During the 14th century, the world saw one of its most traumatic episodes.

A plague spread through Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa

that was unlike anything the world had ever seen.

In some locations, over half the population died. Those who survived

found themselves in a new world where the social and economic rules had been

totally changed. Learn more about the Black Death, how it happened, and how it changed the world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. It is difficult to convey just how big of an impact the Black Death had on the world and especially Europe.

The Black Death wasn't like a war. As terrible as a war might be, losses are usually limited to the battlefield,

and it may result in a new leader, but it probably wouldn't necessarily have affected the average person who lived in a village.

The Black Death, however, affected everyone. You couldn't hide from it. It

impacted the rich and poor alike. Those who survived found themselves in a completely different world

than the one they had lived in before.

In a very real sense, you can think of the Black Death as a dividing line in history.

It is arguably the worst pandemic in world history, depending on how you define it.

The great dying of the Americas, which took place after the arrival of Europeans to the new world,

resulted in a dramatic drop in population size by as much as 90%.

However, the Great Dying took place over a period of one to two centuries.

It was a multi-generational affair, and it didn't take place everywhere at once,

and it wasn't a single

pandemic of a single disease. The Black Death however was like a single bomb

that devastated much of Europe in the Middle East during a single decade.

Before we get into the details of the Black Death, I should explain exactly what it was and what caused it.

The Black Death was a bubonic Plague pandemic that took place between approximately 1346 and 1353.

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