The rack. New investigations re-write History by revealing that the rack actually ripped bone apart, not joints as was previously thought. The whip was used extensively by the Romans, famously against Jesus. But there was a lot more biology and materialsscience involved that purely hitting someone. The pear of anguish was inserted into a person's body cavity and then a screw twisted that caused it to expand ripping the cavity apart. We discover how this might have worked and what damage could have beendone. Hundreds of people were burnt at the stake by the Spanish Inquisition. But what actually killed them? Flame, smoke or heat? We answer this question. Roman Emperor Nero devised a shirt that condemned would wear. This tunic could be set alight andstay burning for several minutes - a long agonising death. A stunt mans puts on an ancient tunica molesta and sets fire to himself to find out exactly how this was possible. Legends say that Vlad The Impaler could drive a stake through someone frombottom to top without killing them. They stayed alive for up to three days. Using historical analysis and computer simulation we reveal for the first time that this grounded in fact. It is actually possible
