THE BLACK DEATH

1280 WD

The Black Death Throughout recorded history, there have been many pandemics that have dealt devastating blows to the human population. Smallpox, Cholera, and Spanish Influenza, are all examples of deadly diseases that have killed millions of people, but perhaps the most infamous of these is what many know as “The Black Death.” This pestilence ravaged Europe destroying entire towns, tearing apart families, and spreading fear like wildfire until it finally ended. This was a dark time in history, a time that left many questions open for speculation. During the time of Black Death, people had no way of knowing what this disease truly was, how it came to Europe, what caused it, or how to cure it. Today, we have answers to all of these questions, allowing us to combat this disease that still affects people across the world. The Black Death is not a name of a disease, but rather a specific outbreak of a disease called plague. Plague is a disease that is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis (“Plague: Ecology and