Britain Tried to Hang Him 3 Times — And Failed Every Time

Unreal History explores strange, forgotten and unbelievable true stories from world history. Subscribe for new history stories every week. Historical details are researched for accuracy. Where sources disagree or an event is disputed, we aim to present that uncertainty clearly. In 1885, Britain tried to hang John “Babbacombe” Lee three times in a single morning. The gallows worked perfectly when tested empty — but every time Lee stood on the trapdoor, it refused to open. After three failed attempts, the execution was abandoned. Investigators later blamed a mechanical fault in the scaffold, and Lee’s death sentence was eventually commuted to life imprisonment. He became known as: “The Man They Could Not Hang.” #History #UnrealHistory #TrueStory