Episode 26: The Pits
Mystery Category: Mass Sociogenic Illness / Environmental Mysteries
The Story: In 1954, thousands of Seattle drivers reported mysterious pits appearing on their windshields. We investigate whether it was fallout from nuclear testing or a "virus of the mind."
In 1954, Washington state was hit by a mysterious plague—not of locusts, but of something far more concerning to insurance adjusters. Was the so-called “Seattle Windshield Panic” really a mass hysteria, or something altogether stranger. . . and more widespread?
Written and Hosted by Laurah Norton
Researched by Laurah Norton and Bryan Worters
Engineered, Edited, Scored, and Produced by Maura Currie
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N/A, UP, “Windshield Snipers Hit. . .” The Spokane Chronicle, 1954.
N/A, UP, “Seattle Mayor Seeks. . .” The Spokane Chronicle, 1954.
N/A, UP, “Police Probe Report. . .” The Spokane Chronicle, 1954.
N/A, AP, “Seattle Mayor Seeks. . .” The Spokane Chronicle, 1954.
Byron Johnsrud, “Windshield-Peppering Hoodlums“ The Seattle Daily Times, 1954.
N/A, “Mystery Windshield Damage. . .” The Seattle Daily Times, 1954.
Robert Bare, “Glass Pits Due to Ash. . .” The Seattle Daily Times, 1954.
N/A, “Reports of Damage. . .” The Seattle Daily Times, 1954.
N/A, “Snipers Visit Seattle Area.” The Daily Chronicle, 1953.
N/A, Reuters, “Mystery of Missile Mile. . .” The Spokesman Review, 1954.
Erica Good, “Rational and Irrational. . .” The New York Times, 2001.