The Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic is a phenomenon which affected
Bellingham, Seattle, and other communities of Washington state in 1954.
It is considered an example of a mass delusion. It was characterized by
widespread observation of previously unnoticed windshield holes, pits
and dings, leading residents to believe that a common causative agent
was at work. It was originally thought to be the work of vandals but the
rate of pitting was so great that residents began to attribute it to
everything from sand flea eggs to nuclear bomb testing.
Originating in Bellingham in March, police initially believed the work to be vandals using BB guns. However the
windshield pitting
was soon observed in the nearby towns of Sedro Woolley and Mount Vernon
and by mid April, appeared to have spread to the town of Anacortes on
Fidalgo Island.
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