In 1831 Sunderland's anti-cholera party denied the outbreak to protect its coal trade

historyWellcome Collection1831 · Sunderland, England

In 1831 Sunderland's anti-cholera party denied the outbreak to protect its coal trade

the gist

Britain's first cholera outbreak began in Sunderland in 1831. The government imposed a quarantine on the port, which stopped ships carrying coal, the town's main export. A group of local businessmen led by the Marquis of Londonderry formed an anti-cholera party and claimed the illness was only the milder English cholera. Posters offered rewards for cases, and some doctors changed their minds about the diagnosis, likely under pressure. Doctors who called it cholera were attacked, and the disease spread across the country, killing around 32,000 people. Doctors at the time disagreed about whether cholera spread by contact or through bad air.

so what

Sunderland became a national disgrace, and the story is often cited as an early example of lockdown resistance.

the bigger pattern

Cholera's arrival in Britain followed trade routes from Asia through Hamburg and Riga, and quarantine of ships was the main defence of the time. Denial in Sunderland echoed later debates over pandemic restrictions, which is why the story is often revisited.

fun fact

William Reid Clanny, the doctor who led the local Board of Health, later invented an early safety lamp for miners.

Wellcome Collection · CC BY 4.0

Illustrative photo · CDC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

source: Wellcome Collection ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗