Did a Cake Start the Salem Terror of 1692?

Before the Salem witch trials spiraled into one of the darkest episodes in American history, an unusual folk remedy set the stage. In February 1692, a witch cake—made from rye meal and the urine of the afflicted girls—was baked and fed to a dog in the hope that it would reveal the identity of a witch. Instead, the fear only grew.

Within weeks, accusations spread across Salem. By the end of the crisis, nineteen people had been executed, one man had been pressed to death, and more than two hundred had been accused. Historians continue to debate what truly caused the girls' strange symptoms, but the devastating consequences are beyond dispute.

In this episode of History Shorts, we explore the strange origins of the Salem witch trials, the forgotten story of Tituba, and how fear, folklore, and superstition combined to unleash a tragedy that still fascinates the world today.

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