DEEP DIVE - On this episode we discuss one of histories most enduring mysteries where accusations flew and farcical trials condemned many young women to death in the name of religious purity which was disguising political subterfuge and using fear of the unknown as a tool of control; this one is all about The Salem Witch Trials. In 17th Century Massachusetts newly settled puritans began a campaign of accusations against potential witches in their community. Largely led by the testimonies of young girls against other young girls, this crusade against the forces of darkness was a thinly veiled attempt to gain control of a newly emerging civilisation in a new country. There are many theories as to why the girls acted as they did, and mass psychosis and even hallucinogenic poisoning are cited as the cause of these frivolous and deadly claims. We discuss it all and a whole lot more. You can watch/listen to the video version of this episode on the Patreon Only feed that now integrates with Spotify. Just click this link https://open.spotify.com/episode/5hnUbxbRfK1QaXdmNvAly9?si=ocQ6EAlKRaC7mdBO_SPBrQ and link your accounts and get Patreon Only content direct to your Spotify app! Joining me on this episode are comedians Ailish McCarthy and Betsy Speer. You can find them both here: Ailish can be found here https://www.instagram.com/thesleepycomedian/ and check out her podcast The Party T*ts here https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-party-t-ts/id1541995084 as well as many many live gigs all over the place including The Paddy Power Comedy Festival, Cherry Comedy, and The Craic Den among others. Betsy can be found here https://www.instagram.com/betsyspeercomedy/ and check out her podcast https://www.instagram.com/badbookbash/ her website here https://www.betsyspeer.com/ and many other live shows she does all over Ireland and beyond like Hysteria Comedy, The Comedy Crunch, and The Comedy Cellar. ___________________________ If you want to follow TCG on social platforms including the TCG Guilded Server; watch video versions of the livestream podcast and documentaries; or even join in on live chats about current events; get notifications of tickets you can buy to upcoming live stage shows or any other way to connect with me; all the available links, info and instructions you can find by clicking this link http://www.taplink.cc/thoseconspiracyguys If you want to throw a few bucks up the internet to support the show on Patreon you can get exclusive Patreon-Only content; all seasons of ad-free episodes; exclusive access to live chats and private social media like Instagram and Guilded and a whole load of other stuff click here http://bit.ly/TCG-Patreon where you can get all this from just $2 per month subscription or an annual one-time payment with a month free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices