Seeing as it’s October and spooky things are on everyone’s mind, let’s take a look back at one of the scariest occurrences in the history of the United States: the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Nowadays, we know that witches are nothing more than a bunch of hocus-pocus, so what had people so convinced back then that they were willing to execute 20 people?

While many theories exist as to the actual reason behind this strange moment in history, they’ve all been based on rumor, speculation, or ridiculous fiction. But some of the best evidence we have lies in medical reports that attribute “possession” to hallucinogenic effects.

So, a group of Tumblr users put their heads together and attempted to offer up their best guess as to how the Salem Witch Trials came about. If you ask me, it makes a whole lot of sense!

Photo Credit: Tumblr: obytheby

So, what do you think? Are you as convinced as I am?