Coronavirus Watch Now: From the Black Death to Yellow Fever: Disease, Death, and Distancing in World History

From the Black Death to the 19th century quarantine system, global disease outbreaks have long been part of human history.

Much like social distancing can protect individuals from COVID-19, getting closer to our history can help protect societies from short-sighted policies. What lessons can we learn from the Middle Ages and the 19th century? What are the historical origins of quarantine and social distancing? What was self-quarantine like before Netflix – or electricity? And what can past pandemics teach us about our changing global order?

In this virtual edition of The World Today, we discussed pandemics, quarantine, and world affairs in historical perspective with Professor Alex Chase-Levenson and Professor Ada Kuskowski.