The Doctors' Riot of 1788

In 1788, New York City nearly lost the chance to become America's first capital because

of stolen dead bodies. Medical students were so desperate for cadavers to study that they

raided graveyards at night. When a student waved a dismembered arm at kids through

a hospital window as a joke, one child recognized his mother's jewelry on it.

The father dug up her grave, found it empty, and sparked a three day riot.

Thousands stormed hospitals, destroyed anatomy labs, and even the militia

got involved. The chaos was so intense that founding fathers had to physically protect the medical

students. This body snatching scandal almost derailed New York's political future.