The Black Death hit Europe between 1347 and 1352, during which 20 million Europeans died, which reduced the population by 33%. Worldwide, 125 million are estimated to have died out of the entire 475 million population.

With limited medical knowledge, overcrowded living conditions, no fossil fuels, no high density agriculture or sanitation infrastructure, living conditions were horrible. Greta would have loved it!

Rats and fleas, not surprisingly rampant, were thought to accelerate the spread of the plague from port town to port town, preferring river cruises to country vacations, because that’s where the action was.

As things got worse and business owners were finding it harder to attract people to work for them (signs were posted stating: “Starting wages: 1 penny/ month. We even have jobs for children!”), they got desperate. The Lords in Europe passed laws to prevent wage inflation (the Statute of Laborers tried to lock wages to 1347 levels and make it illegal not to accept a job under 60).

But, economics won out and the reduction in the population materially changed the balance of power with peasants and lords leading to higher pay, better living conditions, GDP growth, fossil fuel development, longer life expectations, greater happiness and now, Netflix.

So yeah. That happened.