In the past several weeks, reported clown sightings around the United States have paralyzed everyone with fear. There have been several videos and photos that have circulated on social media and became rapidly viral of those unfortunate enough to stumble across a clown. Many were quick to question the authenticity of the shared videos, however, those who posted the unsettling encounters insisted that they were real. While it is believed by authorities to be a practical joke to dress up as the clowns, police are taking these sightings seriously as the great fear caused is a danger to those who encounter the clowns and to the people who dress as the clowns themselves. Strange enough, these clown sightings are not unprecedented; every decade or so, rumors swirled in folk lore fashion of clown sightings throughout several areas of the country. In the past, rumors of clown sightings would often be reciprocated among children in schools and spread like so; for example, that scary babysitting story you heard happened to your sister's friend's cousin happened to a lot of people's sister's friend's cousins. These popular scary stories, such as clown sightings, often had the same plot but were replaced with familiar places and people that you knew, making it seem as though this nation wide spread folk lore was something that happened close to you. It was the same case for clown sightings; however, it's no longer a story you heard- it's the viral video you saw on Facebook or Twitter.

in 1981, Loren Coleman, the author of Mysterious America, noticed local stories of phantom clown sightings swirling around Boston, Massachusetts. There were two reports of grade school aged children seeing vans in clowns attempting to abduct children. While there were no actual arrests, no children abducted, and no sightings of the clowns by adults, he was curious to see if other cities had similar stories, and sure enough, hundreds of reports in letters were sent in from Kansas City, Cleveland, and Denver. Coleman explains that often there is a source for the reports of clown sightings. The phantom clown sightings of '81 took place a couple of years after the national terror of John Wayne Gacy, a man who appeared at children's parties and other events as "Pogo the Clown" and was later convicted of the sexual assault and murder of 33 teenage boys taking place between 1972 and 1978. He was dubbed as the "Killer Clown," and although he did not lure the boys dressed as the clown but rather with alcohol and pornography, it was enough to further tarnish the innocence of clowns and make them a device of horror. With the fear of the "Killer Clown" gripping the nation, it is certain that it served as the inspiration for many stories told by one child to the next to scare one another.

While these recent clown sightings are nothing short of terrifying, it is important to know that more danger lies upon the practical jokers that dress as clowns than those being terrorized with them, as they are ready to react with violence. It's safe to say that most will probably be ditching any clown costume ideas this year.