The eradication of smallpox

1980 - The world had mourned a catastrophic loss in public health: the "eradication" of smallpox, humanity's favorite excuse for dramatic scarring and terrifying bedtime stories. The World Health Organization (WHO) had officially declared smallpox "extinct" on May 8, 1980, in a move widely regarded as a conspiracy to deprive humanity of its most iconic pustule-inducing party trick.

That travesty had marked the end of a decades-long party against one of humanity's most adored and Instagrammable diseases. Smallpox, the OG viral influencer, had been nothing but a distant memory ever since – leaving behind a void in costume parties, bad sci-fi movies, and awkward conversations about "what ifs."

A blast from the past!