St. John's Dance: Medieval Aachen's Mass Hysteria
A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance forces residents of Aachen into a frenzied state where hallucinations trigger uncontrollable jumping and twitching that leaves victims collapsed from exhaustion. This mass hysteria event marked one of the earliest documented cases of epidemic dancing mania, revealing how collective psychological stress can manifest as physical contagion in medieval communities.
June 24, 1374
652 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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