1665

In 1665, the first cases of what would be known as the Great Plague of London appeared in the city's outskirts. The disease would become more widespread and fatal the following year, after the plague bacteria were genetically augmented by a group of escaped Terileptil criminals.

As a precaution against spreading the plague, King Charles II ordered the theatres closed, an act which put actor Richard Mace out of work, forcing him to become a highwayman. (DW: The Visitation)