A brilliant scientist stood alone in a St. Petersburg laboratory. Moments later, a silent, glowing sphere entered the room—and killed him instantly. What followed was buried in technical euphemism, discredited by peers, and quietly erased from history.

In 1753, Russian physicist Georg Wilhelm Richmann became the first person in recorded history to die while attempting to measure atmospheric electricity. Witnesses described a floating ball of light that struck him mid-experiment—leaving no scorch marks, only a hole in his forehead.

This episode reconstructs the fatal experiment, the suppressed reports, and the forgotten legacy of The Ball Lightning Executioner.