There have been about 60 fatal shark attacks in the last decade. That’s an average of six per year across the whole planet.
In just seven years, the Black Death killed 30 to 60 percent of Europe’s population—up to 50 million people.
And yet, each year, sharks get a whole week all to themselves. That didn’t sit right with us. So get ready for…
That’s right, from August 23–29, it’s Black Death Week here at OER Project. Keep an eye out for fun stuff on YouTube and our social channels. But the biggest news of all: we’re releasing a brand-new video, made in collaboration with Neil Halloran, creator of The Fallen of World War II and other data-driven documentaries.
Our new video (watch this space for a link when it drops!) asks a big question: Why count the dead? There’s a lot of conflicting data and historical debate surrounding the true impact and scale of history’s worst pandemic. So, I’ve got two questions for the teacher community:
What’s your favorite piece of evidence or historical trivia about the Black Death?
And if a student asks you why we bother to endlessly debate the death toll of a 700-year-old plague, what’s your answer?
(Bonus: Watch this music video to stay hyped for Black Death Week while you wait for our new video to drop.)