17 Unsettling Facts That Will Freak You Out

The Dancing Plague

In July 1518, a woman known as Frau Troffea stepped into the streets of Strasbourg and began to dance. A week went by before she was joined by about three-dozen of people, and by August, the dancing had claimed as about 400 victims. A stage was built for professional dancers and bands were hired to play music while the craze lasted. Local physicians could not find an explanation for the event other than blaming it on a fever. Some people collapse due to exhaustion, others had strokes and heart-attacks. It is shown on 16th-century historical records along with other similar occurrences in Germany, Switzerland, and Holland, but none were as deadly as the Dancing Plague of Strasbourg.