History-Sode | 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 for hours. Then days. Then weeks. Soon, hundreds had joined her—and some never stopped.

In this episode of our history-sode series, we dive into the mysterious and very real Dancing Plague of 1518. Why did it happen? Could people really dance themselves to death? And how did an entire city respond to the chaos? You’ll find out in this strange but true tale from the past.

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

• The Lancet, “Dancing Plague of 1518” (2004): https://www.thelancet.com

• History.com Editors. “The Dancing Plague of 1518.” History Channel, https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-dancing-plague-of-1518

• Smithsonian Magazine. “The Dancing Plague of 1518.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com