It wasn’t pretty. In the end, Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi, soaked in blood, was jostled around by rebel forces and either succumbed to his wounds or was finished off. Thanks to digital technology, the entire world can now see the dictator in his final moments and later his lifeless corpse propped up against someone’s leg. A phone camera caught the entire morbid sequence.

It’s an odd time to witness history: From the abrupt hanging of Saddam Hussein to the brutal end of the brutal Colonel Qaddafi—all captured on video. (But why must the video be so shaky? Can’t these people stand still? It’s like the images of Big Foot.) No doubt this is only the beginning. President Assad of Syria should take note so as not to end up as a bit of snuff himself.