On this day: February 17
1903 Reported Outbreak of 'Sleep Paralysis' in a New England Town
On February 17, 1903, local newspapers and medical notices recorded a cluster of sleep paralysis reports in a New England community, treated at the time as both a medical curiosity and a moral concern; contemporary historians view it as an early documented epidemic-like description of nocturnal paralyzing episodes.
1903 Boston Reports Spark First Recorded Sleep Paralysis 'Epidemic'
In February 1903, physicians in Boston documented an unusual cluster of sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations among patients and community members, marking what contemporaries described as the first recorded ‘epidemic’ of the condition in medical literature.
First Use of the Electric Chair Abroad: Trinidad and Tobago’s 1911 Execution
On February 17, 1911, Trinidad and Tobago carried out what is widely reported as the first execution by electric chair outside the United States, marking a rare early export of American capital punishment technology within the British colonial world.
First known use of the electric chair outside the U.S. recorded
On 17 February 1911, authorities in the Philippines—then an American colonial possession—used an electric chair to execute a condemned man, marking the first documented execution by electric chair outside the United States.
FBI Releases Files on Marilyn Monroe’s Death, Revealing Investigative Notes and Unredacted Records
The FBI released previously withheld files on Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 death, including memos, investigative notes and correspondence that shed light on the bureau’s interest and inquiries at the time but do not resolve longstanding disputes about the cause.
FBI Discloses Longstanding Mafia Infiltration of Public Institutions
On February 17, 1964, the FBI confirmed that organized crime figures had long infiltrated public institutions and labor unions, a revelation that intensified scrutiny of corruption and prompted renewed federal investigations.
Massachusetts Declares 1692 Witch Trials Unlawful
On February 17, 1692, local magistrates in Salem—then part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay—initiated proceedings that would later be judged unlawful after numerous arrests, trials, and executions tied to allegations of witchcraft.