Stacy Schiff Explains How The Salem Witch Trials Began

Author Stacy Schiff's new book "The Witches: Salem 1692" outlines the 9-month period in Salem, Massachusetts that left 19 men and women hanged for witchcraft.

[@Bounsingonbongos1]

The real question is: did they weigh as much as a duck?

[@FieldMarshalFry]

+Racist Bassist they were not that well versed in the ways of science to understand that

[@Renji9031]

+Racist Bassist No, the real question is, what is thy name?

[@guajolote3494]

She turned me into a newt! ...I got better

[@LaVictoireRosee]

Her book Cleopatra: a life is great.

[@pietrobassosilva2379]

Why are all the clips from the show's interviews always so short? And why there are only one from each interview? I am in Europe and I cannot watch the entire show. Literally every other late night does it different from this one and they probably get a lot more PR and attention for that. And this is the best late night. Hey, Stephen you have to start segmenting your interviews in at least three clips, we know you have enough interesting moments to share, specially if everybody else does.

[@stiimuli]

+Pietro Basso Silva So people will watch the full show when it airs on tv or at least watch the full episodes on the official network website.

[@Fivelein]

+stiimuli The videos on the official website are region locked.

[@pietrobassosilva2379]

+stiimuli You can't watch the full episodes outside the US. And it would be incredibly stupid of CBS to think that they don't get views from the rest of the world. They gotta have some kind of analytics that tells these clips are highly watched outside the US, but even if that wasn't the case having more clips would still work because it would amount to more and more views and that's important for them.

[@bjmensz]

+Pietro Basso Silva it's not that they don't think they can get views from outside the US, the problem is that they want to be able to monetize the videos by getting advertisers to pay them. they likely have deals arranged with local US advertisers to sell US products, but not advertisers in other regions, so they can't make money off the video if people outside the US view it. it's further complicated by the fact that they are probably have to pay the writers/etc. based on how many times it's viewed online, and bandwidth costs etc. so they essentially lose money when people from outside the US view their videos, and the region lock is to keep it from happening. it's a stupid situation, and I sympathize, but it does happen for a reason.

[@corsair4309]

+Pietro Basso Silva Quit your whining and go to a site called watch-series .. I don't think I can post its link here. You have all the shows on US TV there, current and easy to access with many links for viewing and downloading even.

[@starlinguk]

I live in Lancaster in the UK. We're infamous for our witches trials. They'd "find" witches in Pendle and make them walk all the way here, then they were tried, hanged and buried in unconsecrated ground. We only recently moved the last bodies to consecrated ground. We're such a charming wee city...

[@SushantThapaliya]

Almost mistook her for Tamsin Greig.

[@ScoobertyDoo]

I thought I was going crazy, but that Stephen jack-o-lantern in the back definitely has moving eyes, right? ...Right?

[@Rotionpotion]

I read the Crucible in High School so why would I read this historical nonfiction with no sexy time stuff?

[@NickWebster]

Just another example of how terrible having the death penalty is. I can't believe a so called civilised country like the USA still practices the brutal act of state sanctioned murder.

[@8aba_Yaga]

+Nick Webster what the hell does this have to do with the current death penalty?

[@NickWebster]

maroonoasis​ innocent people were hanged.

[@8aba_Yaga]

***** yeah but these days it's people who committed heinous crimes, other than the few falsely convicted people.

[@NickWebster]

maroonoasis and that justifies killing them how? The death penalty is never right no matter what has happened. It brings us down to their level and leaves no room for error. The methods of doing it are also largely unethical (lethal injections could be painful for all we know, they are fully paralysed including vocally while they are being given heart attacks), and it gets the system wrong; justice isn't about punishment or revenge - it's about rehabilitation.

[@8aba_Yaga]

***** you wouldn't be saying this if someone in your family was brutally and senselessly murdered.

[@robertgarcia8254]

They. Oils just come out of nothing and just cause and break in you're house and deal with you're daughter and kidnapp her use her to trial putter forcing her to do all

[@AlfaHazard]

What are your estimates for Colbert coming out as atheist?

[@youtert]

I believe women. Questioning whether these girls were bewitched is victim-blaming that is only done by witchcraft apologists.

[@marcsylvestre3637]

+youtert I could see maybe one or two lying, but that many accusations, where there is smoke, there is fire!

[@CTRTree3]

Weren't the Salem witch trials really about a land ownership dispute?

[@sunrise-vx5ld]

It was more to it than just a land grab

[@maureenmclean5203]

She is cute.

[@SummerDream222]

Colbert was trying so hard to help her explain things. lol She was doing a piss poor job.

[@Dawn-iu8nx]

Presumably? That's a stupid thing to say. Thank you for checking her on that, Stephen. Schiff's whole history is inaccurate.

[@jjr77441]

I can't take her seriously.