How long do you remain conscious for after having your head chopped off?

For centuries, people thought that a severed head might be aware of what's going on for up to 30 seconds after decapitation — or even longer!

That folklore has its origins in the assassination of revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday, the French Revolution's "Angel of Assassination".

You might know that in the early days of the revolution, most of the people who faced the razor-sharp guillotine were from the aristocracy or were supporters of the monarchy.

But once the revolutionaries were victorious, years of terrifying infighting began, and thousands more heads would roll.

• Host: Aslan Pahari
• Producer: Hannah Jose
• Script consultant: Sophie Townsend
• Audio Engineer: John Jacobs
• Video Producer: Tejas Bhat, Lewis Isaacs
• Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research
• Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn

To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.