Mass Hysteria

Mass hysteria is a condition affecting a group of persons, characterized by excitement or anxiety, irrational behavior or beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness. It is also a common, tragic occurrence throughout human history. The Salem Witch Trials are an example of mass hysteria, as are Beatlemania, The Dancing Plague of 1518, and The War of the Worlds in 1938. The Salem witch trials occurred in the colony of Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. Since then, the story of the trials has become synonymous with paranoia and injustice. Now, many other stories have been heard around the world with mass hysteria. Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward British rock/pop band, The Beatles, during the early years of their success. As said in a historical article, “later pop music idols, such as Michael Jackson in the mid-1980s and Garth Brooks in the 1990s, sold similarly large numbers of records without provoking anything approaching the hysteria caused by the Beatles” (Miller). During the 1960’s, girls would be lining the streets, overjoyed, awaiting the arrival of The Beatles; they would fall to the ground after just one sight of the popular band. “By the summer of 1964, when the Beatles appeared in A Hard Day’s Night, a movie that dramatized the phenomenon of Beatlemania, the band’s effect was evident around the world as countless young people emulated the band members’ characteristic long hair, flip humor, and whimsical displays of devil-may-care abandon” (Miller).
During the Renaissance in 1518, a strange occurrence happened in the town of Strasbourg, France. A woman named Frau Troffea began dancing in a narrow street. Within a month, over 400 men and women began to dance uncontrollably. Historical