Puritans in colonial Massachusetts didn't actually burn any witches at the stake during the infamous Salem trials, they exclusively hanged them or in one case pressed a guy to death with heavy rocks.

A closer look

Puritans in colonial Massachusetts didn't actually burn any witches at the stake during the infamous Salem trials, they exclusively hanged them or in one case pressed a guy to death with heavy rocks. The whole burning at the stake visual comes from European inquisitions, but Americans love being dramatic so they completely rewrote their own historical aesthetic to include more fire. This means all those spooky Halloween decorations showing New England witches on flaming pyres are historically inaccurate, proving once again that we care way more about a cool gothic vibe than basic factual accuracy