It was believed that the plague first developed in Asia 2000 years ago. It was also believed that it was first spread by trade ships. Recent research has pointed out the possibility of the plague in Europe as far back as 3000 years ago.

1/3

OF PEOPLE

died from the black death in europe

Imagine if suddenly 1/3 of your family died overnight. How would you feel?

"During the beginning, there were swellings that grew as big as an apple. These were called Plague-boils. Later, Blood and Pus would leak out of those swellings. Following that, would be diarrhea, chills, vomiting, fever, and pains. The reason for this is because the bacteria attacked the lymph nodes, which causes these swellings. If left untreated, it could spread to lungs and blood."

Imagine if 1/3 of your family died overnight. How would you feel?

01

Yersinia Pestis

It first appeared in the United States, during the first world war. The exact location is Fort Riley, Kansas. One March, a soldier fell ill to the disease. Hours later, the disease would start spreading exponentially. The reason it was called the Spanish Flu was that During the first world war, the news was heavily censored in order to keep the people’s moral high. Due to this, the disease went unknown. It was only when the disease reached Spain, a neutral country, that news of the disease started popping up. Because of this, many people believed that the disease was from Spain.

02

H1N1 Virus ( Spanish Flu)

DID YOU KNOW?

the nursery rhyme 'Ring around the Rosy' was actually describing the symptoms of the Black Death. 

03

The Flea, who spread the bacteria through bites

It first appeared in Asia, and spread to Europe by ships. The disease was found on fleas, and fleas were on rats. The rats travelled on ships to Europe, where it spread. The Plague could spread by air or by bits of an infected animal. During the middle ages, Rats were as common as a spider now, so you can imagine how fast the spread was.

When the plague struck, people believed in different things. For example, one perspective was the Flagellants. They believed that the plague was God’s punishment, so they would beat themselves three times a day with whips with sharp pieces of metal on them. Though it did provide some comfort for the bewildered people, it was soon disbanded by the Pope.

04

Flagellants

The impact on humans was bad, as you can imagine what you would feel like if 1/3 of you family died. But, there is one silver lining to the disease: quarantine. During the Plague, a city called Ragusa ordered sailors to stay on their boats for 30 days, which later was increased to 40 days – a quarant, which meant 40 in Venetian. Quarantine has saved us from the worst of the Covid-19 outbreak, so I believe Quarantine is very important.

A common human might think that the plague is no more, but the World Health Organization still says that there are 1000 – 3000 people dying of the plague every year.

During the first wave, the symptoms were not as bad. The common symptoms were similar to the flu, with fever, chills, and fatigue. The death toll of the first wave was not that high. During the second wave, the symptoms were much, much worse. Victims of the Flu fell ill and died hours or days after infection. Some symptoms include People’s lungs filling up with liquid and their skin turning blue.

H1N1

INFECTED MORE PEOPLE

than the two world wars combined * 5

05

Deaths of the Spanish Flu

Because no one knew about the disease and the news were censored from telling people about it, people died quickly. The total Death toll is disputed, around 20 million to 100 million people died. Soldiers travelling to Europe brought the Flu with them, and the overcrowded trenches only spread the disease further. It was during this time that the second wave started.

Because of the censored news, some people believed that the disease was only the flu and did not worry. This was the mind of Philadelphia at that time. The Director for Public Health and Safety said that it was only the common flu and told everyone to come outside. So, on September 28, people went outside to participate in the parade. Needless to say, it killed a lot of citizens.

06

The Grim Reaper was commonly associated with the Black Death

During the first world war, medicine in the United States was not that developed. The disease prompted the doctors to research more on medication for diseases.

During the Spanish Flu outbreak, the United States Started to research antibiotics, and became way better at producing medicine than before.

06

An Image of an overcrowded, overwhelmed hospital during the outbreak