Media, Myth, and the Salem Witch Trials

Back in 1976, a wild theory claimed that the Salem witch trials were sparked by hallucinogenic fungus in rye bread. Experts quickly debunked it—but the media ran with it, and the myth stuck. Join us as we dig into how a catchy (but false) idea went viral and became a textbook example of early “fake news.”

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Margo Burns is the 10th-generation great-granddaughter of Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged in Salem in 1692 on the charge of witchcraft. They are the project manager and an associate editor of Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt, published in 2009 by Cambridge University Press. Burns recently retired from St. Paul's School as the director of The Language Center.

This lecture is free and open the public. Refreshments will be served.

Presented by UNH Manchester and sponsored by The Saul O Sidore Memorial Lecture Series, which was established in 1965 in memory of Saul O Sidore of Manchester, New Hampshire. The purpose of the series is to offer the University community and the state of New Hampshire programs that raise critical and sometimes controversial issues facing our society.

Host or Publisher UNH Manchester