Pepys had begun writing his diary in January 1660. Since being published in 1825 it has become an important source for historians studying the period of the Restoration. He stopped writing due to a fear that constant writing by candlelight was damaging his eyesight.

On the 1st March 1692, the Salem witch trials began when Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba were brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts.