The Dancing Plague of 1518 Made People Dance Themselves to Death
In Strasbourg in 1518, hundreds of people were struck by an uncontrollable urge to dance continuously for days, with some reportedly dancing themselves to death from exhaustion.
About this fact
One of history's most bizarre and unexplained events occurred in Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) in July 1518. It began when a woman named Frau Troffea stepped into the street and began dancing fervently. She continued for days without stopping. Within a week, 34 others had joined her, and by the end of the month, around 400 people were dancing uncontrollably. The dancers seemed unable to stop - they danced day and night, many collapsing from exhaustion. Some reportedly died from heart attacks, strokes, or sheer exhaustion. Local authorities, believing the condition was caused by 'hot blood,' prescribed more dancing as a cure, hiring musicians and opening dance halls. This only made the situation worse. The plague finally ended when the dancers were taken to a shrine to pray for forgiveness. Modern theories suggest mass psychogenic illness, ergot poisoning from contaminated grain, or religious hysteria, but the true cause remains a mystery.