Mass Hysteria Cases–that what this week’s Mystery Question is about. Have you ever heard of mass hysteria? If not you will today because I came across some doozies. My problem will be making up a case that’s as strange as the ones I found.
But first the photo and verse. I have a neighbor with lung problems and I usually return his garbage can after the pickup. He has a holly tree in his yard and it caught my attention. I snapped several, but this is the only one with the blue sky as a backdrop. And now I have a record of at least one beautiful January morning! As for the scripture verse, it’s one I had recently come across and it seemed to fit the photo so well.
Now for last week’s Mystery Question–Surprising Items Left Behind. Three of these items were left behind on an airline and ended up at Scottsboro, Alabama’s Unclaimed Baggage. The fourth one is fabricated. Can you guess which one I made up?
- A violin made by a student of Antonio Stradivari made its way to Scottsboro’s Unclaimed Baggage. While not a Stradivari, it was the next best thing.
- Someone left a live rattlesnake in a suitcase…it didn’t make it to the sales floor, by the way.
- Peyton Manning’s signed Indianapolis Colt’s jersey…this one didn’t hang around long.
- Not one, but three suits of armor, complete with face shields await buyers in Scottsboro.
And the answer is…#3. Congrats to everyone who guessed the correct answer.
Now for this week’s Mystery Question–Mass Hysteria Cases. Three of these cases actually happened and I made one of them up. Can you guess which one?
- During the Middle Ages in France, a nun began meowing like a cat. No known reason, just meowing. Soon all the nums at the convent were making cat noises. The village called soldiers who threatened them until they stopped.
- In 1951 a school showed a health film on the symptoms of polio, and when it was over a girl claimed she couldn’t move her legs. By the end of the day, over fifty children at the school claimed they were paralyzed. The next morning, more children woke up, claiming they couldn’t move. Doctor examinations showed no cases of polio in any of the children and soon everything was back to normal.
- In Strasbourg, Alsace (in what is now France), a woman began dancing in the streets. She danced for days by herself, but then people joined her. In a month over 400 were dancing with her, never resting. As many as 15 a day died from heart attacks, strokes, or exhaustion.
- Two women in Halifax, England, claimed they were attacked by a strange man with a mallet and “bright buckles” on his shoes. Soon another woman came forth, only this time he also had a knife. A man came forward with slashes on his arms, claiming he’d been attacked by the Mad Slasher. The whole town was in an uproar with sightings of the Mad Slasher, and Scotland Yard was called in. A thorough investigation revealed the man had self-inflicted the wounds and recanted his story. More recants followed in what was labeled a case of mass hysteria after the first attack.
Okay, Super Sleuths, which case of mass hysteria did I make up? Leave your answers in the comments and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a book from my library.
January’s winner is…Lynn Brown!
And how about celebrating the release of Obsession by giving away a copy of the book? Everyone who leaves a comment by Thursday night will be entered in a drawing with the winner announced Friday!
am so excited about this book (but then I’m always excited about my books!
Natchez Trace Ranger and historian Emma Winters hoped never to see Sam Ryker again after she broke off her engagement to him. But when shots are fired at her at a historical landmark just off the Natchez Trace, she’s forced to work alongside Sam as the Natchez Trace law enforcement district ranger in the ensuing investigation. To complicate matters, Emma has acquired a delusional secret admirer who is determined to have her as his own. Sam is merely an obstruction, one which must be removed.
Sam knows that he has failed Emma in the past and he doesn’t intend to let her down again. Especially since her life is on the line. As the threads of the investigation cross and tangle with their own personal history, Sam and Emma have a chance to discover the truth, not only about the victim but about what went wrong in their relationship.
Be sure to check out my blog post: Mystery Question--Mass Hysteria Cases and leave a comment! If you do, I'll enter you in a drawing for my latest release, Obsession, which releases 2-2-21! Share on X
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Comments 78
I am going to guess that you made up #3. I am enjoying trying to “solve” these, and am really looking forward to reading “Obsession”!
Author
Angela, so glad you dropped in! And I’m so glad you like my little mysteries. We’ll see next week if it’s #3.
#1 I say
Author
Hi, Mary…so glad you stopped by. We’ll see next week if it’s #1.
number 1 is the one you made up
Author
We’ll see, Cheryl! Thanks so much for stopping by.
I’m going with number 1, as it has the fewest specific details… But with five cats around, we have landed up with people at each end of the house meowing to each other, thinking the other person is a cat! It’s quite funny to listen to!
Author
Hi Monique! So good to see you here this morning. That is so funny about your cats. We’ll see next week if #1 is the answer.
First, that is a great photo and verse to go with it, Pat. I love the contrast between sky, leaves and berries. Good job!
I’m thinking you made up #2 even though it seems like something kids would do as a prank. As for #1, I do have a young nephew who meows like a cat 🙂
And finally, Obsession drops from the B&N cloud onto my Nook today! I can hardly wait to read it. Thanks for writing such great books, and for your blogs.
Author
Thank you, Tim. I love the color of the sky–looks almost like what I call an October sky. I hope you enjoy Obsession! We’ll see next week if it’s #2.
I’m going with #1
Author
We’ll see, Suzanne! Thanks for stopping by.
I think #2 is the made up story.
Great picture and scripture!
Author
Thank you, Terri. And I’m glad you liked the picture and verse! Thanks for dropping by.
Happy Book B’day. Another great book for us to read! And these mass hysteria tales are funny but terrifying–such power over our “rational” minds. I’ll go w/ #3 this time, but good job–they’re all quite believable.
Author
Thank you, Delores! It’s amazing how the mind can react to fear. We’ll see next week if it’s #3. So glad you stopped by.
#3
Author
We’ll see, Lisa. So good to ‘see’ you here.
I’ll go with #1. Can’t wait to read your new book…thanks for your giveaway.
Author
Thanks, Jackie! I hope you enjoy Obsession. And we’ll see next week if it’s #1. Meow…
I’m going to go with #2.
Author
We’ll see Diana. 😉 So glad you stopped by.
I vote for #3. I think someone would have hauled off the women back to their own homes and given them some kind of sedative if they were missing from their homes and dancing without stop.
Author
Love your logic, Suzanne! We’ll see how it works out next week. 😉 Always good to see you here!
I’m going to guess #3 but I haven’t a clue! I loved book 1 in this series and can’t wait to read book 2!
I missed the items left behind blog post, but wondered if you had ever been to Unclaimed Baggage.
Author
No, Melissa, I haven’t been to Unclaimed Baggage, although I tried. They aren’t open on Sunday and that’s the day I was passing through Scottsboro. And I’m glad you enjoyed Standoff. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m going with #2, as it just seems unlikely. I love your pic and verse choice! I’m also glad to meet a fellow “can corraler” as we help an elderly neighbor with her cans each week, too.
Author
Perianne, I hadn’t thought of it as being a can corraler. lol. But that’s a perfect name for it. We’ll see if it’s #2 next week. Always good to ‘see’ you here.
Definitely #2
Author
We’ll see Roxanne. So glad you stopped by.
I am going with #3. I was able to get an early ARC from NetGalley and loved Obsession. It may be my favorite. Great job…keep it up, please!
Author
You’ve made my day, Gloria! So glad you liked Obsession! And we’ll see if it’s #3 next week.
These all sound very plausible. I’m going to say #1 is false. This was a fun one! Thank you for the chance to win .
Author
I’m glad you liked these, Megan. And we’ll see if it’s #1 next week. Love seeing you here.
I like that picture and verse. Good job!
Somehow, the cases above read more like mass stupidity with the exception of #2. Knowing how impressionable kids are, and having heard many scary things throughout my life, I can see that happening. Since it’s the only one that seems like it could have happened, I’m choosing it as made up.
Author
As always, Edward, I love your logic. We’ll see next week. And I’m glad you enjoyed the photo and verse. 🙂
4 – thanks for the chance.
Author
We’ll see, Lynn. Always good to ‘see’ you here!
I think #1 is the one you made up.
Author
Maybe, Alicia. We’ll see next week. Love seeing your here!
I will guess #3
Author
We’ll see, Janeen. Good to ‘see’ you here.
I think #3 is the made up one! Can’t wait to read the next book in the Natchez Trace series!
Author
Thank you, Leica! I hope you enjoy Obsession! And we’ll see if #3 is the correct answer next week. Thanks for stopping by.
I will go with #3 because how could anyone dance for over a month without stopping to eat or do usual body care.
Author
Love your logic, Shelia. We’ll see next week if that’s the answer. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m going to go with Edward’s logic this week and say #2. Maybe you did the reverse psychology on us this week 😉
Author
Edward will love it, Trixi. 🙂 We’ll see next week if I used reverse psychology on you. 😉
Hardly anyone said #4 so I’ll try it!
Author
I hadn’t noticed, Joan, but you’re right. We’ll see next week if you got it right. Thanks for stopping by!
#2
Author
We’ll see…so glad you stopped by.
Pretty picture and great verse. I’m going to guess #2. These sure are crazy! Looking forward to reading Obsession. 🙂
Author
Thank you, Erika. These are crazy, aren’t they. lol Thanks so much for stopping by. Always good to ‘see’ you here.
Pat, I love the photo and scripture! I’m guessings #1 is false.
Author
Thank you, Caryl! We’ll see next week if it’s #1. Good to see you here.
Love the picture and the verse. I’m going with #3 this week.
Author
Hi Linda. So glad you enjoyed the photo and verse! And we’ll see if it’s #3 next week. Thanks for stopping by.
3. I am never right, but this is so much fun
Author
Hi Deb! I’ve learned the more outrageous, the more likely it is to be true. lol Thanks so much for stopping by!
I say #1!
Author
We’ll see, Beverly! Thanks for dropping in!
I’m going with number 2 because, ironically, it’s the most plausible to me, and I think you’d dream up one that made sense.
Author
Love your logic, Priscilla. We’ll see if it’s on-target next week. Always good to see you here!
I think #2 is made up. No particular reason other than not wanting it to have been a bunch of children experiencing mass hysteria. I agree; the photo goes well with the verse! The new book looks enticing!!
Author
Hi Diane! We’ll see if it’s #2 next week. I’m glad you like the photo and verse. So glad you stopped by!
Im guessing #4 is made up.
Author
Hi Lucy! We’ll see next Tuesday if it’s #4. Always good to see you here.
The photo is gorgeous. I’m going with #1 this time. These are fun. How do you find time to search these things out?!?!
Author
Thank you, Toni! I’m so glad you like my photo and that these are fun for you! So glad you dropped by, and we’ll see if it’s #1 next week.
#3
Author
We’ll see, Patricia! Good to ‘see’ you here.
#4
Author
We’ll see MS Barb! So good to see you here!
It is easy to imagine someone in an isolated lifestyle doing a silly thing, like the meow and others picking it up as a special way to pray. A new chant. The one in the school reminds me that a doctor I knew said his wife watched soap operas and she would tell him who had what disease, so he’d know what his patients were going to complain of next week. And anything for attention is my thought on the fourth one, so I am stuck on yours being #3.
Author
Sandra, I love your logic! We’ll see next week if it works out. And so glad you stopped by my blog today!
I’ll guess #3 but I was really tempted to say the meowing nuns!
Hooray for Obsession! You had me guessing until the end.
Author
Yay! for having you guessing to the end, Paula! And we’ll see Tuesday which answer is correct. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.