FACTArchive →
FACT
@fact5
Dark HistoryFeb 04, 2026

In 1518, hundreds of people in Strasbourg danced themselves to death in a plague that lasted for months, with some dancing for days without stopping.

The Dancing Plague of 1518 killed hundreds in Strasbourg. People danced uncontrollably for days without stopping. Some died from heart attacks and strokes. Authorities hired musicians thinking music would cure them. The dancing spread like a contagious disease.

KEEP SCROLLING

More strange facts ✦

FACT
@fact5
Dark History
The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 killed 21 people when a tank containing 2.3 million gallons burst in Boston
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
The Dancing Plague of 1518 saw hundreds of people dance themselves to death in Strasbourg over several months
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
The Bone Wars of the 1870s saw rival paleontologists dynamiting fossil sites to prevent competitors from finding dinosaurs
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
The London Bridge that was sold to Arizona in 1968 was actually the wrong bridge - the buyer thought he was getting Tower Bridge
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
In 1980, NASA accidentally launched a manhole cover into space at 125,000 mph during an underground nuclear test, making it potentially the fastest human-made object ever created.
FACT
@fact5
Heartwarming Humanity
A 9-year-old boy in Florida started a nonprofit that has provided over 100,000 bag lunches to homeless people using his allowance money.
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
The creator of the TV show Jeopardy! died on the same day a contestant broke the show's all-time winning record
FACT
@fact5
Creepy Discoveries
Scientists found a species of fungus that zombifies carpenter ants by taking control of their brains and forcing them to climb plants before exploding their heads to spread spores.
FACT
@fact5
Geography
The Time Zone Giant
FACT
@fact5
Heartwarming Humanity
A pizza delivery driver in Iowa received a $78,000 tip from 13,000 strangers after they saw him living in a motel
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
Tardigrades can survive in space for 10 days without protection and come back to life after being completely dehydrated for decades
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
Sea otters hold hands while sleeping so they don't drift apart in ocean currents, and mothers wrap their babies in kelp like blankets.