The Salem Witchcraft Trials and ‘Moldy Bread’: A Case Study in Fake News

Description

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. The lectures are free and open to the public as part of UNH Manchester's partnership with the Saul O Sidore Memorial Lecture Series, which has been fostering critical conversations on pressing societal issues since 1965. The Saul O Sidore Memorial Lecture Series was established in memory of Saul O Sidore of Manchester, New Hampshire, to offer programs that raise critical and sometimes controversial issues facing our society.