# The Dancing Plague of 1518: A Deadly Epidemic That Made People Dance to Death

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hidden-history-with-dr-harini-bhat-7830065/the-dancing-plague-of-1518-a-deadly-epidemic-that-made-people-dance-to-death
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hidden-history-with-dr-harini-bhat-7830065/the-dancing-plague-of-1518-a-deadly-epidemic-that-made-people-dance-to-death.md
Podcast: [Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhat](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hidden-history-with-dr-harini-bhat-7830065)
Published: 2026-05-11T07:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8388272/8388272_2026-05-18-145312.256.mp3?rssID=6495
Audio file: https://serve.castfire.com/audio/8388272/8388272_2026-05-18-145312.256.mp3?rssID=6495
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hidden-history-with-dr-harini-bhat-7830065/episodes/the-dancing-plague-of-1518-a-deadly-epidemic-that-made-people-dance-to-death
Duration seconds: 2209

## Resource

What would make hundreds of people dance uncontrollably for weeks, until they collapsed? In 1518, the city of Strasbourg was overtaken by one of the strangest epidemics in recorded history. It wasn’t the plague. It wasn’t war. It was dancing. Doctors prescribed more dancing. Priests blamed a curse. Musicians were hired to keep the frenzy going. And bodies began to fall. Could something like this happen again? Head over to our Hidden History YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenHistoryPod If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Hidden History to never miss an episode! Hidden History is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios Follow us on Social Instagram: @RewindStudios TikTok: @RewindStudios YouTube: @HiddenHistoryPod

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