sixpenceee:

This laughter epidemic that shut down 14 schools

On Jan. 30, 1962, at a boarding school near Tanzania’s border with
Uganda, three girls started laughing uncontrollably. The laughter fit
spread throughout the school, affecting 95 students. This laughing
epidemic forced the school to temporarily close, and the students were
sent home. It spread to nearby villages and finally died off after 18
months.

In total, 14 schools shut down and over 1,000 people were affected. The cause of the epidemic was hypothesized to be stress. (Source)

reminds me of “Dangerous Laughter” short story by Stephen Milhauser…