What really happened in Salem?

Discussion of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 continues. It begins with potpourri then covers tools, Neanderthals, edibles and potables, art, shipwrecks, medical finds, and repatriations. Research: Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island stat ... Show More

The show's coverage of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 begins with updates, books and letters, animals, and just one exhumation. Research: Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management.” PLOS. Via ... Show More

This 2015 episode covers the lack of access to public education for children with disabilities in the U.S. until 1975.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In 1692 in the town of Salem Village, Massachusetts, two young girls started acting very strangely. The girls suffered from uncontrollable fits, bouts of incoherence, and odd outbursts including barking and choking sounds. A physician summoned to examine them concluded that the o ... Show More

In 1692 in the town of Salem Village, Massachusetts, two young girls started acting very strangely. The girls suffered from uncontrollable fits, bouts of incoherence, and odd outbursts including barking and choking sounds. A physician summoned to examine them concluded that the o ... Show More

When two girls fell ill in January 1692, no one suspected the affliction would lead to one of the most infamous events in American history. The Puritans of Salem Village believed the Devil had attacked their community and they would stop at nothing to find the witches who were Sa ... Show More

Can a psychological illness become contagious? Many experts believe that in rare cases a phenomenon known as a "mass psychogenic illness" can break out in a population. Can this strange quirk of group psychology help us understand the Salem Witch Crisis of 1692? The community had ... Show More

The crisis escalates beyond the afflictions of four girls. Numerous people in Salem Village have frightening experiences with witchcraft, and the girls name four women as the sources of the devilry. Magistrates hold the first public examinations of the accused women and the resul ... Show More

For more than two centuries, between the late 1400s and early 1700s, a terror of witches gripped Europe. From Scotland to Spain, thousands of people were accused, tortured and executed. But as the hysteria faded in Europe, it crossed the Atlantic. In 1692, in New England, it took ... Show More

During Europe's period of witchcraft hysteria, one enterprising (and failed) witch hunter sought to bolster his reputation by creating an authoritative text on the existence, discovery and persecution of witches. While it may seem silly now, the Malleus Maleficarum was a runaway ... Show More

In 1692, a witch hunt began in Salem Village. The hunt soon grew to shocking proportions, with more than 150 people accused. Even Salem's former minister, Reverend George Burroughs, wasn't safe: in April, he was named as a wizard. In the face of a terrified population and a gover ... Show More

Rachel Christ is the Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum. We met at the museum for a great discussion about the history of witchcraft, the Salem crisis in context with the witch hunts in Europe, and modern witch hunts, as well as many other things. For more details, p ... Show More

<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong>June 10, 1692. Accusations of witchcraft spark hysteria in a town in Massachusetts, leading to the execution of Bridget Bishop – the first victim of the Salem Witch Trials.</p><p><br></p><p>You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or fo ... Show More