The history of hypnosis dates back to the beginning of time.  Egyptians would use sleep temples in order to get people into a very deep like sleep state.Within the last couple hundred years is when hypnosis truly saw a surge in popularity.  One of the most well know hypnotists who brought hypnosis into the present day age was Anton Mesmer.  An excellent picture of his work with multiple suggestible people is as follows:Hypnosis Book