March 19, 2020
Volume 50 - No. 12
By Friedrich Gomez
Whether they are of biblical proportions or not, this 3rd planet from the Sun which we call Earth has had no shortages of devastating plagues, deadly diseases, and other unspeakable and contagious horrors that have terrified people of all cultures, all hemispheres, and all creeds and racial backgrounds.
These true-life pandemics were not only horrifying diseases by themselves, but they once grew to such catastrophic proportions that they, The Paper - 760.747.7119
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literally, instilled fears of completely wiping out our human species – totally -- from existence. Unimaginable epidemics such as cholera, bubonic plague, smallpox, and influenza were among some of the most brutal killers in human history. Terrifying plagues and diseases which triggered horrifying nightmares of impending doom for all the world.
WHICH EPIDEMIC WIPED OUT OVER HALF THE ENTIRE EUROPEAN POPULATION?
A. Polio B. HIV/AIDS C. The Black Death
Correct answer is “C” for The Black Death a.k.a. The Black Plague or simply The Great Plague. The Black Death (1347-1351) is believed to have originated in China. From there it ostensibly spread all along the trade routes to Constantinople and all of Europe, eventually devastating three continents in its deadly wake. The plague’s name comes from the black skin spots on the sailors who
Deadliest Plagues See Page 2
travelled the Silk Road from their East Asian voyages, after which their ships docked at major European ports, where the deadly disease quickly spread to heavily populated areas. The Black Death epidemic decimated Europe and Asia in the mid1300s.
A QUICK KILLER. The Black Death bubonic plague was so devastating and so swift that from 1347 to 1351 (in a span of only four years) it erased as much as