My Top 3 Bits of Useless Information

One of the joys of the internet is that in times of boredom, you can mindlessly scroll through and get some outstanding useless bits of information. Here are my top 3.

I’m diverting off from my usual quick reads to fill your head with a bit of ‘out of the square’ history.

1. No doubt you’ve heard about the witches of Salem. Well, according to some, they supposedly conspired with the devil. The story goes that in 1692 a couple of young girls (related to a minister) began having violent fits, including uncontrollable screaming. The doctor diagnosed that the girls had been bewitched. Guess what happened next. More girls began exhibiting similar symptoms. And so began the witch hunt.

More than 200 were accused, 19 were executed by hanging, one poor chap was pressed to death, and at least a further five died in jail.

The sad part is that science explains the bewitching as probably caused by the fungus ergot (found in rye, wheat etc.). Toxicologists say this can cause symptoms such as delusions, vomiting and muscle spasms.