jan 1, 1507 - The first reported smallpox case in the New World

Description:

Settlement of the east coast of North America in 1633 in Plymouth, Massachusetts was accompanied by devastating outbreaks of smallpox among Native American populations and later among the native-born colonists. At the time of the Revolutionary War, there were several outbreaks of smallpox. During the 20th century, it is estimated that smallpox was responsible for 300–500 million deaths. The pandemic was put under control when the vaccine, introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796, was the first successful vaccine to be developed. He observed that milkmaids who previously had caught cowpox did not catch smallpox and showed that inoculated vaccinia protected against inoculated variola virus.