“This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!” President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday, apparently responding to the Justice Department appointing a special counsel to investigate his and his associates' potential ties to Russia.

That got us thinking about the real Salem Witch Trials, which are commonly cited as the source of the phrase “witch hunt."

These trials happened in Salem, Massachusetts, during the winter and spring of 1692-1693. When it was all over, 141 suspects, both men and women, were tried as witches. Nineteen were executed by hanging. One was pressed to death by heavy stones. Several more perished in harsh prisons.

"As a country we have a long history of witch hunting, especially in the colonial