mind control n.

the ability to control another person’s thoughts or actions telepathically

Paranormal

  • 1902 Indianapolis News 1 Feb. 16/8 page image

    At last the true secret of mental power and mind control has been revealed. A noted college in the city of New York has just issued a wonderful book by eminent scientists, which lays bare the mysteries of personal influence.

  • 1921 Ten Story Book Dec. 62 (advt.) page image

    Hypnotism…gives you the key to the inner secrets of mind control. It enables you to control yourself and the thoughts and actions of others.

  • 1940 N. R. Jones Cat-Men of Aemt in Astonishing Stories Aug. 46/1 Neil R. Jones bibliography

    The robots consisted of a domed cylinder mounted on three legs and fitted with four arms terminating in metal claws. They were operated entirely by the mind control of the Aemts.

  • 1944 L. Brackett Terror Out of Space in Planet Stories Summer 37/1 page image Leigh Brackett bibliography

    And She was a whiz at hypnosis and mind-control.

  • 1951 J. H. Schmitz Space Fear in Astounding Science Fiction Mar. 24/1 page image James H. Schmitz bibliography

    Nothing short of complete mind-control for a period of several weeks.

  • 1967 A. Norton Wizard’s World in Worlds of If June 22/1 page image Andre Norton bibliography

    The Esper plastered himself to the heaving body. For the moment he made no attempt at mind control.

  • 1980 P. Dellinger Cliffhanger Sound in Fantastic Stories Jan. 42 page image Paul Dellinger bibliography

    The world, after all, was full of inexplicable murders and suicides for which many blamed a form of mind control.

  • 2003 P. Di Filippo Seeing is Believing in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Apr. 139 page image Paul Di Filippo bibliography

    The only thing I could come up with is, this guy’s using some radical, unknown kind of mind-control device.

Research requirements

antedating 1902
Research History
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from a 1959 reprint of Leigh Brackett's 1944 "Terror Out of Space"; Jesse Sheidlower verified it in the first magazine appearance in Planet Stories, Summer 1944.
Fred Galvin submitted a 1940 cite from "The Cat-men of Aemt", by Neil R. Jones.
Jesse Sheidlower submitted a cite from 1921 from an ad for a hypnotism book in 10 Story Book.
Simon Koppel submitted a 1902 cite from the Indianapolis News.

Earliest cite in OED2 is a 1954 cite from T.S. Eliot; improved to the 1940 Jones example in OED3.

Last modified 2021-04-16 18:57:02
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.