Attempting journalism

You think this pandemic thingie we're going through is deadly? At least unpleasant? Hey, you've come here to this tower of truth to learn the little-known stuff that will make you completely shunned at lunch time, and cussed during choir practice. We modestly refer to it as attempting to commit journalism.

When it comes to historical terrors, there are none that reached the pinnacle of pain as quickly and briefly as the dance fever. Yes, friend, the dance fever of 1518 was a month-long plague in Strasbourg, which is today in France. During the dance fever, hundreds of people, for no apparent reason, danced around the clock for a month. A number of them danced themselves to death.

There is no record of which platter was spinning during this Renaissance sock hop, unfortunately. Looking back at the music of that time, a bunch of it was Gregorian chant.

I like that tune, Dick. It has a good beat, you can dance to it. I'll give it a seven.

Strasbourg is in Alsace-Lorraine, and Alsace-Lorraine is today in France. But every so often Germany decides to take it over, and then we have to help get it back into French hands again.

Now if only Alsace could get along with Lorraine ...

- Slim Randles is a country columnist. Email him at [email protected].