Listen "The Salem Witch Trials: TL;DR Edition"
Episode Synopsis
Josh and Sarah tell the TL;DR version of the story of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692-93, where 156 people faced formal accusations and over 1,000 became entangled in a legal system that had lost its moral compass. They examine what transformed a small Massachusetts community into the epicenter of mass persecution, from the unprecedented scale of the proceedings to the types of people targeted. This wasn’t just colonial paranoia—it was a perfect storm of social tensions, legal failures, and human frailty that contemporaries recognized as extraordinary even by their own standards. The hosts discuss why Salem continues to captivate us centuries later, serving as both historical cautionary tale and enduring reminder of how quickly justice can derail when fear takes the wheel.Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription ProjectMassachusetts Court of Oyer and Terminer Documents, The Salem Witch Trials Collection, Peabody Essex MuseumRecords of the Salem Witch-HuntThe Thing About Salem YouTubeThe Thing About Salem PatreonThe Thing About Witch Hunts YouTubeThe Thing About Witch Hunts
More episodes of the podcast The Thing About Salem
How Did Salem Become the Witch City?
09/11/2025
The Salem Witch Trials in Popular Culture
12/10/2025
Unveiling the Past: Ben Wickey's More Weight
28/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.