the most common method of execution in the U.S.....
That started to change at the beginning of the 20th century, when electrocution became more frequent, which eventually gave way to lethal injection in the 1980s. Other methods of execution in America dating back to colonial days include burning, bludgeoning and pressing, which often involved tying a person down and placing heavy stones on him until he could no longer breathe.
Utah is the only state that has executed a man by firearm in the past four decades. The last inmate to be executed in such a manner was Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010.
