In 1518, several individuals started to dance through the streets of the city of Strasbourg (which is now located in France). This was no parade: They’d contracted a strange and seemingly contagious compulsion to do so, and within weeks, swarms of residents were whirling through town. The dance dragged on, and soon, dancers started to drop dead. One account approximated that as many as 15 people died daily during the dance’s peak, according to an article published in The Lancet.
Though this story sounds absurd today, the witnesses to these occurrences were already well acquainted with this dangerous dance. Indeed, several similar “dancing manias” and “dancing plagues” transpired in continental Europe throughout the medieval period, ensuring that these events were well within the era’s realm of possibility.
So, why did so many people stumble and sway without the ability to stop?
