In 1910, a comet approached Earth. Half of Spain panicked, believing they would die poisoned

In 1910, the passing of Halley’s Comet sparked widespread panic over supposed poisoning from toxic gases in its tail.

An astronomer’s finding of cyanogen fueled newspaper rumors, mass fear, oxygen buying, and even sensational predictions of disaster.

Despite the hysteria in Spain and elsewhere, the comet passed without incident and posed no real danger.

The episode is a classic example of how scientific reporting and media amplification can turn into collective misinformation.