Plague of Athens (430 BC): The first known pandemic in world history occurred after the Peloponnesian War. Following Ethiopia, Libya, and Egypt, it reached Athens through the hands of the Spartans.
Antonine Plague of 165:
The plague transmitted by the Huns to the Germans, and then by the Germans to the Romans, spread throughout the entire Roman Empire by Roman soldiers, and from there to the entire continent of Europe.
The pandemic lasted for a full 15 years. The plague, which also caused the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, exhibited symptoms such as high fever, sore throat, and inflamed wounds.
250 - Plague of Cyprus:
Unlike symptoms of other pandemics, gangrene appeared on the hands and feet in this plague outbreak. The plague spread so extensively that it lasted for approximately three centuries.
The pandemic that reached England in 444 AD changed the existing political balance. The English sought help from the Saxons, who then took control of the island.
541 - Justinian Plague:
This plague, originating in Egypt, spread through Palestine. It disrupted the plans of Byzantine Emperor Justinian to reunite the Roman Empire.
During the Justinian Plague, more than 50 million people died. This number accounted for over twenty-five percent of the existing world population at the time.
Leprosy had turned into an epidemic during the Middle Ages. Despite all attempts, the disease's persistence led people to believe it was a divine punishment.
At one point, leprosy patients were portrayed as witches and banished outside the cities. Those within the community had to shake a bell to announce their approach.
1350 Black Death:
The second global plague pandemic occurred in Asia. The disease rapidly spread to other continents and reached Europe through the port of Messina. The losses were so extensive that there were thousands of unburied bodies in the fields.
The war between France and England came to an end solely because of the plague. The economy collapsed to the extent that the English feudal system had to undergo a complete overhaul.
1492 Columbus Plague:
Christopher Columbus led the Spanish expedition that introduced measles, smallpox, and chickenpox to the Native Americans, thus triggering a major epidemic across the continent.
Consequently, up to ninety percent of the existing native population of the Americas perished. For instance, the population of the Taino people, whom Columbus had encountered earlier, plummeted from 60,000 to 500 within a short period.
1665 - Great Plague of London:
The second major plague pandemic killed one-fifth of London's population. As the death toll rose, mass graves emerged, and aristocrats fled to the countryside.
The people of London brutally slaughtered hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs, which were believed to be the likely cause of the disease and the spread along the ports lining the Thames River.
1817 First Cholera Pandemic:
The first cholera pandemic in 1817, which is considered the trigger for seven cholera pandemics, began as a minor intestinal infection in Russia.
It reached India through British soldiers, causing the deaths of millions of people there as well. Due to the spread of the British Empire and navy, it also reached Spain, Africa, Indonesia, China, Japan, Italy, Germany, and America.
1855 3rd Plague Pandemic:
Beginning in China and spreading to India and Hong Kong, the bubonic plague claimed the lives of 15 million people. It initially spread through fleas during the mining boom in the city of Yunnan, China.
India suffered the highest death toll, and the outbreak sparked waves of rebellion against British colonial rule. The disease persisted intermittently until 1960.
1889 - Russian Flu:
The Russian Flu, the first widespread influenza pandemic in history, began in 1889 in the Russian Empire, centered around Siberia and Kazakhstan.
The Russian Flu, spreading from Finland to Europe, reached America a year later. By 1890, the Russian Flu had caused the deaths of nearly 400,000 people worldwide.
The Spanish flu, which quickly spread across the entire world, actually originated not in Spain but in the state of New Mexico in the U.S.
During World War I, the virus carried by US soldiers deployed to fight in Europe led to the deaths of 50-100 million people within 18 months. This accounted for approximately 15% of the world's population at the time.
1957 Asian Flu:
Starting in Hong Kong and spreading to China, then to America, and eventually to the entire world, the Asian flu of 1957 was one of the greatest nightmares of the 20th century.
As a result of the flu, which caused the deaths of more than 1.1 million people before a vaccine was found and it was brought under control, 116,000 people died in the U.S., and 14,000 in the UK.
1981 HIV – AIDS:
For the first time in world history, the HIV - AIDS virus, detected in 1981, destroys the immune system, leading to the death of the patient even with the slightest illness.
The disease, first observed in homosexual American groups, has led to the deaths of 35 million people since the first case, and a cure has not yet been found.
The coronavirus, first observed in January 2020 in the city of Wuhan, China, rapidly spread worldwide, leading to an international lockdown.
On March 13, 2020, Europe became the epicenter of the virus. On March 26, the highest increase in cases was observed in the U.S. The world was severely affected by this pandemic.
