In July of 1518, something unimaginable happened in the city of Strasbourg.

A woman stepped into the street and began dancing. She didn't stop. Days later, dozens of others had joined her. Soon, hundreds were reportedly dancing through the city—some collapsing from exhaustion and some allegedly dancing themselves to death.

More than 500 years later, historians still can't fully explain what became known as the Dancing Plague of 1518.

Was it a case of mass psychogenic illness? Poisoned rye contaminated with ergot? A religious phenomenon tied to Saint Vitus? Or the result of multiple forces colliding at exactly the wrong moment?

In this episode of Kat Has Questions, we're investigating one of history's strangest unsolved mysteries. We'll separate fact from myth, examine the historical evidence, explore the leading scientific theories, and ask the question that has puzzled researchers for centuries:

How could an entire town seemingly become unable to stop dancing?

In this episode:

• The true story of the Dancing Plague of 1518

• Frau Troffea and how the outbreak began

• Why city leaders encouraged MORE dancing

• Did people really dance themselves to death?

• The leading theories explained

• What historians believe today

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About the show

Kat Has Questions is a curiosity-driven podcast about real stories that sound unreal — from unsolved crimes and strange history to the quietly weird corners of human behavior.

New episodes every week.

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If you’re enjoying Kat Has Questions, follow the podcast, leave a review, or send in a weird historical mystery you want me to dig into next.

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Sources & Further Reading

Waller, John. A Time to Dance, a Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518. Icon Books, 2008.

Waller, John. "A Forgotten Plague: Making Sense of Dancing Mania." The Psychologist.

Backman, Eugene Louis. Religious Dances in the Christian Church and in Popular Medicine. George Allen & Unwin, 1952.

Cohn, Norman. Europe's Inner Demons. Sussex University Press.

Midelfort, H.C. Erik. A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. Stanford University Press.

Encyclopedia Britannica. "Dancing Plague of 1518."

History.com Editors. "The Dancing Plague of 1518."

Smithsonian Magazine. "The Dancing Plague of 1518."

Wikipedia contributors. "Dancing Plague of 1518." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. (Used for general orientation and cross-referencing; historical claims verified against primary and scholarly sources.)

🎵 Music: “Scrunchy” by Night Drift

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Contact

📩 kathasquestionspod@gmail.com

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