They Danced Themselves to Death: The Bizarre True Story of History’s Strangest Epidemic
A forgotten tragedy, a chilling mystery, and what it reveals about the unsettling power of the human mind.
The year is 1518. Summer stifles the small town of Strasbourg in what’s now France, sunlight baking the cobbled streets. The air hangs thick with the scent of river water and sweat. And then, the unthinkable happens. A woman named Frau Troffea steps into a narrow street — and begins to dance.
Not a joyful twirl at a wedding, mind you. This was a relentless, frantic dance, like a puppet jerked by unseen strings. Her face was a mask of grim concentration. For hours, she danced. Until she collapsed, her body a broken heap on the stones.
One would assume she’d sleep it off. But she wakes, and the dance resumes.
Days pass. She doesn’t stop.
And then here’s where it gets truly strange — she’s not alone anymore. Dozens have joined her. Then hundreds. Imagine it: a writhing, frenzied mass filling…
