24. The 1938 Panic That Gripped an English Town
Halifax, England, was gripped by a bout of collective hysteria and mass public panic in 1938. It lasted for about two weeks and revolved around an imaginary attacker who targeted local women. It all began on the night of November 16, 1938, when two young female employees of a local mill were attacked by an unknown man. They rushed to a nearby house for aid, with blood streaming down their heads from a wound apparently caused by a razor blade.
Police were called, a report was filed, and disquietude spread throughout the community. As described by the Halifax Courier, the local newspaper: ” Until the culprit is found and effectively dealt with there is not likely to be much peace of mind, not only [locally] but further afield. The affair has created a tremendous sensation and it has thoroughly upset the people“. Such an attack in relatively quiet Halifax was understandably alarming. Alarm grew into panic when reports of similar attacks began pouring in.