2014 Event A case of bubonic plague in the Chinese province of Gansu prompts quarantines in parts of the city of Yumen; while outbreaks are rare, the disease can be contracted by contact with fleas from wild rodents 2013 Event Twenty people die on the island of Madagascar from bubonic plague, which is transmitted to humans via rat fleas; chronic overcrowding and unhygienic prison conditions are identified as the root cause of the outbreak 1975 Death Michel Simon, actor (Panic, Plague, Two of Us), dies at 80 1954 Birthday Louise Erdrich, born in Little Falls, Minnesota, author, short story writer, wrote, 'Love Medicine, 'The Plague of Doves' 1943 Death Alexandre Yersin, Swiss bacteriologist (bacteria plague), dies at 79 1907 Event Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Francisco 1899 Event 1st case of plague on Oahu, Hawaii 1863 Birthday Alexandre EJ Yersin, Swiss/French bacteriologist, bacteria plague 1840 Birthday Hans Makart, Austrian painter, Plague in Florenz 1720 Event "Le Grand St. Antoine" reaches Marseille, plague kills 80,000 1630 Event 16,000 inhabitants of Venice died this month of plague 1576 Death Titian, Tiziano Vecelli, Italian painter, dies of plague 1424 Death Jan Zizka, Czechoslovakian (army)leader (Hussieten), dies of plague at 46 1349 Event 6,000 Jews, blamed for the Plague, are killed in Mainz 1348 Death Petrarch's Laura, dies of plague 1345 Event Saturn/Jupiter/Mars-conjunction: thought "cause of plague epidemic" 1270 Death Louis IX, the Saint, King of France (1226-70), dies from plague at 56 590 Death Pelagius II, Gothic Pope (579-90), dies from plague
