So back in 1345, something pretty terrifying was supposedly brewing in Asia. There's this old story that the Black Death – yeah, that plague that would eventually kill like a third of Europe – was "created" when some kind of cosmic event happened near Lake Issyk-Kul in what's now Kyrgyzstan. People at the time didn't understand germs or disease transmission, so they came up with all sorts of wild explanations. Some medieval chronicles claim there was an earthquake that released poisonous vapors from the earth, while others blamed an unusual alignment of planets they thought corrupted the air.

The truth is way less dramatic but equally fascinating. Modern scientists think the plague bacteria (Yersinia pestis) had been hanging around in rodent populations for thousands of years. What likely happened around 1345 is that changing climate conditions or human settlement patterns created the perfect storm for the disease to jump more effectively to humans. Archaeological digs near Lake Issyk-Kul have uncovered tombstones from 1338-1339 mentioning "pestilence" as the cause of death, suggesting the disease was already spreading there before hitting Europe.

The plague would reach Crimea by 1346, and then famously hitch a ride on merchant ships to Sicily in 1347, where it exploded across Europe. At its peak, the Black Death was killing thousands daily in major cities. Nobody understood what was happening – they blamed everything from bad air to divine punishment to Jewish communities (leading to horrific persecution). It's wild to think that what might've started as a small outbreak near a Central Asian lake would go on to reshape the entire social and economic structure of medieval Europe.

What's crazy is how this event that nobody truly "created" ended up creating our modern world in many ways. The massive population decline led to labor shortages that gave surviving workers more bargaining power. Feudalism began to crumble, new technologies were adopted faster, and some historians even argue that the plague's aftermath helped set the stage for the Renaissance. All from some bacteria that was just doing its thing, with no cosmic events or poisonous vapors needed – though I gotta admit, those explanations make for better stories around a campfire.

Now let’s go back 1760 when Boston's biggest nightmare began. Around 2 AM on March 20th, someone noticed flames coming from the Brazen Head, a building in the bustling Cornhill district. In a city packed with wooden structures, this wasn't great news, but fires were pretty common back then – usually, they'd get a bunch of people together with buckets and put it out before things got too crazy. Not this time, though. A strong wind kicked up, and before anyone could get organized, the flames were jumping from building to building.

The fire got so hot, it ended up creating its own weather system. Boston in 1760 wasn't exactly equipped with modern firefighting tech – they had these hand-pumped engines that weren't much better than garden hoses, and volunteer bucket brigades that couldn't keep up with the rapidly spreading flames. The narrow, winding streets of colonial Boston turned into fire tunnels, pushing the blaze deeper into the city's commercial heart. By sunrise, hundreds of people were homeless, standing in shock as their livelihoods went up in smoke - literally

When it was finally contained the next day, the damage was devastating. About 349 buildings were completely destroyed – shops, warehouses, homes, and several ships at the docks. That's nearly a tenth of the entire city gone! The financial district was basically wiped out, with damages estimated at around £53,000 – that's millions in today's money. And this wasn't just about property – many Bostonians lost everything, and the city's economy took a massive hit right when tensions with Britain were already starting to simmer.

Surprisingly though, Boston bounced back pretty quickly. The community rallied, with neighboring towns sending aid, and within a year, much of the burned district had been rebuilt. The city made some smart changes too – they widened streets, banned wooden buildings in the commercial district, and improved their firefighting capabilities. In a weird twist of fate, the Great Fire actually helped modernize Boston, just fifteen years before the American Revolution would break out. The city that would help lead the fight for independence was partly shaped by this disaster, proving that sometimes it takes something breaking down for something better to be built.

The War of Jenkins Ear👂
In 1739, Britain and Spain went to war over… a single severed ear. It all began in 1731, when Spanish coast guards captured British merchant Robert Jenkins, accused him of smuggling, and cut off his ear as a warning. Years later, Jenkins brought the preserved ear to the British Parliament, fueling anti-Spanish sentiment. With tensions already high over trade disputes in the Caribbean, Britain used the ear incident as an excuse to declare war on Spain. The conflict, known as The War of Jenkins’ Ear, lasted until 1748, though Jenkins himself had little to do with it. Moral of the story? Sometimes, the smallest things (even an ear) can spark big wars.

First Ever Cat Video🥊
Before TikTok and YouTube, the first known cat video was filmed in 1894 by Thomas Edison’s studio. Titled "Boxing Cats", the short film features two cats wearing little boxing gloves, playfully sparring while standing on their hind legs. It was filmed using Edison’s Kinetoscope, one of the earliest motion picture devices. So, while the internet didn’t invent cat videos, it definitely perfected them.

⬇️Watch the real video HERE⬇️

Surviving 2 Atomic Bombs💣
Tsutomu Yamaguchi holds the unbelievable distinction of being a survivor of both atomic bombings in Japan—and he lived to be 93 years old. On August 6, 1945, he was in Hiroshima on a business trip when the first atomic bomb detonated. Despite severe burns and injuries, he managed to return home to Nagasaki the next day. Then, on August 9, 1945, while telling his boss about Hiroshima’s destruction, the second bomb hit Nagasaki. Miraculously, he survived again. Despite enduring radiation, burns, and unimaginable horror, Yamaguchi lived until 2010, proving that sometimes, luck and resilience can defy history itself.

George’s Ice Cream Addiction🍦
Turns out, America’s first president was also its first ice cream addict. During the summer of 1790, George Washington spent a whopping $200 on ice cream—which, adjusted for inflation, is about $5,000 today. He even had special ice cream-making equipment at Mount Vernon and loved the treat so much that his servants complained about having to store so much of it. So while Washington is known for leading a revolution and becoming president, let’s not forget his real passion—eating absurd amounts of ice cream.

If you enjoy this edition of Today In History be sure to send it to a friend and force them to sign up because that’s what good friends do. Until next time, stay curious, question everything, and keep uncovering the mysteries of the past.