The Great Philadelphia Exodus of 1793: When Fevers Made Folks Flee Faster Than a Ben Franklin Kite in a Hurricane!
Ah, Philadelphia. City of brotherly love... except when that brotherly love involves sharing a deadly disease. In 1793, the good ol' City of Brotherly Couldn't-Be-Bothered faced a foe far more frightening than a rogue tax collector: Yellow fever. This epidemic was about as welcome as a skunk at a picnic, and let me tell you, folks scattered faster than pigeons on a french fry frenzy.
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| How Many People Left Philadelphia To Get Away From Yellow Fever |
Bug Out or Bust: The Great Escape
Imagine the scene: The summer sun beats down, tempers flare, and then WHAM! Yellow fever rolls into town, spread by those pesky Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (unpopular vacationers, to be sure). People started dropping like flies (well, more like... people with yellow fever). Panic set in faster than a politician changes their stance on a dime.
The Doc Says: Some prominent figures, like Dr. Benjamin Rush, stuck around to try and help. Bless their brave souls! But let's be honest, most folks weren't exactly lining up for a dose of his "bleeding cures" (which, let's just say, involved a lot more bleeding than curing).
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The Great Escape Artist: So, what did everyone else do? Pack their bags, grab their nearest and dearest (and maybe a few extra pairs of breeches, because, you know, yellow fever?), and hightailed it outta there faster than a greased watermelon seed at a watermelon seed-spitting contest.
Estimates are fuzzy, like a particularly enthusiastically knitted sweater, but historians reckon somewhere around 20,000 people fled Philadelphia. That's a pretty sizable chunk of a city that, at the time, had a population of around 50,000! Basically, if you blinked, you might miss your neighbor as they were hot-footing it out of town.
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Who Left Town and Why?
The Rich, the Famous, and the Easily Grossed Out: Let's face it, if you had the means to escape a disease that made you look like a highlighter and felt about as pleasant, you probably would too. So, wealthy folks, government officials (including President George Washington himself!), and anyone with a particularly delicate constitution all booked the next stagecoach outta Dodge (or wherever they were headed in 1793).
The Not-So-Rich, But Still-Desperate: Hey, self-preservation is a basic human instinct, right? Even if you weren't rolling in dough, the idea of turning a lovely shade of jaundice wasn't exactly appealing. So, plenty of regular folks also joined the exodus.
Tip: Make mental notes as you go.
Hold Your Horses (Literally): Here's a funny fact: some folks believed horses were immune. Let's just say there were a LOT of disappointed equines left behind when their owners realized they weren't exactly magic fever-shields.
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FAQ: How to Avoid a Repeat of the Great Philly Flee
Okay, so yellow fever isn't exactly a modern concern (thanks, science!), but here are some fun FAQs inspired by the Great Philadelphia Exodus of 1793:
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How to Throw a Killer Epidemic Escape Party? Easy! Just avoid anything resembling hygiene, invite all your closest plague-carrying rats, and serve questionable mystery meat stew. (Not recommended)
How to Convince Your Horse You're Immune to Yellow Fever? Good luck! Maybe try bribing it with sugar cubes? (We still don't recommend this)
How to Become a Fearless Doctor Like Benjamin Rush? This one requires actual medical training. Maybe skip the "bleeding cure" experiments though.
How to Make Sure Your Neighbors Don't Ditch You in a Crisis? Be a good neighbor! Bake them cookies, offer to help shovel their walk, and maybe avoid any hobbies that involve collecting particularly large quantities of live mosquitoes.
How to Tell if You Have Yellow Fever (Besides Looking Like a Highlighter)? This one's actually important. If you ever experience sudden fever, muscle pain, nausea, or vomiting, see a doctor immediately! (Don't try to self-diagnose based on a humorous history blog)
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