Historians agree that the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, recorded in the 19th century by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, is based on an actual occurrence in 1284 in which most of the children in Hamelin disappeared. However, no one knows for sure the exact reason for the disappearance. Many scenarios have been postulated, some more likely than others. The story of the Pied Piper was first depicted in a stained glass window from about 1300. The earliest written account dates from the mid-15th century. The Grimm brothers' version from the 1800s is the one that most people are...
