religious history

The Dancing Plague of 1518: A Historical Mass Hysteria Event in Strasbourg

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Residents of Strasbourg in 1518 afflicted by the psychogenic disorder choreomania also known as the dancing plague transformed

Residents of Strasbourg in 1518, afflicted by the psychogenic disorder choreomania, also known as the "dancing plague," moving frenetically among graves in a churchyard

Medieval Mass Dancing Hysteria Grips Strasbourg for Months The Dancing Plague of 1518 stands as one of history’s most bizarre and well-documented cases of mass hysteria, occurring in Strasbourg, Alsace (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) during the height of summer. From July through September 1518, this remarkable phenomenon saw hundreds of people dancing … Read more