Saw this linked at the bottom of the SI.com picks page. Pretty morbid but an interesting read.

Heretic Fork

This two pronged fork was strapped to the victims neck in order to prevent them from sleeping. They would either have their hands tied behind their back or suspended in air. It would also prevent the person from speaking further and was usually used post confession.

The Brazen Bull

The Brazen Bull or "Sicilian Bull" was popular in ancient Greece. The victim was put into a hollow bull made of brass and a fire was lit underneath. The metal would become extremely hot and the victim would literally roast to death. Even more unsettling was the fact that the bull was designed to amplify the sounds of the agonizing screams coming from within to sound like the bellow of an animal.

Judas Cradle

The Judas Cradle was a device of torture used mostly in Spain in the 16th century. The victim would be placed in a harness atop a pyramid shaped seat with a sharp point. The victim would then be slowly lowered onto the device, which would protrude into their genitals, often ripping them open. Death would occur from tears in muscle tissue that would become infected, or the victim would simply be impaled.

Crucifixion

When anyone mentions crucifixion, probably the first name that comes to mind is Jesus Christ. In addition to the religious connotation of this torture method, it was a fairly common method of capital punishment invented by the Persians in 300-400 BC. It was performed by nailing the victim to a large wooden cross or stake. Death would occur a number of ways including heart failure, shock, asphyxia or a combination of all of these.

The Coffin

One of the most prevalent torture devices in the Middle Ages was the coffin torture. The naked victim was placed in a metal human-shaped cage and hung in public from trees or walls. The victims endured thirst and starvation in addition to having spoiled food and rocks thrown at them. Birds and insects would eat the dead flesh.

The Rack

Many believe the rack to be one of the most painful forms of torture as it was constructed to dislocate all the joints in the victim's body. The device was made of a wooden frame with rollers at either end. The victim was stretched across with their hands and feet tied with rope at either end. Then a handle was used to crank the rollers so that the victim was pulled slowly in opposite directions until their joints were dislocated.

Lead Sprinkler

The Lead Sprinkler was a ball with holes in it attached to a long handle. The punishers would sprinkle the contents of the Lead Sprinkler onto the victim's mouth, anus, vagina or eyes causing intense pain and even death. he device would contain boiling water, hot oil, molten lead or molten silver.

Rat Torture

This particularly gruesome torture method involved strapping a cage full of rodents to the victims stomach. The cage would then be heated, causing the rats to go into a frenzy and try to burrow their way out through the victim's body.

Crocodile Shears

The crocodile shears were used to punish those attempting to assassinate the king. The device consisted of a tube with spikes at both ends that would be clamped down onto the victim's appendages. The arterial damage that occurred often resulted in death.

Iron Maiden

The iron maiden was basically an iron cabinet, roughly the size of a human, with an interior of spikes. The spikes were strategically placed to pierce vital organs, but were also made to be short so that death was long and agonizing. There were often two spikes positioned specifically to penetrate the eyes.

The Head Crusher

The head crusher was a popular torture method during the Inquisition. It consisted of a metal cap affixed with a compression mechanism. The torturer would slowly crush the victims head, shattering the teeth, crushing facial bones and popping the eyes from their sockets before death occurred.

The Pear of Anguish

The Pear of Anguish was a medieval torture device used primarily on blasphemers, liars and homosexuals. It would be inserted into one of the victim's orifices: the mouth, vagina or anus depending on the crime. The torturer would then separate the devices four leaves using a screw mechanism, resulting in mutilation but rarely death.

Thumbscrews

The thumbscrews, also called pillywinks, were often used to extract confessions from its victims by slowly crushing the fingers and toes, and in some cases even the knees and elbows.