Why People Bought Pills to Survive a Comet — And Why We Still Fall for the Same Panic

 In 1910, people bought “Anti-Comet Pills” to survive Halley’s Comet. This weird history episode exposes why mass hysteria and fear still spreads faster than truth—and why we keep falling for the same panic-driven traps today. In 1910, a misunderstood scientific discovery triggered global panic, misinformation, and a wave of bizarre “comet cures.” Sound familiar? This episode connects a century-old frenzy to the modern panic cycles we still struggle to escape. You’ll learn how fear, misinformation, and confidence-in-the-wrong-places shape public behavior—and how to stay curious instead of getting swept up by the next viral scare. Tap subscribe so you don’t miss the next twist in history. Related Episodes / Playlists: The New Snake Oil: Outrage and Validation in the Digital World - https://youtu.be/Kd1KMd1GFPQ Reclaiming Your Mind in the Age of Outrage - https://youtu.be/Ma7PDZ5PFhM An Ounce Podcast Playlist – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvguDu9efxtrh6QOIZpApuBCHIfaZQmmP 📚 References: Halley’s Comet Overview – https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/halleys-comet/ 1910 Cyanogen Gas Panic – https://www.history.com/news/halleys-comet-1910-panic Contemporary Newspaper Archive Examples – https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ ʻOumuamua Scientific Summary – https://www.eso.org/public/usa/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/ Psychology of Mass Panic – https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/07/panic-misinformation Credits: Images: Public domain / NASA / Wikimedia Commons. Some images and Video are generated by AI, including background images. Hashtags: #History #AnOuncePodcast #HalleyComet #MassPanic #ScienceHistory ________________________________________ 🎯 Chapters (Timestamps) (You will refine once video is edited.) 00:00 – People Bought Pills for a Comet 00:41 – A Strange Visitor in the Sky 01:58– Logic Takes a Lunch Break  03:19 – The Cyanogen “Poison Cloud” 03:30 – The Comet Merch Table 04:20 – Comet Day Arrives 05:24 – The Real Story 06:51 – An Ounce  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube