Histoire

	1847 The Fox sisters devised a method of communicating with the afterlife.
	1855 Allan Kardec takes an interest in these phenomena. Experiments, proof and witness accounts begin to accumulate.
	1857 The Book of Spirits is published. Teachings concerning the afterlife take off in France and are open to anyone.
	1858 Conferences and books appear. The Parisian Spirit Study Group is created. Allan Kardec becomes the undisputed head of this movement. 1869 Death of Allan Kardec, resulting in a decline in the spirtist movement.

	1880 Beside Allan Kardec’s grave, Gabriel Delanne, scientist and engineer exclaims “We will do everything possible to spread his ideas and this information”.
	1890 Metapsychology ( today known as para-psychology) gives a materialist explanation for spiritist phenomena. The existence of spirits is rejected.
	1914 The First World War halts the study of spiritism. Spirits manifest themselves in private gatherings.
	1919 Gustave Geley is head of the International Psychological Institute. His conclusion on his work on mediumnity is this : “I would say that there is no possibility of cheating, we have witnessed the death of materialism”.
	1939 The lack of strong leaders to carry on the movement meant that spiritism was forgotten