The bizarre tale of the dancing plague of 1518
In the summer of 1518, something strange happened in the town of Strasbourg, now known as the Alsace region of present-day France.
In July of that year, a woman named Frau Troffea began to dance in the streets. Within a week and for no apparent reason, 34 others had joined her.
They danced in the streets, in their homes, and even at their jobs. The seemingly possessed dancers continued on throughout the day and night. Not pausing for food, drink or even rest. For weeks they danced, with more and more people joining.
The plague spread to other towns in the area. Soon there were hundreds of people affected. Fearful and confounded, the local authorities had no idea what to do.
In a futile attempt to stop the dancing, they ordered people to stop, but that only made the dancers more determined. They locked up the dancers in their homes, but still they found ways to dance, even dancing in their sleep. By the end of it, hundreds of people had collapsed and died from exhaustion.
