And finally… bread and circuses

The punishment was scrapped by the British Navy in 1891 but has only now come to an end in the US.

It was the most severe administrative punishment for sailors in the three lowest pay grades and meant confinement in the brig with the simple food for three days.

The last reform to the punishment was in 1909, when the maximum period was reduced from 30 days to three days.

Captain Kevin Eyer, a fierce defender of the punishment, told the New York Times: “It’s not that bad — that’s why I like it. It sounds scary but it’s just three days, you get as much bread and water as you want — a captain can do much worse things.”