The primary method of punishment during the French Revolution was the guillotine. The guillotine was a device used for carrying out execution by cleanly severing the head from the body of a condemned person. It was invented by Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a French physician and politician. The guillotine was first used publicly during the French Revolution on 25 April 1792, to execute Nicolas Jacques Pelletier, a highwayman. The guillotine quickly became the preferred method of execution during the Revolution, and it was used to execute many thousands of people, including King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, and Maximilien Robespierre. The guillotine was not only used for political executions but also for common crimes, such as murder, theft, and robbery. The use of the guillotine continued during the Revolution until the execution of Robespierre on 28 July 1794, after which its use was gradually reduced. However, the guillotine was still occasionally used for executions until it was finally abolished in France in 1981.