Strasbourg’s Deadly Dancing Plague

In 1518, an entire town danced itself nearly to death for a month straight.

Strasbourg experienced the Dancing Plague when a woman named Frau Troffea started dancing in the street

and couldn't stop. Within days, dozens joined her, then hundreds. Authorities thought

they were just having too much fun, so they hired musicians and built stages to help them dance

it out faster. Terrible idea. People danced until their feet bled, some collapsed from

exhaustion, and several actually died from strokes and heart attacks. The music only made

it worse. Doctors were completely baffled. No drugs, no poison,

just uncontrollable dancing. After weeks of this madness, it suddenly stopped