jan 1, 1347 - late 1340s- Black Death

Description:

The Plague first struck China, India, Persia, Syria and Egypt in the 1340s. The Plague then made its way into Europe by way of ships from China and other infected countries stopping at European ports. When the plague hit large port cities like Florence and Rome it was quickly spread to the rest of Europe. Europeans fled cities to find safety in the countryside but even their the Plague was active. Cattle and other farm animals could be infected as well as causing shortages in many natural resources. For many years no one understood how the plague spread until the end of the 19th century when scientists identified a bacteria called Yersinia pestis that is spread by infected rats and flies. This was significant as it killed about 25 million people in Europe, and is one of the major events that lead to the Renaissance, by people’s desire to increase scientific knowledge to find a cure. The picture shows a "plague doctor" who can be identified by his bird mask, who is inspecting a dead body that had been taken by the Plague. Many infected Europeans stand in the background.