S1 – 5: A Higher Power

Until now, the daily flood of examinations had been a temporary fix while everyone waited for the new government to set up an official trial. For many, that trial would represent hope and conclusion. For some, however, it would extract a heavy, deadly price. Learn more about your ...  Show more

It's easy for a community to turn on the outsiders among them. The Salem witch trials had become a textbook example of this over the first few months. But in July of 1692, all of that changed. As the Court of Oyer and Terminer rolled full speed ahead, it seems anyone could be a w ...  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

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

Margaret tells you about the history of European witchcraft and the witch trials and how it all came down to a contest between Catholics and Protestants to see who could murder the most people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

The Salem witch trials reach their darkest point as more innocent lives are lost. When the crisis touches the highest level of government, the governor finally stops the trials. The outbreak slowly fades away, but it haunts all involved for the rest of their lives. For the next 3 ...  Show more