On this day: The end of the Salem witch trials - The Jewish Chronicle

Nineteen men and women were hanged in 1692 for the crime of witchcraft in Salem. At the time, under British law, consorting with the devil was viewed as a crime against their government.

The events of that year and the characters involved formed the basis for Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible. Born to Jewish immigrant parents in New York in 1915, Miller, who was married to Marilyn Monroe for five years, started his career as a journalist. While still a college student in 1936 he wrote his first play, No Villain.

By the 1950s Miller had already had successes with Death of a Salesman and All My Sons, and had even earned his first Tony Award.

But after his friends and colleagues including Elia Kazan (who directed Death of a Salesman) was called before the anti-communist House Un-American activities Committee (HUAC), Miller decided to dramatise the Red Scare.