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Strange Historical Coincidences
When our historical perspectives play tricks on us
Global history has been a buzzword for many years now, and it has its drawbacks, but it is amazing at recognising the interconnectedness of the world we live in. Nothing exists in a vacuum, and we ignore our broader histories at our peril. Below are three sets of events that happened together, despite how crazy they might seem.
The Black Death & the Discovery of New Zealand
Yes, you read that right. The discovery of New Zealand by the Polynesians coincided with the Black Death in Europe. Estimates as to when New Zealand was first settled by the Polynesians, the precursors to the Māori in New Zealand, range from 1320 AD — 1350 AD. From 1346 AD to 1353 AD the Black Death, a virulent form of bubonic plague was ravaging Europe, Asia and North Africa, wiping out as many as two-thirds of the population in some regions.
The Polynesians, the legendary explorers of the Pacific, were famous for settling many of the small islands and atolls across the Pacific, as well as larger islands like the Hawaii islands and New Zealand. These would be some of the final stops for the Polynesians — a woefully underrepresented group in world history. It’s unclear whether or not the Polynesians of this time had any experience of the plague. However, their…
