1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, it's Eaves again and welcome to 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,800 Speaker 1: another episode of This Day in History Class. I am 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,239 Speaker 1: still at home recording from my closet, so if I 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: sound any different, then that is why. But the history 6 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: doesn't end, so let's get on with the show. Today 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: is March. The day was March one, three, the first 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: wave of cases in the West Bank fainting epidemic began 9 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: in the town of Areba. The epidemic lasted until early April. 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: In the end, researchers determined that it was likely triggered 11 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: by psychological factors. On the morning of March one, a 12 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: seventeen year old student at a girls school in Areba 13 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: noted feeling throat irritation and difficulty breathing. She also felt 14 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: dizziness and abdominal pain. Over the next couple of hours, 15 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: more students in other classes and a teacher began experiencing 16 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: similar symptoms. Some of the students reported smelling rotten eggs. 17 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: When public health officials arrived at the school, they figured 18 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: that toxic gas was the culprit, but none was found 19 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: and doctors could not determine the cause of their symptoms. 20 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: The school was closed, but more people fell ill over 21 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: the next few days. By March, the illness had spread 22 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: to the town of Janine in northern West Bank and 23 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: surrounding villages. Though most of the cases occurred among female students, 24 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: some also occurred among Israeli Defense Force soldiers. Dozens of 25 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: people were admitted to the hospital, with residents reporting seeing 26 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,559 Speaker 1: a car that was emitting a thick cloud of smoke. 27 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: A third wave of the epidemic occurred on April third, 28 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: mostly around the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank. 29 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: This wave spread quickly, with the most students seeing symptoms 30 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: within a couple of hours. Students and some soldiers were 31 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: affected by headaches and blurred vision in addition to the 32 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: abdominal pains and dizziness. After these outbreaks, schools were closed 33 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: and no more people reported being affected by the epidemic. 34 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: All in all, there were more than nine and forty 35 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 1: people who fell ill during the epidemic. To figure out 36 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: its cause, researchers took air samples from the sites and 37 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: analyzed them. They also took soil and dust samples and 38 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:40,519 Speaker 1: analyzed suspicious substances found, such as powders, but they did 39 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: not find any consistent patterns of environmental toxins. Throughout the epidemic. 40 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: The press reported on all the outbreaks. The media played 41 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: a role in escalating fear and suspicion surrounding the epidemic. 42 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: Some people suggested that those affected had been poisoned by 43 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: some mysterious agent. Rumors circulated among the Arab population regarding 44 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: the reasons behind the suspected poisonings. In April four New 45 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: York Times articles said that quote Palestinian leaders have accused 46 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: Israeli settlers and officials of using chemical warfare and Westbank 47 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: schools to drive Arabs out of the area or to 48 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: sterilize Arab girls. It also said that Israeli officials accused 49 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: radical Palestinians of using gas or chemicals to stir up demonstrations. 50 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,239 Speaker 1: But in the end, researchers concluded that the cause of 51 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: the epidemic was psychological, though there may have been low 52 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 1: levels of an environmental toxin present initially, they said that 53 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: the effects of the epidemic were heightened by anxiety and stress. 54 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: Reports on a toxic gas being the cause also likely 55 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: contributed to the epidemics spread. There was no evidence that 56 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: reports have symptoms during the epidemic were made up. I'm 57 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: Eve Jeffco and hopefully you know a little more about 58 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you want to 59 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: leave us a comment, you can do so on Facebook, Instagram, 60 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: or Twitter at t d i HC Podcast, and you 61 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: can also email us at this Day at I heart 62 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks again for listening and we'll see 63 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit 64 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 65 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.