1. The Black Death (1347-1351)
The Black Death ravaged Europe, killing an estimated one-third of its population in just a few years. But its devastation did not stop at Europe’s borders. Trade routes helped the bubonic plague spread from Asia, and its aftereffects rippled into Africa and the Middle East, disrupting economies and societies everywhere it touched. Labor shortages led to the decline of feudalism and sparked profound shifts in global trade and migration. The pandemic’s legacy can still be traced today in economic and social structures worldwide. Learn more from the CDC.
