The Strasbourg Dancing Mania of 1518
In the spring of 1518, the city of Strasbourg was gripped by a most peculiar and frightening phenomenon. A woman named Frau Troffea abruptly began to jig in the streets, seemingly without any cause or provocation. Her uncontrollable dancing continued for days, and soon others joined her in this bizarre spectacle. Thousands of people, it is said, w