Dancing Plague of 1518

A Copper engraving of Hendrik Hondius's based on a painting of Pieter Bruegel's believed to be about the dancing plague

It seemed like any normal day in July 1518 for the people of Strasbourg France. A woman named Frau Troffea started dancing in the street without any music. People laughed and clapped at her, but people began to worry as she not only danced to the next day, she danced for six days straight with no rest. Suddenly the dancing became contagious and 3 dozen people joined her by the end of the week. And by the time August came around 400 people had joined in the dancing.
No one really had a clue on what was happening. Physicians of the time claimed that the people were affected by hot blood and were recommended to dance the fever away. People started dying from exhaustion, heart attacks, and strokes.

In response to people dying the physicians recommended more dancing. They erected a stage and brought in music hoping that this will help people dance away the hot blood faster. Their plan didn't work as it had brought in more people to dance. During the height of the dancing mania, at least 15 people died per day. In September the dancing ended as it had started.

This event sounds like it's a legend, but it was a true event. There is no doubt that this Dancing Plague did happen as it was well documented in the town. It wasn't even the only one to have had happened in the 16th century either as events like it happened in Switzerland, Germany, and Holland. None of the others were as extreme as this one though.
There are many theories on why this event happened. One of the bigger theories is that it was all due to mass hysteria. This time it was extremely stressful for the people of Strasbourg. there was a famine happening and many of the residents were suffering from malnutrition due to t it.

Other theories are that they could have ingested Ergot which is a fungus that grows on Rye and grasses like Wheat. When ingested it can cause poisoning and or death. Some of the side effects are hallucinations, spasms, and convulsions which would be a cause for the dancing. It is known as nature LSD. Another theory is that they were part of a religious cult causing them to dance.

SOURCES:

BBC

Historic Mysteries

Discovery

History

Web MD

INFANTICIDE: June 30, 1956 Sunset Beach, California Baby Doe

On June 30, 1956, the body of an infant was found floating in a back slough near the intersection of Los Patos and Coast Highway in Sunset Beach, California. He was 1'4" and 4 lbs. He had died sometime in 1956.

SOURCES:
NamUs

Murder of Elizabeth Boyington

On the night of June 26, 1959, a couple was taking a stroll in the wooded area of the west end of High Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They would find the body of 44-year-old Elizabeth Boyington. Her arms were folded across her chest and her clothes were disarranged.  She had been stabbed around 5 times around her throat and it wasn't stated whether or not she was sexually assaulted. She was last seen being rejected entry at the downtown bar.

Elizabeth was a practical nurse at the time. She was also known to frequent bars.

SOURCES:

Toronto Police Service

The Windsor Star June 30, 1959

Toronto Sun June 13, 2021

UNIDENTIFIED: 1577 Chislet, England Jane Doe

In 1577 an unknown "wayfaring" woman died and was buried at the St. Mary The Virgin Churchyard in Chislet, Kent, England. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

UNIDENTIFIED: June 18, 1959 Detroit Michigan Jane Doe

 On June 18, 1959, the Shelton's were excavating their basement with a neighbor at their home on 1936 Halleck in Detroit, Michigan. They would find the skeleton of a woman about four inches below the surface. It was stated that she was there for years and according to a newspaper she had a hole on the top of her head and a shattered jaw. 

The house was bought by the Sheltons in 1943 and the house was built in 1922/1923. It's possible she died between that time. It was originally speculated that the woman may have been killed by John Kasap and John Kurzawa who killed several people in 1940. One of their victims was buried a block away in the basement of another home. I don't know if this is still speculated about the case, I couldn't find any recent detailed information on the case. 

Jane Doe was an African American woman. She was between 25 to 35-years-old. She was around 5'0".

NamUs

Ironwood Daily Globe June 18, 1959

Detroit Free Press June 19, 1959

MISSING: Dorothy Louise Wright-Weiler

 On June 16, 1947, 22-year-old Dorothy Wright-Weiler was walking with her mother in Lewiston, Idaho. She would break away from her mother near a Cafe and told her she was going to jump in the river. This was the last time she was seen.

4 months before Dorothy and her ex-husband divorced. She had custody of the children and was living with her grandmother at the time. She had pawned her wedding ring and had a small amount of money in her pocket. 

Dorothy is a white female and was 22-years-old at the time. She was 5'1" to 5'6" and was around 120 lbs. She was wearing Levis, a red checked jacket, white sports shirt, bobby socks, and white mocassins. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Find a Grave

Idaho Missing Persons Clearinghouse

The Unaccounted For

INFANTICIDE: June 11, 1932 Perrysburg, Ohio

 On June 11, 1932, a newborn boy was left abandoned in Perrysburg, Ohio. He would die from exposure and hemorrhage through an untied umbilical cord. It was believed he was born 3 days before he died and was found. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

Ghosts: Slag Pile Annie

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the former Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation mill the ghost of a woman haunts the mill. She is typically seen in a remote and hard-to-access part of the mill. It's not surprising that if ghosts exist that they would haunt steel mills. Steel Mills are still dangerous, but since safety measurements are implemented. 

During WWII a lot of women went into the workforce many of them taking jobs that were considered "dangerous" for women. It was said at this time Slag Pile Annie was working at this particular mill during this time. She would continue to work there even after the war ended. It's vague on the incident, but Annie died in an accident by hot slag. It's said that she still resides there and people who talk to her don't realize she's a ghost till later.

One story/sighting of her happened in the 1950s a college student working at the mill for the summer. He was assigned to drive a buggy pilling empty hopper cars through a tunnel that ran under blast furnaces. He would wait for the furnaces to empty and would drive through and pick p the hot slag that spilled and filled his hopper cars. He would then take them to the slag dump.

On one day he would happen across a woman in a poorly lit tunnel. The woman was in her late 40's wearing work clothes and a red bandanna. He pulled up next to her and told her that she'd get killed in the tunnel if she was there at the wrong time. She would tell him "I can't get killed, I'm already dead." The young man was not sure how to respond and continued work. When he was done he decided to tell the foreman about the lady and what she'd said.

When he described her the foreman told him that she was in fact already dead. He informed the college student that she had died doing the same job that the college student was around 5 years before.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Arcadia Publishing

Crazy Crimes: Phantom Barber of Pascagoula

 In 1942 WWII was in its 3rd year and towns across America were manufacturing weapons and supplies for it. The little town of Pascagoula, Mississippi was no exception. It is a coastal town and a perfect place to build warships. This had increased the population of the small town and it was thriving. Something strange began to happen in the summer of 1942.

On June 5, 1942, someone had slit the window screen at the Lady of Victories covenant. Two young girls were sleeping but awoke when a man they described as "Sorta short, sorta fat, and wearing a white sweatshirt was in the room. The girls were both missing a lock of hair and that was all he did.

A few days later on Monday the Barber struck again. He had slit open the window and snuck into the room that 6-year-old Carol Peattie. She was sleeping next to her twin brother. He had cut the girl's hair and had left a bare footprint at the scene.

It was believed that the same man had attacked a sleeping couple. He snuck in through a screen he had slit and entered the home. Neither was killed, and his typical trophy wasn't taken. It's also thought that he had also attacked another victim by using chloroform. But it's unsure if either case was connected to the Phantom Barber.

57-year-old Chemist William Dolan was charged with the crime involving the couple. He was not charged with any of the other hair snatching crimes. They believed he was guilty of them though because police claimed a bundle of hair was found behind his home. In the eyes of the people saw him as the Phantom Barber. It's possible that the police wanted to end the case and placed blame on William Dolan to stop the public fear.

SOURCES:
Mental Floss
Southern Living
Fun Factz 

UNIDENTIFIED: June 3, 1936 Albany, Oregon John Doe

 On June 3, 1936, a transient man died at the hospital. His cause of death may have been caused by acute alcoholism. 

John Doe was a white male around 50-years-old. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

The Clonycavan Man

 

In March of 2003, a body was found in a bog by peat cutters in Clonycavan, County Meath, Ireland . The body belonged to a man between 24 to 40 (believed to be in his 20's) who died between 392 BC to 201 BC. He was 5'2", and had crooked teeth. He had long and styled hair. The front of his hair was shaven, giving him a higher hairline, and the remainder was several inches long which was folded forward and then back, and sported a goatee and mustache. There was hair oil in his hair that consisted of plant oil and pine resins found in France or Spain. He had a rich diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, and protein.

It's believed that he may have been a king that was sacrificed after a bad harvest or another disaster.  His death may have been done to please the goddess of fertility. He was likely killed during the warmer months of the year which was indicated by his diet.

He was killed from a blow to the head with a sharp instrument, possibly an axe, and then was hit in the nose, chest, and was disemboweled. His nipples were may have been sliced off or were missing due to decomposition. If his nipples were sliced off, that would possibly mean that he failed kingship or a failed candidate for kingship.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia Wiki

BBC News Jan. 7, 2006

Archeology