The Catherine wheel or pinwheel is a type of firework consisting either of a powder-filled spiral tube or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its center. When ignited, the fireworks spin by th
Fireworks design from the 18th century with six Catherine wheels
Painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Catherine wheel at Qala, Malta
The breaking wheel, also known as the execution wheel, the Wheel of Catherine or the Catherine Wheel, was a torture method used for public execution primarily in Europe from antiquity through the Midd
Catherine wheel (firework)
…process as an aeolipile. The firework is named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria who, according to Christian tradition, was condemned to death by "breaking on the wheel". When she touched the wheel, it miraculously fell to pieces. The largest Catherine wheel ever made was designed by the Lily Fireworks Factory of Mqabba…
Execution wheel (German: Richtrad) with underlays, 18th century; on display at the Märkisches Museum, Berlin
An execution wheel exhibited in the Museum of Cultural History Franziskanerkloster in Zittau, Saxony, Germany, dated 1775; bolted to the lower rim edge is an iron blade-like thrust attachment
Breaking-wheel machine used to execute Matthias Klostermayr, Bavaria, 1772
Illustration of an execution by wheel, Switzerland, 1513