The Black Death, as it was known, killed millions in Europe and many parts of Asia between 1347 and 1352. The plague was spread and transmitted by rodents, and their infected fleas , but this was not known at the time. About 20 million of the 60 million people in Europe at the time died. In all of recorded history, this epidemic has only two rivals: the plague of 541 AD and the [[Influenza#Spanish Flu Pandemic: 1918-1919|flu epidemic of 1918]]. | The Black Death, as it was known, killed millions in Europe and many parts of Asia between 1347 and 1352. The plague was spread and transmitted by rodents, and their infected fleas , but this was not known at the time. About 20 million of the 60 million people in Europe at the time died. In all of recorded history, this epidemic has only two rivals: the plague of 541 AD and the [[Influenza#Spanish Flu Pandemic: 1918-1919|flu epidemic of 1918]]. |