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Episode · Stuff You Should Know · 2026-10-31

Books mentioned on Selects: Salem Witchcraft Trials: More Bonkers Than You Know

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Looking back 300 years on, it’s easy to overgeneralize why the Salem Villagers decided to persecute (and execute) their neighbors. But as much as this story has become an American history chestnut, we still don’t understand why Salem lost its mind.

Josh Clark discussed The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

Books mentioned, in the order they came up

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  1. The Crucible

    Arthur Miller · at 3:25 · mentioned 3 times

    The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a classic theatrical drama that dramatizes the 1692 Salem witch trials as an allegory for the political persecutions of McCarthyism.

    Discussed
    “So I'd take it, you never heard the crucible. I did read the crucible, but I read it in the context. And that didn't do it. No, it really didn't.”
    Josh Clark Selects: Salem Witchcraft Trials: More Bonkers Than You Know 2026-10-31
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