There have been a number of pandemics since the beginning of the 20th century: the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, the Spanish flu of 1918/19 (which did not originate in Spain), as well as flu pandemics in 1957 and 1968, and now the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2019. Among the best known pandemics is the Black Death, a plague which spread across Asia and Europe in the middle of the 14th century.