Summary of 7 Incredible Mass Hysteria Events

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

The Salem witch trials of 1692 were caused by mass hysteria, resulting in the death of 19 people. The event is still shrouded in mystery, with some disagreement about the exact figures. However, it is clear that the trials were unlawful and that the victims were innocent.

• 00:00:00 In this video, Erin McCarthy discusses seven events that caused mass hysteria, including the dancing plague of 1518. While each event has a different explanation, all of them are related to stress and anxiety.
• 00:05:00 In this YouTube video, seven mass hysteria events are recounted, including the 1954 Seattle windshield pitting delusion. It is concluded that the events were likely caused by anxiety, rather than evil clowns.
• 00:10:00 The Salem witch trials took place in Massachusetts in 1692, and they started with two young girls having strange fits. The doctor blamed them of being bewitched, and the diagnosis spread through the village like wildfire. Five more girls came down with the same symptoms and together they blamed three people: an enslaved woman, a beggar, and an elderly woman. Tituba named them all as witches, and she declared that there were a number of other witches living in Salem. The townspeople started making wild accusations, and soon a four-year-old girl was accused and thrown in a dungeon for eight months. More of the accused confessed, thinking it was their only way out. Unfortunately, by the time the hysteria settled down, 25 people had died. There is still disagreement today about some of the exact figures, but it is estimated that 19 people were hanged, about five died in jail, and one man was pressed to death with stones when he refused to enter a plea. Five years later, the Massachusetts General Court declared the trials unlawful and the last remaining guilty woman was cleared of wrongdoing.