The Dancing Plague of 1518

In 1518, an entire town in France literally danced itself to death.

Picture this: a woman named Frau Troffea starts dancing in the streets of Strasbourg,

and she can't stop. Within days, dozens join her. Within a month, four hundred people

are dancing non-stop, some collapsing from exhaustion, strokes, and heart attacks.

The authorities thought the cure was more dancing, so they built stages and hired musicians.

Turns out, they were suffering from mass psychogenic illness, triggered by stress,

famine, and disease. Their minds collectively snapped under pressure, turning their bodies

into unwilling marionettes. This bizarre epidemic reminds us that mental health crises don't always look