History Smashers: Salem Witch Trials

In 1692, a few paranoid Puritans accused their neighbors of being witches sending the town flying off the handle. Before it was over, dozens of women in Salem, Massachusetts were executed—burned at the stake. RIGHT? WRONG! There was serious witch worry, but no one in the United States was put on a pyre. And women weren’t the only ones caught in crossfire…maybe don’t read this one aloud to your dog. What really happened? The truth is historians aren’t totally sure. But it is certain that religious beliefs, a changing world, and a few super nosy neighbors collided to spell disaster.