In 1518, as many as 100 people died from a mysterious plague that swept through the city of Strasbourg. Suddenly, and seemingly inexplicably, a woman known as Frau Troffea stepped into the street and began to dance. Soon, hundreds of people were taken over by the uncontrollable urge to shake that thang for days on end.

There was no music, and neither pain, exhaustion nor hunger seemed to get in the way of their party. Some explanations for the Dancing Plague of 1518 included demon possession, overheated blood or food poisoning causing convulsions. Maybe they just had a really catchy song stuck in their heads. Or maybe it was all a ploy devised by Big Dancing companies and pushed by the mainstream media of 1518 (A bard? A town crier?!)