Episode 138 - The History of the Dancing Plague of 1518

Lunatics Radio Hour

Text Abby and Alan

Abby and Alan discuss the horrifying and very real dancing plague of 1518. In the French Town of Strasbourg, in the summer of 1518, a bizarre and horrifying plague took as many as 400 lives. The plague started with a single woman, who could not stop dancing. Almost for an entire week she danced alone until others slowly joined her. Dancing until their bodies gave out.

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Sources

• A Time to Dance, A Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of The Dancing Plague of 1518. A book by John Waller.
• A book from 1888 - The Black Death and The Dancing Mania by Justus Friedrich Karl Hecker.
• History.com article by Evan Andrews - What Was The Dancing Plague of 1518?
• The People Who Danced Themselves to Death by Rosalind Jana on BBC.com
• https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/dancing-plagues-and-mass-hysteria

• A Smithsonian Magazine Article - A Strange Case of Dancing Mania Struck Germany Six Centuries Ago Today by Marias Fessenden

• Research help from April Brenker.

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1. Episode 138 - The History of the Dancing Plague of 1518 (00:00:00)

2. Dancing Plague of 1518 Discussion (00:00:39)

3. The Strasbourg Dancing Plague and Unrest (00:14:57)

4. The Dancing Plague of St Vitus (00:26:28)

5. The Dance Plague of Strasbourg (00:33:23)

6. Medieval Dancing Plagues and Saints (00:42:25)

7. The Dancing Plague and Paracelsus (00:54:00)

8. Dance of Death in Horror Films (01:07:55)

9. Book-Inspired Spooky Summer Themes Discussed (01:18:05)