logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
18m 38s

The Defeat of Smallpox

Airship | Noiser | Wondery
About this episode

December 9, 1979. A commission of scientists declare that the scourge of the world – the infectious and deadly virus smallpox - has been eradicated. This episode originally aired in 2021.


  • Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.


History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.

Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

Up next
Yesterday
The 47 Ronin
February 4, 1703. A group of Japanese samurai are punished for avenging their master's death. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily. 
16m 34s
Feb 3
The Battle for the Fifteenth Amendment
February 3, 1870. The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing the right of black men to vote. This episode originally aired in 2022. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and ... Show More
18m 4s
Feb 2
The Real-Life Robinson Crusoe is Rescued
February 2, 1709. British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being marooned on a Pacific island for more than four years, an ordeal that will inspire the novel Robinson Crusoe. This episode originally aired in 2024. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening ... Show More
15m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2025
541 AD: The Worst Year in History
Was this the worst year in human history? Bubonic plague sweeps across the Mediterranean. The sun vanishes behind volcanic ash. Crops fail, famine bites, and the Roman empire lurches towards collapse.In this episode of The Ancients, the third in our special Great Disasters series ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 2025
Fan Favorite | The Philly Killer
Following the epic crossover between MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries and Redacted: Declassified Mysteries, hosted by Luke Lamana, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes where the line between medical mystery and dark conspiracy becomes blurred.Throughout the United States, t ... Show More
33m 44s
Aug 2019
The Triangle
A mysterious illness plagues a Connecticut town. A brief introduction into “Lymeworld”. A lesson on the epidemiological triangle. Click hereto donate $20 and get ad-free episodes of Patient Zero a week early and bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ ... Show More
44m 22s
Feb 2025
Measles Outbreaks, Asteroid Risks and Fish Friends
The black hole at the center of our galaxy is emitting near-constant, random light. The European Space Agency has approved astronaut candidate John McFall, making McFall the first physically disabled candidate to be cleared to fly. The risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth rose ... Show More
7m 20s
Feb 2025
The D-Day Con
In the tense months leading up to D-Day, a daring plan was set in motion to mislead the Nazis about where and when the invasion would take place. British intelligence recruited a motley crew of double agents, including a Spanish chicken farmer, a Serbian playboy, and a temperamen ... Show More
46m 56s
Jun 2025
The Secret of Churchill’s Anthrax Island
Towards the end of WWII, Winston Churchill decided it was time for Britain to develop deadly bioweapons. He chose a remote island off of Scotland where experiments could be carried out away from human contact. But toxic secrets often have a way of resurfacing. Years later, a grou ... Show More
34m 17s
Dec 2020
The Bubonic Plague Pt. 1
It was one of the most lethal pandemics in global history. The bubonic plague’s devastating spread in 6th and 14th century Europe paved the way for how we handle outbreaks today — though patients in medieval times saw no sign of a cure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod ... Show More
50m 20s
Aug 2024
The Deadly Puzzle of Yellow Fever (Replay)
HISTORY This Week returns with new episodes starting September 16th! In the meantime, listen to a favorite classic from the archives. August 27, 1900. Dr. Jesse Lazear, a U.S. Army surgeon, walks into Las Animas Hospital Yellow Fever ward in Havana, Cuba, toting a brood of mosqu ... Show More
33m 8s
May 2023
1945 : Un sous-marin allemand coulé par ses toilettes !
En avril 1945, un U-Boot a été coulé à cause d’une mauvaise utilisation de ses nouvelles toilettes. Une histoire peu connue et pourtant l’une des plus insolites de la Seconde Guerre mondiale ! Écoutez cet épisode de Pépites d'Histoire, partagez-le et abonnez-vous (sans oublier d' ... Show More
9m 11s
May 2021
Episode C4 – The Great Kings
Synopsis: The Great King Tudhaliya’s sons, Arnuwanda and Suppiluliuma, take power in a time of growing famine.  The collapse of Mycenaean Greece intensifies the predations of Aegean and Mediterranean pirates, who threaten Hittite grain shipments and ally with the Libyans to launc ... Show More
32m 20s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami