The Dancing Plague of 1518: The Mystery of the Town That Couldn't Stop Dancing

Kat Has Questions: True Crime and Unsolved Mysteries · Jul 29, 2026 · 42m · transcript

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…