A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693, caused by mass hysteria. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, while five others (including two infant children) died in prison.
Salem Witch Trials
Fact of the Day
Pounds, shillings and pence were rooted in Roman librae, solidi and denarii. This is where the abbreviation LSD comes from.
Quote of the Day
"No-one loves armed missionaries
"
~ Robespierre, 1792
On This Day
1429 A French force led by Joan of Arc lifted the seven-month-long Siege of Orléans.
1559 Elizabeth I gave her approval to the Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy, establishing a middle of the road Protestant faith for the whole country, banning Catholicism and enforcing church attendance, and confirming Elizabeth as the head of the Church of England.
1660 Charles II was proclaimed king of England. The British monarchy was restored after the English Civil War.
1701 Captain Kidd went on trial for murder and piracy on the high seas. He was found guilty and hanged 15 days later.
1903 French post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin died of an accidental drug overdose, aged 54.
1945 VE Day: The Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany, bringing an end to war in Europe.
1952 Women in Greece were granted the right to vote.