12. Impalement
We already mentioned Vlad the Impaler, a Transylvanian prince who enjoyed performing this brutal method of execution on captured Turkish soldiers. The Chinese also used impalement, although with a slight twist. They would position the victim above a young bamboo tree, which is known to grow as much as several inches a day, then sit around, drink some tea, and wait. The plausibility of this method was proven in an episode of MythBusters in 2008.
