The night sky’s most familiar companion, the moon, has long been a convenient scapegoat for mysteries we can’t readily explain. In this roundup of 10 things we’ve mistakenly blamed on the moon, we’ll uncover the myths, the science, and the surprising truths behind each claim.
10 Things We Examine
10 Madness
For centuries, the full moon has been linked to bouts of insanity, giving rise to the very word “lunatic,” which stems from Luna, the Latin name for the moon. The ancient Roman thinker Pliny the Elder even argued that a full moon caused extra dew, which supposedly soaked our brains and sparked occasional madness.
This idea was revived in 1978 by Arnold L. Lieber in his book The Lunar Effect: Biological Tides and Human Emotions. Lieber suggested that the moon’s pull on bodily fluids mirrored its effect on ocean tides, causing liquids to shift in our heads and, consequently, driving people mad.
Modern research, however, has cleared the moon of any culpability. Psychologists such as Professor Scott Lilienfeld of Emory University point out that the moon exerts no measurable influence on brain chemistry, debunking the age‑old claim that it makes us irrational.
Lilienfeld offers a more plausible explanation: before electric lighting, people spent more evenings outdoors under bright moons. Those with mental health issues happened to be more visible during those nights, creating a false association between moonlight and madness.
9 The Death Of General Stonewall Jackson
Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson succumbed to pneumonia on May 10, 1863, a week after a friendly‑fire incident on the night of May 2 during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Mistaking his own troops for Union soldiers, the 18th North Carolina infantry opened fire, wounding Jackson with three musket balls that ultimately led to his death.
Researchers Don Olson and Laurie E. Jasinski of Texas State University argue that the full moon that night played a crucial role. While many assume a full moon improves visibility, it can actually backfire when the moon sits directly in front of observers, turning everything ahead into a dark silhouette.
In this case, the moon was positioned right in front of the North Carolina soldiers. Their view of the approaching Confederates was reduced to black shadows, prompting them to fire prematurely and tragically striking General Jackson.
8 2011 Tohoku Earthquake
On March 11, 2011, a devastating magnitude‑9 earthquake shattered northeastern Japan, followed swiftly by a lethal tsunami. The catastrophe claimed nearly 16,000 lives, left thousands missing, and inflicted over $200 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster on record.
The quake’s suddenness baffled scientists, prompting some to blame the moon’s gravitational tug—particularly because the event fell a week after a new moon and a week before a forthcoming supermoon. The timing seemed to fit a popular narrative that lunar forces can jam geological faults.
In reality, the moon’s orbit is elliptical, meaning its distance from Earth varies. When the moon is closest, we experience a “supermoon,” which appears larger and brighter than a typical full moon.
Paradoxically, the moon’s pull was at its weakest during the Tohoku quake, disproving the notion that lunar gravity intensified the seismic activity that day.
7 Childbirth
For centuries, folklore claimed that more babies arrive under a full moon, supposedly because lunar gravity agitates the amniotic fluid in a pregnant woman’s womb, prompting labor to begin.
Extensive studies have repeatedly shown this belief to be unfounded. The most comprehensive analysis, conducted by Daniel Caton in 2001, examined 70 million births over two decades and found no statistical spike in deliveries on full‑moon nights.
Despite the solid evidence, the myth refuses to die, lingering in popular culture and prompting endless debates whenever a bright moon hangs overhead.
6 Positive Stock Market Returns
Several academic investigations have highlighted a curious pattern: stock markets tend to generate higher returns during the 14‑ to 15‑day window surrounding a new moon. One study covering 25 exchanges across the G7 nations reported profits three times larger during new‑moon periods than at other times.
However, savvy investors shouldn’t rush to buy on a new moon and sell on the following full moon. Transaction costs would erode most of the modest gains, and markets also perform well outside these lunar windows; the effect is simply less pronounced.
5 Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis
Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, a painful eye infection caused by enterovirus 70 or coxsackievirus A24, leads to reddened, swollen eyes that often ooze pus. While uncomfortable, the disease rarely proves fatal and usually resolves within a week.
The outbreak gained a quirky nickname in Africa: “Apollo.” The moniker dates back to 1969, the year the Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon. The disease was first observed in Ghana that same year, prompting locals to link it to the historic lunar landing.
Some speculated that astronauts might have unintentionally transported the virus back to Earth, dubbing it “Apollo 11 disease.” Modern science has dismissed this notion, yet the name persists in certain regions.
4 Menstruation
Long‑standing folklore suggests that a woman’s menstrual cycle syncs with the lunar month. The term “menstruation” itself comes from the Latin mensis (month), which traces back to the Greek mēnē for moon, reinforcing the perceived connection.
One modern proponent of the idea was Dr. Eugene Jonas, who observed pregnancies occurring despite timing intercourse away from ovulation. He hypothesized a secondary fertile window governed by a “lunar cycle,” separate from the standard menstrual rhythm.
Jonas’s theory lacked empirical support; his belief rested on astrological assumptions rather than scientific data. Nevertheless, he persisted in promoting the lunar‑cycle hypothesis.
Subsequent research has found no credible link between lunar phases and menstrual timing. Human cycles vary widely, ranging from 21 to 35 days, with the 28‑day average being merely a statistical midpoint.
3 The Great Crypto Crash
January 2018 saw the cryptocurrency market plunge dramatically, with most digital assets shedding roughly 80 % of their value within a month. Bitcoin, for instance, fell from about $20 000 in December 2017 to $10 000 a month later, a drop rivaling the 1970s dot‑com bust.
Investors scrambled for explanations, and one voice pointed skyward. Alexander Wallin, CEO of the Sprinklebit platform, blamed the crash on the Lunar New Year, a two‑week celebration anchored to the lunar calendar that begins on the first new‑moon night and ends on the first full moon.
Wallin argued Chinese investors were cashing out their Bitcoin holdings to fund New Year festivities, flooding the market and driving prices down. While the timing aligns with the lunar calendar, the crash’s root causes were far more complex than a simple moon‑related cash‑out.
2 Vehicle Accidents
Full moons have earned a notorious reputation for upping the odds of traffic mishaps. A joint study by Princeton University and the University of Toronto, spanning 30 years of motorcycle‑related fatalities across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, identified a 5 % rise in accidents on full‑moon nights compared with other evenings.
The danger spikes even higher during supermoons, with accident rates climbing to 27 %. Researchers suggest that a supermoon checks all the boxes of a visual distraction: it’s large, bright, and can appear suddenly, drawing attention away from the road.
Additionally, people tend to be out later on bright nights, and riders may feel emboldened by the enhanced visibility, further contributing to the uptick in crashes.
1 Crime
For ages, the full moon has been linked to a surge in criminal activity. The British Sussex police, analyzing their 2006 crime logs, reported a higher number of offenses on full‑moon nights than on other evenings.
Other researchers have echoed similar findings, though the evidence remains mixed; several studies have failed to detect a solid correlation between lunar phases and crime rates.
If any increase does occur, it’s not because the moon magically alters human behavior. Instead, the extra illumination encourages people to stay outdoors longer, providing criminals with the light they need to operate while still preserving enough darkness for concealment—a concept known as the illumination hypothesis.