The Hammer of Witches, published 500 years ago, sparked the persecution and death of 60,000 women across Europe. A speaker traces how the book's ideas spread like today's viral misinformation, warning about the dangers of what we share online.
This book killed 60,000 women in Europe 500 years ago. It's called the Hammer of Witches, and it spread one message. Women are witches and they must be punished. Please, no. The book taught people how to find witches, how to torture them and kill them, give them prophets. People read the book. Even silence can be taken as guilt and actioned on it. Because of the printing press. The book went viral in Europe. It's one of the first documented fake news. Tens of thousands of women were burned, drowned or hanged because of one book. Now, books don't go viral, but tiktoks do. And the danger is still the same. Be careful of what you see online and don't let it turn you into a monster. That's one minute. See you tomorrow.
