The birth of spiritualism began at the home of the teenage Fox sisters, in a small village in New York state. On March 31, 1848, the three sisters began to communicate with a spirit through a method called "table rapping." The sisters asked a question, and the spirit answered, with a series of knocks for yes or no. The Fox sisters were a sensation and for many years would hold seances with many famous dignitaries and researchers who believed that they were authentic.
The Fox sisters started a trend and various forms of mediumship developed. An Italian named Eusapia Palladino soon followed the Foxes. She claimed to be a physical medium with the ability to manifest three-dimensional entities using ectoplasm and perform acts of psychokinesis — the moving of objects with her mind.
To investigate the claims of the new mediums and clairvoyants, the Society of Psychical Research was formed by distinguished scientists of the time; indeed the society is still in existence after 120 years. In the early years, they uncovered many frauds and hoaxes that took advantage of people's circumstances.
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