On this day: March 11

The 1966 Tanganyika Laughing Epidemic: an early documented mass psychogenic illness

In March 1962 in what was then Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania), an outbreak of uncontrollable laughter at a girls’ boarding school spread to nearby communities and lasted months—now cited as an early, well-documented example of mass psychogenic illness.

The First Documented Sleepwalking Murder Trial (1845)

On March 11, 1845, a British coroner's inquest and subsequent trial examined whether a fatal stabbing was committed during sleepwalking—the earliest widely cited legal case to consider automatism as a defense.

The First Documented Case of Dangerous Cosmetic Poisoning, March 11, 1869

On March 11, 1869, the medical and legal records noted one of the earliest documented incidents of serious poisoning caused by cosmetic use—an event that highlighted the risks of unregulated beauty products in the 19th century.

The Great Blizzard of 1888 Immobilizes the U.S. East Coast

From March 11–14, 1888, a massive nor'easter struck the northeastern United States, dumping up to 50 inches of snow, crippling transportation and communications, and killing hundreds in one of the region’s most devastating winter storms.