A Little History

Plague, fire, and cholera have greatly affected the history of London. Geocaching is one of many ways to take people to these significant locations that inform the public of these events. The plague had a huge impact on London. The Great Plague was an epidemic in England that killed an estimated 20% of London's population. Historically known as the bubonic plague, was a disease transmitted through a flea and carried by rats. It was remembered as the "great" plague because it was one of the last outbreaks in England. The first geocache that our class took part in led us to the location of the memorial of the Great Fire of London. The fire burned for three days consuming more than 13,000 houses and 436 acres of the city. The Monument was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, to commemorate the Great Fire of London 1666. The monument is 202ft. in height, which is equal to the distance westward from the backhouse where the fire originally broke out. Another location this geocache took us was to the John Snow Pub. This was where John Snow discovered the source of cholera which was devastating this particular area of London. He found that the water from the water pump was contaminated, and today at this site the location of the water pump is indicated by a red curb. If it wasn't for geocaching, I probably would not have gone to these sites and learned about these events. Geocaching is a wonderful tool that can give you an interesting tour of London, or any other place in the world. It is great way to learn things about London that you usually wouldn't know unless you were a Londoner.