10 Bizarre Cases Of Mass Hysteria
8. Meowing Nuns (Middle Ages)
Not much is known about the strange incident of the meowing nuns, but we know that it happened in the Middle Ages. Sadly, records from then are hard to come by - hence the added mystery.
According to the accepted story, in a secluded convent somewhere in France, a nun began to meow like a cat. It spread as other nuns in the convent began to meow, sometimes for hours. As the hysteria progressed the nuns began to sync up and would meow together for a period of time every day.
The surrounding community were bemused and the meowing only stopped when the nuns were threatened with whips.