Plagues And Diseases
Plague. A word that has struck fear in the hearts of man since the
earliest of times. It has also lead to some of the greatest historical events
and stories of our time. The ancient cities of Rome and Athens, in their
downfall, were finished off by pestilence. The Bubonic Plague, also known as
The Black Death, devastated Europe in the 14th century, starting a new age. The
great warrior Ivan the Terrible was stricken with disease, and driven mad.
During the "exploration" of the new world, Cortes's greatest ally against the
Aztecs was smallpox. Napoleon's Grand Army was defeated by the Russians, and
typhus. Queen Victoria spread hemophilia to her heirs, leading to the illness
of the ...
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like it did
the first time. It also reached into Africa, China, Russia, and the
Scandinavian countries. It was truly a worldwide pandemic. But, it has a
secondary effect that not many people are aware of. The colonies of Greenland,
settled by the Vikings, were stricken by the plague and they soon disappeared.
It is known that these colonies kept in contact with "Vinland", which was near
New Foundland, in Canada. The Vikings had already discovered North America!
But, alas, with these colonies all dead, Greenland was forgotten, and not
discovered again until 1585.2 It is estimated that the plague took 24 million
lives, about a quarter of the European population. This may seem incredulous to
people today, but it happened. During those times, where there were humans,
there were black rats. And where there are rats, there are fleas. And where
there were fleas, there was the plague. Bubonic plague, and also pneumonic
plague, were everywhere. France, Italy, Russia, England, ...
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In the spring of 1812, Napoleon
had reached the height of his power and glory. His empire spread eastward to
the Russian frontier and to Austria. Two of his brothers were kings. His 3
sisters all sat on thrones in one sense or another. His first son was Viceroy
of Italy. And Napoleon himself was currently married to the great niece of
Marie Antoninette, and their first child was immediately named King of Rome.
Napoleon was on a roll.5 Given time, patience, and some luck, he might have
been able to extend his empire to the East, and force those pesky British into
isolation, cutting them off from any matters in Europe and Asia. But these
dreams would go unresolved. Because of ...
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Plagues And Diseases. (2005, March 31). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Plagues-And-Diseases/24603
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"Plagues And Diseases." Essayworld.com. March 31, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Plagues-And-Diseases/24603.
"Plagues And Diseases." Essayworld.com. March 31, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Plagues-And-Diseases/24603.
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