26New England Vampire Scare (1800s)
In the early 1800s, New England experienced a bizarre vampire scare, fueled by fears of tuberculosis outbreaks, which was called "consumption" at the time. Believing that the dead were rising as vampires to consume the living, residents resorted to exhuming corpses, decapitating bodies, and burning organs as protective measures. The limited education and a desire to explain the devastating disease drove the vampire hysteria, resulting in peculiar rituals such as flipping corpses over and even inhaling or consuming burnt remains to avoid becoming vampires themselves.
27. Reports of a mysterious attacker with a razor blade gripped the English town of Halifax in November 1938, resulting in 12 random victims. Vigilante groups formed, but it turned out the "Halifax Slasher" was a hoax-all the victims had made up the attacks, some even slashing themselves. Four individuals faced prison time for their false reports, ironically creating real criminals in the process.
28. During the Vietnam War, the Hmong people, who had fought alongside the French and later the CIA, faced dire conditions when the U.S. withdrew. Mysterious yellow rain in Southeast Asia was initially thought to be a Soviet chemical weapon, causing panic. However, Harvard biologist Matt Meselson discovered it was non-toxic bee feces, challenging the initial narrative. Persecution and wartime hardships made the Hmong hesitant to accept this explanation, highlighting the complex repercussions of conflict on communities.
29. The Hammersmith Ghost hysteria unfolded in 1803 when reports of ghost sightings in west London fueled fear and panic. People believed the spirit to be that of a recent suicide victim buried in Hammersmith, describing it as a tall figure in white with additional details such as horns and glass eyes. The mass hysteria led to tragic consequences, with an innocent man, Thomas Millwood, mistakenly shot and killed by a fearful resident, Francis Smith, who thought he was encountering the ghost.
30. The Irish Fright occurred in December 1688, during the Glorious Revolution in England. Rumors spread that Irish soldiers, part of the Jacobite Irish Army supporting King James II, were planning to massacre and pillage in retaliation for James's overthrow. The false reports triggered panic, leading to mass mobilization for defense. The panic spread rapidly across England, reaching at least nineteen counties, with towns mobilizing militias and arming against the supposed Irish threat. The Fright subsided within days, and while its instigators remain unclear, it reflected the febrile political climate after James II's flight and anti-Catholic sentiments.
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31All Fall Down at Hollinwell Showground (1986)
On July 13, 1986, during a marching band competition at England's Hollinwell Showground in the town of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, nearly 300 students fell silent and collapsed, experiencing shared symptoms like burning eyes, nausea, headaches, and stomach cramps. The mysterious event, known as "All Fall Down," hospitalized 259 individuals. Despite decades of speculation, ranging from mass hysteria to the potential impact of a pesticide sprayed on the field, no conclusive explanation has confirmed the cause.
32. The ghost rockets reported over Scandinavia in 1946, mainly in Sweden, were concluded by German, British, and Scandinavian intelligence officials to be a case of mass hysteria. Investigations logged approximately 2,000 sightings of rocket- or missile-shaped unidentified flying objects between May and December 1946, attributing many sightings to meteors. Despite some suspicions of Soviet involvement, the phenomenon spread to other countries, prompting a search for extraterrestrial origins, particularly in Greece, where physicist Paul Santorini led an investigation before it was abruptly stopped.
33. Civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold's report of disc-shaped objects on June 24 sparked the 1947 flying disc craze in the United States, which quickly spread, with at least 800 "copycat" reports in subsequent weeks, peaking on July 7 and largely subsiding by July 10. Mainstream sources attributed the reports to novel technology, mistaken identifications, or mass hysteria, while fringe theories speculated on extraterrestrial origins or apocalyptic significance. Scholars regard the 1947 craze as the "birth of a modern myth" and analyze it within folklore and religious studies frameworks.
34. In October 2011, a mysterious outbreak of violent twitching and jerking affected initially two and later 20 people, mostly teenage girls, at Le Roy Junior/Senior High School near Buffalo, New York. Concerns arose about water supply and contamination, but environmentalists found no evidence. Dr. Laszlo Mechtler attributed the symptoms to mass hysteria, which social and mainstream media attention exacerbated, and noted that many affected individuals returned to normal by the end of the school term.
35. In 2016, Havana syndrome, a cluster of symptoms experienced mostly by U.S. government officials and military personnel abroad, was first reported in Havana, Cuba, and later in various locations globally. At first, the attacks were blamed on unknown foreign agents using unknown weapons. However, investigations and reviews, including one by seven U.S. intelligence agencies in March 2023, consistently pointed away from the involvement of U.S. enemies, calling it "very unlikely" that foreigners were involved. Despite this conclusion, Pentagon-funded experiments attempting to recreate Havana syndrome in animals through extended RF wave exposure continued.
36Emirates Flight 203 Hysteria (2018)
Emirates Flight 203, carrying 521 passengers from Dubai to New York in September 2018, experienced a mass hysteria incident when approximately 100 passengers reported symptoms like coughing and fever. Health authorities quarantined the plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport and evaluated passengers, sending 11 to the hospital. However, the belief that others were also sick spread, contributing to the incident labeled the "flight from hell," despite only a few passengers having common colds or the flu.
37. In 2012, reports of the orang minyak, a terrifying creature from Malaysian folklore, surfaced in Kampung Laksamana in Malaysia. It was described as a supernatural being prowling at night seeking virgins, identifiable by the black, oily substance covering its body. The sightings led to the formation of armed neighborhood watches in response to the perceived threat. Similar panics occurred in Sungai Petani in 2009 and in Sri Lanka, prompting speculation in the 1960s that folklore surrounding the orang minyak might be a cover for serial rapes.
38. From 2016 to 2018, a recurrent epidemic of mass hysteria occurred in a school in Pyuthan district, western Nepal, involving episodes of crying and shouting initially triggered by a 9-year-old girl. Similar incidents have been happening annually since 2016, affecting 47 students in 2018 alone.
39. In colonial Massachusetts in 1692, a group of adolescent girls, including Abigail Williams and Betty Parris, exhibited mysterious fits described as beyond natural disease. These events led to the infamous Salem witch trials, a series of hearings resulting in the execution of 20 citizens accused of witchcraft. The episode serves as a cautionary tale in American history about the perils of isolationism, religious extremism, false accusations, and lapses in due process.
40. On October 13, 1917, in Fátima, Portugal, the Miracle of the Sun, or Miracle of Fátima, fulfilled a prophecy made by three shepherd children. Witnesses reported extraordinary solar activity, including the sun appearing to dance and emit multicolored light, lasting approximately ten minutes. After a canonical investigation, the local bishop declared the miracle "worthy of belief" in 1930, and the event has had a lasting impact on the devotional practices of many Catholics, despite skepticism and alternative explanations proposed by critics.
41Fort Worth Perfume Panic (2009)
In 2009, a Fort Worth call center experienced a mass panic when a mysterious smell, initially thought to be a poisonous carbon monoxide leak, led to chest pains, headaches, and hospitalizations. However, investigators later discovered that the odor was simply perfume, and the panic resulted from contagious fear-people believing the scent was dangerous. The incident showcased how psychological factors can trigger physical symptoms and escalate situations, leading to a mass panic over a harmless fragrance.
42. The daycare ritual abuse hysteria of the 1980s-90s, epitomized by the infamous McMartin case, saw daycare workers accused of engaging children in satanic ritual abuse. False claims included allegations of live executions, rape, and torture, leading to numerous wrongful accusations and ruined lives. The hysteria likely stemmed from parental anxiety and guilt associated with entrusting children to daycare centers, turning daycare workers into scapegoats amid false testimonies coerced from children during interrogations.
43. Around the turn of the 20th century, German schools experienced trembling epidemics, with students in Gross-Tinz in 1892 suffering from severe tremors that led to school closures. In 1905-1906, students in Meissen with a writing-intensive curriculum developed hand tremors, spreading to Chemnitz in 1906, where electric shock therapy was administered to suggest that they were trembling due to awareness of these cases, eventually succeeding in influencing the students' perceptions.
44. In 1954, residents of several U.S. states, notably Washington, faced a puzzling phenomenon as car windshields inexplicably developed pits. Blamed on top-secret nuclear testing, rumors circulated about the H-bomb fallout causing the damage, with theories ranging from airborne marine creatures to acid-laced bugs eroding the glass. The reports eventually ceased by the end of the summer, leaving the mystery unresolved.
45. On October 5, 2001, the anthrax-induced death of the Sun newspaper's picture editor, Bob Stevens, sparked global panic, making the antibiotic Cipro a top-selling drug and triggering false alarms and evacuations worldwide. In the midst of anthrax threats, media reports led to a surge in newspaper sales, prompting criticism for overhyping the situation. Over the following months, five deaths and 17 infections occurred from anthrax exposure.
