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Black Death

Definition

The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s. It killed an estimated 25 million people, or about one-third of Europe's population.

Analogy

Imagine if every third person in your school suddenly disappeared. That's how drastically the Black Death affected Europe's population.

Related terms

Plague: A contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium, often with the formation of buboes (typically affecting rodents and spread to humans via fleas).

Bubonic Plague: A highly infectious and often deadly disease caused by bacteria, it is typically characterized by the sudden onset of fever, weakness, and the formation of buboes.

Pandemic: An outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population.