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In the sweltering heat of summer, during July of 1518, the city of Strasbourg was consumed by a plague…just not necessarily the kind you may be thinking of. After a lady named Frau Troffea began to spontaneously dance in the streets, this compulsion to move soon spread throughout the city, and before long hundreds of residents had been swept up by this ‘dancing mania’. Though it sounds idyllic in theory, the reality was very different, and the Strasbourg ‘dancing plague’ soon turned deadly. But what caused this mass display to take hold in the first place? In today’s episode, Chyaz explores the theories that have been presented over the centuries, and offers up a perspective of her own too…
Mental health resources UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/
Mental health resources Global: https://unitedgmh.org/support/
Where to find us!
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThingsGetWeirdPodcast
Facebook (Main Page): https://www.facebook.com/thingsareabouttogetweird
Facebook (Discussion Group): www.facebook.com/groups/thingsareabouttogetweird/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thingsareabouttogetweird
📧 Email: [email protected]
Source Shout Outs
BBC Article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20220512-the-people-who-danced-themselves-to-death
Smithsonian Magazine Article:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/strange-case-dancing-mania-struck-germany-six-centuries-ago-today-180959549/
Academic Paper on The Dancing Plague:
https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/drs.2017.0199#fn2
Public Domain Review Essay:
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-dancing-plague-of-1518/
The Guardian Article:
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jul/05/bizarre-dance-epidemic-of-summer-1518-strasbourg
Brittanica Article:
https://www.britannica.com/event/dancing-plague-of-1518
British Psychological Society Article:
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/dancing-plagues-and-mass-hysteria
Nottingham University Article:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/documents/exhibitions/plantsandprayers/5.-humoral-theory-the-basis-of-medical-thought-for-millenia.pdf
Healthline Website:
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/mass-hysteria#definition
History Extra Article:
https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/the-medieval-dance-of-death/
NLS Article:
https://www.nls.uk/collections/stories/scottish-history/how-martin-luther-sparked-the-reformation/
By Chyaz Samuel4.7
1313 ratings
In the sweltering heat of summer, during July of 1518, the city of Strasbourg was consumed by a plague…just not necessarily the kind you may be thinking of. After a lady named Frau Troffea began to spontaneously dance in the streets, this compulsion to move soon spread throughout the city, and before long hundreds of residents had been swept up by this ‘dancing mania’. Though it sounds idyllic in theory, the reality was very different, and the Strasbourg ‘dancing plague’ soon turned deadly. But what caused this mass display to take hold in the first place? In today’s episode, Chyaz explores the theories that have been presented over the centuries, and offers up a perspective of her own too…
Mental health resources UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/
Mental health resources Global: https://unitedgmh.org/support/
Where to find us!
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThingsGetWeirdPodcast
Facebook (Main Page): https://www.facebook.com/thingsareabouttogetweird
Facebook (Discussion Group): www.facebook.com/groups/thingsareabouttogetweird/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thingsareabouttogetweird
📧 Email: [email protected]
Source Shout Outs
BBC Article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20220512-the-people-who-danced-themselves-to-death
Smithsonian Magazine Article:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/strange-case-dancing-mania-struck-germany-six-centuries-ago-today-180959549/
Academic Paper on The Dancing Plague:
https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/drs.2017.0199#fn2
Public Domain Review Essay:
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-dancing-plague-of-1518/
The Guardian Article:
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jul/05/bizarre-dance-epidemic-of-summer-1518-strasbourg
Brittanica Article:
https://www.britannica.com/event/dancing-plague-of-1518
British Psychological Society Article:
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/dancing-plagues-and-mass-hysteria
Nottingham University Article:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/documents/exhibitions/plantsandprayers/5.-humoral-theory-the-basis-of-medical-thought-for-millenia.pdf
Healthline Website:
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/mass-hysteria#definition
History Extra Article:
https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/the-medieval-dance-of-death/
NLS Article:
https://www.nls.uk/collections/stories/scottish-history/how-martin-luther-sparked-the-reformation/

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