Hoaxes, myths, and manias: why we need critical thinking

pt. 1. The broad picture

1. Why develop a critical eye

pt. 2. The American picture

2. Was there really a Martian panic in 1938

3. The Roswell "flying saucer" crash of 1947

4. The Mad Gasser of Mattoon : press creation of an imaginary criminal

5. New England's great airship hoax

pt. 3. The cross-cultural picture

6. What is normal

7. Latah : strange mental disorder or exotic custom

8. Exploring tolerance : religious devoutness or bizarre ritual

9. Genital-shrinking scares

pt. 4. The historical picture

10. The dancing mania of the middle ages

11. The jumping Frenchmen of Maine

12. The birthplace of the flying saucer

13. England's black helicopters

14. India' monkey man mania

15. How to recognize mass delusions.