The Black Death

A disease that affects a large number of people within a community, population, or region.

An epidemic that's spread over multiple countries or continents.

A pandemic that ravaged Europe between 1347-135. The Black Death is a name for the disease known as the Bubonic Plague. It is cause by a bacteria known as Yersina Pestis.

While the Plague began in Asia, it arrived in Europe in October 1347, when 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. People gathered on the docks were met with a horrifying surprise: Most sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those still alive were gravely ill and covered in black boils that oozed blood and pus.

The plague was spread through trading routes as people moved from city to city selling and trading their goods. It could be spread through the air which made in incredibly contagious.

This popular nursery rhyme could be about the Black Death. “Ring around the Rosies” refers to the red rings that started to develop on plague victim's skin. “Pockets Full of Posies” refer to the belief that disease was spread through bad smells, which means that people held bunches of flowers to their faces when going out in public.