The Salem Witch Trials - Afflicted & Accused

Glowing plants and mushrooms are a staple of science fiction and fantasy environments, but did you know these fantastical elements are based on real organisms? This episode should be called glowing non-animal organisms but that doesn't really roll off the tongue. We discuss fungi ...  Show more

CW: Discussions of Religious persecution, and brief descriptions of torture, execution, and abduction. This episode also discusses an area that is currently experiencing violent political strife. During the Spanish Inquisition, an era of intense persecution of the Jewish communit ...  Show more

Bubble, bubble, toil and lots of trouble. The Puritanical witch hunt of Salem, Massachusetts took the lives of 19 innocent people as one of the most dramatic instances of scapegoating in American history. Was there something in the rye? Evil in the water? Sexism in the air? Well, ...  Show more

First of two episodes on the Salem Witch Trials. We begin the story as accusations are made throughout the town of Salem and a climate of fear is palpable. Maddy Pelling takes Anthony Delaney into the most famous witch trials of all time.Written by Maddy Pelling. Edited by Tomos ...  Show more

In 1692, girls in Salem Village experienced fevers, pains and strange behavior. A doctor deemed the affliction supernatural, and the girls pinned the blame on several people. These accusations led to a witch hunt -- but what was really to blame?

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the outbreak of witch trials in Massachusetts in 1692-3, centred on Salem, which led to the execution of twenty people, with more dying in prison before or after trial. Some were men, including Giles Corey who died after being pressed with heavy ro ...  Show more