Annenberg Radio

Tidbit: The Salem Witch Trials

Inspired by the saying "you learn something new everyday," this show will set out to find out if that's actually true. On this week's Tidbit, we look into whether people accused of being witches in The Salem Witch Trials were actually bewitched or if they just ate bad bread.

Tidbit cover image (Hala Ozgur/Annenberg Media)

By Hala Khalifeh

Could the consumption of bread in the 1600s have turned you into a witch? According to a finding centuries after the 1690′s Salem Witch Trials, yes. It is now believed that the cause of “bewitchment” can be attributed to the growth of a fungus that structurally resembles LSD.