This is a video I made with Patrick Blower for TED Education, part of a series of animations by TED ED which will take the form of short ‘lessons’, to be used as teaching aids or triggers for deeper explorations of the subject. The animation on pandemics is designed to be used in either a science, history, or public health class for age groups from 11 up to undergraduate level. For a more nuanced treatment of the same subject from a more historical perspective you might like to direct people to my paper on ‘putting pandemics in perspective‘ for History & Policy.