The Instrument Said to Cause Madness
Benjamin Franklin invented an instrument of spinning glass bowls with a haunting, ethereal sound. Soon rumours spread that it drove its players mad.
What was reported
In 1761, while living on Craven Street in London, Benjamin Franklin invented the glass armonica: a row of glass bowls fitted on a spinning rod, played by touching their wet rims with the fingers. Its sound was pure, floating and strangely unearthly. Mozart and Beethoven wrote music for it, and it became fashionable across Europe.
Then came the rumours. Players and listeners were said to suffer melancholy, nervous illness, fainting fits and madness. Some towns in Germany were reported to have banned it, and Franz Mesmer used it in his sessions of 'animal magnetism'.
Explanations offered
There's no good evidence the sound harms anyone. Some later suggested lead poisoning from the glass, but players didn't absorb much lead. The fears probably came from the instrument's eerie tone and its link to Mesmer and the supernatural. Its popularity faded, but it's still played today.
- When
- Invented in 1761
- Where
- Craven Street, London, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Benjamin Franklin, musicians and their audiences
- Status
- Probably not
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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