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Pandemics

HISTORY.com is covering a range of angles about pandemics of the past to help frame the COVID-19 crisis.

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Pandemics That Changed History

In the realm of infectious diseases, a pandemic is the worst case scenario. When an epidemic spreads beyond a country’s borders, that’s when the disease officially becomes a pandemic. Communicable diseases existed during humankind’s hunter-gatherer days, but the shift to agrarian life 10,000 years ago created communities that made epidemics more possible. Malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, […]

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Cholera epidemic in Europe: travellers from Switzerland en route for Italy being kept in quarantine at Bardonnechia, Italy, for five days. Illustration published London, 16 August 1884...UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1754: Cholera epidemic in Europe: travellers from Switzerland en route for Italy being kept in quarantine at Bardonnechia, Italy, for five days. Illustration published London, 16 August 1884 (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Cholera

What Is Cholera? Cholera is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria typically live in waters that are somewhat salty and warm, such as estuaries and waters along coastal areas. People contract V. cholerae after drinking liquids or eating foods contaminated with the bacteria, such as raw or undercooked shellfish. […]

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Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was so respected in the field of nursing that she was tapped to consult with the British Army. Learn more about the health reforms that she instituted in this video.

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Spanish Flu Virus

Spanish Flu

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims, including some 675,000 Americans.

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How the Flu Became Endemic

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How the World Learned to Manage the Flu

Since the 1940s, the World Health Organization has worked with different countries to keep the flu endemic by identifying strains and watching for signs of a pandemic.

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The Chicken Pox vaccine.

How a Vaccine Slowed the Spread of Chickenpox

The highly contagious disease dates to ancient times and spread easily in households and classrooms—until the development of a vaccine.

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The First ‘Vaccine Passports’ Were Scars from Smallpox Vaccinations

The First ‘Vaccine Passports’ Were Scars from Smallpox Vaccinations

When smallpox ravaged the United States at the turn of the 20th century, many public spaces required people to show their vaccine scars for entry.

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How World War I Eclipsed 1918 Pandemic Memorials

How World War I’s Legacy Eclipsed the 1918 Pandemic

Both World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic were devastating events in history. So why did memorials for one event overshadow the other?

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Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was so respected in the field of nursing that she was tapped to consult with the British Army. Learn more about the health reforms that she instituted in this video.

Watch nowWatch now video about Florence Nightingale
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