Department of History

It began much like the common cold. Yet within a day, fever took over, black swellings the size of baseballs appeared on the neck, and finally a highly contagious bloody cough quickly sealed the victim's fate. During the worst biological disaster in the history of mankind, the so-called black death released an indiscriminate fury which shook the very foundations of human order. Religious hysteria began to break out, and in desperation, frenzied masses scrambled to find a scapegoat. When all was said and done, nearly one-third of Europe's population has been completely wiped out, and devastated survivors were left to contend with a world forever changed, both socially and economically. In this feature-length special, The History Channel investigates the origins of this devastating moment in human history and explores the many questions surrounding the terrifying possibility of a modern-day biological threat.