The Dancing Plague

24th June 1374

This day in history...A sudden outbreak of St. John's dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion

As strange as it sounds, dancing mania was a social phenomenon that lasted for almost 400 years. It primarily occurred in mainland Europe and affected thousands of people. Whilst it was never truly understood and remedies were based on guesswork, it was thought to be a mass psychogenic illness, harming and killing people across the continent. So what was the dancing mania? What were the causes and effects? 

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Dancing Mania pilgrimage 

Dancing Mania Defined

The condition was originally believed to be a curse sent by a saint; St John the Baptist or St Vitus. Hence why it was referred to as St. John's Dance. Dancing mania victims often ended their processions at places dedicated to the saint. They would pray to the saint in an effort to end the dancing. The condition was known as epidemic chorea and a form of epilepsy; a disease of the nervous system. Scientists have described it as a 'collective mental disorder' and 'mass madness.'

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Dancing mania on a pilgrimage to a church at Sint-Jans-Molenbeek (1564)

The outbreaks of the disease have varied. It generally occurred in times of hardship and up to tens of thousands of people would appear to dance for hours, days, weeks and even months. Victims seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness and unable to control themselves. Modern literature portrays most victims as women. Historians and scientists have also found that most people would travel from place to place dancing, with others joining them along the way. Some records note that victims 'paraded around naked' and made 'obscene gestures.' Some were even believed to have sexual intercourse and act like animals; jumping and hopping around.

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The dancing mania of the 14th and 17th Centuries

Victims of the dancing mania hardly stopped. Some danced until they broke ribs and soon died. Some would have heart attacks and others would simply die from exhaustion. Most of the cases saw people suffering from chest pains, convulsions and hallucinations. Whilst dancing, many victims screamed, laughed or cried. They also reacted strangely to the colour red. Apparently the dancers could not perceive the colour and would often become violent after seeing it. Victims would also treat observers with violence if they would not join in the dancing.

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Music and dance was associated with fools, the insane and the dumb

Outbreaks

One of the biggest outbreaks is today's event: 24th June 1374 in Aachen, Germany. The disease then spread to many other places in Germany, Italy, France and Luxembourg. Another notable outbreak took place in 1418 in Strasbourg, where people fasted for days, causing the exhausted group to dance in hallucination. A group of women in Zurich, in 1428, also caught the dancing frenzy and danced to their death. 

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Dancing mania death

The biggest outbreak occurred in 1518 in Strasbourg where a woman, Frau Troffea, began dancing in the street. Within just 4 days she was joined by 33 others and within a month the number grew to 400 people. Many suffered heart attacks and died. Some had reportedly been dancing for the past 20-30 years! Curiously, however, dancing mania appears to have died out by the mid-17th century. 

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Dancing Mania in Strasbourg 1518

Reactions

Treatments for the dancing mania were simply guesswork, but they did have some effects. As the 1374 outbreak occurred recently after the Black Death, it was treated in a similar way; the dancers were isolated and some were even exorcised. As people believed the condition to be a curse, they responded in praying and making pilgrimages to sacred places. Sometimes music was played while participants danced - supposedly an effective remedy. However this encouraged others to join and made things worse.

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Music played during a dancing mania in an attempt to stop it

Explanations

There have been many theories about the dancing mania and how it came about. 

• One theory is that the victims suffered from ergot poisoning. During floods and damp periods, ergots grew and effected rye and other crops. Ergotism can cause hallucinations but doesn't account for the strange behaviour brought about by the dancing mania
• Another theory suggests that the symptoms are similar to epilepsy and typhus. Sources discuss how the mania may have simply been caused by the result of stress and tension during the times of hardship
• Some sources believe the contagious dancing mania was due to hardship and that the angry spirits at the time would inflict the dancing mania to punish their victims
• The final theory is that the outbreaks were staged. Religious cults may have been choreographing well-organised dances. Despite being banned at time, these rituals could have been mistaken by an uncontrollable dancing mania

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Victim of the Dancing mania facing death

Despite the theories, it is clear that the victims of the dancing mania were psychologically disturbed. It is believed some took part out of fear and others just joined in to be like everybody else. It is said that the condition was the earliest record of mass hysteria. It is strange to think that this spontaneous disease suddenly occurred and suddenly stopped. Could it happen again?

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Buenos Aires Football Disaster

23rd June 1968

This day in history...71 killed and 150 injured in a football stampede at gate 12 at El Monumental Stadium, Buenos Aires

Whilst this is a relatively unknown event, it was one of the most devastating catastrophes in Argentine football history. It is remembered as the 'Puerta 12 Tragedy.' The disaster occurred between two local derby teams in Buenos Aires; River Plate and Boca Juniors. The derby is mainly referred to as a Superclásico; 'clásico' deriving from the Spanish word 'derby', and 'Super' in reference to the mass popularity of the two teams. The history of the teams' rivalry helps to understand why the event occurred.

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Puerta 12

Boca or River?

La Boca is a working class dockland area of Buenos Aires, and has origins for both the River and Boca teams. River was founded in 1901 and Boca in 1905. River moved to Núñez, the affluent district, in 1925, and have since carried the nickname, Los Millonarios (The Millionaires). Whilst many social classes support River Plate, they are known to be strongly supported by the upper-classes. In contrast, the Boca Juniors have been known as the working-class club, with many fans coming from the local Italian immigrant community. 

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Boca Juniors (left) and River Plate (right) 1968

The Superclásico began with a friendly match in 1908, which saw Boca winning 2-1. The first official match, played in 1913, saw River winning 2-1. Since then the rivalry has continued and grown. The BBC describes the Superclásico as 'a sea of colourful flowing banners, chanting, dancing and never-ending fireworks.' The fans of both teams are extremely passionate. And as you may have guessed, a lot of matches have ended in violence and fights. The rivalry even goes as far as insulting each teams stadiums. River fans refer Boca fans as los chanchitos (little pigs) because they claim that the stadium smells. El Superclásico even became a topic of diplomatic discussion when the United States Embassy in Buenos Aires released a video on YouTube debating the question of 'Boca or River'. 

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Fans, Fights and Football

Puerta 12 Tragedy

On June 23rd, 1968, the tragedy occurred after a Superclásico match between Boca and River. There is no accurate report as to what happened as there are too many different claims and theories. A 3 year investigation was immediately carried out following the disaster but found no-one guilty. The only harsh facts were the 71 people who were killed and the 150 who were injured. The majority of the dead were teenagers and young adults, with the average age of the victims at just 19 years old. 

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Lost shoes and possessions form the stampede (left) and the stairs at Puerta 12 (right)

• Some claim that the disaster occurred after Boca fans threw burning River flags from the upper tiers of the stadium, and thus causing a stampede in the lower tier.
• Others claim that it happened after River fans arrived in the Boca section, causing the stampede. 
• Another account is that puerta (gate) 12 was locked/would not open at the time, and that the fans at the back could not hear the ones at the front telling them to stop coming in.
• William Kent, River's former president, claimed that the police were to blame. He believed they began repressing Boca fans after they had thrown urine at them from the stands - some witnesses claim that the turnstiles to the exit were blocked by an iron pole

At the end of the 1968 season, the 68 football clubs in the Argentine Football Association collected 100,000 pesos (£7226.53) for the families of the deceased. Whilst this doesn't seem much, it was a huge step for a nation with such bitterness and rivalry in terms of football. A documentary film was released in 2008, investigating the event. There is also a small plaque as a memorial for the disaster. Other than this, there is very little publicity or media attention and the families of the deceased have received little in terms of money and support.

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Memorial Plaque

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Documentary Film

 

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Ku Klux Klan

20th June 1871

This day in history...Ku Klux Klan trials begin in federal courts

The KKK wanted to restore white supremacy in America in the late 1800s by threats and violence; they tortured and murdered black and white Republicans. In 1871, however, the Federal Government passed the Force Acts, prosecuting Klan crimes and suppressing the KKK's activity.  The trials began and heard testimonies from 52 witnesses about Klan atrocities. Instead of going into the history and consequences of the Force Acts, today's blog will look briefly at the KKK and some of the witness accounts in the trial.

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Members of the KKK

Ku Klux Klan: A brief history

The First Klan was created in 1865 by 6 well-educated Confederate veterans from Tennessee. The name was formed from the combination of the Greek word κύκλος, meaning circle, with clan. The group was a secret, oath-bound organization using violence. As the group was formed during the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War, it was made of many veterans, attempting to control the dramatically changed post-war society. 

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KKK meeting 1924

The Klan was organized in chapters with a national headquarters, similar to what the veterans were used to in their military hierarchies. The (strange) organisations and titles are as follows;

• Grand Wizard - This was the national head of the 'Invisible Empire'
• Grand Dragon - This was the ruler of a 'Realm' (State)
• Grand Titan - Ruler of a 'Dominion' within a Realm
• Grand Giant - Head of a province or chapter
• Grand Cyclops - President of a meeting or a 'Den'
• Grand Magi and Grand Monk - Second and Third authorities at a meeting/Den
• Grand Turk - The marshal, executive officer to the Grand Cyclops
• Grand Sentinel - Head of the Grand Guards 
• Grand Guards - Guards of the Den
• Genii - Assistants to the Grand Wizard (usually 10)
• Grand Scribe - The secretaries to the Grand Wizards, Dragons, Titans, Giants, Cyclops'
• Grand Exchequer - The treasurers for the Grands listed above
• Hydras - Assistants to the Grand Dragon (usually 8)
• Furies - Assistants to the Grand Titan (usually 6)
• Goblins - Assistants to the Grand Giant (usually 4)
• Night-Hawks - Assistants to the Grand Cyclops (usually 2)
• Ghouls - Individual members

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There were also initiation rites for new members. The Investigating committee, responsible for initiations, were composed of the Grand: Cyclops, Magi and Monk. Upon nomination of a new member, the committee would investigate the candidate's past and would pronounce the candidate 'worthy'. The Grand Turk would escort the candidate to an out post where he would question him and administer the preliminary oath. The candidate would then be taken to the Den, where the Grand Cyclops would administer the final oath. The next section of initiation involved the candidate resting his left hand on a bible and his right hand towards heaven. He would then be interrogated with 10 questions. They included whether or not the candidate had been a member of a Republican Party or whether they believed in Negro equality.

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A KKK initiation: They sometimes tied the candidate by the neck as a symbolic initiation

Witness Reports and KKK Activity

The KKK was considered to be a terrorist organisation with over 550,000 members, especially across the Southern States. The 1871 trials saw KKK defendants sentenced to 5 years incarceration with fines. Hundreds of Ghouls were imprisoned and fined. The crimes the KKK committed were barbarous and inhumane.They attacked their chosen victims at night and wore masks and robes to hide their indentity. The organisation attacked black political leaders and any sympathisers. They would often burn houses down with the occupants still inside. They drove successful black farmers off their land and their businesses. The attacks were primarily used to supress black voting. More than 2000 people were killed and wounded a few weeks prior to the Presidential election in 1868. The KKK would often chase, hunt and murder black republicans through the woods and burn the bodies in piles. 

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Lynchings

Unfortunately the First Klan of 1865-1874 were not the most violent group in KKK history. There have been 2 revival periods since then, one in 1915-1944 and the much more recent 1950s onwards. One of the most violent KKK crimes was committed in 1955. 14 Year old Emmett Till was brutally murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Two men took Emmett for reportedly whistling at one of their wives. They took him to an abandoned warehouse where they brutally beat, killed and mutilated Emmett. They then wrapped his body in barbe dwire and threw him into a river. When the body was discovered they found that his right eye was out of its socket and hangin down his cheek, and that his left eye was missing. There was a hole in the side of his head from a gunshot and they had cut out his tongue and cut off his genitals. Emmetts mother had an open casket funeral open to the public, in order to show the horrors of the KKK. 

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Emmett Till: Christmas Day 1954 (left), In the open casket (right)

They are hundreds more stories like this that showcase the violence and inhumanity of the organisation. Many people were abused both physically and mentally and hundreds were lynched and murdered. It is shocking to see that some KKK chapters still exist. They even have a website www.kkk.com...I can't access it luckily. 

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KKK meeting in 2013, Memphis

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Lovelace and Babbage

5th June 1833

This day in history...Ada Lovelace (first computer programmer) meets Charles Babbage

Lovelace and Babbage are well known and well respected names in the computer science field. Babbage is best remembered for originating the concept of a programmable computer, something that most people now use every single day. Whilst Lovelace was an English mathematician, she is chiefly known for her work on Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Today's event marks the start of a successful and professional relationship that led to great discoveries. 

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Lovelace and Babbage

Charles Babbage: A brief history
Babbage achieved many things in his life in many various fields. He was a British mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer. Babbage was born in London on 26th December 1791, as a son of a banker. He was often unwell as a child and was mainly home-schooled. He became interested in mathematics and by the time he attended Cambridge University in 1810, he was well educated in many subjects. After his graduation, Babbage was hired by the Royal Institution to lecture on calculus. He was soon elected as a member of the Royal Society and set up the Astronomical Society in 1820. From 1828-1839, Babbage was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. 

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Charles Babbage

In the 1820s Babbage began work on his 'Difference Engine', the machine which could perform mathematical calculations. A model was initially created and then demonstrated to audiences. Babbage soon developed Difference Engine 2 - a bigger, better machine. He also worked on his other invention, the Analytical Engine - this is where is fame is most recognised. The machine was intended to perform any arithmetical calculation using punched cards that would deliver instructions, as well as a memory unit and other fundamental components seen in today's computers. It was this invention that Ada Lovelace assisted with. However the Analytical Engine and the Difference Engine 2 were never completed in Babbage's lifetime. 

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The Analytical Machine

Although Babbage's fame is mainly known for his inventions in the 1820s, he continued working in many different sectors. Ranging from cryptography, metrology, publications in science to public nuisances. His work in the latter was an unpopular campaign, as he literally counted all the broken windows in factories and buildings and tied them to drunken men and women.

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Babbage's Public Nuisance publication: Table of the Relative
Frequency of the Causes of Breakage of Plate Glass Windows

 During his lifetime, Babbage married Georgiana Whitmore and had eight children. However only four of his children survived: Benjamin Herschel, Gerogiana Whitmore, Dugald Bromhead and Henry Prevost. Babbage's wife died in 1827, the same year his second son Charles, newborn son Alexander, and his father. During this point of his life, Babbage was grief stricken and travelled across Europe to get away, and to meet more inventors who eventually got on board with his ideas. 

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The Babbage children: Benjamin, Georgiana, Dugald, Henry

Babbage died, aged 79, in 1871 and was buried in London's Kensal Green Cemetery. He had declined a Knighthood and a Baronetcy. He is considered now as the 'father of the computer', despite never completing his invention. Parts of the incomplete mechanisms are on display in the London Science Museum, along with half of his brain. In 1991, a perfectly functioning Difference Engine was constructed from Babbage's original plans. 

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The machine at the London Science Museum

Ada Lovelace: A brief history
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was born on 10th December 1815, and was the child of poet George Gordon Byron - better known as the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron, who was famous for his huge debts, numerous love affairs with both sexes, and scandals and exile. Back to Ada. Her mother promoted Ada's interest in mathematics and logic in an effort to prevent her from developing what she saw as the insanity of her father. Ada was often ill during her childhood and when she was 8 years old, she experienced headaches that obscured her vision. In 1829 she was paralysed after having the measles and was bed bound for nearly a year. By 1831 she was able to walk with crutches. 

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Ada Lovelace portrait 1840

Image retrieved from Google. Will remove at owner's request. Ada Lovelace 

Despite her illnesses and disability, Ada developed her mathematical and technological skills. Lovelace developed strong relationships with her tutors and acquaintances. She was also once caught trying to elope with one of her tutors. Her close friends included Charles Dickens and Michael Faraday. 

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Michael Faraday

Throughout her life, Lovelace was strongly interested in scientific developments. She met Babbage in June 1833 though a mutual friend, Mary Somerville. Later that month, Babbage invited Lovelace to see the prototype for his Difference Engine, in which she had become fascinated in. Babbage was impressed by Lovelace's intellect and analytic skills. He called her The Enchantress of Numbers. During 1842-43, Ada translated Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea's memoir on Babbage's Analytical Engine. Based on her notes from this and her own research of the machine, Lovelace is now widely credited with being the first computer programmer. Her work was well received and Michael Faraday himself expressed himself as a fan. Babbage and Lovelace had a minor falling out over paper work and publishing at the time. However the respect that both had for each other repaired the professional friendship.

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Ada 1852

 Lovelace continued to work on mathematical projects and engineering before and after her fame with Babbage. In July 1835 she married William King and they had three children; Byron, Anna Isabella (Annabella), and Ralph Gorfon. At the young age of 36, Ada died in 1852. She had suffered uterine cancer, probably caused by bloodletting by her physicians. The illness lasted several months, in which her mother took control of who saw her, ultimately excluding Ada from her friends and confidants. Her mother influenced her to undergo a religious transformation. Ada lost contact with her husband after she confessed something to him which caused him to abandon her bedside. What she told him remains unknown. She was buried next to her father in Nottingham. 

Image retrieved from Google. Will remove at owner's request.Lord Byron's gravestone

Legacy: Babbage and Lovelace
Babbage's name has been dedicated to several locations, institutions and things:

• The Moon Crater Babbage
• The Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota
• British Rail named a locomotive after him in the 1990s
• The Babbage Building at the University of Plymouth
• The Babbage programming language fro GEC 4000 series minicomputers
• The former chain retail computer and video-games store 'Babbage's' (now GameStop) 

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Green Plaque in London

The computer language, Ada, was created on behalf of the US Department of Defense and was named after Ada Lovelace. Since 1988, the British Computer Society has awarded a Medal in her name and in 2008 initiated an annual competition for women students of computer science. "Ada Lovelace Day" is an annual event held in October which aims to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. The Ada Initiative is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing women's involvement in the free culture and open source movements. 

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Blue commemoration plaque

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Ada Programming language

I also came across a few cartoons and comic strips highlighting the successful relationship between Lovelace and Babbage: 

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Comic strip/cartoon

The Royal Massacre

4th June 2001

This day in history...Gyanendra, the last King of Nepal, ascended to the throne after the massacre in the Royal Palace

The Nepalese Royal Massacre, at the Narayanhity Palace, was a shocking event and few dramas can match what happened. Whilst today's event involves Gyanendra ascending the Nepalese throne, the massacre was the cause of this and is surrounded by controversy.

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The Nepalese Royal Family. Top row: Princess Shruti, Prince Dipendra, Prince Nirajan
Bottom row: King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya

The Massacre
On the 1st June 2001, the heir to the throne, Prince Dipendra had been heavily drinking and had reportedly been smoking large quantities of hashish (extracted from cannabis). According to reports, Dipendra had misbehaved with a guest, which resulted in his father, King Birendra, ordering Dipendra to leave the party. The drunken Dipendra was escorted to his room by his brother Prince Nirajan and his cousin Prince Paras.

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Prince Dipendra

One hour later, Dipendra returned to the party armed with an M16, an H&K MP5, and a Franchi SPAS-12. He fired a single shot into the ceiling and then turned the gun on his father, the King. Immediately after, Dipendra shot one of his aunts. He then shot his uncle Dhirendra in the chest at point blank. During the shooting, Prince Paras suffered some minor injuries but managed to save at least three royals, including 2 children, by pulling a sofa over them. During the attack, Dipendra ran in and out of rooms firing shots each time. 

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The Narayanhity Palace, where the massacre took place

Attempts were made to stop Dipendra during the shooting. King Birenda had picked up one of Dipendra's discarded machine guns and went to shoot his son. The King's sister, Princess Shova Shahi, however, snatched the weapon form the King and pulled out the magazine, thinking that it was the only weapon Dipendra had. Dipendra's mother, Queen Aishwarya, came into the room when the first shots were fired, but left quickly looking for help. When Dipendra ran out into the palace garden, Queen Aishwarya and Prince Nirajan confronted him and were both fatally shot mutiple times. Dipendra then processed to a small bridge over a stream running through the palace and shot himself. 

Victims

• King Birendra (55)
• Queen Aishwarya (51)
• Crown Prince (HM King) Dipendra (29)
• Prince Nirajan (23), Dipendra's brother
• Princess Shruti (24), Dipendra's sister
• (Prince) Dhirendra, King Birendra's brother (51)
• Princess Shanti, King Birendra's sister
• Princess Sharada, King Birendra's sister
• Kumar Khadga, Princess Sharada's husband
• Princess Jayanti, King Birendra's first cousin

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Top: King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, Dipendra, Nirajan
Bottom: Shruti, Dhirendra, Khadga, Jayanti

Wounded

• Princess Shova, King Birendra's sister
• Kumar Gorakh Shamsher, Princess Shruti's husband
• Princess Komal, Prince Gyandra's wife
• Priness Ketaki Chester

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The Royal Funeral

Aftermath

Dipendra did not die instantly so following the death of King Birenda, Dipendra waas proclaimed King. He was, however, in a coma, and died on 4th June 2001, after a three-day reign. Gyanendra was appointed regent for the three days, then ascended the throne himself after Dipendra died. 

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Gyanendra

A two-man committee, comprising of the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, carried out a week-long investigation into the massacre. After interviewing more than a hundred people, including eyewitnesses and palace officials, they found Dipendra to be ultimately guilty. A large number of critics disputed the official report because many aspects of evidence were contradictory. 

On the 11th June 2001, a Hindu katto ceremony was held to exorcise the spirit of the dead King from Nepal. A man dressed as Birendra to symbolise the late king, rose an elephant out of Kathmandu and into symbolic exile, taking many of the actual belongings of the King with him.

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The exorcism of the spirit of the dead King

The Perpetrator
From a very young age, Dipendra was known for his cruel behaviour towards animals, especially birds, taking joy in burning their tails. The palace priest had predicted that he would become a king like no other; he would be the King of Kings. Dipendra attended Budhanikantha School and later attended the Eton College in England. After Eton he went to the Tribhuvan University in Nepal and later joined the Military Academy. He studied Geography at Tribhuvan for his master;s degree and PhD. He had many interests ranging from sports to writing. He had many of his writings published and was the captain of the Nepalese karate team. Dipendra was 29 when he committed the massacre and died.  

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Dipendra at various points in his life. The far right photo shows
him with Princess Diana

Controversy and Rumours
Some possible motives have been that Prince Dipendra was angry over a marriage dispute. His choice of bride was Devyani Rana, daughter of the Rana clan, which the Shah dynasty had a historic animosity against. Many people are sceptical about whether or not the Crown Prince Dipendra carried out the murders. King Birendra and son Dipendra were very popular and well respected by the Nepalese public. Some people believed the Indian Intelligence Agency RAW or the American CIA were involved in the massacre and others believed that Gyanendra himself, had a role to play in the killings. His ascension to the throne would only be possible if both his nephews Dipoendra and Nirajan were eliminated. Gyanendra and his son, Prince Paras, were grossly unpopular. On the day of the massacre, Gyanendra was not present, but his wife Komal and his children Paras and Prerana were in the royal palace. While the entire families of Birendra and Dipendra were wiped out, nobody amongst Gyanendra's family had died. 

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Prince Paras, King Gyanendra and wife, Komal

Media
There have been several books and reports published about the events of the massacre; All of which have different theories of motives and conspiracy. There has also been a documentary that tells the full story of the massacre in the series of Zero Hour. It is a reconstruction of events taken from surviving eyewitnesses. 

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Zero Hour series

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