Mattoon Phantom Anesthetist Scare (1944)

During World War II in Mattoon, Illinois, residents reported experiencing symptoms like paralysis, coughing, nausea, and vomiting, believing they were targeted by a phantom anesthetist. The panic started in August 1944, with over 20 reports of "gassings" in two weeks. Investigators attributed the incidents to odors from a nearby industrial plant and mass hysteria fueled by reports of a nocturnal prowler, and all victims eventually recovered.