11 Weirdest Real-Life Cases of Mass Hysteria

200+ Years of Witch Hunts, Trials and Executions

(source: rosewithoutathorn)

Most common in the Early Modern period (1480 to 1700) in Europe,witch hunts were one of the most popular and widespread forms ofmass hysteria, resulting in legally sanctioned witchcraft trials and mob lynchings of many unfortunate people. The practice was so widespread that in later years absurdity of these accusations caused the term to adopt a connotation of malicious false accusations and persecution such as the anti-communist accusations during the McCarthy era.

The Dancing Plague of 1518

(sources: nasserchung, rachelkwong)

In July 1518 in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, a large number of people spontaneously started dancing for days without rest over a period of one month. Most of the people ended up dying due to heart attacks, strokes, or exhaustion. The plague started with one woman, in a matter of a few days that number increased to 34, and within a month to 400. To this day the cause of the mass hysteria is unknown.

The War of the Worlds Martian Invasion

(sources: markusram, kadykinetic)

Adapted from H. G. Wells’ famous novel The War of the Worlds, aHalloween radio broadcast on October 30, 1938 directed and narrated by Orson Welles caused thousands of listeners to believe that an actual Martian invasion was taking place (the fact that the environment was already generally hostile, leading up to the war, didn’t help). The hour-long radio broadcast was narrated in a news bulletin format, without any commercial breaks, causing many in the audience to be afraid while many others actually panicked, reporting that they could smell poison gas or see lightening flashes in the distance. According to some historians, approximately 6 million people heard the broadcast, 1.7 million thought it was true, and out of those, 1.2 million were actually frightened.

The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic

(source: strobis)

This laughter epidemic started in a Tanzanian village in 1962. Starting with an innocent joke in a boarding school, the resulting laughter is said to have perpetuated itself and spreading to thousands of people. The laughter, some people claim was incapacitating. Other symptoms included respiratory problems, fainting, pain, and weirdly enough, crying attacks. The phenomenon lasted for about 18 months.

The Halifax Slasher Incident

(sources: terva, robo, tcmhitchhiker)

On November 1938, Halifax, England, a week-long scare was started after 2 people falsely claimed to have been attacked by a man with a mallet. In the days that followed, more reports of attacks by this ‘mysterious man’ started popping up. The situation got so serious that the Scotland Yard had to step in to help the police and get to the bottom of these reports. Several people were mistakenly identified as the slasher and consequently beaten up by angry mobs and matters escalated to a point where most businesses in the city were shutdown and people were afraid to leave their homes. On November 29, one of the original alleged victims admitted that he had made the story up, causing many others to also confess and leading to 5 people being charged with public mischief out of which 4 were eventually sent to prison.

Strawberries With Sugar Soap Opera Disease

Morangos com Açúcar is a famous Portuguese youth soap opera in its sixth season right now, and is popular in predominantly among children and teenagers because of its depiction of adventures of Portuguese youth. In May 2006, over 300 students across 14 different schools began reporting symptoms matching those of the characters on the show, including rashes, respiratory difficluties and more, causing many schools to shut down. The ‘disease’ was ultimately dubbed mass hysteria by the Portuguese National Institute for Medical Emergency.

The Misanthropic Monkey-Man of Delhi

(sources: abro, dotlyc)

The story of this monkey-man is widespread in India though stillremains a cryptid. Starting in May 2001, people started reporting that a strange monkey-man was attacking them at night. Descriptions of the monkey-man vary a great deal, with some believing him to be an avatar of a Hindu god, while others believe he is an Indian version of Bigfoot, and some even believing that he is a cyborg that can be deactivated if you throw water on its motherboard. The alleged victims include numerous people attaacked by the monkey-man, including one pregnant women, and a few others who were attacked by an angry mob which believed them to be the monkey-man.

The Revenge ofKuchisake-Onna

(sources: vulgare, fiendtown, sigridandalex)

Kuchisake-onna, or Slit-Mouth Woman, is a Japanese mythological legend that tells the story of an unfortunate woman whose face was mutilated by a jealous husband, and who returns as an angry spirit hell bent on taking revenge by inflicting similar wounds on others. As with any good urban legend, rumors started circulating in 1979 about Kuchisake-onna sightings, then again in 2004, and again in 2007.

The Hindu Milk Miracle

(source: Wikipedia)

The Hindu milk miracle was first observed on September 21, 1995. A worshiper in a south-Delhi temple made a routine offering of milk to a statue of a Hindo god, and the liquid disappeared from the bowl, appearenly sucked in by the trunk of the statue. In a matter of few hours, the word spread that a similar phenomenon could be replicated with statues all over North India. Similar ‘miracles’ were also reported on in 2006.

Genital Retraction Syndrome

Genital Retraction Syndrome is a form of mass hysteria where people are overcome with the belief that their genitals (most commonly penises and breasts) are shrinking, or retracting into the body. Sometimes people even believe that they may spontaneously disappear. Such panics have occured in many different places in the world, but most commonly in Africa in Asia. The panics are noticably more common in places with lower standards or provision of eductaion and where the local understanding of science and biology are lacking.

The 2006 Mumbai Sweet Seawater Incident

(source: mithi, ayankhasnabis)

In 2006, residents of Mumbai claimed and began reporting that the water at one of the most polluted creeks in India, the Mahim Creek, had turned sweet. The claim, as ridiculous as it sounds considering that the creek receives thousands of tonnes of raw sewage and industrial waste every day, caused many to drink the water and save it in plastic bottles for later consumption.

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20 More Magnificent but Endangered Forests

The Petrified Forest

(Image via Legends of America)

The Petrified Forest is world famous and though it is not a traditional living forest it is a precious national treasure all the same. But due to tourists and looting it is under continued threat. Many tourists may think, “I’m only one person, it’s just one little piece of wood,” but over time this creates a major problem. The bigger problem is looting, where people steal quantities of the petrified wood to sell on the black market.

Gingko Petrified Forest

(Image via Celebrate Big)

Who would think a gingko forest would be found in the Northwest? It’s located on the Columbia River, and it’s doubly special because it is a rare petrified forest. The Gingko Petrified Forest is also threatened by tourism and looting.

Congo Basin Forests

(Image via taos-telecommunity)

African forests are under grave threat in many regions, and while Central forests are less endangered than coastal forests (especially West Africa), there are still losses that worry scientists. In particular, the Congo Basin Forests are critically affected by deforestation for logging, oil, mining and agriculture, which has prompted the global community to invest hundreds of millions to preserve this forestland.

Cumberland Plateau

(Image via wikimedia)

The Cumberland Plateau is part of the Appalachian Plateau and includes forest land in West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. (It is also called the Allegheny Plateau.) Unfortunately this historic tract is now threatened – see the damage to the Plateau in Tennessee, above.

Coral Reef Forest

(Images via Coral Notes from the Field)

The case of the coral reef forest of Florida is truly tragic. In the 1970s two scientists happened upon a 90 mile underwater stretch of gorgeous white oculina coral forest – some of the mounds were as high as 80 feet. They excitedly photographed every inch, amassing a file of 70,000 image. They were able to get a few miles of the forest protected from shrimp trawlers, and all was forgotten. Three decades later, the lead researcher went back and found that nearly all the forest had been reduced to heaps of splintered, ruined rubble. They took knew photographs and found that all the forest save for the few miles that had once been preserved, were completely destroyed.Action has now been taken to stop fishing, but unfortunately these types of coral take thousands of years to regrow.

Bangladesh

(Image via shossein)

Local villagers in Bangladesh had to start round-the-clock physical defense of a threatened stand of forest. The people wanting to cut down the forest? Corrupt government authorities bribed by thugs in the black market. Though the villagers could use the forest for their own subsistence, they have chosen to balance their needs with preserving the forest and have fought to protect it. One man who guards 200 acres says they now only have to guard the forest occasionally instead of constantly, though it is still threatened.

Brazilian Atlantic Forest

(Image via mongabay)

Conservation groups teamed up internationally to save a precious 1,000 acre stand of unique and isolated Brazilian forest that is endangered. Located in Minas Gerais, all that remains of this forest is some 2,000 acres.

Giant Kelp Forests

(Images via National Geographic)

The amazing kelp forests of Tasmania and Australia are seriously threatened – in fact they are all but extinct. These incredible underground rainforests can have individual vines growing to 100 feet long or more. Yet in just 30 years, 95% of these water forests have disappeared. Pollution, climate change, harvesting, and a changing ecosystem (among other causes) are to blame. Kelp is used to make gelatin, jam, and ice cream.

Croatia

(Image via danubepanorama)

Forestland of the Danube delta is seriously threatened. In particular, forests in Croatia and Hungary are at risk. It is mostly wetland that is threatened, but forests are at risk due to development and logging.

Hungary

(Image via specialtours)

Not only are forests and wetlands around the Danube delta and its tributaries threatened. The river itself is considered one of top 10 endangered rivers, according to the World Wildlife Federation. The organization has been working actively with European organizations and authorities to preserve this important and resource-rich area of land that is so important to many Eastern European countries.

Maldives: Swept Away

(Image via 5minuteguides)

Though the tiny Maldives are home to just over 2,500 acres of forest, it is considered at risk for the simple fact that the Maldives will be the first to go as global warming changes sea levels in the coming decades.

Sri Lanka

(Image via panoramio)

Only 1.5% of Sri Lanka’s forests remain. Habitat loss doesn’t just mean loss of trees – it means threatening the diverse and unique animals, including frogs (an important indicator species), as well. Though Sri Lanka only covers .13% of the world’s surface it is home to 2% of the earth’s frog and toad species. In fact in just one decade over 35 species were discovered. Yet it may be too late to learn from this ecological diversity as the forests are rapidly disappearing. Sri Lanka has one of the world’s worst deforestation rates.

Hainan Forest

(Image via luopan)

Hainan Forest in China is the country’s only tropical rainforest and was gravely threatened just a decade ago. Major replanting efforts, and tightened restrictions, have improved conditions, but the forest still remains at risk. It is home to 25% of China’s mammal diversity and 33% of China’s bird diversity.

Western Ghats

(Image via Eco Library)

The Western Ghats in India is most of what remains of the country’s original vast expanses of tropical rainforest. And not much of it can be considered pristine, at that. It was not until 1988 that the government changed its policy from production-focused (harvesting and commercial use) to preservation and sustainable use. It may be too late, but many are working to save the forest.

Indonesia

(Image via noon at home)

Some of the planet’s most endangered forests are found in Indonesia, which with its millions of hectares of forest and 17,000 islands experienced some of the worst deforestation of any country on earth during the 80s and 90s. In a 15-year span from 1990-2005deforestation reached 26%. Many of the once-healthy forests are critically threatened to pockets and corridors that barely sustain the rich biodiversity of the land. The orangutan is nearly gone, while two species of tigers are now extinct. Many more animal and plant species are threatened, and chlorine pollution from wood pulping threatens the human population and agriculture.

Laos

(Image via Chris Lang)

Laos, a relatively poor country, began getting the attention of investors from rich western countries in the early 1990s. The country is resource rich. What followed was a destructive feeding frenzy that wiped out nearly 7% of the country’s total forest land in just 15 years. Action is being taken to raise awareness and ensure sustainable harvesting but the forests of Laos are still at great risk.

The Most Threatened Forest on Earth

(Image via encarta)

Malaysia is home to the world’s most rapidly disappearing forest. In fact, its forests were destroyed at an even worse rate in the Noughties than in the 1990s (at a change of 85%). 7% of the forest is lost annually, mainly to agricultural fires, logging and urban development.

Phillippines

(Image via ptfcf)

Like many Pacific neighbors, the Phillippine Islands’ forests are seriously endangered. At one time these forests were famous; now their magic and magnificence is mostly a memory, stuck in history books and photographs. In only 15 years 1/3 of the forest of the Phillippines was wiped out. The future is bleak.

Myanmar

(Image via msnbc)

Myanmar (formerly Burma) is rife with problems: tribal warfare, corrupt governance and civil unrest, poaching of endangered species, massive forest destruction. Some of the world’s last tigers and elephants live in these woods, and they are approaching extinction if the last of their habitat is not preserved.

Vietnam

(Image via Digger History)

The devastating effects of the Vietnam War created scars that last to this day. Chemical warfare, including napalm, along with bombs and forest battles, destroyed much primary forest. After the war ended and the country was left to recover economically, many turned to logging and agriculture to survive. This only worsened the plight of the forests. Vietnam has lost a whopping 80% of its primary forests.

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