The Malleus Maleficarum, or the 'Hammer of Witches', was a 15th-century book that sparked mass hysteria about the existence of witches in Europe - and it wasn't long before North America had fallen for the same obsession.
In a special Halloween episode, Dan is joined by the co-host of the Gone Medieval podcast, Eleanor Janega, to take us through the most famous example of a witch-hunt in action. Eleanor explains how old grudges and grievances boiled up as the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts turned on one another. Hundreds of people were accused of witchcraft and just shy of two dozen were executed for it. So what happened in Salem? Why were almost all of the accused women? And what was a witch anyway? Tune in to find out.
Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.
Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.
We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
Britain's Secret Expedition to Antarctica
Harold Godwinson: The Last Anglo-Saxon King
Greek Myths: The Furies
The Last Gay Men Executed in Britain
Life and Death in Greco-Roman Egypt
Rameses The Great
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Origins of Ancient Egypt
Who are the Houthis?
The Real King Arthur
The City of Alexandria
WWII: The Allied Invasion of Italy
Prohibition
The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
First Polynesians
Masters of the Air: WWII's Bloody 100th Bombers
The Vandals
One Life: The 'British Schindler' Nicky Winton & The Kindertransport
The Taj Mahal
The Life and Death of Vladimir Lenin
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
History Extra podcast
Battleground
Gone Medieval
Key Battles of American History
WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk