The fever that decimated Philadelphia

Imagine an epidemic that kills nearly one in ten Philadelphians, and forces nearly half the city’s population to flee.

That was the Yellow Fever of 1793, which hit Philadelphia when it was the second-largest English-speaking city in the world (after London).

The fever is the subject of the second episode of Sam Katz’s history of the city, which airs on Channel 6 tonight at 7:30. I’ve had a peek, and like the first episode on post-civil war Philadelphia, it’s well done – a high-quality mix of period art and modern graphics, along with scholarly interviews and scenes with actors.

I hope Sam and his son Phil keeps this up.