Plagues of History
This asymptomatic carrier, an Irish cook named Mary Mallon, was forcibly quarantined for years after spreading this bacterial disease to dozens of families in New York.
Who is Typhoid Mary?
That tiny, seemingly useless extra pocket on the right side of your blue jeans was originally designed to hold this specific timepiece.
What is a pocket watch?
In 1854, Dr. John Snow stopped an outbreak of this water-borne disease in London by famously removing the handle from the Broad Street pump.
What is Cholera?
This common office supply, patented in 1899, became a symbol of Norwegian resistance during WWII, as wearing one on a lapel signaled "we are bound together" against the Nazis.
What is the paperclip?
Often called "Consumption" due to the way it caused patients to waste away, this "White Plague" was the leading cause of death in the 19th-century U.S. and Europe.
What is Tuberculosis (or TB)?
The universal "Power" symbol on your electronics is actually a combination of these two binary digits, representing "on" and "off."
What are 1 and 0?
Named for a 6th-century Byzantine Emperor, this was the first recorded major outbreak of the Bubonic Plague, nearly collapsing the Roman Empire's remnants.
What is the Plague of Justinian?
In 1957, the inventors of this popping plastic originally tried to market it as a trendy, textured 3D wallpaper before realizing it was much better for shipping fragile items.
What is Bubble Wrap?
This viral disease decimated the French workforce attempting to build the Panama Canal before Dr. Walter Reed proved it was spread by mosquitoes, not "miasma."
What is Yellow Fever?
Long before it was a burger topping, this condiment was sold in the 1830s as a medicine called "Dr. Miles’ Compound Extract of Tomato" to treat indigestion.
What is ketchup?