THE MOST IMPORTANT PANDEMICS IN HISTORY
Learning goal: To understand the main pandemics that changed the world and how they affected people's lives.
Year, Period, Pandemic, Cause, Key Facts 430 BC Plague of Athens Unknown (maybe typhus or smallpox) Killed one third of Athens during the Peloponnesian War.
165–180 AD Antonine Plague Probably smallpox Spread through the Roman Empire, killed 5 million people.
541–542 AD Plague of Justinian Yersinia pestis (bacterium) Began in Constantinople; up to 50 million deaths.
1347–1352 Black Death Yersinia pestis One third of Europe died; huge social and economic changes.
1500s–1900s Smallpox Smallpox virus Killed millions, especially in the Americas; eradicated in 1980 by vaccination.
1817–1975 Cholera Vibrio cholerae 7 global waves; led to modern hygiene and clean water systems. 1918–1919 Spanish Flu Influenza virus H1N1 50 million deaths; spread after World War I. 1957–1969 Asian & Hong Kong Flu H2N2, H3N2 Millions died worldwide; start of modern flu surveillance. 1981–today HIV / AIDS HIV virus 40 million deaths; now treatable but no vaccine yet. 2002–2012 SARS & MERS Coronaviruses High mortality, limited spread; warning before COVID. 2019–today COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Global lockdowns; more than 7 million deaths; vaccines changed medicine
Did you know?
• The word “pandemic” comes from Greek: pan (all) + demos (people).
• The Black Death helped to end the Middle Ages by changing Europe’s economy and society.
• Smallpox is the only human disease completely eliminated thanks to vaccines.
• Pandemics often bring both tragedy and progress in science and medicine.
Discussion Questions 1. Which pandemic do you think changed the world the most? Why?
2. What did people learn from COVID-19?
3. How can we prevent future pandemics?
Vocabulary Box English Word Meaning Outbreak Sudden start of a disease Vaccine Medicine that prevents a disease Contagious Easy to spread from person to person Symptoms Signs of illness Lockdown Period when people must stay at home Treatment Medical care to cure a disease
THE MOST IMPORTANT PANDEMICS IN HISTORY
Vita Garbin
Created on October 20, 2025
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Transcript
THE MOST IMPORTANT PANDEMICS IN HISTORY
Learning goal: To understand the main pandemics that changed the world and how they affected people's lives.
Year, Period, Pandemic, Cause, Key Facts 430 BC Plague of Athens Unknown (maybe typhus or smallpox) Killed one third of Athens during the Peloponnesian War. 165–180 AD Antonine Plague Probably smallpox Spread through the Roman Empire, killed 5 million people. 541–542 AD Plague of Justinian Yersinia pestis (bacterium) Began in Constantinople; up to 50 million deaths. 1347–1352 Black Death Yersinia pestis One third of Europe died; huge social and economic changes. 1500s–1900s Smallpox Smallpox virus Killed millions, especially in the Americas; eradicated in 1980 by vaccination.
1817–1975 Cholera Vibrio cholerae 7 global waves; led to modern hygiene and clean water systems. 1918–1919 Spanish Flu Influenza virus H1N1 50 million deaths; spread after World War I. 1957–1969 Asian & Hong Kong Flu H2N2, H3N2 Millions died worldwide; start of modern flu surveillance. 1981–today HIV / AIDS HIV virus 40 million deaths; now treatable but no vaccine yet. 2002–2012 SARS & MERS Coronaviruses High mortality, limited spread; warning before COVID. 2019–today COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 Global lockdowns; more than 7 million deaths; vaccines changed medicine
Did you know? • The word “pandemic” comes from Greek: pan (all) + demos (people). • The Black Death helped to end the Middle Ages by changing Europe’s economy and society. • Smallpox is the only human disease completely eliminated thanks to vaccines. • Pandemics often bring both tragedy and progress in science and medicine.
Discussion Questions 1. Which pandemic do you think changed the world the most? Why? 2. What did people learn from COVID-19? 3. How can we prevent future pandemics?
Vocabulary Box English Word Meaning Outbreak Sudden start of a disease Vaccine Medicine that prevents a disease Contagious Easy to spread from person to person Symptoms Signs of illness Lockdown Period when people must stay at home Treatment Medical care to cure a disease