The Town That Danced to Death | The Dancing Plague of 1518
In the summer of 1518, a woman stepped into the streets of Strasbourg and began to dance.
She didn’t stop.
Within days, dozens joined her. Within weeks, hundreds were moving uncontrollably — collapsing from exhaustion, heart failure, and stroke. Some would die where they fell.
There was no music.
No celebration.
No explanation.
This is the true story of the Dancing Plague of 1518 — one of the strangest and most disturbing epidemics in recorded history.
Was it mass hysteria? Ergot poisoning? Religious mania? Or something far darker rooted in fear, famine, and psychological contagion?
In this episode of Dark History with Mike, we examine what really happened, what historians believe today, and why this centuries-old mystery still unsettles experts.
Because sometimes, history isn’t just strange.
It’s terrifying.
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