Christian History timeline: Plague and epidemic throughout history
[Policemen in Seattle wearing masks made by the Red Cross, during the influenza epidemic. December 1918.—[Public domain] Wikimedia]
Plague of Cyprian
Where: Roman Empire
When: c. 250–270
Cause: Unknown—possibly Ebola or smallpox
How many died (estimate): 1 million
Plague of Justinian
Where: Eastern Roman Empire
When: 541–542, with later waves until 750
Cause: Yersinia pestis bacterium
How many died (estimate): 30 to 50 million
Black Death
Where: Europe, Asia, Africa
When: 1347–1351, with later waves especially through 1671 (including the Great Plague of London); as late as 1925 in some places
Cause: Yersinia pestis bacterium
How many died (estimate): 200 million
Smallpox
Where: Worldwide; origins unclear
When: Emerged around 1600
(possibly much earlier) with recurrences up through the twentieth century
Cause: Variola major and Variola minor, two strains of virus
How many died (estimate): 56 million
Cholera
Where: Worldwide, beginning in India
When: Seven pandemics between 1817 and 1961; still exists in some places
Cause: Vibrio cholerae bacterium
How many died (estimate): 1 million
Yellow fever
Where: Worldwide, beginning in Africa
When: 1647 through the early twentieth century, including famed US epidemic in 1793
Cause: Virus spread through mosquito bites
How many died (estimate): 150,000
Scarlet fever
Where: Worldwide, beginning in Africa or the Middle East
When: Periodic outbreaks from sixteenth through nineteenth centuries; worst ones from 1820 through 1880
Cause: Group A streptococcus bacterium
How many died (estimate):
Tens of thousands
Leprosy (Hansen’s disease)
Where: Worldwide, beginning in Africa or the Middle East
When: Periodic outbreaks from ancient times; identified officially in the 1800s
Cause: M. leprae bacterium
How many died (estimate): Unknown
1918 “Spanish” flu
Where: Worldwide, beginning in Europe and the United States
When: 1918 through 1920 in four waves
Cause: H1N1 influenza A virus
How many died (estimate): 40 to 50 million
Polio
Where: Worldwide, especially Europe and the United States
When: Existed from ancient times; outbreaks especially bad from 1900 through 1950
Cause: Poliovirus
How many died (estimate): 50,000
HIV/AIDS
Where: Worldwide, beginning in Africa
When: 1980s–present (probably existed as early as 1920)
Cause: Human
immuno-deficiency virus
How many died (estimate): 32 million
Swine flu
Where: Worldwide
When: 2009–2010
Cause: H1N1 influenza A virus
How many died (estimate): 200,000
COVID-19
Where: Worldwide, beginning in China
When: Present
Cause: SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
How many died (estimate): 502,700 as of June 30, 2020
By The editors
[Christian History originally published this article in Christian History Issue #135 in 2020]
Next articles
Courage and pestilence
Luther’s words amid 16th-century plagues speak to our own time in complex ways
Christopher Gehrz
Plague advice from Martin Luther
We can be sure that God’s punishment has come upon us, not only to chastise us for our sins but also to test our faith and love.
Martin Luther“Christ is the master”
Margaret Blaurer’s life shows how reformers reluctantly made room for female celibate ministry.
Edwin Woodruff Tait“Now, Christ, prevail”
When plague struck Zurich, Zwingli hurried home from vacation to tend the sick but soon contracted the disease himself.
Zwingli
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