Why is the 1954 Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic Pertinent to Today?

Join us, either in person or online, as Susan Gerber recounts a textbook case of collective delusion.

Observations of windshield holes, pits, and dings started in Bellingham, Washington, in March 1954, then spread to thousands of windshields in nearby cities.
By April 17, the pitting suddenly stopped.
What can this textbook case of collective delusion tell us about ourselves, and the November-December 2024 United States drone sightings?

About our speaker
Affectionately called the Wikipediatrician, Susan Gerbic is the cofounder of Monterey County Skeptics and a self-proclaimed skeptical junkie. Susan is also founder of the Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) project. She is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and writes for her column, Guerilla Skepticism, often.
----------
Attend in Person:

On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.
----------
Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, go to:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81653890712?pwd=QzN4MTVNbGEwQ0Zua3d1VG9tVE50UT09
No password is needed -- our host will admit you from the waiting room.
Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it's not already installed), and then take you to the meeting.

You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

***

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
[webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY]()

Add this event to your Google calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=MDNqMnRlcmdwNHFrb3V1b2RyZDh0djFsZHUgaHVtYW5pc3Rjb21tc3ZAbQ&tmsrc=humanistcommsv%40gmail.com

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

RSVP on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/306125724/

Click the Share button on Patch: https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250216/d5ccb506-5bd2-4867-864a-6f444c2b6c7c/why-is-the-1954-seattle-windshield-pitting-epidemic-pertinent-to-today

Retweet on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter: https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1890280694972379348

Humanist Community website: http://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-03-16/

Videos of previous forums: https://vimeo.com/hcsv/

To help our Forum series continue, please consider making a donation or becoming a member ([http://www.humanists.org/blog/membership/)](http://www.humanists.org/blog/membership/)) of the Humanist Community.

***

If you would like to speak at a Humanist Forum, or know someone who would, or there is a topic you think we should discuss, please let us know by emailing [vp@humanists.org](mailto:vp@humanists.org) or [havasy@live.com](mailto:havasy@live.com).