Salem Witch Trials - HISTORY

What really caused a group of young women to become feverish and delusional?

FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

RELATED CONTENT

Rampant fear among the Puritans in the New England village of Salem sparked attacks against anyone who was suspected of witchcraft.

Get the real story behind witches, their hats and why they are said to ride on brooms.

In live court coverage on October 30, 1997, the jury announces its verdict in the trial of 19-year-old British au pair Louise Woodward. Woodward was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Matthew Eappen, the 8-month-old baby who had been in her care.

During a press conference on October 14, 1969, Tom Hayden, one of the defendants in the trial of the Chicago Seven, offers his view on prosecutor Thomas Foran's most recent accusations. The Chicago Seven—Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner—were charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot for their participation in the Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Before Jamestown and Plymouth, the English attempted to forge a colony at Roanoke. Within three years, it had disappeared, leaving a mysterious clue behind. What really happened to the Roanoke settlers?

News coverage discusses the defense strategy of attorney Robert Servatius as he represents Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi SS officer who organized Adolf Hitler's "'final solution of the Jewish question'" and who was scheduled to stand trial in Israel on April 11, 1961, for his crimes during World War II.