Tripping Through Time: The Strange History of Mushrooms That Changed Civilization

Mushrooms have quietly altered the course of human history in ways most people never learn in school. In this mega-episode of The Strange History Podcast, host Amy explores true historical events where fungi and hallucinogenic mushrooms may have triggered mass hallucinations, religious visions, violent outbreaks, and social collapse. From ergot-poisoned bread linked to the Salem Witch Trials and the Dancing Plague of 1518, to ancient Greek rituals, Viking berserkers, and a French town that collectively lost its mind in 1951, this episode dives deep into the bizarre and unsettling role mushrooms have played in shaping civilization. Equal parts historical deep dive and...