The Greatest Engineering Joke of All Time

I saw a list of the top 10 engineering jokes of all time, on facebook.  It was pretty good, but it didn't have the GREATEST  ENGINEERING JOKE OF ALL TIME.

Here it is, with some embellishments:

It is the French Revolution, the reign of terror.  A priest, a soldier, and an engineer  have been condemned to die at the guillotine, the newest form of execution.  A large crowd has assembled to watch, because Paris St. Germaine has been knocked out of the Champions League and there is nothing else to do. 

The priest is first.  The officials ask him how he wants to die.  “I will die facing up,” he answers, “so I might die facing God.”

The officials grant him this last request, and place him the guillotine.  The blade goes up, the drum rolls and….

Nothing.

 

There is an uneasy murmur from the crowd.  “It is a miracle, a miracle from God” they whisper to each other.  The officials, fearing for their own heads in such volatile times, decide to let the priest go.

 

The solider is next.  “How would you like to die?” the officials ask.  “I have never shied away from danger,” says the soldier.  “I shall face the blade.”

So they put him in the guillotine.  The blade goes up, the drum rolls and….

Nothing. 

The crowd roars.  “It is another miracle!”  They demand that the soldier go free and the officials reluctantly agree.

 

The engineer is next.  He was a humble man, putting in his time at the King’s engineering office, entering data into spreadsheets and making power parchment presentations.  How he got wrapped up in all of this was beyond him.  The officials asked him how he wanted to die.  His natural inclination to avoid conflict and shy away from being the center of attention dictated that he face down, but not wanting to be thought of as a lesser man he gathered up every ounce of courage he had and stated that he too, will face the guillotine. 

So they strap him in.  The blade goes up, the drum rolls, and…….

Nothing.

The crowd is jubilant!  Even the officials are overcome with emotion.  They bring the engineer forward.  A few people in the audience demand a speech and soon the whole gathering is chanting “Speech! Speech! Speech!”

The engineer, smiling, holds out his hands to the crowd and asks for quiet.  “Good people of France, calm yourselves.  There is a perfectly good reason why we all have been spared.”  The engineer then pointed back to the guillotine.  “There is a design flaw with the blade release mechanism.  In fact, I think I see the problem….”