tenth century AD, hanging guilty persons became the usual method of execution in Britain (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). In recent history, common methods used by multiple countries included boiling, burning at the stake, hanging, drowning, beating, burning alive and impalement. The number of capital crimes in Britain, including stealing or cutting down a tree, continued to rise throughout the next two centuries. By 1700, 222 crimes were recorded as punishable by the death penalty (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). Due to the severity of capital punishment during the earlier era, many juries would not convict defendant if the offense was not serious enough. This would eventually lead to Britain’s abolishment of the death penalty from 1823 to 1837, where it was eliminated in well over 100 of the 222 crimes that were, at that time, deemed punishable by death (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). History also shows that Britain influenced America’s use of the death penalty more than any other country during this time period. The first ever recorded execution was Capitan George Kendall of Jamestown, Virginia (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). Kendall was accused and found guilty of being a spy for the country of Spain, which was a capital offense at the time (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). Two-hundred years later, the abolishment movement began in the Northeast region of the now formed United States of America. Many states began to limit the number of capital crimes and built more penitentiaries (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). Pennsylvania became the first state to remove justified executions from a public setting to the correctional facilities. Soon, Michigan became the first state to completely abolish the death penalty for all crimes with the exception of treason (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). With the start of the civil war in the late nineteenth century, the opposition to the death penalty was severely waned. More concentration seemed to be put upon the anti-slavery movement than capital punishment. The conclusion of the war brought new means in the methods of execution. New York was credited with building the first electric chair in 1888, and executed William Kemmler two years later in 1890 (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). With the conclusion of the nineteenth century, and the start of the twentieth century came what is known as the “progressive period” of reform in the US. In a rapid ten year span, six states completely outlawed the death penalty for all crimes for crimes that were rarely committed, such as treason and first degree murder of a public official (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). The reform was short-lived. US citizens began to panic about the threat of revolution in the wake of the Russian revolution. This was in the beginning core of World War I. Socialist began to experience their own reform, which offered the first major challenge towards capitalism (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). The result of such a reform was that five of the six abolishment states reinstated the death penalty by the year 1920 (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). In 1924, with all the attention focused on the increased means of punishment, hence an increased use of the death penalty, a new method deemed more humane was sought. Nevada introduced the use of cyanide gas as a means of execution. Gee Jon was the first person to be executed in the gas chamber during late 1924 (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). The 1920s to the 1940s saw a huge resurrection in the use of the death penalty. Criminologist began to argue that capital punishment was an entirely necessary social measure (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). At this point, Americans were suffering through Prohibition and the Great Depression. The 1930s were a major turning point for the death penalty, as there were more people executed during this decade than any other in history, with an average of almost 167 deaths per year (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). This began another, slightly less severe reform, setting the trend for the usage of the death penalty for the next twenty years, up until the early 1950s. With the start of a new decade, the government saw a sudden turn in public sentimentality with regards to the death penalty. Several allied nations either abolished or severely limited the death penalty (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). The US saw a sudden change in the number of executions, as the number dropped dramatically from 1,289 executions in the 40s to only 715 in the 50s (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). The general public seemed to be withdrawing their support for capital punishment. The 1960s saw the most change and debate of any other time period previous. With public support at a mere 42%, capital punishment reached an all-time low approval rating (Death Penalty Information Center 2012). This would set the stage for the rest of the twentieth century as fundamental challenges to the legality of the death penalty were challenged.