logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
21m 14s

After The Plague

NPR
About this episode
The Black Death was one of the worst catastrophes to ever hit humanity. But it also helped upend feudal hierarchies, redistribute wealth, and make daily life better for a lot of medieval Europeans. 
Up next
Aug 6
Summer School 5: The many ways governments influence industry
LIVE SHOW: August 18th in Brooklyn. Tickets here. Traditional economics says the market is guided by the forces of supply and demand. Customers decide what they want to buy, and private enterprise responds to that need. So what makes government think that it's smarter than capita ... Show More
36m 21s
Aug 2
Would you trust an economist with your economy?
Trust in experts is down. In all kinds of institutions and professions - in government, in media, in medical science... and lately, economists are feeling the burn acutely. In fact, President Trump just fired the economist who ran the Bureau of Labor Statistics, accusing her – wi ... Show More
32m 21s
Jul 30
Summer School 4: Who are all these regulations protecting?
LIVE SHOW: August 18th in Brooklyn. Tickets here. There are occasional incentives in business that make it very profitable to do bad things; maybe cheat at the game and steal other people's ideas, or cut some corners on safety. In theory, the government as referee steps in to mak ... Show More
35m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2020
Episode #102- What Caused the Black Death? (Part I)
The epidemic known as the Black Death struck Europe in 1347 and completely upended medieval society. It's been estimated that roughly half of the European population was killed by this gruesome disease. Despite huge advances in our understanding of this epidemic debate still rema ... Show More
51m 54s
Sep 2020
The Black Death
Between 75 million and 200 million people died in the Black Death, or Plague, which caused social, economic and religious upheavals that had a profound effect on the course of European history. How did the Black Death come about? How did if affect particular populations? For how ... Show More
16m 15s
Oct 2023
La peste negra, la epidemia más mortífera
En 1348, una enfermedad terrible y desconocida se propagó por Europa, y en pocos años sembró la muerte y la destrucción por todo el continente. 
11m 8s
May 2023
Did Black Death trigger the rise of Europe?
The Black Death unquestionably wrought a horrific death toll in the mid-14th century, but did it also sweep in social and cultural changes that eventually led to the rise of Europe? Professor James Belich certainly thinks so, and he lays out his argument in new book The World The ... Show More
37m 8s
Apr 2022
The Black Death | 1. Introduction
In the late 1340s, people in cities, towns and villages across the medieval world began to fall ill from a mysterious pestilence. This six part series looks at the how the Black Death shook the Middle Ages, killing millions and transforming societies. Speaking to expert historian ... Show More
23m 7s
Jun 2021
Episode 456: The Black Death Part I - Stomp a Gerbil, Bribe a Rat
This week we begin a five-part series on a catastrophe that remains one of the most destructive things to ever happen to humanity — the Black Death AKA the Great Mortality AKA the Big Death. For part one, we examine the conditions that led to the worst pandemic in history. Spoile ... Show More
1h 42m
Dec 2020
The Bubonic Plague Pt. 2
When the plague broke out again in the late 19th century, scientists dissected buboes, bodies, and fleas… and found the source of the Black Death. The disease had already killed millions throughout Europe and Asia. In 1900, it reached San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choic ... Show More
54m 6s
May 2024
The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 88 "Burying the Dead"
In the summer of 541, bubonic plague struck the Roman Empire. Known as the Justinianic Plague, it would be just as bad as the Black Death that 800 years later devastated Medieval Europe. Find out what happened here!For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesa ... Show More
21m 21s
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